Friday, May 25, 2012

Chakras and Gemstone Jewellery

Chakra" is a Sanskrit word that literally translates to "wheel" or "turning". Pronounced “cha-kra” or “sha-kra”, it is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices of spinning energy in the aura.

The chakras are “force centers” permeating the layers of the subtle bodies from a point on the physical body. Rotating vortices of subtle matter, they are considered the focal points for the reception and transmission of energies.

Chakras occur in pairs, one in the front of the body and one in the back. Their points meet within the spine.



The seven main chakras are usually represented by the following gemstone cabochons:

First Base/Root Chakra - Garnet
Second Sacral Chakra - Carnelian
Third Solar Plexus Chakra - Citrine
Fourth Heart Chakra - Peridot
Fifth Throat Chakra - Iolite
Sixth Third Eye Chakra - Amethyst
Seventh Crown Chakra - Rainbow Moonstone

Friday, May 4, 2012

How to Determine Your Ring Size

There are several systems for denoting the sizes of jewellery rings in use around the world. While conversion charts are available, it can be pretty confusing if you are not sure of your ring size in the first place. At Moonfire Charms, we use the US ring size system. Here’s a quick guide to determining your ring size with a few simple tools.

If you already have a ring you currently wear, simply measure the diameter of the ring. This measurement is known as the “inside diameter”.  You can then find the corresponding measurement on the ring size conversion chart below.

Measuring the ring diameter

If you do not have a ring, simply do the following:

1. Get a strip of paper or a piece of string.
The paper strip or string should be at least 10 cm long.

2. Wrap the paper or string around the base of the finger you want to measure.
The string should be wrapped snugly around the base of the finger – not too loose or tight to ensure a better measurement.

3.  Mark the string or paper where the circle around your finger is completed.
A marker, pen or pencil will do the job!

4. Find out the length of your ring measurement.
Use a ruler or tape measure to measure the beginning to the marked end.  This measurement is known as the “inside circumference” of your finger.

5. Check the chart below to determine your ring size.
When in doubt between two sizes, it is safer to take the larger ring size to ensure that the ring will definitely fit you.

Ring Size Conversion Chart

Inside diameter

 Inside diameter
Inside circum-
ference
 Inside circum-
ference
 Size
(in)
(mm)
(in)
(mm)
United States and Canada
0.458

0.466

0.474

0.482

0.49

0.498

0.506

0.514

0.522

0.53

0.538

0.546

0.554

0.562

0.57

0.578

0.586

0.594

0.602

0.61

0.618

0.626

0.634

0.642

0.65

0.658

0.666

0.674

0.682

0.69

0.698

0.706

0.714

0.722

0.73

0.738

0.746

0.754

0.762

0.77

0.778

0.786

0.794

0.802

0.81

0.818

0.826

0.834

0.842

0.85

0.858

0.866

0.874

0.882

0.89

0.898

0.906

0.914

0.922

0.93

0.938

0.946

0.954

0.962

0.97
11.63

11.84

12.04

12.24

12.45

12.65

12.85

13.06

13.26

13.46

13.67

13.87

14.07

14.27

14.48

14.68

14.88

15.09

15.29

15.49

15.7

15.9

16.1

16.31

16.51

16.71

16.92

17.12

17.32

17.53

17.73

17.93

18.14

18.34

18.54

18.75

18.95

19.15

19.35

19.56

19.76

19.96

20.17

20.37

20.57

20.78

20.98

21.18

21.39

21.59

21.79

22

22.2

22.4

22.61

22.81

23.01

23.22

23.42

23.62

23.83

24.03

24.23

24.43

24.64
1.44

1.46

1.49

1.51

1.54

1.56

1.59

1.61

1.64

1.67

1.69

1.72

1.74

1.77

1.79

1.82

1.84

1.87

1.89

1.92

1.94

1.97

1.99

2.02

2.04

2.07

2.09

2.12

2.14

2.17

2.19

2.22

2.24

2.27

2.29

2.32

2.34

2.37

2.39

2.42

2.44

2.47

2.49

2.52

2.54

2.57

2.59

2.62

2.65

2.67

2.7

2.72

2.75

2.77

2.8

2.82

2.85

2.87

2.9

2.92

2.95

2.97

3

3.02

3.05
36.5

37.2

37.8

38.5

39.1

39.7

40.4

41

41.7

42.3

42.9

43.6

44.2

44.8

45.5

46.1

46.8

47.4

48

48.7

49.3

50

50.6

51.2

51.9

52.5

53.1

53.8

54.4

55.1

55.7

56.3

57

57.6

58.3

58.9

59.5

60.2

60.8

61.4

62.1

62.7

63.4

64

64.6

65.3

65.9

66.6

67.2

67.8

68.5

69.1

69.7

70.4

71

71.7

72.3

72.9

73.6

74.2

74.8

75.5

76.1

76.8

77.4
0

¼

½

¾

1







2







3







4







5







6







7







8







9







10

10¼

10½

10¾

11

11¼

11½

11¾

12

12¼

12½

12¾

13

13¼

13½

13¾

14

14¼

14½

14¾

15

15¼

15½

15¾

16

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Moonfire Charms is getting back on track!


Jackie is hard at work helping me!

I'm taking a hiatus from work and I've decided to really get things going for Moonfire Charms!

I've always wanted to work on getting Moonfire Charms set up properly since last year, but things were really busy in my life for awhile. Now that I'm available, Moonfire Charms is slowly but surely getting back on track! Natural gemstones and jewellery have always been a big passion of mine and it feels really good to be working on this again.

Keep an eye out for new item listings in my Etsy shop, gemstone properties which will be uploaded here on the blog and other upcoming, exciting developments!

If you'd like to know anything about gemstones, my custom handcrafted jewellery, designs or anything else related, simply holla me via e-mail or even comment here! I'd love to get in touch.

Ta for now!