John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry Blog

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Looking for Inexpensive Jeweler’s Saw Blades for your Chainmail Produ
2007-10-25 18:49:00
I go through Jeweler ’s Saw Blades like crazy when I make jump rings. Saw blades normally run $13.00+ a piece and can drive up production costs very quickly, so if you seriously produce jumprings for chain and chainmail, here’s a great source for inexpensive replacement blades. Enco Industrial Supply currently sells them for $5.12 a piece for 1 1/4 blades and offers blade sizes from 1 inch to 4. Make sure you accurately measure your blade before ordering. Hope this helps! John Resources: A few of my jewelry tools Organizing Beads And Jewelry Making Tools

USA Weekend “Our 2007 Most Caring Athletes” Steve Nash wears cu
2007-10-22 20:13:00
  Read the entire Special Feature   Cover and cover story photographs by Brad Trent for USA WEEKEND Grooming by Kelly Stedman; styling by Rodney Hall Cover credits: Nash: suit, tie, belt and pocket square by Brooks Brothers, shirt by Thomas Pink, cuff links by John S. Brana, shoes by Ted Baker; Wade: suit, shirt and pocket square by Elevee, belt by Brooks Brothers, cuff links by Tracey Meyer, shoes by Florsheim. Inside credits: Nash: sports coat by Brooks Brothers, T-shirt and jeans by Boss Hugo Boss, shoes by Prada; Wade: blazer and shirt by Elevee, shoes by Converse by John Varvatos”
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New Blue Topaz Hand Fabricated Men’s Ring
2007-10-20 23:11:00
New to the Tonga Collection is this men’s hand fabricated ring.  I hand fabricated this ring using 4 sheets of Sterling Silver and one sheet of PMC (used for the side “Tonga” texture), then set it with a 7.5 carat faceted Blue Topaz . Stay tuned for more ring additions to all of my Men’s Jewelry Collections.
More About: Ring , Hand

New Textures Added to the Sea Cliff Jewelry Collection
2007-10-20 00:55:00
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been experimenting with various textures and techniques to perfect my skills at anticlastic raising. This bracelet was done in sterling silver using traditional anticlastic raising techniques. I tried to pay particular attention to minimizing marring by the forming hammer, sanded using 400, 700, and 1000 grit sandpaper, then buffed to a mirror finish. The next texture I tried was chasing. Chasing is a technique that is used to groove, furrow, channel , or indent utilizing the plasticity quality of metal. In this case, I used copper. Chasing is a relatively slow process, but with lots of practice can result in a continuous surface of metal essentially of the same thickness and texture. This is the exact opposite of the previous technique where you try to minimize marring.     This bracelet uses the same chasing technique, but instead of a chasing hammer, I fashioned a custom hammer by cutting groves into the face of a flat hamme...
More About: Jewelry , Cliff , Textures

Tahill Galleries presents John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry Trunk Show on
2007-10-18 00:23:00
February 9, 2008 - San Mateo, California - John S. Brana Trunk Show - 10:00am to 9:00pm. Just in time for Valetine’s Day, Tahill Galleries features my exclusive premier of two new jewelry collections for Spring ‘08.
More About: Jewelry , Presents

National Association of Women Business Owners Annual Holiday Bazaar featuri
2007-10-18 00:15:00
Join me on December10, 2007 (between 6:00pm to 9:00pm) for the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Annual Holiday Bazaar and Dinner at the Omni Hotel, 500 California Street, San Francisco. Enjoy an evening of networking and business development along with featured Artisan business owners (including John S. Brana - DistinctiveJewelry). Cost: $40 NAWBO members, $65 guests. Click here for more information and registration.

John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry at Redwood City Art Center - December 1
2007-10-14 21:15:00
December 1 - 2, 2007 - The Redwood City Art Center presents “Art On Broadway.” Join San Francisco Bay Area Artisans, including myself (John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry ), for Redwood City Art Center’s annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Bazaar. The show runs from 10:30 to 5:30 on Saturday and from 11:00 to 5:00 on Sunday. For directions, please see the RCAC website.
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Janice Dickinson wears Chased Copper Isosceles Earrings from John S. Brana
2007-10-05 18:58:00
MIAMI BEACH, FL - SEPTEMBER 27,2007 - Janice Dickinson and Nick Fielding at The New and Improved Miami Live September 26, 2007 in Miami Beach, Florida. Janice is wearing Chased Copper Isosceles Earrings .
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John S. Brana Handcrafted Designer Jewelry at Trios Fine Art Gallery
2007-09-26 23:27:00
For those readers that live in Southern California, you can now find selected pieces from my Barbary Coast and Pacific Heights collections at Trios Fine Art Gallery in Solana Beach, California. “Representing over 150 artists and small design studios, Trios Gallery features sculpture, painting, glass, jewelry, ceramic, lighting, judaica and more.” In addition to numerous local California artists, Trios also represents artisans from other parts of the world, from Israel to the Czech Republic. New for winter, Trios has an exclusive on these two necklaces. The first beaded gemstone necklace features Clear Quartz nuggets, Citrine, faceted Amber, Rutilated Quartz, Gold Freshwater Pearls, and Fine Silver beads. This beaded gemstone necklace features Onyx, Moonstone, faceted Citrine, Gold Quartz, Gold Freshwater Pearls, and Fine Silver beads.
More About: Jewelry , John , Designer

