Bead Blog
July 10, 2009: A Blog About Blogging: Gemphora on Twitter
Gemphora is officially on Twitter! Follow us to see real-time bulletins, known as "tweets," and get the news on our latest merchandise, free gifts, and other important announcements. You can also see our Twitter updates here on Gemphora.com.
When you follow us on Twitter, you’ll never miss out on our limited time offers--we are known the world over for our great gifts--and you can get the dish when we list $0.99 gemstone bead auctions on eBay.
Best of all, you’ll never miss another popular, limited quantity Gemphora item. If you’re like us and your love of premium gemstone beads knows no bounds, then following us on Twitter is the best way to stay informed.
March 31, 2009: Announcing 100% Charitable Donations
At Gemphora, we believe that good deeds should be rewarded. We are proud to unveil our new 100% Charitable Donation selections, and here’s how they work: when you purchase a designated item, we’ll ship it to you like any other item we sell, but instead of keeping the money, we’ll donate it to charity. Not a portion of the money; all of the money. Every last cent. And we’ll prove it, too: we will email you a receipt showing that we’ve made the donation in your name. Each item costs $5.00, so if you buy one item, we’ll donate $5.00. If you buy five items, we’ll donate $25.00, and so on.
Gemphora has chosen a terrific charity called, "A Helping Paw." Located in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, "A Helping Paw is a no-kill, volunteer run organization dedicated to increasing the human/animal bond and decreasing the deaths of innocent homeless animals," and is dedicated to, "Ending the suffering and deaths of animals by increased adoptions, aggressive spay/neuter programs and public education." The organization also provides "permanent enriched care for unadoptable pets at our sanctuary." (Source: www.ahelpingpaw.org)
Perhaps most importantly, A Helping Paw desperately needs our help. "As a small, growing organization, we do NOT have the reserves to make it through difficult times such as these. Unlike most shelters who rely on steady income provided by town contracts, [A Helping Paw relies] 100% on public support. Our monthly donations have been about 80% lower in the past three months. Our shelter/rescue has provided crucial services to the public and homeless pets of this area for 10 years. It would be devastating to this area to lose such a vital organization." (Source: www.ahelpingpaw.org)
So let’s get to work together. Let’s start helping some people and animals today. Let’s forget our troubles and resolve to do good and feel good. And let us always remember the words of Aesop, who said, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
Go to 100% Charitable Donation selections.
February 20, 2009: Crazy About Conch
Our latest obsession? Conch beads. When an Italian cameo manufacturer recently presented us with these conch shell beads, it was love at first sight. Now, it’s true we’re passionate about a lot of beads -- in fact, believe it or not, we actually love all of the beads we offer, or otherwise we wouldn’t choose them. But these conch beads inspired us so much that we decided to create a blog space on our website, so we could gush over them as they deserve to be gushed over.
We thought there’d never be a time when we’d find ourselves swooning over shell beads. (We tend to save our drama for the big shots like tanzanite and sapphire.) When we saw these conch beads, the first words that came to our minds were "ice cream." The all-natural, no-food-coloring version of strawberry ice cream to be exact. We’ve never seen shell beads so glossy and yet so creamy at the same time. We’ve never seen beads with pure, ballet slipper pink swirls in alabaster white, their untouched color courtesy of Mother Nature alone. The perfectly cut round orbs, superior drilling, and generous strand length elevate these beads beyond the realm of the ordinary.
Conch beads are a rare find, to be sure. Conch beads of this quality? Well, we’ve simply never seen anything like them. We can’t wait for you to get hold of these beads and to see them and touch them in person. We think you’ll go a little crazy (in a good way), as we have, over these exquisite treasures of the sea.
February 11, 2009: Some Thoughts On Coral
We think there’s a place for inexpensive, color treated Chinese bamboo coral and, in general, we are happy to carry it in our product range. In fact, we quite like many of the Chinese coral bead varieties, and we have found them to be popular with our clients. The Chinese do some very impressive things with bamboo coral as far as colors, shapes, and carvings are concerned. Above all, you can’t beat the price. But make no mistake: if it’s red or pink (or any other color besides the natural grayish beige of bamboo coral) and it costs less than $10, it is most certainly not 100% natural, untreated coral. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of vendors pass off treated bamboo coral as natural color material, presumably Mediterranean or South Pacific in its origin.
While we are oft fans of inexpensive, treated corals, we believe the supremely scarce, untreated Mediterranean coral is worth paying a little extra for. We love it for its rarity, its untouched nature, its elegance and caché. Culled off the coast of Sardinia, this corallium rubrum is quite rare and considerably more expensive than the abundant Chinese material. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find untreated Italian coral beads for less than $100 per strand, and it is not uncommon to see prices far in excess of $500 per strand. Worse yet, it’s hard to know for sure if one is getting the genuine article. That’s why, at Gemphora, we insist on buying our Italian coral from proven and trusted Italian vendors who specialize in Sardinian coral. And if it seems too good to be true, we assume that it is. We’d love to offer five-dollar strands of untreated Italian or South Pacific coral, and we’d love to see a unicorn one day, but we won’t be holding our breath.