Rebecca Zemans Jewelry Blog — chicago

Wedding Parties!

We has so much fun at Indie Wed! Held at the Ravenswood Event Center, a giant loft filled with 50's and 60's porsches, mercedes and ferraris, it was the perfect space for an event of this kind. Every booth was fun and unique, making all of us want to get married (again). Great music made the day feel more like a party than a show and we are still dreaming of the amazing food. We were so lucky to be next to Uptown Brownie...our waistlines still haven't forgiven us:). Our cozy Indie Wed booth! We also met Poladora, a really cool...

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Metalwork - Soldering

Creating jewelry is a much more technical process than most people think. To create certain pieces, we use chemicals, wax, and precious metals or processes such as forging, filing or soldering to create a certain design and effect. We solder almost everyday. It is the process of joining two metals together with a filler. In simple terms, soldering is the process of gluing metals together through heat. Soldering has been around for over 5000 years. There is evidence that the ancient Egyptians knew how to solder gold. The Romans also used soldering and did an impressive job by soldering together...

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New Blog Series: HOW TO...

Happy New Year! We have exciting news to share! Next week we will be introducing our brand new "HOW TO" blog series! We are very excited about this blog series, as it will not only feature many new and exciting pictures but also videos featuring how the magic happens! We want to give you a better insight on how we make our jewelry, how we take care of it and many more insider tips and tricks. Also, we would love to hear some ideas from you! So if there is something you want to see or if you have a...

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Topaz - Stone of the Month

Topaz, the birthstone of November has been known for being quite the miracle worker. The Greeks believed this gem gave them strength, cooled their tempers, cured asthma, relieved insomnia and even saved them from sudden death. People in India had similar beliefs in this precious gem, and were convinced that a topaz worn above the heart assures a long life, beauty and intelligence. In many of these beliefs the power of the topaz increased or decreased with phases of the moon. People often use this stone to celebrate their sixteenth wedding anniversary. The blue topaz specifically can be used to...

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Store Stories - Mark Shale

As some of you may remember, in the beginning of 2012 I created a jewelry collection for Mark Shale, a Chicago-based department store that opened its doors in 1929. The store is known to greatly value design, craftsmanship, and individuality as well as care deeply about the environment, the city of Chicago and the way women dress. Last December, the Mark Shale team decided to showcase a few local designers and singled my work out. We then met to create a customized exclusive collection just for the store. The pieces were elegant, simple and made out of sterling silver and gold-filled. Most...

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