Upcoming Fall Events
Fall is here, and we are gearing up for 2 exciting events that are just around the corner! The first is the 44th Annual Brush Creek Bazaar! As you all know, this is our favorite show of the year! Not only does it support a great cause, but the venue is one of my favorites, and this year is going to be better than ever!
The music line-up is looking great, and our jewelry is some of the best I’ve ever made! I have some exciting new gemstones this year, and very elegant and chic designs! Also…for the first time ever, we will be doing a giveaway both days for anyone that stops by our booth and signs up for our email list!
Our second big event is going to be a new one for us. We will be set-up at the Bixby Holiday Show on December 4th from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. This show will take place at the Bixby Community Center and should be a great show as well! It will be our first time for this event, so I’m very excited to see what the show has to offer!
***Please note…this is the flyer from last year’s event. The date this year is December 4th, 2021.
In addition to our big shows, I have been adding a lot of new items to the website. I have been working with a fantastic grouping of Red Creek Jasper stones, along with some gorgeous rhodochrosite slices, and some beautiful mini-geodes. Since my class in Tennessee, I have been experimenting with some new techniques and designs and I can’t wait to get those out and available to all of you! So, check back often to see the latest offerings!
We are excited for the Fall season! It’s my absolute favorite time of year, and I’m glad the weather is cooling off and I’m looking forward all the fun events that happen this time of year!
I wish you all well and good health!
All the best!
Chrissi
New Approach School for Jewelers
I’m excited to announce that I will be attending the New Approach School for Jewelers August 2-6th for additional training!
I always love gaining new knowledge and skills, especially in the area of jewelry, and it has been a goal for a long time to be able to attend this program!
All orders placed between August 1st and August 7th will be shipped out the following Monday, August 9th.
I can’t wait to share with all of you what I learn and put my new knowledge to work!
More soon!
Chrissi
British Elle and Harper's Bazaar
The past two months, I’ve been honored to have my work featured in both British Elle and British Harper’s Bazaar! I still pinch myself that the jewelry I make has made it’s way into such world class publications!!!
The edition of British Elle is now appearing on US newsstands, while the Harper’s Bazaar issues will be in US newsstands beginning in August. You should be able to find them at most retailers that sell these issues.
I want to thank everyone for all of your love and support of my jewelry! It means the world!! I can’t wait to see where we will be “seen” next!!
July Silent Auction Donations
Hello Everyone!
I’m excited to announce that we have helped support the Onward Oklahoma’s “The Maine Event” and the Ride to Fight Suicide Event in Rogers, Arkansas so far this month! Both events are supporting very worthy causes and I’m excited to donate a few pieces of jewelry to help.
The Ride to Fight Suicide Event is happening this Saturday in Rogers, Arkansas. All proceeds from the event will go to research, educational programs, advocacy and support for those affected by suicide. I donated a lovely pair of malachite earrings as one of the door prize events, so if you are in the area, feel free to stop by!
Onward Oklahoma’s “The Maine Event”, occurred on July 8, 2021, and the event benefited the group Oklahoma Lawyers for Children, which is the only nonprofit dedicated to providing free legal representation to abused, neglected or deprived children in Oklahoma county. It was an honor to help support this event, and it’s my hope to be able to do so again in the future. The Onward Oklahoma Foundation provides support by raising funds for Oklahoma community non-profits primarily benefiting children and adolescents. I hope you will check out their website at www.onwardoklahoma.com or follow them on Facebook at Onward Oklahoma Foundation.
If you belong to a charitable event that is in need of a silent auction donation, please feel free to message me directly through this page to see if your organization is a good fit for our work. We have a mission to provide community support to at least 12 charitable organizations a year, and would like to increase that to 24 by the end of 2022.
Glamorous Emeralds For May
Emerald is the green to bluish green variety of mineral species called beryl, and is the most famous member of the beryl family, along with aquamarine. Emeralds rich green color is the perfect birthstone for the month of May, where it represents the rebirth of nature after the long winter.
