Jewelry Sets and The Nigerian Woman

I'm from Africa precisely from Nigeria. Being one of the most fashionable countries in the world ( yes, you heard me right), looking good comes  almost as a natural thing for the average Nigerian woman.The Nigerian woman loves to match her outfit way ahead of any occasion. This includes the outfit which could be traditional or western , the headgear (which we call gele), the shoes and of course the jewelries.

Yes, the jewelries are very important and she likes them to be in 'sets'

"Sets?!" What do I mean? I would explain now!

In the jewelry world here in Nigeria, we buy and wear most of our jewelries in matching sets. By sets, I mean, earrings, pendants/necklace,bracelets or and rings in similar design and colours sold together. They have to be the same especially, the earrings and necklace and or pendants. That is, and has been the trend in Nigeria.

Even in the beads and non-beaded jewelries, most of the designs are sold in that manner. It's rare to find an average Nigerian woman wearing her jewelries which do not come in sets. Yes, we do have a few that would wear seperate piece as a necklace, another design of earrings together but its not a popular trend.

The most common jewelry set is earrings with matching necklace. This is followed by the 3-in-1 which includes, earrings, necklace and bracelet. Next to this, is the earrings, pendant/necklace and bracelet. The ring is not mostly included, as any piece can be worn on its own.

Also, I have bought jewelries seperately and matched them to go with my outfit. I guess you can equally describe the combination as a"set" because they have to blend together. Another common thing with the Nigerian woman. This is an accepted trend also when it comes to jewelries here.

Did I also mention that we love it sparkling, shiny, bright and glamorous! The Nigerian woman loves her jewelries colourful and loud (for some..lol).

 We love beads (traditional or modern), we love crystals (swarovski or czech or chinese), we love our jewelry styles (multi-strands beaded jewelries, so hot here!) and most importantly we love our fashion sense!

Do you agree with me Nigerian ladies? Let me know!

Linda Aliogo

Top 5 Things People Consider When Buying Jewelry

Being in the jewelry world precisely handmade jewelry, there are different things different people consider when buying any type of jewelry. These are based on needs, choice, taste, sex and more! So what do I consider as top 5 things people consider when buying any jewelry?

Cost

People look at cost before any other thing simply because they are on a budget or trying to get the best value for their money. Coming from this part of the continent where labour isn't very expensive, most people look at cost before any other thing. They do not really put jewelry (handmade) as a top priority of the numerous things on their NEED list. So its therefore believe that handmade is suppose to be cheap. This is even more common when its handmade jewelry which is considered to be inferior, hence less appreciated than other types of jewelry.

Beauty

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", a popular cliche. This is true in the jewelry world as people look and consider to buy a piece of jewelry they see appealing. The colours, design, texture, materials used all add up to the final look and beauty of any jewelry. As we know beauty comes in different forms hence the availability of many designs out there. It's a very strong factor for people when buying any type of jewelry.

Quality

Quality varies when buying things. This is not different in jewelry world. This depends on your budget and taste.So people look into that as well. A good quality stands the test of time and remain useful for a long time. This you would not find obviously in cheap ones. The materials used help to give you an idea of the quality of the jewelry. For instance, a gold plated jewelry is cheaper than a gold-filled jewelry. A gold-filled jewelry is cheaper than a karat-gold jewelry. The reason is simply because of the quantity of gold in each piece which in turn reflects on the durability, beauty and price at the end of the day.

Trend

The jewelries used over half a century are not what we are wearing now. Those are considered vintage pieces. People love to follow trends considered now as fashionable and stylish for today's woman. Another contender when people are buying jewelry. They want to buy what is considered as fashionable, current, new and in vogue! They want to be associated with what is regarded as trendy and popular!

Maintenance/Comfort

People do not want jewelries that are complex to wear or remove. They don't want any jewelry that need special care or maintenance. They don't want any piece that is uncomfortable, too tight or loose, that breaks or falls apart because you didn't follow the maintenance or care instructions! Rather, they love it easy, simple and comfy!

I believe I have pointed out the 5 most important things considered by a lot of people. Let me know if you think otherwise. Better still, you can share your own top 5!

Love to hear from you, thanks :)

                                                               Linda Aliogo

Behind My Simple Peyote Bracelet

I have always admired and loved the peyote stitch weaving. It has been on my list of things I want to conquer in the beading world. The right time came along, when I watched a tutorial on one of tuhe numerous videos on You-tube. I decided to get my materials for the project.

Having done my research, I knew I didn't have the type of seed beads required to get that perfect finish. I mean  delicas and toho seed beads. So I decided to use what was available locally, that is within my reach! 

I made this decision simply because, I don't want to run out of beads (if I happen to use the ones I get abroad). Another reason, is because I want to be consistent with the same type of beads used for my customers until I have a large stock of the toho and delicas (imported beads) where I would be comfortable.

This took me a long time to get started. I learned about the even count, odd count, decreasing and increasing patterns. I also got to know about the 2-drop, 3-drop, circular , tubular and do I need to mention more!

Please don't get me wrong. I have learnt just the basic pattern which is the even-count. I'm just saying there are alot of variations in this particular stitch depending on the seed bead type and size? Well, yes there are a lot out there! I hope to learn them one after the other, wish me luck!

Anyway, I  kept searching until eventually I found a video that was suitable with what I have on hand, so I took the plunge. I brought out my locally available materials, my clasp, the seed beads were sorted so that I can get those that are uniform in size and I settled down to work on a bracelet! 

I did. And the result? Here is it, what do you think?

 

             

                                           

For those interested in trying out this. Here is the LINK

  

                 

                                                                  Linda Aliogo