Silver price continues to rise...

Historically, silver has been used in industry, medicine, photography, jewellery and coin manufacture and even in sweet production (In India)

While traditional photography has moved to digital (which doesn’t demand silver) demand from new industries is increasing. New applications, such as laptops and mobile phones also require silver – and once you know that you can start to see why its rising so rapidly.

There are only a few pure silver mines left, with most silver (around 80%) being minded as a byproduct of other base metals, and their reserves are depleting. Since gold has a much higher value, it is often recycled, but silver’s inherent value is much lower so this doesn’t usually happen, which means that in market terms, when its gone, its gone !

At the beginning of this year analysts were estimating silver price to be in the range of $25 to $27.50, but we’ve already seen it rise above that on occasion, so it looks as though it will end up higher than this original estimate.

Sukie Lau catalogue review...

From talking to some of our customers its become clear that some of you would prefer the old fashioned method of receiving your catalogue, ie on paper or even as a disc.

If this is a better method for you could you please give us a call on 08452 600 925 and we'll get a disc or a catalogue in the post to you...!

In the meantime, here's a sneak peak of Sukie Lau's Autumn Winter 2010 collection. This juicy bracelet stack is bang on trend

The idea is that you select a few different designs, then wear them together to create one dazzling piece. Most people wear between 2 and 5 stacking bracelets but you can wear them however you want.

The key is to team 2 or more bracelets of different gems, beads, colours, textures, shapes and stones, breaking all the rules for a high fashion look. This eclectic but offbeat styling idea sits well with any outfit adding a touch of personal style.

Sukie Lau's Autumn Winter collection is bright, colourful and hand made from semi precious stones, so if you like the colourful fashion look, but want to wear real stones, then this fun take on the current fashion staple is right on trend.

Dip your arms into this juicy bracelet stack - fruity oranges, tropic pinks and luscious greens sparkle…

Brand new catalogue !

Yes, its finally ready, our brand new 302 page catalogue full of gorgeous new jewellery across ten of our ranges. We've just mailed it out, so if you don't have your copy yet, please let us know.

All your favourite collections are featured : Studio, Gallery, Rocks, Steam, Kiki Mioa & Affirmations, as well as our new customisable collections - The Charm Bar and Tower Rings, and of course our brand new collections Vintage and Amarna.

If you're wondering where Sukie Lau and Blowing in the Wind are, since they are more seasonal collections they're featured on our website and are downloadable from there www.balagan.co.uk If you need a reminder of your password, please let us know.

We've decided to keep our collections together in one catalogue this year following the positive reaction from our customers when we did this for the first time last year.

So, if you are an existing customer our new catalogue is winging its way to you right now, please tell us what you think of it....

Enjoy it and thanks for supporting us !

Sukie Lau Autumn/Winter 2010 catalogue now live !

We've been waiting a while, but our luscious new stock for the Autumn Winter 2010 Sukie Lau catalogue has just arrived.

There's a riot of colours in our new stacking bracelets that are bang on trend.

We've got cool graphite greys to complement the military and urban futuristic look thats going to be huge this winter, and some lovely warm mookite pieces to ease you into the Autumn vibe as well as some magnificent stand alone pieces all packaged in our signature clutch purse packaging.

Don't miss the new catalogue - out now !

Fearne Cotton wears Blowing in the Wind... !

In this week's Look magazine we spotted this pic of Fearne wearing one of our lucky clover necklaces in the gold finish. It looks cute we're sure you'll agree !

Lucky charms are bang on trend at the moment, since fashion is having a charm moment-keys, wishbones, love hearts and lockets as well as of course, our clovers are all in the spotlight.

Wear them layered for an eclectic look (this works well if they are smaller in size) or if they are larger, like our clovers, then they work best as a stand alone piece.

From little acorns mighty oak trees grow

Most of us know that the meaning of this quotation is that great things come from small beginnings. This proverb has been in general use since the 14th Century !

But you might not know that the word acorn doesn't come from 'oak' and 'corn', as is popularly supposed, but from the Old English 'aecern', meaning berry or fruit. Acorns are the nut of the mighty oak tree. They usually contain just one seed and are a symbol of greatness.

The Lacey Oak is a beautiful small to medium sized deciduous shade tree mostly grown in central and south Texas, its leaves are leathery and range from dusky blue to blue-gray to grayish green. Their fall color ranges from pink or peach to gold. Their leaves are quite small in comparison to other oaks This particular oak is grown primarily to protect this unique species.

Our stylish Blowing in the Wind collection features hand picked real leaves, preserved with different finishes. Each leaf is a handcrafted piece of wearable art, unique and totally individual.

If you haven’t seen the leaves, they’re stunningly delicate, but surprisingly robust, and with finishes as varied as Gold, Silver, Brass, Copper, Iridescent and Vintage Silver they can we worn with almost any outfit, both as a dramatic choker, or at a fashionable long necklace length.
They fit in with the current flora and fauna fashion themes popular this Autumn and make a stunning Autumnal window display with plenty of kerb appeal. Our natural wood Point of Sale and branded cotton pouches display the collection beautifully.

