About Moonbeams Designer Jewelry
When You Wear Jewelry Designed by Miriam Bat-Rachel...You Are Wearing a One-of-a-Kind Work of Art
You Can Shop by Gemstone Color... Or Shop by Gemstone If you don’t see your favorite color or stone available, just ask Miriam… She will search her vast collection of gemstones and craft a custom-designed necklace or pendant just for you. Matching Bracelets and Earrings are also available by special order, depending on stone availability. See a necklace you love, but want it shorter or longer? The length of some of Miriam's necklaces may be customized, depending on the availability of the stones and sterling or bronze accent beads. Just ask Miriam for a quote miriam@moonbeamslilacsroses.com.
Miriam’s custom-designed and ready-made necklaces are beautiful and distinctive examples of “Wearable Art.” Her style ranges from Classic to Contemporary. Some of her designs are described as “Southwestern Chic.” Others as “Boho Beautiful" and "Simply Elegant." Whatever your personal choice, Miriam’s designs are Fashionable, Elegant, Unique, Eye-Catching, Well-Crafted, and Timeless. Never Too Dressy... and Never Too Casual!
- "Perfect custom necklace! Very patient artist. Every part of this transaction was perfect. Thank you, Miriam." [Men’s Orange Sodalite Necklace] SH, Oregon
- "Just as pretty as the picture! Beautiful!" [Australian Green Opal Necklace, Pendant & Earrings Set, and Exotic Pink & Plum Porcelain Jasper Necklace] MB, Arizona
- "Miriam makes some of the best quality jewelry I’ve seen! Her artistic and technical skill is only matched by her exceptional communication and customer service!" [Men's Turquoise & Lapis Necklace] CK, Vancouver, British Columbia
- "These [Red Creek, Howlite, and Bloodstone necklaces] are every bit as wondrous as I had hoped. Gasping with joy... Thank you, Miriam." SBB, Oregon
All the necklaces in Miriam's Moonbeams Lilacs & Roses Gemstone and Kazuri Collection are one-of-kind designs, unless otherwise noted. “I hand-select only the finest semiprecious gemstones from Mother Nature's creations and handcraft them into unique one-of-a-kind necklaces, pendants, bracelets and earrings. For me, it’s always about the stones - how they look and feel to the touch, and what sort of accent stones and beads they inspire. Should I accent a piece with handwrought bronze or sterling silver? That’s why I describe my jewelry as Stones by Mother Nature. Jewelry by Miriam Bat-Rachel. I strive for creations that epitomize the fashion expression Wearable Art."
Miriam uses only the finest natural Semiprecious Gemstones, each stone individually selected for its color, quality, and beauty. Her Designer Jewelry is accented with Sterling Silver or beautifully carved and handwrought Bronze Beads in shapes carefully selected to complement the natural stone beads. Her current One-of-a-Kind Ready-Made Necklaces include more than 75 different stone varieties, and she has more than 100 different stones in her Natural Semi-Precious Gemstone Treasure Chest!
- I love it!! Beautiful!!!! It is beautiful a bright blue color. I have received many complements!! Nicely Done!! [Azurite-Malachite Pendant] JO, Massachusetts
- Outstanding!... Beautiful item, great quality and service! I love it! Thank you! I’ve just ordered another one. [Men’s Necklace in Moukaite] CK, British Columbia
- Very well made [earrings] and the stones themselves are very intriguing…They're ideal! [Pietersite Earrings] AA, Missouri
Miriam does not use enhanced, synthetic or imitation (manmade) gemstones...
- What is a "natural" gemstone? Natural gemstone are not treated to change the natural color or hide imperfections or natural inclusions. A gemstone is still considered "natural" if it is heat-treated, matted, or stabilized. To the best of her ability, Miriam notes if it any of her stones have been heat-treated, matted, or stabilized.
- What is a "heat-treated" gemstone? Heat is sometimes used to bring out the natural clarity of a natural gemstone. Did you know that Citrine is actually heat-treated Amethyst? Heat treatment is considered a natural type of enhancement--a continuation of the processes that occur in the earth when the stone was originally formed. Keep in mind that Diamonds are Nature's heat-treatment of coal! During treatment, the stone is heated to extremely high temperatures causing it to become darker, lighter, or more intense. Typically heat-treated stones include Amethyst, Citrine, Ametrine, Aquamarine, Tourmaline, Topaz, Light Green Tourmaline, Sapphire, Ruby, Tanzanite, and Blue Zircon.