Emerald is one of those gemstones that has fascinated and captivated people since the dawn of time. The first known emerald mines were in Egypt dating from at least 330 BC into the 1700s. Cleopatra had a famous passion for emeralds and used them in her adornments.
Emeralds from what is now Colombia were part of the plunder when sixteenth-century Spanish explorers invaded the New World. The Incas had already been using emeralds in their jewelry and religious ceremonies for 500 years. The Spanish, who treasured gold and silver far more than gems, traded emeralds for precious metals. Their trades opened the eyes of European and Asian royalty to emerald’s majesty.
Emeralds, while still a relatively hard gem, is not particularly durable. Many emeralds contain fractures under the service and are prone to cracking during the lapidary process. In order to enhance the beauty of the stones, and minimize the appearance of fractures…emeralds will be treated with substances from essential oils to waxes or resins. These treatments have varying amounts of stability in a stone, so care should always be used with emeralds if the treatment is not known. Most qualified gemologists should be able to detect any treatments given to the gemstone.
***Source: GIA Gem Encyclopedia.
Where you can find my jewelry
Hi Everyone,
It has come to my attention that a couple of bogus websites have lifted images of my work and are selling them for a deep discount. The only place you can purchase my work is on my official website or at a live show! If that ever changes….you all will be the first to know!
If you happen to run across any of my jewelry on another website, I would love to know about it! Several of us in the jewelry community are taking action to report these websites and have them taken down. They not only harm the artists that are trying to make a living, making and selling the beautiful jewelry and art that you love. It also harms those that pay for items they believe are original, and turn out to be something else.
If you ever have a question that the piece you are about to purchase is an original, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I make all of my jewelry myself, and I guarantee my work and stones. I want you, my dear friends to have the best experience possible!
All the Best!
Chrissi
B Golden Jewelry School
View from my hotel in Austin, TX
This past Friday, I attended a Flush Setting Course at the B Golden Jewelry School in Austin, Texas. The course was amazing, and our instructor, Donnie Jarvis, was a fantastic instructor!
This was a one-day course designed to work on just one-skill. Flush setting is a skill I’ve done on several designs in the past, but not without a lot of difficulty. My goal for the course was to learn how to properly do the setting, but to also learn where I was making critical mistakes! I learned all of that and so much more!!!
Our tool kit
We were given a kit of 10 2.5mm cubic zirconia stones to set into a copper plate and then later, a brass ring as practice.
Along with lots of information on the mechanics of flush setting and why we take the steps we take to insure a proper stone fit. So much care needs to be taken in properly measuring not only your stones, but also your burs to ensure everything matches up. So many of my past mistakes have come from not having the proper size bur for the stone…along with also not getting my hole the correct size.
Our first step was to measure the stones. Both the height and width. it’s important to measure the height of the stone, so you are sure you have enough metal for the stone, and measuring the width, helps you know what the maximum sized hole you need to drill for the setting.
Once you have your stones measured, you need to drill a pilot hole. This hole allows the point of the faceted stone to have a place to sit. Next, you use incremental sizes of burs, to drill the hole out larger and larger until you get to just under the size of your stone.
It’s important to continually check your stone with the size of the hole, and this takes much longer than you would think! A hole that is too big, will allow the stone to wobble when you go to set. A hole that is too small, will not allow enough metal to be there to secure the stone in place.
As I wanted to really learn the technique, I practiced with half of my stones, and came up with this beautiful piece below. I think I may frame this one and hang it up in the shop! What do you think?
The course was so much fun, with so much knowledge shared! It was great to have a day filled with conversation from other metalsmiths, and to see everyone’s progress and work! I loved it! I am looking forward to really practicing this setting some more, and really perfecting the skill.
Hello 2021!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Wow…2021 is a welcomed sight! It seems like 2020 held on forever. But, you know what?!?…we have the gift of hindsight being 2020 (LOL!!!! I saw that on a Facebook post recently, and thought it was hilarious!)
While, 2020 definitely had it’s challenges, it was a really exciting year for me and Chrissi Harmon Jewelry. This past year, I decided to put a more serious focus on turning my hobby of jewelry making into a full-fledged business. While I didn’t expect a pandemic to occur…it did offer me some much needed time to focus on what I wanted, and gave me more time than I’ve ever had to create new work. For that, I’m grateful.