Jewellery World Review Magazine Features John S. Brana Handcrafted Designer
2007-09-25 03:08:00
Based in Bangkok Thailand, Jewellery World Review is a highly informative trade (wholesale) magazine that specializes in an eclectic coverage of design, industry news, and feature articles from designers, manufacturers, and exporters around the world. “John S. Brana - Reflections of Nature” was published in the February 2007 edition. JWR Magazine is published monthly and can be purchased through Amazon. An annual subscription runs $200USD.
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Daniela Torres hostess of AOL Latino Fashionista Wears Selected Jewelry Fro
2007-09-20 04:26:00
Latino Fashionista , produced by Savar Media is a new webisode on AOL Latino. The show is a re-creation of the highly successful Bravo show “Project Runway.” The judges include Designer Gustavo Arango, Fashion editor of people en Espanol Kika Rochas and the show’s hostess AOL Latino celebrity Daniela Torres . In the first and second videos, Daniela (in purple) is wearing an Amethyst Pendant in 14K Gold from my Pacific Heights Collection . First Episode Powered by AOL Video Second Episode Powered by AOL Video In the final episode, Daniela (in black) wears an African Green Opal necklace from my Barbary Coast Collection Powered by AOL Video
More About: Jewelry , Latino , Hostess

John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry Blog has moved to http://www.johnsbrana
2007-09-05 03:16:00
I have recently moved this blog over to WordPress. You can now find my blog at http://www.johnsbrana.com/blog/
More About: Jewelry , Blog , John , Http , Johns

John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry Blog has moved to http://www.johnsbrana
2007-09-05 03:16:00
I have recently moved this blog over to WordPress. You can now find my blog at http://www.johnsbrana.com/blog/
More About: Jewelry , Blog , John , Http , Johns

Receive a $25 Gift Certificate when you sign up to E-News on www.JohnSBrana
2007-07-23 07:54:00
Receive a $25 Gift Cert ificate just for signing up to E-News Stay informed of new pieces added to www.johnsbrana.com, upcoming trunk shows, and special sales offered only to subscribers of E-News.Subscription to E-News requires a confirmation to the first email you receive. To ensure you receive the confirmation email and future emails, please set any spam filter to allow emails from the domain johnsbrana.com.
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More Men's Bracelets from John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry
2007-07-09 15:48:00
Here are several more Men's Curb and Figaro bracelets that compliment my six Men's Jewelry Collections. The bracelets come in lengths of 8, 9, or 10 inches and widths vary from 8 mm to 15mm.
More About: Sierra , John , Reptile , Bracelets

New Fold Formed Additions to the Sea Cliff Collection
2007-06-29 05:11:00
Fold forming is a relatively new method of metal working that synthisizes of the Japanese art of origami with traditional techniques of metalsmithing. Hundreds of forms and shapes can be derived using just a rolling mill, a few hammers, a knife, an anvil, and a couple of stakes. The technique relies on skilled control of the hammer and the natural tendencies of the plasticity, ductility, and elasticity of the metal used. These featured pieces include a copper bracelet, fine silver earrings, and a copper pin set with a 10mm Akoya freshwater pearl.
More About: Form , Cliff , Coll , Fold

Two New Hand Fabricated Men's Rings set with Semi-Precious Gemstones by Joh
2007-06-18 16:32:00
New to the Tonga Collection, this hand fabricated Sterling Silver Men's ring is set with a 12 carat faceted Amethyst. Hand fabrication is a more labor intensive method of ring making and produces a higher quality ring as opposed to the most common method - lost wax casting. Here's why: PorosityCentrifugal Lost Wax Casting was developed in the 1930's as a way to make fine jewelry more affordable through mass production. With Lost Wax, a ring is carved in wax, set in plaster, then placed in a kiln where the wax is "lost" through burn out, leaving a reverse impression in the plaster. Gold or Silver is then melted and poured into the mold, then spun within a centrifuge (or vacuum) to disperse the molten metal throughout the mold. After the metal has cooled, the ring can be cleaned and polished. The finished ring can then be cast in rubber, producing a mold. Hot wax can then be injected into this rubber mold, producing "copies." The copies can then be assembled onto a "t...
More About: Rings , Semi , Fabric , Cate

