For the third time this evening, Sorcha Designs took part in a Holiday Trunk show sponsored by the wonderful ladies of Tranquil Spaces. We would just like to take a moment to not only expound upon what fun we have at said trunk show, but to let you know that Tranquil Spaces Yoga Studio and Boutique is filled with exceptional people. The atmosphere is always soothing, the people are always positive and our experience has never been anything but PHENOMINAL. Please check the studio out at www.tranquilspace.com

Furthermore, (as if their being all around fabulous wasn’t enough) we had a chance to experience their boutique line TranquiliT. We have one word- AMAZING!!!!! A portion of the sale of each piece of clothing is donated to charities that support women AND each piece of clothing is environmentally sustainable. Meaning, the pieces are designed with soy, bamboo, organic cotton and other eco-luxe materials (yeah, I had to Google eco-luxe too) So, check them out www.tranquiliT.com!!!!

Last and certainly not least, we are sorry to say that we missed their first ever Tranquil Space Foundation Gala. If you are in the DC area, keep your ear to the ground! The 2008 Gala promised to be even bigger and better!

So, it is about 1:00am and I can’t sleep. I tried… but I couldn’t remember what Parrot Jasper looked like. So here I am, having trudged down to the studio to Google ‘Parrot Jasper’. I was interested to learn that Parrot Jasper can be either Indian, Chilean or Brazilian. Who knew….

So with that mystery solved why am I not sawing logs? Counting sheep? Or catching some Z’s? I blame it on the trials of a creative mind…. I have NO idea why it is, but I am most creative between 1:00am and 3:00am. It is a nice time of day to get things done, i.e. no phone ringing, no emails popping up, no one at the door with a question to be answered… just me, XM radio (I highly recommend the streaming option if you haven’t checked it out already) and thousands of beads. OH, and of course some Kool-Aid.

Did you know that Kool-Aid originally came in a liquid form called Fruit Smack? Some time in the 1920’s the company found a way to remove the liquid from the Fruit Smack (what a horrible name) leaving only the power behind, which rumor has it was much easier and less expensive to transport. (I hate to think that an accountant was responsible for the creation of Kool-Aid but it looks that way… A penny saved and all that ;) Anyhow, that is how Kool-Aid was born. Why it is named Kool-Aid I have NO idea. In my much younger years I dyed my hair with Kool-Aid once (disaster)... and now I dye yarn for knitting and drink the stuff… lots of it.

So, as it is now 1:30am and I am still babbling I am going to tell you a little secret…. My favorite Kool-Aid flavor was and still is “Purplesaurus Rex”. Yes, I know…. I admit to having fallen in love with that fabulous dancing purple dinosaur that adorned the front of the cute little purple packet…. I was horrified when they stopped making it…

So, it is with a great deal of pleasure that I share with you my super secret recipe for Almost Purplesaurus Rex:

1 package kool-aid sweetened lemonade
1 package kool-aid unsweetened grape
2 cups sugar (I us Splenda) and
1 gallon water

Mix well and enjoy!!

I think that is all I will torture you with this evening… Purple has made me think of Indian Rubies and now I must go and play!! Night all!

So, we have been told that we are going about this whole blogging task the wrong way. Oops…

In our efforts to better serve the blogging world, here is our latest attempt!

The newest line that will soon be gracing the Sorcha Designs pages were inspired by our latest trip to England. And now that the jet lag has worn off completely, it it time that we share the exciting new useless trivia that is now crowding our feeble brains.

The first thing that we learned as traversing the country side with a FABULOUS tour company called Cotswold Roaming (here is their web site if you are wanting to check them out www.oxfordcity.co.uk/cotswold-roaming) is that the Celtic people did not only reside in Ireland and Scotland. Insofar as the Celts go, they were ALL OVER the place. If you look in Wikipedia (what ever did we do before Google and Wikipedia?!?) you will find that the Celtic nations are areas of Europe inhabited by members of Celtic cultures, specifically those who use Celtic languages. We were so excited that we tracked down a symbol of the Celtic nations that you will find on a pendant we have crafted in silver.

And speaking of all over the place, it is believed that the Celts might have even made it to China during the bronze age. There have been a number of mummies found in the Tarim Basin region of China that have either red or blonde hair and blue eyes! Their textiles and clothes also seem to indicate that they are Celtic Descent! All we have to say about that is WOW…. But back to locations closer at hand. The Celtic culture and history is fascinating! And while we could ramble on about this topic for hours suffice to say that many of the designs that will debut in the coming weeks are gleaned from the rich Celtic Heritage that we were lucky enough to experience on our holiday to England. Stay tuned!!

By definition Malachite is: “a crystallized for of masses, tufts, rosettes, crust, botryoidal configurations, compact fibrous structures and, rarely stalactites and needle-like crystals…”

Uh huh… By our definition Malachite is: that beautiful banded vibrant green stone that we absolutely adore. No two pieces of Malachite are exactly alike which lends itself beautifully to the one of a kind pieces that we like to design for all the wonderful ladies of the world. Not to mention that it is said that the stone stimulates intuitive reasoning allowing for change and advancement.

Malachite derived its name from the Greek molochitis or “mallow-green stone”. History indicates that the stone has been mined for over 3,000 years, most famously from The King Solomon’s Mines in Israel now known as The Timna Mines. We read recently in ‘In Style Magazine’ that the stone was so revered in Russia that the czars devoted an entire room to the beauty of Malachite at The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg.