This year, my jewelry was noticed by Conde Nast publications, and for the first time ever, I advertised my jewelry…and in such a big way!! We were in 6 British publications!! (Tatler magazine, Vanity Fair, British GQ, House & Garden, Conde Nast Traveller and Glamour magazine!) To say the least…I am so proud of this accomplishment! Ever since I was young, I have dreamed of having my jewelry in a magazine, and to have them featured in major international publications has been nothing short of an amazing experience!!!!!
I completed the first set of qualifications for my Graduate Gemology Degree through the Gemological Institute of America. I’m now an Applied Jewelry Professional through the GIA.
I also continued my commitment to give back to charity and community organizations. 2020 saw me donate jewelry to Vizavance of Oklahoma for their Sip for Sight Gala, The Griffin Center for Autism, GYNCA and we supported the Teen Challenge of Oklahoma by participating in their Annual Brush Creek Bazaar. Sadly, many of the events we wanted to support through donations were canceled due to the pandemic, but my commitment to support our community will continue for 2021. I hope to extend this reach in 2021, by doubling the number of donations this coming year.
When I look back at all that was accomplished in 2020, I’m nothing short of excited for 2021! I have renewed energy going into the New Year, and I’m really excited for the opportunities that are on the horizon!
So…what do I have in store for 2021?
I’m continuing my commitment to education. I am making metalsmithing and gemology classes a priority this year. I feel very strongly that in order to implement the designs that I have in mind, I need more education to improve my skills! My first class for the new year, is set to take place on January 8th! (nothing like getting right to it!!!).
I will be communicating more through email than I have in the past. I want all of you, my friends, to know what’s going on first! As much as I love social media…it moves very quickly, and I feel that I don’t have the opportunity to share with you the personal side of what makes my jewelry so special. I want to share my love of gems, my struggles, and my vision. I love sharing what I learn…so look for educational emails on gem knowledge or jewelry making techniques. I want to make this fun and inspiring. If you have any ideas or suggestions on what you would like to learn more about, please leave me a comment below. I would love to hear your suggestions!
Finally…I am working on a new Youtube channel that will highlight some jewelry making videos, fun facts, inspirations, videos featuring snippets of my life outside of jewelry and much more. The details are still in the works. I’m a one-woman show…so this will be a work in progress as I try to manage this around my other projects.
Most of all….I’m grateful for all of YOU!!! The support and the love all of you have shown me this year, has been amazing! I’m honored you’re here. THANK YOU! I can’t wait to travel into 2021 with all of you by my side. Let’s make it the best year ever!!
Much love!
Chrissi
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas 2020!
While this year has been challenging. It’s also a year that I’ve experienced a lot of growth and change. I’m grateful for the opportunities that have come our way this year, and I’m especially grateful for all of my new subscribers and clients! You have all been the very best!!!
I truly hope and wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and Holiday season!
Wishing you a season full of joy and peace!
All the best,
Chrissi
December Gems!
Welcome December!!!
December is finally here and with it, brings us one month closer to 2021! 2020 has been an interesting year to say the least, and I know I’m really looking forward to the promise of a New Year on the horizon!
December also highlights my two favorite gemstones as birthstones for the month. Turquoise, with it’s variety of blues, greens and interesting patterns and Zircon, with it’s fiery flashes of light. Both stones are very unique and very different from one another, but both are also so beautiful!
I’ll start with turquoise. Turquoise is a stone that comes with so much history, lore and fascination. It’s prized for it’s perfection of color and interesting patterns. The most valuable turquoise possesses a soft and pleasing blue tone, reminiscent of Robin’s Egg blue. Turquoise was known and used as an ornament in antiquity. The earliest direct reference to turquoise occurs in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics*.
Turquoise ranges in color from beautiful sky-blue to pale green and present a wide diversity of shades. The most valuable stones contain no inclusions, however, as turquoise mines have become depleted over the years, this has changed. Now, the most highly sought gems come from mines that are no longer in operation, such as Bisbee, Orville Jack and a few others.
