Boho Bling Bracelets for Charity

 

I found out that an old friend of mine, Kevin, has cancer.  His mother-in-law set up an online fundraiser to help his family pay for his chemotherapy and help pay the bills while he is unable to work.  You can read about Kevin and donate to his fund by going here:  Good News! Kevin Made it!!!!

I was not able to donate as much as I would like to because I am disabled.  In order to be able to help more substantially, I designed a simple adjustable sliding knot bracelet to sell in my new shop, ThunderBlingJewelry - (Update for 2026. I am merging this shop onto DoodlepunkArt.Shop.)

There is a category called, “Boho Bling Bracelets” that I created for Kevin’s Cancer Fund bracelets.  The bracelets are $20 with FREE SHIPPING.  For each bracelet sold, I will donate $15 to Kevin.  The remaining $5 will pay for shipping, materials and etsy/paypal transaction fees. 

These bracelets look great alone or layered with other Boho Bling Bracelets.  They are a great gift idea for women, teens and even girls.  I can make them to fit any wrist. 

If I sell 33 bracelets I will be able to donate $500 to Kevin.  I’m hoping to at least raise that much for him.  Please help Kevin by going to https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThunderBlingJewelry?section_id=13977825 and picking out some Boho Bling Bracelets, or go to his fundraiser site at http://www.gofundme.com/3oota4 and donate directly to him.

I’ve known Kevin since I was a very little girl when he lived down the street from me.  We used to sit on the bus together and sing.  He taught me “The Crazy Old Man From China,” only he sang, “…China na nah…”  We also had matching brown tennis shoes at the time when only white shoes were “cool,” which was pretty awesome for me because he was cool in my opinion and I was a bit dorky…still am, I guess.  

His brothers were really good to me when I was in high school.  One time I got a ride home from track practice from a really creepy guy who scared me nearly to death.  I never told them, but from then on, one of them always drove me home from practice. 

They are good people and treated me like a sister, so after hearing about Kevin’s illness, I naturally wanted to help.  Please help out.  By getting some of my bracelets, you get a great product and I am able to turn my time into money for Kevin’s fund. 

Kevin is a wonderful husband and father of two, and the financial burden of this setback is not an easy thing to manage when you are a breadwinner.  He had just missed a bunch of work because he had back surgery, and was still paying that off when his cancer was discovered.  Then he had to have surgery again, plus chemo. 

He has missed a lot of work and will miss a lot more and the bills are piling up.  His insurance pays for some of the treatments, but what it doesn’t is still an astronomical amount and the clinic insisted that he pay that money up front, so money is needed NOW to pay for the life saving treatments. 

Thank you for reading about Kevin.  If you can, please help by donating directly to his fund at Cancer Sucks or by buying some of my Boho Bling Bracelets.  Thanks. 

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The Work Room: Argentium silver

The Work Room: Argentium Silver

Let me introduce you to my new lover: Argentium silver.

If you are not familiar with it yet, click the link above (or the image below) to read a wonderfully informative article. Argentium is a modern sterling silver alloy that replaces most of the copper traditionally found in .925 sterling with germanium, which dramatically improves tarnish resistance.

Traditional sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. My Argentium is 93% silver, with germanium making up most of that remaining percentage. That small change makes a big difference. It tarnishes far more slowly, firescale is greatly reduced when soldering, and it feels smoother and more fluid under the hammer.

And here’s the part that really got my attention: I have extremely severe metal allergies. I cannot touch keys, coins, many zippers, most silverware, or even eat food cooked in stainless steel cookware. Nickel and I are mortal enemies. So when I read that germanium is considered virtually unreactive in the body, my ears perked up.

So far, I have had zero reaction to Argentium. None. For someone like me, that is huge. While everyone’s body chemistry is different and I would never promise universal compatibility, this is incredibly encouraging for anyone who struggles with metal sensitivities.

From a jeweler’s perspective, I also love how pliable it feels compared to traditional .925. It is less brittle, easier to fuse, and holds a beautiful bright finish. Yes, it costs a pretty penny, but in my opinion, it earns it.

If you have metal allergies, or if you simply want a sterling silver that resists tarnish and behaves beautifully at the bench, Argentium is absolutely worth looking into.

Germanium

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