New Men's Bracelets by John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry
2007-06-18 05:19:00
New for summer, I will be releasing over the next few weeks matching Men's bold Curb Link Bracelets in Sterling Silver with Fine Silver Tags that compliment my six Men's Jewelry Collections. The pictured Sierra bracelet is 9 inches in length and 1/4 inch wide. Selected bracelets will be available in three widths and two lengths.
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Bid on $150 Gift Certificate from John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry and S
2007-06-01 22:59:00
May 19 - June 8, 2007 - Bid on a $150 Gift Cert ificate from John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry and hundreds of other items. All auction proceeds support KQED, KTEH and the programming you enjoy on Northern California Public Broadcasting!Click here to Register and Bid NOW!
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Anticlastic Raising - New Bracelets for the Sea Cliff Collection
2007-05-30 03:45:00
I have recently been experimenting with anticlastic raising using sinusoidal stakes to add an extra dimension to forging. The stake resembles a tapering wavy line, or what I like to refer to as the "Devils Tongue." Metal can be forged into a concave curve along its face while the opposing curves can be formed at the same time. It's great for forming a bangle, ring, or necklace. A sinusoidal stake can be made from wood, steel, or plastic, as can the wedge-shaped hammers. Anti clastic raising is a labor intensive process, but the final product is definitely worth the effort. Each of the pictured bracelets took on average around 5 hours to form.
More About: Bracelets , Cliff , Coll

Chalcedony Ring Added to the Men's Wave Jewelry Collection
2007-05-30 03:12:00
This is my first attempt at incorporating both Sterling Silver and PMC in a ring. I hand fabricated this ring using 4 sheets of Sterling Silver and one sheet of PMC (used for the side "Wave " texture), then set it with a 12 carat Chalcedony cabochon. Stay tuned for more ring additions to all of my Men's Jewelry Coll ections.
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John S. Brana Featured on Work.com - How-to Guides for Your Business
2007-05-18 06:30:00
Scott Allen of Work .com gives some great tips on helping you get the most out of those few precious little minutes that you get to spend with other business professionals during networking events.One major point is Dress Well, and Dress Distinctively.Scott recommends: "For women, start with this guide to What to Wear to Work. From there, you can accessorize with a distinctive scarf, such as a J. Venezia or Jan Gipple, or hand-made jewelry, such as John S. Brana or Heather Young. I recommend finding something from an individual artist that people aren't likely to have seen before."Read the entire article"Guide to Preparing for Networking Events."
More About: Business , Guides , Featured

John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry now in Japan
2007-05-09 19:12:00
????S???????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????Wholesale contact in Japan :Tetsuya HidakaLead in JapanGlobal Creative Networks345 west 86th #212, New Yorkwww.globalcreativeworks.jp
More About: Jewelry , Tokyo , John

John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry Adds Product RSS
2007-05-05 03:40:00
Would you like to stay up to date on all my new designs and additions to my shopping cart? You can, by subscribing to my RSS product feed. With RSS you can view every new product and incorporate it into your preferred newsreaders and web logs.Using RSSVisitors who want to view my products on their site or PC, via RSS feeds, will need their own RSS news reader. (There are many different news readers available online - some for free. Outlook 2007 comes with one already built in!) All news readers will require an RSS feed link, where it can regularly collect updated events. After implementing it, the current news from this site, will be displayed automatically by your reader on your site. Just click on the orange button to get started. Feed URL
More About: Jewelry , Product , John , Prod