The most important deposits of turquoise are found in Persia, Central Asia, and the Southwestern portion of the United States.
Turquoise owes it’s color to the presence of copper in it’s molecule and iron exerts an influence over the color of the gem. The blue shades of turquoise are more readily influenced by copper, while the green shades have a greater presence of iron compounds.
Turquoise is a rather soft gem, and therefore needs care when wearing or working with the stone. Because the stone is rather porous in nature, it will easily absorb oils especially if it’s not a sealed stone. (I learned this the hard way with an unsealed sleeping beauty gem, and hand lotion). I always recommend removing your soft stone jewelry before applying lotion, washing hands, or bathing. Also, never put turquoise in an ultrasonic as the vibration can cause the gem to crack along any stress points.
Natural turquoise stone paired with a sparkling blue Zircon
Zircon is another one of my favorite gems, and is in an entirely different spectrum than turquoise. Zircon boasts bold flashes of light and refraction, making everyone aware of it’s beauty and presence. One of the things I love the most about Zircon is how brightly the gems shine! Zircon is best known as a colorless diamond imitation, but it appears in many different colors. Zircon is NOT the artificial gem material called Cubic Zirconia…which is an entirely different material, and not at all a beautiful as natural Zircon.
Blue, Golden and Raspberry Zircon stones
Zircon was widely used as a diamond simulant during the early 1900s. For that reason, many people have never really seen zircon. In the Middle Ages, Zircon was thought to induce sound sleep, drive away evil spirits, and promote riches, honor, and wisdom.Blue zircon was a particular favorite in Victorian times, when fine gems were often featured in English estate jewelry dating from the 1880s. Gemologist George Kunz—Tiffany’s famed gem buyer—was a notable zircon advocate. He once proposed the name “starlite” to promote the gem’s fiery nature. The name never caught on.**
*Source: “Turquois-Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences” by Joseph E Pogue.
**Source: GIA website
I hope you have found this gemstone information interesting. I always love to learn about the different gemstones I use in my work. One of my favorite aspects of making jewelry is working with these amazing stones and bringing them into wearable art!
Please visit it our website to see more of our work, and more interesting gems!
All the best!
Chrissi
Black Friday Sale
We are getting close to Black Friday and I wanted my loyal followers to have the first chance to take advantage of this sale!
I rarely offer my work on sale, because my items are all one-of-a-kind and hand fabricated by me, which means I usually have limited stock on hand. So grab these babies up before they are all gone!
This sale will end at Midnight, November 30, 2020.
Gorgeous Citrine and Golden Topaz for November
Citrine with it’s sparkly, golden hues is the perfect gemstone for Fall. This beautiful stone brings warmth to the crisp days, and the sparkly gold colors remind me of the golden leaves dancing on the trees.
Citrine is a very hardy gemstone as well. As a member of the quartz family…it holds up to wear pretty well. Citrine is in the same family of amethyst, which makes it a very versatile gemstone for jewelry.
Citrine’s golden color can cause it to be confused with topaz. Citrine’s attractive color, plus it affordability makes it an excellent alternative to topaz and yellow sapphire. The finest citrine color is a saturated yellow to fiery orange without brown tints. Natural citrine is rare, so today most citrine on the market is a result of heat treating amethyst to a golden yellow color.
In addition to being the birthstone of November, citrine is also the gem that commemorates 13-year anniversaries.
Information source: GIA Gem Encyclopedia
Topaz, is November’s more brightly colored birthstone. Topaz has an exceptionally wide color range that includes various tones and saturations of blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink and purple. Colorless topaz is plentiful and most often treated to give it a blue color. Topaz is a harder stone than citrine, which makes it just as suitable for everyday wear as citrine.
The name topaz comes from Topazios, which was the old Greek name for a small island in the Red Sea. The ancient Greeks believed that topaz gave them strength. Topaz has been popularly associated with wealth. In the Middle Ages, carved topaz stones were believed to be natural wonders possessing special powers. If a topaz amulet was worn on the left arm, some believed the amulet could protect the wearer from dark magic. Other beliefs were if a topaz stone was kept in the home it could ward off accidents and fires.
