Featured Jewelry - Week 14

All designs are currently available at BlueCopperJewelry.com
To see more details on any of these pieces, just click on the link directly below the photo.

The past few weeks have been rather tumultuous for me and my family. We lost a great man... the patriarch of the family, my daughters grandfather. As the whole family got together we celebrated an incredible life and contemplated an incomprehensible loss. When I was thinking of what pieces to highlight this week, the only thing I could think of was the color blue. While it signifies my feelings of sadness, it was also grandaddy JD's favorite color. So this week, to celebrate the life of Mr. JD Jones, I bring you designs of blue. 

 

Large blue stone pendant on 30" copper chain
Blue agate and crystal bracelet
Faceted blue agate dangle earrings
Natural blue lapiz nugget necklace on copper chain
Blue lapis bracelet with white pearl center

 

Happy Birthday Aries

ARIES - the Ram 
3/21 - 4/19





Basic Traits:

Aries people are creative, adaptive, and insightful. They can also be strong-willed and spontaneous (sometimes to a fault). Aries people can be driven and are very ambitious often making them over-achievers in anything they set their mind to tackle. Aries are fire signs, and so too is their personality. They may be quick to anger, but don't take it personally, it's just their fiery, passionate personalities showing through. Aries signs have excellent sense of humor, and they get along with almost everyone at the party (and they DO know how to party). Aries can be impatient, but we love them anyway because they are devoted friends, lovers and family members - they are loyal to then end and will fight for their causes (usually supporting the underdog).



The Deeper Meaning:

Fundamentally, Aries' function is to be the initiator, the one who gets things started. In the northern hemisphere (where the myths surrounding astrology arose), the Sun enters Aries at the Spring equinox. Nature is coming to life after its winter slumbers, and manifests great energy as new growth pushes up out of the earth.

So Aries' function in life is to get things moving. The contributions all the other signs have to offer depend on someone providing the initial impulse. Aries is a fire sign, and fire has to do with inspiration and imagination. Your aim is to bring these qualities into life and act on them.

Now this may raise issues of compatibility with people whose horoscopes have different emphases. You may meet opposition from people (maybe with an earth sign like Taurus or Virgo emphasized in their birth charts) who are frustrated, telling you that it is all very well to be fired with imagination and act on new ideas, but what counts is whether anything lasting results. Well, yes, they may have a point. Perhaps you get some project off the ground, lots of people become dependent on the continuation of that project, but then it collapses as it is not being sustained. Here is a challenge to you to be true to yourself. If you get bored easily with a project once it has been started, maybe you need to make sure there are others around who are good at sustaining and managing the practical necessities of your idea. Then anyone dependent on it will not be let down. If you have no inclination to work with practical details, then maybe you could accept that as a personal quality you don't have and leave it to others, while you act on your next inspired idea! However, although you have an Aries emphasis, there may have been a lot of planets in earth signs (maybe Mercury in Taurus for instance) when you were born, and this would indicate some more practical inclinations you may want to pursue.

Consider the sign immediately opposite, Libra. Represented by a pair of scales, Libra is concerned with balance, harmony, co-operation. These are qualities you may need to learn in order to be effective, but not at the expense of your overall aims in life. You have, underlying everything, a strong personal will to move in life and fulfill your aims. Co-operation may be needed, but never allow others to sit on you or hold you down, otherwise you will be frustrated and unable to make the contribution to life you were born to make. This could be difficult if the Moon was in Libra when you were born, because this would indicate that your instinctive desire is to live in perfect peace and harmony with others - if you are at loggerheads with someone, then you feel insecure. This is a side of your nature which needs to be honored, and it may take a lot of negotiation, especially with one you love with whom compatibility is so strongly desired, to have the peaceful co-existence you need at the same time as pursuing your own interests.

Featured Jewelry - Week 13

All designs are currently available at BlueCopperJewelry.com
To see more details on any of these pieces, just click on the link directly below the photo.

Spring is just around the corner, so this week I'm showing off some pieces that make me think of Spring, both in the colors and the feeling. To those of you still dealing with bone chilling temperatures and snow on the ground, the first buds of beautiful flowers are near at hand!!

 

Clear Blue Sky crystal bracelet
Spring is in Bloom resin charm
Springtime is Near crystal necklace
Flower Power Explosion charm
New Life green crystal bracelet

Featured Jewelry - Week 12

All designs are currently available at BlueCopperJewelry.com
To see more details on any of these pieces, just click on the link directly below the photo.

