Silver Linings | sterling silver jewelry

Wear the Rainbow

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:18:19 -0400

Happy Beads are fun acrylic beads with Swarovski crystal accents. They’re every bit as cute and colorful as jellybeans, but with zero calories or risk of cavities! They make an excellent gift for the Easter Bunny to hide in fashionistas’ baskets.

That elusive rabbit could combine large and small Happy Beads in alternating colors, create an entire rainbow of beads, or string some beads onto Happy Bead hoops. That stylish hare might also enjoy some Happy Bead goodness herself. (The Easter Bunny is a “she”, isn’t she? I mean, only the female of the species lays eggs, right?)

This Easter, delight her visual senses with a pop of springtime color that will last much longer than sugar on the tongue. Hop over to Silver Linings to shop Happy Beads!

Enjoy this Roy G. Biv link for a fantastic video about rainbows!

"Will this tarnish?"

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:25:00 -0500

“Will this tarnish?” is a question frequently asked about jewelry before a purchase is considered. Funny, no one asks, “Will these jeans get dirty?” or “Will these shoes get scuffed?”. At least, not that we’ve heard of from any of our clothing or shoe store friends. Yes, sterling silver will tarnish given the right conditions. And yes, it can be easily cleaned.

Not needing to polish every piece of jewelry before you put it on and rush out the door is the goal. Properly stored, silver jewelry can be ready to go whenever you are. Own a jewelry box? You can tuck anti-tarnish paper in it’s nooks and crannies or keep a couple of pieces of chalk in the corners. This only truly works if you bother to close the lid of the jewelry box to maintain the inside humidity level. Don’t throw out those silica pack thingies that say “Do Not Eat” when you get a new pair of shoes. Those packs absorb moisture and if you don’t keep them with your shoes, try them in your jewelry box (with lid closed of course). At Silver Linings, we store jewelry in plastic bags that zip or snap closed. Some bags have a piece of anti-tarnish paper in it, some do not. Either way, maintaining the humidity level is key and a sealed environment can help. We recommend not putting a freshly worn piece in a sealed container unless it gets a swipe with a polishing cloth first, lest you culture an exciting new fuzzy growth on your jewelry.

A polishing cloth is your jewelry’s best friend. That cloth will wipe away any oils, lotions, perfumes, horse manure, or crab meat that happens to adhere to your jewelry. Silver Linings sells polishing cloths at both our St. Michaels and Easton locations and we will send you one if you “like” us on Facebook and provide us a mailing address. Polishing cloths will last a very long time, even after they get quite black from many polishing adventures. Silver polishing cloths are treated with chemicals, so washing them in the washing machine (as one of our concerned customers did) to remove the accumulated tarnish will actually reduce it’s effectiveness.

Jewelry with an “antiqued” or darkened patina should always be cleaned with a polishing cloth. Liquid cleansers will strip the blacking and having it reapplied is labor intensive, expensive, and it will usually never be the same. Stones that lose their luster due to an improper chemical bath are usually toast.

We love it when our customers ask us what to do with their fabulous new jewelry! Silver Linings is available to answer your jewelry cleaning questions and would love to chat about it right here!

"In the Nick of Time" Sale!

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:14:45 -0500

Shop Silver Linings online from Monday, December 12 - Friday, December 16, and receive 20% off plus free ground shipping. We’ll announce our voucher code on Facebook Monday morning. Click here to “like” us, so as not to miss out.

Congrats Aida!

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:33:56 -0400

Last night in St. Michaels, Maryland, the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce held their awards ceremony and dinner at the lovely Harbortowne Golf Resort and Conference Center. The Chamber honored several business leaders in our community, including Aida Leisure, owner of Silver Linings.

Aida was accompanied by almost all Silver Linings’ staff members. The faces you see below are the ones that greet our customers in our stores everyday, as well as fill your web orders. (Clockwise from top left: Ellie, Laura, Kee, Julie, Aida, Cathi, Cynthia)

The evening started with drinks and dinner, then moved on to the awards ceremony.

Mary Ann Henker, the 2010 Business Woman of the Year and owner of The Henker Group, introduced Aida. Click here to view a video of Mary Ann’s speech. Next, Aida accepted her award. Click here to view her speech.

To view more photos of our evening, visit Silver Linings on Facebook. And congrats, Aida!

October Special

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:43:55 -0400

This month’s special is a buy 3, get 1 free offer!

Are you unfamiliar with Kameleon Jewelry? If so, take a look at our last post. We explain the concept of interchangeable jewelry, as well as link to Silver Linings, where you can browse our selection.

This offer is only good through October, so head over to our Kameleon collection and take advantage of this great deal!

Kameleon Jewelry

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:23:10 -0400

If you’ve visited either of our store locations in the past year, you’ve probably been introduced to Kameleon, the interchangeable jewelry system. If not, here’s a quick overview of one of our most successful lines.

