Classic Elegance with a little bit of Opa!

The Dirt on your Bohemian Baubles

The hottest trend in fashion and jewelry right now is the Bohemian Look, a mix of traditional Native American and East Asian designs. But before you buy those Bohemian baubles you should know a few things...

East Asian: These gorgeous pieces draw our eye with their tinny shine and bright colored stones but its important to keep in mind that currency exchange rates aren't the only reason prices are cheap. 

METALS: The tinny color of some east Asian silver jewelry comes from a slightly different metal content. In Asia a piece of jewelry considered sterling silver contains only 90% silver and 10% zinc compared to USA 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. By using tin instead of copper, East Asian jewelry is produced more cheaply, is less durable, and may tarnish quicker than American sterling silver. Maria-Tina's silver is always high quality sterling with no less than 92.5% silver. Check out Maria-Tina's Sterling Silver collection

 

Native American: High quality, authentic Native American jewelry can be hard to find, but if you know the signs of quality craftsmanship you're more likely to score some great deals. As always, get to know the logos of notable artists and look for the maker's mark on the back of the jewelry. 

TURQUOISE: Over the years Maria-Tina has taken apart old jewelry for makeovers and discovered the dirty secrets behind cheap Native American jewelry. Behind those gorgeous stones there is sometimes cardboard or sawdust used as a filler to make up for very thin pieces of stone. As a buyer, it is very difficult to detect if the piece you are buying has as much turquoise appears, but if you look for heftier pieces that have a substantial feeling in your hand you are more likely to get a good piece of jewelry. Using only thick, solid pieces of turquoise in her pieces, that hefty feel is always present in Maria-Tina's Minoan Jewelry. Check out her extensive collection of turquoise jewelry

Maria-Tina has a collection of her own bohemian baubles and loves them all. At greekislandhouse.com we want you to be educated and enjoy these bangles and baubles too but know when you want museum-quality pieces Maria-Tina is the one to go to!

Wishing you love, light and a little bit of Opa!


1 comment

  • Love your jewelry, it is beautiful

    Crystal

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