I just love astronomy and the history behind it... If you're a star gazer like me, then these charms, each depicting a different constellations of the nights sky, are perfect for you!

Ursa Major (the Great Bear) constellation, hand stamped on a roofing disk
The Little Dipper constellation set in resin
Hercules constellation set in resin
Horoscope sign Sagittarius constellation set in resin
The constellation Orion, hand stamped on a roofing disk

 

Charitable Monthly Spotlight - Wounded Warriors Project





The mission of the WWP is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors by raising the awareness of the public and helping injured service members through a variety of programs and services. All of this is in the hopes of fostering the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history.


 Programs Offered


The WWP aims to help our injured veterans through 4 key facets of healing; Mind. Body. Economics. and Engagement. Here how...

MIND - "We envision a generation of Wounded Warriors well-adjusted in mind, receiving support to overcome the challenges of readjustment. Through interactive programs, outdoor rehabilitative retreats, peer support, and professional services, warriors are given the tools to maintain healthy, meaningful relationships with family and friends, and pursue life goals without the barriers or stigmas associated with mental health issues."

BODY - "We envision a generation of Wounded Warriors well-adjusted in body, receiving the care they need to maximize rehabilitation and live active and healthy lives. Through adaptive sports, health, nutrition, and recreational activities, WWP helps warriors achieve independence and pursue an excellent quality of life."

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT - "We envision a generation of Wounded Warriors who are economically empowered. They are not unemployed or underemployed, and have opportunities to pursue a meaningful career or own their own business. WWP offers higher education programs, information technology training, and employment assistance services to encourage economic empowerment for warriors to provide long-term financial stability for themselves and their families."

ENGAGEMENT - "To ensure injured service members stay connected with one another, WWP has both a peer mentoring and robust Alumni program. Additionally, the Policy & Government affairs program ensures injured warriors and their families have a voice in local and national advocacy and legislative issues. WWP also offers a Benefits Service program that provides you with access to government benefits and details on all of our programs and community resources."

How can you help?


There are a number of ways that you too can help empower our valiant veterans who have returned home with injuries, both the visible and hidden scars of war.

You can volunteer your time, your money, or even just your presence through word of mouth. For myself, I've decided to donate 10% of the total March sales from my website, BlueCopperJewelry.com, to the Wounded Warriors Project!! With each purchase you make from Blue Copper Jewelry you'll be getting beautiful jewelry and helping a great cause, all at the same time! It doesn't get much easier than that does it?!

If you'd like to donate directly to the cause, or to learn more about how you can help, follow this link.

March Birthstone

Traditionally, a birthstone is associated with each month of the year. For example, the birthstone for January is a garnet, while lucky babies born in April get a diamond as their birthstone.

The origin of birthstones is believed to date back to the breastplate of Aaron which contained twelve gemstones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The current list dates back to 1912 with only one addition since then – the tanzanite was added to December.

There are numerous legends and myths about birthstone healing powers and their therapeutic influence. According to these legends, wearing a gemstone during its assigned month heightened its healing powers. For the full effect, individuals needed to own all twelve and alternate them monthly.

The two birthstones for March are aquamarine and bloodstone.

Aquamarine

The name aquamarine is derived from the Latin word aqua, meaning water, and marina, meaning the sea.  This gemstone was believed to protect sailors, as well as to guarantee a safe voyage.  The serene color of aquamarine is said to cool the temper, allowing the wearer to remain calm and levelheaded.  Its pale, cool color beautifully complements spring and summer wardrobes.  Aquamarine is most often light in tone and ranges from greenish blue to blue-green; the color usually is more intense in larger stones. 

This gemstone is mined mainly in Brazil, but also is found in Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Pakistan, and Mozambique.





Healing powers of Aquamarine - Aids the liver, throat, stomach, jaw, teeth, eyes, and ears. Aquamarine is also known for releasing fear, calming nerves, and bringing mental clarity.


Bloodstone

The second birthstone for March is bloodstone, a dark-green jasper flecked with vivid red spots of iron oxide.  This ancient stone was used by the Babylonians to make seals and amulets and was believed to have healing powers — especially for blood disorders.  It is sometimes called the martyr's stone as legend tells that it was created when drops of Christ's blood stained some jasper at the foot of the cross.  Generally found embedded in rocks or in riverbeds as pebbles, primary sources for this stone are India, Brazil, and Australia.