grandEXPO 07 - A Big Night for Small Business
2007-05-02 16:39:00
May 10, 2007 - Join the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce along with over 150 exhibitors, including John S. Brana - Distinctive Jewelry, Chamber members, non-profits, small business resource partners, restaurants, caterers, and wineries for this year's Grand Expo during Small Business Week. The Chamber's largest networking and tabletop expo will be held at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco between 5:30 and 8:30 pm."Small business represents more than 95% of all companies and is the city?s economic growth engine creating the vast majority of all new jobs here in San Francisco and across the nation. The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce joins several partnering business organizations including the Small Business Commission and The Small Business Administration to acknowledge the achievements and the significant impact of this sector during San Francisco?s Small Business Week, May 5-11.To tap into this vital market, whether you buy from or sell to small businesses, you support the man...
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A Special Offer for Mother's Day - 20% Off
2007-04-29 18:56:00
I would like to extend to you a first sale special and a wonderful opportunity to stock up on my one-of-a-kind couture jewelry at www.johnsbrana.com All Shopping Cart items will be discounted (20%) in celebration of Mother?s Day. This special sale starts May 1 thru 13th and features 4 collections:Barbary Coast: Colorful and festive, these pieces are perfect for those who want to leave a lasting impression.Sea Cliff: Perfect for Sea lovers with a fondness for pearls SoMa: Sleek andcontemporary, the ideal ?basic? collection for everyone Pacific Heights: Sheer opulence, bold and sophisticatedMany of these designs are regularly featured in local, national, and international magazines including JCK (Jewelers' Circular Keystone), JQ (International Jewelry Quorum), Jewellery World Review, City Magazine, and 7x7 San Francisco Magazine.Mother?s Day is less than two weeks away and supplies are limited, so act now!
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SF Station Features John S. Brana Jewelry - Tasteful Flair for Wear by Jial
2007-04-27 18:28:00
"If the woman in your life finds joy in distinctive style, fine art and beauty in nature, you will want to explore the jewelry of local designer and craftsman John S. Brana. With six collections of finely crafted bracelets, earrings, necklaces, pendants, pins and rings, there are numerous options to suit varying shades of the style spectrum, as well as spending capacities. Each collection stands on its own apart from the others with a decidedly unique look."Click here to read the entire article, John S. Brana Jewelry -Tasteful Flair for Wear by Jialin Luh (Apr 27, 2007)"SF Station is San Francisco Bay Area's definitive online city guide to Arts & Culture, Entertainment, Food, Shopping, and Urban Living for 18 - 45 year old "socially active" users. Since 1996, SF Station has been providing users with comprehensive and up-to-the-minute Event Calendar listings, a dynamic Business Directory, and a "hip and progressive" editorial voice that reviews anything from films, music shows...
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John S. Brana ? Distinctive Jewelry - Adds Shopping Cart to provide shoppin
2007-04-14 17:34:00
Due to recent publicity and numerous inquiries, I have decided to add shopping cart functionality to www.johnsbrana.com providing consumers access to purchase selected handcrafted fine jewelry collections directly. By clicking on any collection or category within the catalog, consumers can shop featured items available for purchase. If you are looking for a specific gem, metal, or item, you can take advantage of the catalog's extensive Keyword Search capabilities. Enter any keyword or phrase. If you don't find what you are looking for, please contact me, since I have an extensive inventory of gemstones and can custom tailor any of my designs to your specifications. John
More About: Shopping , Jewelry , Ping , Cart

Bold and delicate treasures from John S. Brana - Dazzling New Spring/Summer
2007-04-03 06:12:00
Inspired by the Bay Area?s natural beauty, jewelry designer John S. Brana presents exciting new additions to his distinctive Monterey and SoMa jewelry collections. Carefully handcrafted with the utmost precision and care, John?s designs evoke the sensual and ever-changing elements of nature.For the Monterey collection, John features Italian mesh, an extremely fine brass wire that is meticulously woven to resemble a filigree net. Nickel-free, waterproof and heat-resistant, this delicate ribbon is of the highest quality in the world.A lovely example is the new Mint Leaf earrings, which reminds one of fresh leaves dancing gracefully in the springtime air. Whether you are in a garden or walking along the ocean, John?s designs are a meditation of nature in action.New SoMa designs introduce warm, earthy tones of copper with the cool glints of fine silver. Not only does copper impart healing properties (old-world beliefs suggest wearing copper for pain relief), each piece has a modern touc...
More About: Summer , Spring , Cate , Sure

Aquamarine - March's Birthstone
2007-03-20 02:05:00
Aquamarine means ?sea water? in Latin, alluding to its color. Most natural colored aquamarine is a light blue-green or even light green variety of beryl. Prior to the 1900?s this was the preferred color for aquamarine. Today, aquamarine is routinely heat-treated to remove the green component, thereby producing a permanently colored blue stone. Quite large stones, ranging from several carats to more than ten carats are relatively common. The most common cut is the emerald type, although mixed oval or pear-shaped cuts are no infrequent. The more intense the blue color, the more valuable the stone. Under magnification, aquamarines usually have a high transparency and clarity. They are also very durable and their color is evenly distributed. Most aquamarine comes from Brazil, where crystals weighing several kilos have been found. Other deposits include Russia, Madagascar, India, Ireland, the United States, and recently Afghanistan. Aquamarine is commonly believed to be the ...
More About: Marc , Aqua , Aquamarine , Mari , Tone