- What is a "matted" gemstone? Matte finishing provides a subtle velvet-like look and feel to a natural stone. It does not change its color or hide imperfections - but adds an understated elegance to some designs. The process to matte finish a stone starts with putting it through all the normal steps of a polished bead. It is cut, drilled and polished, then goes back into a tumbler with a fine grit powder, tiny stones and water and additional tiny stones. Depending on the stone’s hardness and characteristics, it can take up to two hours in the tumbler—and may require multiple tumbles with various sized grit powder.
- What is a "stabilized" gemstone? Very porous or delicate opaque stones might be impregnated with a colorless bonding agent (usually plastic) in order to protect the stone surface. This does not change the color of the stone, simply makes it more durable. Miriam will note if a stone might be stabilized or coated to protect its surface.
Miriam’s Bronze Bead Collection comes exclusively from two sources.
- Old World Bronze(TM) is handwrought using ancient methods of casting bronze that have been modernized by the Charveaux family of metalsmiths in Scottsdale, Arizona. Utilizing their carefully developed bronze formula, and an age-old “lost wax” method, each bronze bead is artistically designed and handcrafted. As it ages, the rich patina of bronze is often thought to be more beautiful than gold.
- Miriam’s Bronze Bead Collection also includes handwrought beads designed and handcrafted by Anna Chernykh of ANNA Bronze. Anna lives and works in Kungur, a small town in the Ural Mountain area of Russia. She also uses an old wax casting method. Her bronze beads contain only copper and tin, no cadmium, no lead, and no nickel. Likewise for Anna's lovely solid Brass Bead artistry--no cadmium, no lead, and no nickel.
- Miriam's Brass Bead Collection also comes from a variety of sources and is always solid brass--not brass-coated metal.
The Sterling Silver used in many of Miriam's designs comes from a variety of sources throughout the United States, as well as from Bali, Thailand (Hill Tribe Silver), Turkey, and Israel. Some of her larger Sterling Silver—beads that are sculpted or have unusual shapes—are Electroformed. Electroformed Sterling Silver Beads are created through an intricate process that begins with a bead made of wax. The wax bead is immersed in a solution that electrically forms pure silver over it. The next step is to burn out the wax, leaving the hollow, sterling silver formation. The sterling silver is then highly polished to produce the lighter-weight sterling silver bead. This process is perfect to produce sterling silver beads that are highly sculpted or that have unusual shapes.
Moonbeams Designer Jewelry also includes Miriam's Simply Elegant Gemstone Pendants. All the pendants come on either 16 or 18-inch Sterling Silver chains. Larger pendants come on a 20-inch Sterling Silver chain. Some have matching Earrings and Bracelets available by custom order. Each semiprecious gemstone pendant stone in this collection is selected for its natural and varied colorations and details.
For her Kazuri & Ceramic Jewelry Collection, Miriam selects only the most amazing Kazuri and other Ceramic beads...Always creating just the right design to compliment the beautiful bead shapes and colors. Some of Miriam's Kazuri jewelry is designed with semiprecious gemstones. Others are accented with fine glass and sterling silver or handwrought bronze. Kazuri is the Swahili word for “small and beautiful.” Although not all “small,” Kazuri beads are beautiful and colorful. The Kazuri story began when Lady Sara Wood and two African women began making the beads in 1975 on the lawn of Isak Dinesen’s Kenyan coffee plantation, the same plantation pictured in the well-known movie “Out of Africa.” Today this bead business offers employment and income for more than 200 Kenyan women living near the foothills of Mt. Kenya. The women are often the sole providers for their children and families. These amazing artisans shape each bead by hand from clay. The beads are fired, painted, fired again and glazed, and then fired again in an electric kiln. Up to five different colors may be used on one bead to create the pattern, and no two beads are exactly alike. Kazuri's beautifully finished products are made to an international standard. And Kazuri is a member of the Fair Trade Act.
Your jewelry comes tucked inside an organza or velvet drawstring pouch, and packaged in a gift box ... Ready for you to wear, or to give as a thoughtful and precious gift. And don't forget to check out Miriam's Unique Beaded Accessories ~ Her Desk Sets, Pens, Letter Openers, Vanity Mirrors, Magnifying Glasses, Torah Pointers,Home Accessories, and other colorful products, make wonderful gifts for any occasion... And are thoughtful and memorable ways to say "Thank You" to clients, customers, and charity donors! Distinctive and useful reminders of your fine services and appreciation. Quantity pricing available for quantity orders.