Leaves available include Cottonwood, Aspen, Lacey Oak, Birch and the Sugar Canadian Maple in various sizes.

Autumn Fair update...

It was fabulous to see so many of you at the Autumn Fair !

We had a great show and had some lovely feedback about our new collections, which is always nice as we work so hard to keep them interesting for you !

It was also a good sign that the show was busy - hopefully this bodes well for a busy Christmas season in the shops !

in case you didn't get to the show, here's a picture of our stand so you can check us out next time

thank you so much to everyone who made the effort and came over to see us, say hi, check out the new collections and give us valuable feedback !

Secret Sample sale !

As many of you have never visited our showroom, we’ve decided to bring a mini
version of it to the NEC for you !

Our sample sale is a rockbottom price sale of studio, showroom and project
samples (absolutely no clearance stock or discontinued items) there are
maximum two pieces of any one style !

What this isn’t : Clearance lines of old stock

What this is : One or possibly two pieces of each style available in many designs
that you will never have seen before. They are not in any of our collections and
can only be seen at the NEC or by visiting our showroom.

Don't miss out on these bargains ...

Win a Champney's Spa day for two !!!

Because you're worth it, we thought it would be nice to enter all orders taken on the stand into our Spa day prize draw.

What could be nicer than a Spa day at a "haven from the stresses of everyday life, where everything is designed for your relaxation and comfort" ?

Champney's are a well respected name in the Spa world, so this is a fabulous prize, details are available on the stand

NEC Autumn Fair is from 5th to 8th September. Hall 4 Stand G10/H11

See you there !

Amarna : a botanical fashion story !

Our new Amarna collection will debut at the Autumn Fair. Hall 4: stand G10/H11

The Amarna collection is a Botanical fashion story, with three themes: From the earth, from the sea & from the heart !

This collection comprises classic stylish pieces combined with playful, fashion led styles. These will become fashion staples in your jewellery wardrobe ! They are comfortable, easy to personalise and the perfect accompaniment to an outfit

From the earth features everlasting flowers, fabulous blooms that never go out of style.

From the sea features stylish shells, worn long as a dramatic drop necklace, or short as a bold choker these pieces are conversation starters.

From the heart is a selection of jewellery with hearts as its theme, love and hearts are an enduring motif, and a fashion staple.

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. Henry David Thoreau

Vintage collection to launch at the NEC...!

Our new vintage collection will debut at the NEC Autumn Fair !

The attraction of vintage jewellery is that it imparts and air of romance and intrigue, so our Vintage collection while unmistakeably feminine, has pieces based on a bold and romantic theme that add a touch of glamour. Full of adorable treasures this diverse collection features necklaces, rings and earrings in a contemporary vintage style.

Our collection starts with simple yet elegant pieces and rises to the occasion with bold, extravagant statement pieces . The perfect embellishment to anything elegant. be it candlelight or velvet ! There’s sparkly marcasite for elegant evenings, and charm collections for everyday wear, as well as some more dramatic pieces.

Each design is inspired by an occasion, and the collection ranges from romantic pieces, to eclectic frippery that’s sure to be noticed. If you’re already a vintage devotee, then you’ll love this dip into the past, from the distant 1920’s flapper style, the 1940’s glamorous leading ladies direct from Hollywood, or even, more recent eras that you can still remember.

Each vintage item is packaged in its own “powder puff” jewellery box, based on original designs from the 1950’s – these boxes are a fabulous talking point.

See you at the NEC.

We're in Hall 4, Stand G10/H11

Pure exhibition

Pure is over now for another year, and the good news is that it wasn't meltingly hot this year.

We took Sukie Lau, Blowing in the Wind & Kiki Miao and they looked pretty good we think.

We had a great response to the new collections, so don't forget to check out the stand at the Autumn Fair to see the new selections across all our collections

See you soon !

The long awaited movie sequel Sex and the City 2 is now in theaters in the US and in many countries around world.

Why are we telling you this we can hear you chorus.... Well its because the leading lady in the new movie will be sporting a stylish clover pendant... we don’t know much more than that right now but we’ll let you know more as we do.

Yes SJP herself will be wearing the stylish clover, and we all know that what SJP wears sends fashionistas into a frenzy ! So don’t miss out, the new lucky four leafed clovers have just arrived to take their place in our Blowing in the Wind collection, and yes, they are real clovers, and yes, someone does have to go out at dawn to pick them and prepare them, so you can see that these little clovers are more than lucky, they’re extra special. Now obviously we can’t guarantee that they’ll make you Ms lucky, but they certainly will tick all the right boxes for style !

As a girls-night-out “event film, with huge advance ticket sales.” SATC2 is shaping up like the first installment which earned more than $415 million worldwide.

Four Champagne cocktails by Möet & Chandon have also been newly created for the girls, there’s Carrie’s (‘Fashionista’), Miranda’s (‘Player’), Charlotte’s (‘Socialite’), and tart cherry with mandarin flavors for Samantha’s (‘Bombshell’).