Kameleon offers a collection of sterling silver “base jewelry”, which includes rings, bracelets, pendants, and pins. The center stones, or JewelPops, are interchangeable, allowing you to mix and match styles and colors.

JewelPops come in a rainbow of colors, textures, and materials - such as opal, cat’s eye, amber, Swarovski crystal, pearl, amethyst, garnet, lapis, and more!

Kameleon’s base jewelry designs are pretty, modern, and comfortable. Here are a selection of some of our favorites. Which one of these pieces catches your eye?

Visit www.silverliningsmd.com for our full collection of Kameleon jewelry and JewelPops.

Harvest Hues

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:34:00 -0400

Autumn is upon us, so we’ve grouped our fall colored stones together for easy seasonal accessorizing. We’re calling them Harvest Hues, and here’s a sampling. Click the photos for more details on each piece.

The above stones are amber, carnelian, and rutilated quartz. Click Harvest Hues to view the entire collection.

September Special

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:16:00 -0400

September is half over and we’ve completely forgotten to share our web special with our blog readers!

Remember the amazing glass pieces we posted about a few weeks ago? Among that group is our bestselling Glass Wave Pendant, shown above on a snake chain. A sterling silver curve cradles the deep blue wave, which turns white its frothy tips.

For every Glass Wave Pendant purchased in the month of September, we will include a free 20” snake chain!

So, what are you waiting for? Surf on over to Silver Linings and catch a wave of your very own.

Keepsake Lockets

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:40:00 -0400

Have you heard? Lockets are hot for fall! We’ve just received a limited batch of gorgeous, engravable, keepsake sterling silver lockets.

Each locket has a tiny freshwater pearl, which dangles just above the jump ring. Another sweet detail is the figaro chain, which is adjustable. Just clip the clasp anywhere on the chain to customize the length.

We think they’re the perfect place to store photos of your most special friends and family members. We used photos of a few of Silver Linings’ furry friends as examples. Above are Yohan and Oscar, below are Florian and Dhani.

Next are Elmer and Clark.

And finally, Carmela and Georgia. (They are girly girls!)

Which animal couple is your favorite?

Carved Glass

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:48:34 -0400

It’s amazing what can be created with an ordinary, everyday material like glass.

These incredibly hand-carved pieces of glass make beautiful jewelry. The play of light almost creates the feel of movement beneath the glass. Each piece is backed entirely in sterling silver.

Silver Linings is offering a small selection of these amazing pieces.

Click here to view the collection.

Atocha Coin Pendants

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:37:00 -0400

Have you ever heard the story of the Atocha?

In 1622, the Spanish galleon Atocha was destroyed on a coral reef by a massive hurricane near Key West, Florida. The ship was carrying a treasure trove of gold and silver bars, and emeralds.

Miraculously, after 15 years of searching, treasure hunter Mel Fisher discovered the wreck and began to bring Atocha’s precious cargo to the surface. Wanting to share his find with the world, Mr. Fisher has created replica coins made from actual silver bars found in Atocha’s wreckage.

Silver Linings is proud to bring these pieces to you, both online and in our stores. We have several sizes available, and will be adding to our collection in time. We love that these pendants are suitable for men or women.

If you’re a history buff or love the romance of the sea, these sterling silver Atocha coin pendants are worth a second glance!

Oceanic Collection

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:40:04 -0400

We’re compiling a great collection of nautical and aquatic themed jewelry in our Oceanic Collection. We’ve started off with some really pretty two toned pieces crafted from sterling silver and 22k gold.

Several of the pieces also include gemstones, such as aqua, blue topaz, or pearls.

This fabulous cuff is a combination of undersea creatures, gemstones, brushed sterling silver, and 22k gold.

Click here to view the entire collection, as well as other ocean themed sterling silver jewelry.

Renaissance Hair

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:20:19 -0400

We came across a great article on BellaSugar today about using Renaissance art as inspiration for styling hair. It immediately reminded us of our Fine Art Miniatures jewelry.

Fine Art Miniatures are pendants, rings, and bracelets hand-painted by Russian artisans on onyx, carnelian, or mother of pearl. The paintings are highlighted with touches of 14k gold and finished in sterling silver. Each piece is a recreation of a past masterpiece, such as Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus.

Here are a few of our favorite hair styles from the Fine Art Miniatures collection. If you try any of these styles, please share photographs with us and we’ll post them on our blog.

August Birthstone: Peridot

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:48:00 -0400

Happy Birthday August babies! Your birthstone is the brilliant and vivid peridot.

Peridot are often mistaken for emeralds, but it’s really not hard to tell the difference. Emeralds are a very deep, almost blue green, while peridot is in the olive green family. The intensity of the green in a peridot is dependent on the amount of iron in the crystal structure. The most sought after peridot hue is dark olive green, although peridot may vary from yellow to brownish green.