Quite recently Malachite has returned to the spot light in everything from branded perfume by Banana Republic to chic jewelry designs gracing the wrists, necks and ears of women around the world.

Keep checking back for our holiday designs which of course will include Malachite!

Caring for and maintaing your jewelry can be very easy, if you take a few simple steps!

Gold and silver scratches very easily, and believe it or not, some gems (emeralds and aquamarines for instance) can chip when banged around. If at all possible keep your jewelry items seperated either in a box, small drawstring pouches or even tissue paper.

Cleaning can be as simple as a weak soap solution, or the use of a polishing cloth. NEVER soak jewelry or use any type of harsh cleaner, especially on pearls… Many cleaners will damage the silk the pearls are strung on and damage the nacre of the pearls themselves. Pearls should always be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. (Yes, I know we ALL heard this from our Mothers, but she was right). As for restringing pearls, it is recommended that they be restrung every few years… that being said, just pay attention to the silk. If it doesn’t show wear, don’t rush out and have them restrung. HOWEVER, if you see any fraying at all, take care of it right away.. better safe than sorry.

Lastly, if any of your pieces are showing a bit of wear, take them to the jeweler (or if there are one of our pieces email us!!) It is MUCH better to maintain your jewelry with small repairs every now and again, then spend your time searching for your lost jewelry or worse yet, having to do without your favorite piece.

Let us know if you have any questions!!
The Sorcha Design Team

In our effort to make the world a much prettier place, Sorcha Designs has Gone Green!
We try and recycle EVERYTHING we can- Paper, plastic, glass and cardboard.
All of our invoices, business cards, care cards and product cards are printed on recycled paper.
All of our lights have energy star light bulbs.
And, we recycle our scrap wire (which unfortunately there is a lot of).
Lastly, we are looking for quality recycled packing materials and jewelry boxes should you happen to stumble across any and want to drop us a line! We’d really appreciate it.

Have an excellent day!

We would first and foremost like to thank you for taking the time to visit our page! We are working hard to improve upon it daily.
That being said, we would like to issue this disclaimer: We are not, nor have ever claimed to be, photographers. Had you told us at the onset of this venture that photographing our pieces would be the hardest part of getting our web site up and running we would have laughed… we stand corrected.
Please bear with us for a short while until we get our photographs perfected… or at least significantly better than they are now :)

We also promise to be better about keeping up with our blog.

Fondly-
The Sorcha Designs Team!

Something that I found to be quite interesting and hope you do as well.

Blackstone

Many assumed that all stones that are black, shiny and not plastic were onyx. Well, how amazingly wrong one can be. I discovered blackstone about a year and a half ago, but only recently learned how to unequivocally know the difference between onyx and blackstone when purchasing beads. Historically I had insisted upon purchasing Onyx simply because I knew what I was buying. Thankfully, I have been purchasing my supplies from the best bead dealer in Virginia because she took time to explain the differences! (More on my amazing vendors in a future post!)

You can tell the difference in the stones by the marks surrounding the drilled holes in the sides of the beads. If the area surrounding the drilled hole is completely black it is Onyx. If it is lighter around the drilled hole, making the drilled area appear almost gray the bead is blackstone.

As with any natural stone, it is rare that the holes drilled in the beads will all be uniform. If you receive a string of beads that are completely uniform in color, with perfectly round uniform holes, you might want to take a second look. Either the quality is amazing, or you might have plastic. Never be afraid to ask questions of the person you are buying beads from. It is an excellent way to be sure of what you are buying and an even better way to learn about stones!

As this is my first Weblog, I would appreciate everyone’s patience…. I have been wracking my brain for something witty or amazing to share with all of you, but all that has done is delay my weblog… for weeks. So, here it goes.

A name… how insignificant and seemingly so very small a name seems until you can’t come up with one. Naming my business Sorcha Designs was an inspiration brought on by a convergence of some pretty insurmountable forces. The first was my husband, the second was Google, and last by certainly not least was my lack of patience….

I first must say that had it not been for Kevin (the aforementioned husband), Sorcha Designs would not exist. I owe him my happiness on SO many levels. Secondly, I have NO idea how society as a whole functioned prior to the advent of Google! There is not one aspect of my business that has not been impacted by those 6 fateful letters. I truly can not remember a time when I did not Google something to find the answer. And well, that is how I came upon Sorcha.

Sorcha is of Irish or Gaelic origin and means bright or radiant. It is also a variation of the Anglicized name Sarah. I wish I could say I had an epiphany and Sorcha came to me out of the annual of Irish history. But the truth of the matter is I was up late one night, trying to come up with a name and Googled myself to see what I could find. The more specific I tried to get in the vain hope that I would somehow be found amongst the millions of people in the world, the more frustrated I got. So, I Google, ‘Sarah and Irish’ and “Poof” somehow in the vast and instantaneous search that is Google, I found Sorcha.

So maybe it was Fate. Perhaps it was Destiny. Or could it simply have been dumb luck? I just don’t know. But I am thankful every day, that when I hit search that fateful night, Sorcha popped up… So I guess the entire point of this entry is to reaffirm to not only myself but to anyone whom is reading this blog, that any and every answer you could possibly ever want can be found on Google. Perhaps that is how you found your way here!