Handmade Love

I decided it'd be fun to make some "quality" stamps for all my handmade peeps!

I personally like the Artisan Made version, but I know people like showing their things are Handmade with Love, so I made a cute red version of that one. There's also a 100% Handmade Quality one!

I put them up for sale on Zazzle for convenience (I love Zazzle). I just put up stickers for now, but I'll add other things to the list.

Here's the link... hope you like them!



View more gifts at Zazzle.

A brief history of toe rings!

It's Toe Ring Season!

So I thought a blog post about them would be fun!

A little history...

In the United States, as in most countries, toe rings serve mainly as a fashion accessory for the foot.  What most people don't know however, is that toe rings have a very interesting history. 

In India, a toe ring is worn on the second toe of the left foot of a Hindu woman to symbolize marriage.  This would be similar to the traditional wedding ring in Western culture.  

Some women in India wear them on just one foot, both feet, or have a set for all five toes. The rings are usually crafted in a hoop form that's open in the back for easy removal.  Men also sometimes wear them to symbolize strength and masculinity.  

Toe rings are referred to by different names in different cultures; in Hindi a toe ring is called bichiya (pronounced: bee-chee-ya).

Toe rings were introduced to the United States around 1973 by Marjorie Borell.  After returning from India, she started selling and manufacturing them in New York at her own trendy retail outlet called Fiorucci.  She eventually sold her designs to other companies and the idea took off.  

The wearing of toe rings in India is still a commonly practiced custom today, and they remain a sought after fashion accessory in the United States as well.

The Groom placing toe rings on the Bride's toe.

Some more toe ring info...

Getting a toe ring on & off of your toe.

A fitted toe ring needs to feel snug on your toe.

If it is too gig, it will slide around and maybe even slip off.

Odds are, even with a perfectly sized toe ring, you'll need to use a bit of lubricant to slide the

ring on your toe more easily. A bit of hand lotion rubbed on you toe first does the trick nicely.

You'll probably need to apply a little lubricant again when you're ready to take your toe ring off.

What size are your toes?

I dunno.  ; ) But I can tell you that the toe I tend to wear my toe rings on (the toe next to my big toe) is the exact same size as the pinky finger on my hand.

If you don’t have a pinky ring to experiment with, here’s how to determine the size toe ring; you'll need a piece of string or a thin strip of paper.

1. Simply wrap the string (or paper) snugly around the fattest part of your toe — usually the joint.

2. Mark the part of the string/paper where it meets.

3. Measure that length in millimeters and use this guide to determine your size:

size 2.5 = 43 mm

size 3 = 44 mm

size 3.5 = 45 mm

size 4 = 46.5 mm

size 4.5 = 48 mm

size 5 = 49 mm

size 5.5 = 50 mm

size 6 = 51.5 mm 

4. I know, that's pretty tiny measurements, get as close as you can and you should be fine.

if you can't measure in millimeters, use a 16th inch measurement.

You'll have to email me with the measurement and I can use that it to determine your size. 

The most popular toe ring sizes for women are 3 and 4.

The most popular toe ring sizes for men are 5 and 6.

Adjustable toe rings don't need to be sized, unless you need an exceptionally small or large size.

Click to SHOP NOW for sterling silver toe rings: Deb Soromenho Jewelry

Toe Rings of India

~xoxo deb

New! Wire Gauge Calculator

I found an awesome widget that calculates wire gauge to inches and millimeters! How cool is that?

I actually put in in the right column of my blog (about mid-way down) so you can use that one at anytime, or you can get your very own widget from the one shown below, or by going here: wire-to-jewelry.com

Find Your Finger Size : AWE Ring Sizer pdf download

Hi, I've put together a pdf file to download and print to help find you ring size.

Click to download the Ring Sizer.

Download it, use it, pass it around, just don't call it your own ;D

It's basic ring size finder tools with my own, hopefully helpful, instructions. I'd love feedback from anyone who tries it. Is it understandable? Easy to follow? Accurate (well, as accurate as a paper sizer can be :)

Thanks!
*image is not to complete or to scale. To use, download here.