Whatever the color, peridot mixes beautifully with other gemstones, as demonstrated in our Multi Gem Chandelier Earrings.

Mined for thousands of years, legend has it that peridot was one of Cleopatra’s favorite gemstones. We think she’d love our Lounging Cat Pin/Pendant carved from prehistoric walrus tusk, and punctuated with a single peridot.

Incredibly, peridot is the only gemstone found in meteorites, which makes this precious stone extra special. Our Deep Space Pendant pays tribute to peridot’s planetary connection.

The world’s largest cut peridot is kept at the Smithsonian Institute and weighs a whopping 310 carats. Our peridot are a tad more reasonable in size and price. Visit Silver Linings’ gemstone collection to admire more pieces featuring this eye-catching stone.

August Special

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:23:00 -0400

For the month of August, Silver Linings is giving away a free can of Old Bay seafood seasoning with every purchase made online.

Many of our local customers already know and love Old Bay. But since the launch of our website, we have new customers from other parts of country who have never seen the iconic yellow, red and blue can. We wanted to share with them the distinctive spice that has become a Chesapeake Bay tradition.

Crabs were so plentiful in Maryland in t he 1940s that they were offered for free in bars to patrons. In order to boost beverage sales, spicy Old Bay was developed to keep customers thirsty, and boy did it work! Eating crabs covered in Old Bay, with a nice cold beer, is an important part of the Chesapeake experience.

Curious to taste some Old Bay for yourself? Shop with Silver Linings during the month of August, and your order will include a can of Old Bay! Might we suggest picking up one of our Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab pendants?

Crosses

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:21:00 -0400

This week we added a Faith section to our website, where we’ll offer saint medals and cross pendants.

Our crosses range from simple to ornate, modern to medieval. We’ve tried to offer a cross for every style.

Please visit our Faith collection on Silver Linings’ website for a closer look. We will continue adding to this section with more symbols from other religions, beliefs, and faiths.

Janice Girardi & BAWA

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:56:00 -0400

Silver Linings has carried jewelry designer Janice Girardi’s jewelry for years. Her collections “blend modern flair and ancient drama into striking combinations of precious metals, gemstones, and freshwater pearls.” Janice uses “fair trade practices ensuring environmental and social responsibilities.”

But jewelry isn’t Janice’s only passion. She’s the founder and director of the non profit organization BAWA - Bali Animal Welfare Association. BAWA is dedicated to improving the lives of animals in Bali through education, spaying and neutering, adoption programs and street-feeding.

Why Bali? Janice has lived here for over 30 years and has supported local animal welfare projects for the past 10. In fact, Janice often supports BAWA programs with her own resources. BAWA has an extensive website that we encourage you to visit.

Silver Linings staff members are also dedicated to animals and their well being. Several of us have adopted pets from local shelters and we support our local animal rescue organizations.

Thank you Janice, for your hard work with BAWA, as well as your gorgeous jewelry!

Religious Medals

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:05:00 -0400

We get so excited when a really beautiful collection arrives, and this one is no exception. Suitable for men or women, these pieces have a rustic, worn look, featuring vintage style designs.

These sterling silver medals, which come with coordinating chains, each represent an different saint or virtue.

A few of the medals feature gemstones set in 14k gold, adding a touch of color.

If these pieces have meaning for you, click here to view all of our religious medals.

Meet Cathi

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:45:46 -0400

Meet Silver Linings staff member Cathi! Cathi has been at our St. Michaels store for years and is known for her friendly chattiness. She has a soft spot for animals and is mom to several rescues. If you’re in the market for a new pet, talk to Cathi!

Cathi’s favorite Silver Linings piece are our Large Firework Earrings. Cathi says, “I’m always looking for something different. I just the love bold look of these posts, and of course, I love the name - Firework Earrings!”

We also carry Small Firework Earrings, a Firework Ring, and a Firework Necklace to match!

Coming Soon: Monogram Pendants & Engravable Lockets

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:53:06 -0400

Prediction: Monograms pendants and engravable lockets are going to be HOT this fall.

Monogram pendants are a sweet way for a bride to show off her new initials, or a classy gift for a professional woman beginning a new job. Available with one, two or three letters, you might choose to wear the initials of your sweetheart, or show your hometown pride by wearing the abbreviation of your favorite state.

Lockets are a classic. Traditionally they’re meant to hold the photograph of a loved one, or a small trinket. They make a lovely gift idea for a young lady going off to college in the fall.

Engraving will be available for the lockets, although many women choose to keep their lockets plain, especially if they plan to pass the piece down to a relative.

Our lockets come with extra long sterling silver chains that are designed to be completely customizable, so you can choose the exact length you want. Callie has chosen to double the chain, for a shorter choker look.

We’ll let you know as soon as our monogram pendants and engravable lockets hit our stores and website!