I am back! with Dominican Amber and Larimar

Just had a wonderful holiday in the Dominican Republic with the family. I tried my best to avoid jewellery, but failed miserably. We stayed within the Playa Darado resort after arriving at the the airport at Puerta Plata. On our third day we were given a guided tour of Puerta Plata which included a visit to a local Amber and Larimar jewellery factory. Amber we all know about. However, we were given an introduction to the one and only Larimar jewellery. Larimar Stone (Blue Pectolite) is a rare form of pectolite with a blue green appearance similar to the colour of the Caribbean Sea.

Larimar is mined at 'Las Chupaderos' int he section of 'Los Cheseses' This is 10 Kilometres Southwest of Barahona in the South Western region of the Dominican Republic.

Discovered by Norman Rilling and Miguel Mendez, the name was given to this stone by Senor Mendez. It is a combination of 'Larissa' (his daughter's name) and Mar, the Spanish word for sea.

I could not resist the seduction of this stone which, I understand has metaphysical powers. Legend has it that the Dominican Republic is part of the lost city of Atlantis. In the future I hope to research this further. But in the meantime I will be posing in my beautiful Dominican Amber and Larimar bracelet and ring.

Holiday

Will be taking a holiday for two weeks to the Dominican Republic. Well earned rest!

Just managed to locate the British Jewellery Association. Very useful site with many membership benefits. Also has interesting articles on trends in the jewellery industry, and also has tips and recommendations on selling costume jewellery online. Will definitely consider when I return from hols. When I am back I will be researching a number of topics including Tagua or Vegetable Ivory to some!. Baltic Amber, and Murano Glass Jewellery. Will also be exploring the development of the African Jewellery market, in particular that of Ghana.

I also forgot to mention allergies (nickel blah blah)

Well, Off to the DR I go. (Blue Amber!)

Costume Jewellery Online

We hope to provide our customers with a new range of costume jewellery pieces from around the world. We are also in the process of negotiating with Derby City Council with a view to opening the first Monkey Shirley's Emporium. Our aim is to provide our customers with unique pieces which, allows them to be unique. Some of our jewellery and bags cater for the needs of those who are less subtle, and wish to stand out in a crowd. There are a number of manufacturers who, cater for such individuals. ie Kelevra, Vendula, etc

Our bottom line is simple. 'Monkey Shirley makes you feel good'

When people ask us what we do for a living? Our answer is: 'We make people feel good' In addition to making people look good on the outside, we also make them feel good on the inside by letting them know that we promote fair trade as well as being proactive in reducing our Carbon Footprint.

In our blogs we will covering a number of subjects around costume jewellery. We have the opportunity to place these articles online and receive feedback on anumber of issues pertaining to jewellery and other fashion accessories.