New Look, New Products!

I am so pleased to announce the launch of our new revamped website! I love the new look! It's clean, fresh and easy on the eyes. The navigation is the same as before so it's easy to find what you're looking for.

Old Look

New Look!

We have also added 24 new products! Here are a few.

If you would like to see all of our new products type the word "new" into the search box at the top of our site.

RosellaMade with coin pearls, gorgeous chain and Swarvoski crystals.

Chantelle Cascade style necklace with 2 dramatic back drops!

Marietta Fabulous, fun bridesmaids necklace!

ZolaDramatic and daring with a stunning pendant and back drop.

Annabelle A cute and versatile hair pin/vine.

I think the new designs really round out our product line and offer something for everyone. And as usual, we sell directly do you, our brides, instead of wholesaling to stores so you get the best possible price! Enjoy!

What's New...

September is here and with fall fast approaching, the busy bridal season is winding down. This has been a great wedding season for us at Northern Star! With a new baby at home (Tyler is now 7 months!) I've had to make some adjustments to how I work. Before he was born I would sometimes spend 16 hours a day working on orders, designing new products, updating the website and trying to keep the studio in reasonable shape. Now my work time is pretty much limited to the hours when I have a babysitter and when little Ty is sleeping and that time is mostly spent filling orders. July was so busy for us that I found myself working until midnight most nights! Luckily I have a fantastic shipper (my sister) to pack and ship all of our orders!

Now that I have a little more time I've been designing new pieces like a mad woman! I've designed new hair pins, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bridesmaids sets and more! Over the next few weeks I will be photographing these new pieces and adding them to the site. Just to give you a little sneak peak, here is one of my favorite new designs! This is a lovely Lariat style necklace with a dramatic back drop and super sparkly crystal and pearl pendant. I wanted to give this beauty a unique name and have decided to go with Zola.

Zola Necklace, Coming Soon!

Over the next couple of weeks you will also see some changes to our website. We have a fantastic web designer who is creating a beautiful new look for the site. I can't wait to show it to you!

Also, as of October 1st many of our designs will be available in gold! 14k gold-filled to be exact. I'm so excited to be able to offer this option! Gold has really made a comeback and I really enjoy working with the warm tones of this luxurious metal! 14k gold-filled is much less expensive than 14k gold but it is still made from real gold. Read more about gold-filled at Wikipedia!

These ideas have been filling the pages of my sketchbook now for months now and I'm thrilled to be able bring them to life!

Our Beautiful Brides!

It always thrills me to see photos of our brides on their wedding day! I would like to thank all of our lovely brides who have sent us photos this year!

Here are some I'd like to share!

First of all my dear friend Cora of Coras Photography was married in June and I was lucky to be one of her bridesmaids!

Cora

Cora is wearing Hannah Necklace, Bracelet and Earrings with a custom version of our Ella Comb.

I'm wearing Amy Necklace and Earrings with Reanna Bracelet.

Shanti

Shanti is wearing Kathryn Earrings with her own necklace.

Shanti's Bridesmaids are wearing Tamara Necklaces and Earrings with Reanna Bracelets.

Jennifer

Jennifer is wearing Jamie Earrings with a custom version of our Kimberly Bracelet.

Jennifer's bridesmaids are wearing Mikki Earrings with a custom version of our Abigale Bracelet.

Natalie

Natalie is wearing Kathryn Earrings with Katie Necklace.

Cynthia

Cynthia is wearing Cassandra Earrings, Marilyn Bracelets (2 of them together) and Pearl Hair Pins.

Thanks again ladies for sharing your photos with us. I look forward to seeing more photos of our 2008 brides!

I'm Back!!!

Sometimes technology fails us. We've been blogless for weeks now due to a glitch that happened when we upgraded our website. For someone like me who would rather be linking pearls than working on the computer this has been a bit of a challenge to fix but it's finally done! I had to re upload all the photos that were on the blog and now I'm happy to report that we are back up and running with our blog!

So much has happened since my last post! I have several new photos which I will upload soon. We've been crazy busy with orders over the past weeks! Thank you to all of our lovely brides for choosing Northern Star Bridal Jewelry! I can't wait to see your photos!!

Our Jewelry in Action!

I love it when this happens! My good friend Cora Rudy of Cora's Photography recently photographed a wedding where the wedding party was wearing my jewelry! She sent me some photos to share. Phoebe and Francisco were married on April 26.

Phoebe is wearing Jennifer Necklace, Bracelet and Earrings (hers are clip-ons).



Phoebe's bridesmaids are wearing Tricia Necklaces.



Thanks for the photos Cora!

A Happy Bride

I love chatting with brides and helping them choose their wedding jewelry. Diana from Brampton, Ontario was a lot of fun to work with. Her 5 bridesmaids will all be wearing different dresses in the same colour, royal blue. Each bridesmaid chose her own jewelry to compliment her gown. Diana chose to use sapphire crystals in her own jewelry to coordinate with her color scheme (see our Something Blue post). Diana received her jewelry today and here's what she had to say:

Hi Lisa!
Just letting you know I received the jewelry today! I was so excited, and completely satisfied with the order... It looks absolutely gorgeous on the internet but is even more stunning in real life! Thank you, thank you! I couldn't be happier!