Because most citrine and topaz stones on the market today go through treatments to enhance their color, I recommend avoiding placing them in ultrasonic cleaners, as this may cause treatments to fade or dissipate. Using a gentle brush and mild detergent is always the safest way to clean your precious gems.
November News
November is one of my favorite months! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and the month of November also marks the beginning of the official holiday season!
Here at Chrissi Harmon Jewelry, we have a lot going on for the month of November that we wanted to let you know about…and let our loyal subscribers be the first to know about these upcoming events and specials.
We will be doing our first ever Black Friday sale that will begin on November 10th for email subscribers, and open to the rest of our followers on November 15th (coupon code will be sent out on November 9th for email subscribers). I wanted to let our email subscribers get first choice for this very special promotion…with 25% off site wide! I rarely do sales, and I rarely discount any of our products since all of our work is one-of-a-kind. If you know of anyone that loves our jewelry and hasn’t subscribed to our newsletter, please share and have them sign up!!
We are excited to announce that we have added an additional show to our Fall line up!!! We will be set up on December 5th at the Holiday Craft Show in Stillwater, Oklahoma! The event will be located at the Payne County Expo Center. This is an event that highlights handmade arts and crafts and we are very excited to be able to add this show this year!!
If you have made. a purchase from us online, we would love a Google or Facebook Review. This will help us a lot in the rankings for our website. Not to mention, we would love your feedback on how we’re doing!
I’m wishing everyone a very safe and happy November! We hope to see you soon!
Much love,
Chrissi
Autumn is Here!
Autumn has arrived and with it I’ve been enjoying the beautiful fall foliage and the much more livable temperatures! Oklahoma gets very hot in the summer and Autumn is always a welcome respite before the cold winter sets in!
Autumn is also my favorite time for fashion! I love the return of boots, sweaters, jackets and all things fall attire! Of course, that also means it’s time for beautiful Autumn inspired jewelry!
Sterling Silver with 14kt gold dots, garnets and citrine are the perfect fall combination!
My favorite autumn gemstones are agates with the rich browns, reds and yellows, citrine, tourmaline in the darker colors (deep greens, browns) and garnets. Although, I’m partial to just about any gemstone.
Agatized dinosaur bone in sterling silver
Whatever your fancy or favorite Autumn color combination, we have a great selection to choose from! I hope you will get a chance to check out all of our new and beautiful jewelry.
Garnet and agate
Rutilated quartz and sterling silver
Sterling Silver on Sterling Silver with a dark patina
42nd Annual Brush Creek Bazaar
We are very excited to be a vendor once again for the 42nd Annual Brush Creek Bazaar! This event supports the Teen Challenge of Oklahoma and is our favorite event to participate in!
We will be taking all sorts of COVID-19 precautions at the event. Including, but not limited to, social distancing, limiting the number of shoppers at our booth space, plexiglass check-out, wiping down all jewelry regularly (especially if it’s been touched) and wearing masks for the duration of the event. I will also be utilizing disinfecting spray in the booth each hour we are open.
I hope you will have a chance to come out and see us during this amazing event. There will be lots of locally made crafts, live entertainment, and local food trucks (the food last year was AMAZING!). The majority of the booths are located outside for an open-air shopping experience!
For more information about the Brush Creek Bazaar and Teen Challenge Oklahoma, please visit their website at www.brushcreekbazaar.org.
The Event will be October 10-11, 2020. Saturday 9am-6pm and Sunday 10am-6pm.
The event is located at:
10900 S Louisville Ave
Tulsa, OK 74137
See you there!!!!!
Chrissi
Brain Recovery Foundation Donation
The Brain Recovery Foundation is a local Tulsa organization committed to helping victims of traumatic brain injury and their families, by offering supportive services. These services provide invaluable support to victims and family members dealing with the challenges of traumatic brain injury. Currently, the Brain Injury Recovery Foundation is raising funds to build a rehabilitation center here in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area.
