April 11-17, 2005

Ephemerala
 
April 11-17, 2005
 
In This Installment:
** New Items
** Coming Soon
** Stone Fun Facts
** News & Stuff
** Fortnightly Sale
** Insider's Sale
** Last Week's Top Sellers
 
 
New Items
New Beads
Citrine Round
At long last, pictures for these!  Nice bright yellow beads.  They vary in size between 5mm and 6mm, but each bag contains a uniform size.  Sort of opaque, not particular gemmy, but very pretty.
 
Ruby Round
These small beads are a great value!  It is hard to get a good scanning of Ruby, so the picture looks a little redder than it should.  These are actually sort of dusty rose colored.  Like fashionable living room decorations in 1994.  A small amount of gray matrix, but it is offset by the fact that many of the beads have either a chatoyant shimmer or a slight star effect.
 
Faceted Amethyst Round
Fabulous color.  These are "semi-round," but not quite rondell.  They are like round beads that got a little too crowded.  Whether you want to call them round or rondell, they are GORGEOUS.  Sold individually, so you'll need to estimate the number you'll need to complete your project. 
 
Faceted Clear Quartz Rondell
Wonderful cut, perfect clarity.  Crystal clear gemmy beads.  Sold individually.
 
Two Colors of Amber Chip Beads
Did I ever get around to announcing that we now have Amber Chip Beads in two tones?  Maybe I did.  I'm too lazy to go back and look through the old messages.  Anyway, you can now choose from dark or light.  See the Chips page:
 
 
Coming Soon
This "Coming Soon" section tends to get a little boring over time, since it often stays the same.  I actually do have a lot of these items listed on the website in the appropriate places, but have not yet officially unleashed them for assorted reasons.  For example, some of the items cannot be placed on a scanner, so I am waiting to get photos of them (such as the solid perfumes, and the silk purses).  Other items have been ordered but are not yet in my hands.  Still others are waiting to be scanned as soon as I have the necessary equipment (example, in the case of the rings, I have to figure out where the kids hid the ring sizer that they commonly use as a lightsaber, so I can scan them AND get the correct sizes for listing!).  If any of the below items strikes your fancy, feel free to either try to locate it on the website, or e-mail me with pricing info.
New Beads:
Golden Oyster Stick, Hessonite Heishi, Aquamarine Round, FABULOUS SURPRISE CHIPS (see "News" below)
Ocarinas (clay flutes)
"Fortune Cookie" Silk Purses
Solid Perfume in Soapstone Jars
Spring Bracelets
Large Fan Collars
Cloisonné Rings & Bangles
 
 
Stone Fun Facts
Crazy Lace Agate
** Agates are a type of chalcedony quartz that form in concentric layers in various colors.  They form as round, lumpy nodules within rough, ugly crusts (geodes).  Many beautiful agates are discovered in rivers after the water has eroded the outer crust away.  The Crazy Lace variety consists of whorls and "eyes" of cream, tan, pink, brown and other colors. 
** Crazy Lace Agate is mined ONLY in Mexico.  Because of this, it is often called Mexican Lace Agate.
** Crystal healers use this particular Agate to absorb emotional pain, to counteract physical low periods, to bring stamina to the wearer, and to gain insight to many options available in any decision-making process.  It is thought to aid in sleep disorders such as insomnia and nightmares.  It promotes laughter and humor, and helps the wearer see life as a game.
** In ancient times, the "eye" patterns on Crazy Lace were believed to ward off the evil eye.
** This stone is known as the Generational Stone.  It helps to bring grandparents and grandchildren to a closer understanding of each other.  It is a great stone to wear when visiting with grandchildren, because it promotes calm in chaotic environments!
** Agates in general are the stone for the 12th anniversary.
Please see other Stone Fun Facts here:
 
 
News and Stuff
HUGE COMING SOON NEWS!
I am not going to go into detail here, but will let this be a huge surprise when it happens.  I am about to add to my store the Chip Beads to end all Chip Beads.  A type of gemstone that I didn't even REALIZE came in chip form, and certainly have never EVER seen anywhere else.  Some of you are salivating already, cuz you probably know what it is.  Stay tuned...
 