Diana

You're very welcome Diana!

I'm looking forward to seeing some photos after her wedding. I'll be sure to post them here!

Find us on Facebook!

Check out our profile page and become a fan!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Northern-Star-Bridal-Jewelry/14146451567

Something New

I'm pleased to announce the addition of two new necklaces and bracelets to the site!

The Petal Necklace and Bracelet are made from gorgeous freshwater keishi pearls also known as "petal" pearls with tiny Swarovski crystals spaced throughout. The luster on these natural pearls is to die for! I have to special order these pearls so please allow 4-6 weeks if you would like to order this design for your wedding.

The Samantha Necklace and Bracelet is named after my adorable niece who is turning 1 in a couple of weeks. Happy Birthday Samantha! This two strand necklace and bracelet is made from wavy Hill Tribe silver beads with Swarovski or freshwater pearls.

Both new designs are fun and unique and perfect for a less formal or destination wedding.

Something Blue

As I sit at my work table creating jewelry and filling orders I often notice trends in color and design. Right now it's blue, blue blue! Blue is a fantastic choice for bridesmaids (who doesn't look good in blue?) but more and more brides are choosing to add "something blue" to their own attire!

Phoebe from Vancouver, BC chose aquamarine crystals for her Jennifer Necklace, Bracelet and Earrings.

Tammy from Vernon, BC wanted to add a little touch of her birthstone Aquamarine to her jewelry and chose to customize her Mikki Earrings with Aquamarine Fireballs.

Diana from Brampton, ON (whose bridesmaids will be wearing royal blue), chose to add Sapphire Crystals to her Erin III Bracelet and Paige Earrings.

Adding some blue to your jewelry is a great way to fill the "something blue" requirement. Want something really subtle? I'm happy to add a single blue crystal or pearl to your necklace or bracelet by request. Looking for a little more? Try replacing some or all of the crystals and pearls in the jewelry you've chosen with shades from Aquamarine to Sapphire like the brides above.

French Hooks, Leverbacks and Studs... Oh My!

What type of earring should I choose?

This is one of the most common questions we get asked here at Northern Star. Our options for most earring designs are Hooks (also known as French hooks), Leverbacks, Studs, Cubic Zirconia Studs and Clip-ons (available by request).

Hooks are included in the price of all earring designs. All the other earring types cost a little bit more with Cubic Zirconia Studs being the most expensive earring option (an additional $5).

Which style should you choose? Well that depends on personal taste really. Hooks are simple to put in and stay in well when used with the rubber backing provided. Leverbacks are very secure but a little harder to put in. Leverbacks are a great choice with heavier earring designs because they create a nice balance in the ear. Leverbacks also look as good from the back as they do from the front, which is great when you will be photographed from all sides. Studs are also very secure and are a good way to shorten an earring design a bit. They are also a great option for children. Cubic Zirconia studs are a great way to add a little extra "bling" to your earrings. They look particularly great with earrings that have rhinestones in them like Kathryn, Celeste and Mikki.

One earring 4 ways...

Left to right: Hook, Leverback, Stud, Cubic Zirconia Stud.

All of our earrings are designed to be interchangeable with the different earring types, so no matter which style you choose it will look great!

Go with what you like best!

Our Jewelry in Action!

I love it when you send us your wedding photos! There is nothing like seeing something that I made being worn by a bride on her wedding day. It makes me feel great to have a small part in such an important day. We'll even send you a free pair of earrings for sending us a few pro pics to ad to our Wedding Album.

Here's a photo of one of our recent brides Maria, from Surrey, BC.

Maria is wearing our Isabella Necklace and Earrings.

Please keep the photos coming ladies! Each piece of jewelry that I make is dear to me and I love to see it being worn and loved! ;-)

Everybody's doing it... now we are too!

We've finally entered the world of blogging! In this blog I plan to share all sorts of info. I'll be posting about new designs in the works, custom orders, jewelry suggestions and tips, FAQs and life here at Northern Star Bridal Jewelry.

As you may or may not know, Northern Star Bridal Jewelry is run by myself (Lisa G) and my husband Mike. Things have changed a lot around here in the last few months! We've recently (January 31 to be exact) had a beautiful baby boy! The first few weeks are kind of a blur but we are back into the swing of things now. Luckily we have great friends and family who have been happy to help us out while we get back to work. Here are a couple of pics of our little bundle of joy, Tyler Jace, taken by our fabulous photographer and friend Cora Rudy of Cora's Photography.

Mommy and Baby

Ty's Sweet Face

We would like to thank everyone for their warm wishes and their patience during these weeks. I couldn't be happier. I have a wonderful little family and a great business.

Life is good!