I am honored to donate a beautiful sterling silver necklace to the Brain Injury Recovery Foundation. More details on how the necklace will be used to support the organization are forthcoming.
To find out more about the Brain Recovery Foundation, their events or to donate, visit their website at www.braininjuryrf.org.
Sapphires for September
Sapphires are one of my favorite stones, and they are the birth stone for the month of September One of the most amazing things about sapphires is the range of colors they can be found in! Anything from colorless to blue to pink and even yellow and green!
Sapphires are ideal for jewelry because they are very hard and durable as a gemstone. Second only in hardness to diamonds, sapphires can be set in just about any type of setting without worry, however, it’s important to know, especially for cleaning purposes, if your sapphire has been exposed to any treatments, like heat.
It’s interesting to know, that clear sapphires are occasionally cut as microscopic lens, mainly because they are very hard and highly refractive. Gem-quality colorless sapphires are not common though. Rough colorless sapphires are usually light brown or grey when mined, and then heated to make them clear.
The most desirable blue sapphires are those with the cornflower blue color, which is commonly referred to as “Kashmir blue”. The word sapphire comes from the Latin word, sapphirus, meaning blue.
Sapphires belong to the category of gemstones called Corundum. Corundum gemstones all contain the crystalized composition aluminum oxide. What color a sapphire becomes depends on what other minerals color the stone during the development process. Red stones are typically colored with chromium, blue stones, typically colored with iron and titanium, and yellow sapphires get their color from iron.
The value of a sapphire depends on how rich the color of the natural stone is, along with it’s transparency. The most valuable stones have the best transparency and the richest natural color.
The most common treatments for sapphires is heat-treatments to enhance or change their color. Sometimes radiation is used to enhance a stone’s color, although this process is not very stable to light and another treatment called beryllium diffusion is also sometimes used.
In the United States, Montana is the largest producer of natural sapphires called “Montana” sapphires. These are typically small sapphires, and they come in a range of colors, but are primarily found in blue and yellow.
Chrissi
Jewelry For Your Next Adventure
Hello my beautiful friends!
I know this has been an unusual year for planning a vacation or even for travel in general, however as things open up, and the occasion does arise to venture out on the that next adventure, I have some tips for planning what jewelry accessories to take with you. Whether, it’s by plane, train or automobile…I know that I only like to carry a few jewelry pieces with me to my destination and I want to make them count.
What I specifically take, really depends on what the destination occasion calls for. Is this a fun vacation trip or a business trip? Trip to visit family and casual or a more dressy affair?
I’ll start with the business trip or meeting. For a standard business meeting, you can never go wrong with the classics. Simple hoop earrings (like these classic sterling silver hoops above), simple pendant necklace or a nice strand of pearls, conservative rings, nice watch and maybe a bracelet. Less is usually more when it comes to the regular business meeting, and that also means less to pack! Is this a power meeting with a client you are trying to impress? Go bold! Make a statement with a bold and unique necklace or ring. Make one piece a conversation starter, but not all. You don’t want to overdo the bling. Do you need to break the ice? Try this really usual Trilobite necklace (shown below) for a great conversation starter.
For a vacation trip I really like to have fun with my jewelry. Bold necklaces or earrings to accent that beautiful beach dress. Stunning ring for that nice dinner out with the husband or family. Eye-catching cuff bracelet like this beautiful Laguna Agate cuff bracelet (shown below) to grace your newly tanned arms. The possibilities are endless.
Is your vacation on the more adventurous side? If so, then I like to keep things a bit more simple and will usually wear a smaller pendant necklace, such as this 14kt gold and pink sapphire necklace (shown below) paired with some simple stud earrings. I keep it really simple, especially if I’m doing something like hiking, biking or horseback riding.
I usually don’t like to take too much jewelry with me when I travel, so I try to have my jewelry do double duty, and will usually take one bold piece (either a bracelet or necklace), a simple necklace for everyday wear and earrings I can wear for the majority of the trip. The idea is to have fun with your jewelry pairings and enjoy your jewelry no matter what the occasion.