Bigger, Prettier Moonstones!
Exactly like last week's Peridot announcement, this week I am unveiling our new big Rainbow Moonstone Chip Beads!  The previous ones were beautiful, with lots of blue fire, but very tiny.  These new ones are more of a typical chip bead size, nice and chunky, and just as fiery.
 
CityMax vs. eBay
     I love eBay, I really do.  Nowhere else on the web can you find SUCH a potential customer base.  If it weren't for eBay, I'd be nowhere now.
     But I am well aware that lots of people are unhappy with a lot of the newer eBay policies, including myself.  In fact, their abrupt and extremely high store fee raise was what caused me to have to close my eBay store two months ago.  The site itself tends to be slow (my computer often freezes up when I'm on eBay), and their customer service basically consists of someone sending a canned response to your request for help, that pertains to your exact question maybe 3% of the time, and is nearly never helpful. 
     I started my online store with citymax.com about a year and a half ago, and have ALWAYS been impressed with it.  There are no fees outside of the recurring monthly operation fee (which is only a dollar more than eBay's new monthly store fee), it is easy to list things, and there's no re-listing or feedback to deal with.  Last week, I had another nice experience with CityMax that I could never have hoped for with eBay.
     As I tried to upload a picture to the site, nothing happened.  The photo didn't show up at all.  I knew it wasn't the fault of the pictures on my computer, as they were the exact same format as all the other ones.  Feeling a wave of despair, I wrote to CityMax customer service.  Having had NO LUCK getting eBay people to help me in times of similar problems, I had very little hope of getting an answer.
     Less than an hour later, I got a reply, from a real honest-to-goodness person, saying that they were experiencing a temporary glitch and would have the problem fixed very soon.  As soon as I read it, I went back to the site and tried uploading a picture again.  It worked!
     So while eBay is the place to sell when you want a huge customer base, if you are looking for excellent customer service, try opening a CityMax store!
 
P.S. In the event that this little speech has encouraged any of you out there to open CityMax stores of your own (to sell your handmade jewelry, perhaps?), please let me know so I can officially refer you.  If I can get three people to sign up through their official referral program, I will have my monthly fees waived!  Just another one of those really sweet bonuses!
 
 
Fortnightly Sale
3-For-2 Gem Chip Bottles
It's been a while since we've paid much attention to Chip Bottles, so why not bring them to the front this week?  When you buy any two (2) Gem Chip Bottles, we will throw in a third bottle absolutely FREE.  You have two styles (corked or sphere-topped), two sizes, and a couple dozen gemstones to choose from.  For every two you buy, you will get a third free.  Please note that the free bottle(s) will be our choice, and this sale does NOT apply to the Value Packs.  Limit of ten free bottles per order.
Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Gem Bottles Sale is good through April 24, 2005.
 
Penny Sale
Every two weeks, I hide a new special offer somewhere on my online site.  This listing will offer a certain product for ONE CENT, with any purchase of $10.00 or more.  The item and its location will change every two weeks, so be sure to look often.  Simply go to my online store site:
and browse until you find the hidden listing.  Add it to your cart, along with the rest of your $10+ order, and it will be included for just a penny.  Happy Hunting!
(Recent keen-eyed customers got a HEMATITE RING for a penny.  What will you be able to get this week?)
 
 
Insider's Special
Free Chain With Pendant
This week, for every pendant or charm you buy, I will include a gold or silver 18" baby cobra chain free of charge.  Simply browse our massive list of Stone Pendants.  It may take a while, as we have HUNDREDS to choose from!  Pick one or a few that you like, and make the purchase.  You can choose from natural stone pendants and Cat's Eye glass.  When you get your package, you will find a matching chain for each pendant.  (The color of the chain will depend on the setting of the pendant.)  Limit ten free chains per customer.
Free Chain Offer is good through April 24, 2005.
 
 
Last Week's Top Sellers
(You know you want to be just like everyone else!)
1. Power Bracelets
2. Jade Chip Beads
3. Ruby Aventurine Chip Beads
4. Moonstone Oval Bargain Beads
5. Black Rutilated Quartz Chip Beads
6. Fluorite Chip Beads
7. Amber Chip Beads
8. Peridot Chip Beads
9. Chip Strands
10. Myrrh Beads
 
 
That's it for this issue.  Talk to you again in a week.
--Suzanne Dallapè
eBay User ID: ephemerala
Visit my online store:
 
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