Handcrafted Jewelry From Olive Bungalow Review | Countdown To Black Friday Giveaway

Since I entered the blogosphere almost two years ago, I have come across several products that I most likely would not have known about had it not been for my blogging endeavors. One such type of product is unique, handcrafted jewelry. I have never been one to wear a lot of jewelry, but ever since I discovered the fun, personalized jewelry made by small jewelry companies like Olive Bungalow, I find myself wanting more and more of it.

The handcrafted artisan jewelry that you will find at Olive Bungalow is made by a self-taught jewelry artist. Michele has been a full time jewelry designer for the past ten years. She handcrafts all of her jewelry using only eco-friendly, recycled and reclaimed sterling silver and gold, and natural and genuine high-quality gemstones. At Olive Bungalow, you will find beautiful rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings that are all customized for you.

I recently had the chance to review some pieces from the "Customize It!" line. Of course most of the jewelry at Olive Bungalow is customizable, but with these pieces, you select each different aspect of the jewelry and then it is all handcrafted to your specifications. You can either customize bracelets or rings.

I had some rings customized with the kids' birthstones in them. The first part of the process is choosing the band(s). There are 9 different styles to choose from.

Once you have chosen your bands, you then choose your stones. All of the gemstones used in these pieces are of high quality and purchased from the most reputable stone dealer in the US. They are all naturally occurring stones, unless a customer requests a lab created stone as a substitution for a rare and highly expensive stone. For more information on the gemstones used, please see the Gemstone Information page at Olive Bungalow.

The two rings I received were made with bands #2 and #4. One came with a genuine 3mm square blue sapphire for Bryce's birthstone, and the other with a 4mm rhodolite garnet for Rylie's birthstone. The rhodolite garnet isn't quite as red as a traditional garnet, and gives the ring an extra burst of color. I was immediately impressed with these rings! They both turned out so nice! I honestly wasn't expecting these to be so high-quality, but they certainly are.

The bands can be made in sizes from 4-12 with 1/4 and 1/2 sizes available. I got my right-hand ring finger sized as a 6. Both rings fit perfectly when worn separately, but I found that they are a little tight when worn together, just because the bands are thick and they go further up my finger. If you order two or more of the thick bands, you may want to consider going up 1/4 size.

The quality of the rings is excellent! There are slight imperfections, but that is to be expected with handcrafted jewelry, and what makes them unique. I love being able to wear my kids' birthstones in this manner!

The prices of the Customize It! rings vary depending on the bands and stones you choose. The bands range in price from $15 to $22, and the stones from $10 to over $1,000 for the larger, rare stones. There are different grades of the stones, and as I mentioned before, you can substitute lab-created stones for cost-effectiveness. Overall, the prices at Olive Bungalow seem reasonable for the high-quality jewelry that she makes. After all, her jewelry is made from real gemstones, and it is all handcrafted for YOU. My rings are definitely my favorite pieces of handcrafted jewelry so far!

Olive Bungalow Discount Code: Enter NOV15 for 15% off your purchase. This code is valid until November 21, 2011.

The handcrafted jewelry from Olive Bungalow would make a great Christmas gift for any woman in your life! The Customize It! rings are just one product offering from the many beautiful items available. Please visit Olive Bungalow to see the rest of the beautiful jewelry she has to offer.

Countdown to Black Friday Giveaway:
~*~$100 Olive Bungalow Gift Certificate~*~

Visit Shibley Smiles for another chance to win a Gift Certificate to Olive Bungalow!

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received the Customize It! rings at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. A big thank you to Olive Bungalow for providing the giveaway prize!