When traveling, I know that storage can be an issue. If I’m flying, I will keep my jewelry with me in my carry-on for safe keeping, and when in the hotel, I’ll utilize the hotel safety deposit box that is usually at the front desk, or the safe that is in the room.
I do want to mention that most jewelry does not do well with chlorine, so if your next outing involves a trip to the hotel pool, just remember to take off your jewelry before it takes a dip in the chlorine. Sterling silver can be permanently blackened and pitted from the chlorine in the pool, and 14kt gold can become pitted from chlorine, so it’s best to not wear your jewelry while swimming.
I hope wherever your next adventure takes you, that you will have fun and a fantastic time!
All the best,
Chrissi
Looking Great for Your Next Virtual Meeting
Lately, I’ve had to attend a few more virtual meetings than I have in the past, and as COVID-19 is still here and still a part of our lives, I suspect virtual meetings will become a more normal way of doing business.
So, how do you dress and accessorize for your virtual meeting where you still want to look professional but yet, have a casual comfortable appearance?
The one thing I’ve noticed in particular when it comes to doing meetings online, is that our face and torso are front and center. Because of this, color, lighting and background are very important.
The type of call is also really important. Is this an interview for a new career or position? Board meeting for your favorite interest group? Meeting with your boss or business colleagues? All of these things are considerations when picking out what to wear for that next video call.
Here are a few things that I’ve noticed on my video chats that may help you standout and look your best on your next video chat.
Lighting is very important. Too dark, and you look hidden and unengaged. Too light, and you look washed out and pale. Most of the meetings I’ve attended where the lighting is too dark, it makes the participant appear uninterested or not engaged in the meeting. Too light, and the participant appears washed out and maybe a little sickly. It’s a subtle factor in how you appear to show up to your meeting.
I recently learned, that the best lighting is placed in front of you. For photographs, think standing in the doorway with the sun shining on you (not so bright that you squint), and you want to apply that same concept to your video meetings. For a reasonable fee, there are round LED lights that are perfect for this! Here is a great article on lighting for videos: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/best-led-video-light/. Natural lighting is definitely the best, but that is not always available.
Dressing for your virtual meeting is also really important, as it will convey the right message you are trying to send.
Pick out a color that is complementary to your background, and also flattering with your skin tone. For me, black is a great choice because my background is yellow and the black color usually absorbs some of the background color without making my skin tone appear too yellow. White makes me look too washed out. Dark navy is another one of my favorites, but go with what colors look best for you. If the meeting is a formal one, dress as if you were attending the meeting in person. That means a business suit, nice blouse or shirt, tie, etc.
For accessories, I’ve noticed that statement earrings are great because they bring attention up to your face and the eyes of the viewer in line with your eyes. You will notice that a lot of newscasters and talk show hosts wear bolder earrings during their interviews.
These beautiful handmade sterling silver hoop earrings are a great choice, because they are bold, light and easy to wear, but make a subtle statement:
A short statement necklace is also great, because it also brings the eyes of the viewer to the center of your face and neck. I would avoid anything too long, as it brings the focus down towards the end of the necklace and towards the bottom of the screen, which takes the focus away from you, and places it down below.
Do you use your hands a lot when you talk or for emphasis? Then think about a nice statement ring that will show up on video. The idea is to have your jewelry help enhance your virtual image, not detract from it.
Colorful jewelry is also great. Brightly colored gemstones such as turquoise, amazonite, amethyst, carnelian, to name a few, and bold statement pieces in silver or gold are great attention grabbers.
The idea is to look put together, confident, and your best!
Now go rock that next meeting!!!
All the best!
Chrissi
Happy 4th of July!
Hello my beautiful friends!!!!
Wishing all of you a very safe and happy 4th of July!! I hope you are able to enjoy some time celebrating all that our wonderful country and communities have to offer!
To show my appreciation for all of you, I’m offering 10% off anything in my shop with the code: FiREWORKS
This coupon code is good for now until July 15th! Now is a great time to start shopping for the upcoming Holiday season! (It’s never too early!).
I hope you all have the most fantastic and fun Fourth of July weekend!
Much love!
Chrissi