My holiday vacation

I'm off to spend a wonderful holiday with family and friends and will return on December 28th.

I would like to take a moment to thank all of my customers for purchasing my jewelry. It's been a wonderful year of creating jewelry, so thank you for the opportunity to do something I enjoy so much! I wish you all a happy holiday and look forward to creating many more beautiful pieces for you in the new year!

Gift certificates

Fourteen Carrots Jewelry gift certificates are here!

Gift certificates are the perfect solution when you just can't decide what gift to give. Fourteen Carrots Jewelry gift certificates make a perfect gift for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions. Please visit my gift services page and indulge yourself or someone special with a Fourteen Carrots Jewelry gift certificate.

Christmas is almost here.......my favorite time of year! Family and friends, yummy food, the smell of fresh cut pine trees, gift giving, Santa's Ho! Ho! Ho!, and of course shopping, shopping, and more shopping.

Need a gift idea? Fourteen Carrots Jewelry makes a wonderful gift and comes in a box ready for gift giving.

Gift Certificates Coming Soon!

Fire Agate

What is the story behind this gemstone?

Fire Agate is not a well known gemstone. It is a very unusual form of chalcedony or the quartz family, known as agates. This particular type is unlike anything else in the gemstone world because looking into a nice fire agate makes you feel like you are looking deep into a burning ember, which is exactly how it got its name. It has colors that are brighter and sometimes more beautiful than opal, without the risk of cracking, fading or easily scratching.

Colored Pearls

Faux pearls with a pearlized coating are easy to dye. Mix about half a box of powdered dye (Rit) in about 10 oz. of boiling water and stir until completely dissolved. String the pearls on thread or fishing line and immerse them in the dye bath until they reach the desired color. Rinse and towel dry. Hot dye will give a stronger color than cool. Mix dye colors for custom shades.

Something for him...........

Men's jewelry is hot this Fall, especially pendant necklaces. I see more and more men wearing jewelry these days which is why I have added a men's jewelry section to my website. Yesterday I created a cool Yellow Opal Necklace with a very unique sterling silver pendant that would look great on any guy. To view my men's collection Click here!

What's New?

Here are a few of my latest additions.....

Girlfriend's Inspiration Necklace is an eclectic mix of gemstones and pearls featuring a unique puffed heart pendant. Clearwater Cascade Earrings featuring seafoam blue chalcedony faceted teardrop briolettes and the Autumn Jazz Bracelet featuring turquoise, pearls, opal, and garnet. The autumn jazz bracelet has a pair of matching earrings Autumn Jazz Earrings .

Most of the jewelry pieces on my website can be re-sized. If you see something you like and need a size adjustment please let me know and I would be happy to make the change for you.

Fall is around the corner....

I just returned from a fun excursion collecting many new gemstones and beads for my new fall collection. Natural materials like bone and wood are hot this fall and the natural earthy colors compliment any fall wardrobe. If there is something you would like to see here on my website please let me know. If you are looking for a specific design, gemstone, or bead please drop me a comment here on my blog or email me.

Hurricane Katrina Donation

Fourteen Carrots is proud to donate jewelry for the relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina. To view the donated item, please visit my gallery page at http://www.14carrotsjewelry.com/gallery.htm

"All proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund, which is providing hot meals to victims and rescue workers, as well as providing other much needed assistance such as shelter, medical needs and even therapy for victims."

My new passion....

I took a terrific class in silk hand-knotting and now I'm hooked! This technique is such a fabulous way to string together pearls, gemstones, or your favorite mix of assorted beads. The free flowing movement of the finished strand is so classic and elegant. There is just something about the delicate feel of a hand-knotted piece as it coils up in the palm of your hand.

You can find my first one-of-a-kind design called "gems and pearls necklace" on my gallery page.

The hottest hue!

Did I forget to mention that TURQUOISE is the "hottest hue of the season"? From jewelry, to bags, to shoes, to accessories.....it's everywhere! I'm elated because I absolutely adore turquoise and I have to say it is my favorite gemstone. Every time I begin to design a jewelry piece my eye always gravitates to my turquoise gemstone collection. Some say that turquoise is the color for summer, but I say it's the "hottest hue for ALL seasons". You will see this amazing gemstone in my collection all year round............

Ahhh......Summer!

Those sunny days, weekend parties, and blooming colors.

Summer is here and I’m hard at work creating many new summer designs to compliment your warm weather wardrobe.

Be sure to check out my “What’s New” page to view the latest fashion trends……
www.14carrotsjewelry.com/whatsnew.htm

To blog or not to blog......

So many people are blogging these days and I had to decide whether or not I would jump on the wagon and start blogging with the best of them..........

My main goal is to have an effective way to communicate with my customers and an online journal seemed to be the perfect way! The clincher in my decision to blog was the fact that blogging allows posted comments which is such a nice avenue for sharing and learning.

It didn't take long for me to decide whether to blog or not to blog, the answer was easy really, so here I go blogging with the best of them.........

I invite you to share in my posts and hope you find them fun and interesting. My posts will include all kinds of "Jewelry Rap" including promotions, new designs, jewelry trends, gemstone lore, and just about anything related to jewelry.

I'd love to hear from you so please feel free to post a comment.

Fourteen Carrots Jewelry Website Launch!

My name is Karleen Lykken, designer and owner of Fourteen Carrots Handcrafted Jewelry.

I'm excited to announce the launch of my new website www.14carrotsjewelry.com

Here you will discover a dynamic collection of original, timeless, eclectic jewelry. Fourteen Carrots offers handcrafted necklaces, bracelets, and earrings featuring gemstones, pearls, Swarovski crystals, coral, shell and much more!

My new summer 2005 collection is now available online at www.14carrotsjewelry.com