::gracias...that's thank you in spanish::

i received this testimonial from a client and was blown away! thank YOU for allowing me the pleausre to help you...i did a very unique turquoise and platinum engagement ring for Lauren. She repaid me by buying my cuff so i would always have it...see previous post!!

Diamonds Aren’t Every Girl’s Best Friend

This is the story of a girl who’d been engaged for six months with the most unfortunate of engagement rings. The ring proposed – a garrulously curvy, perplexingly shaped, brilliantly yellow gold, and frosted with too many tiny, round diamonds – was a family heirloom of her new fiancé’s.

This is not a ‘diamond girl.’
She’d always thought of herself with a different kind of ring, a ring exclusively hers by design, one that could only be custom created. She found Isabella Dean.

That girl is me.
Today I proudly wear the most unique engagement ring I’ve ever seen. It’s a one-of-a-kind Lander Blue turquoise cabochon perched atop a dainty platinum band. It’s simple, classy, striking, and exactly what I never knew I wanted – perfect.

The process was thrilling. Jeweler and Owner, Kristi Kotsatos is completely aware of her design perspective and has impeccable skill for her craft. She worked with me to reveal my own critical design preferences and then transformed each imagined detail into a breathtakingly beautiful yet functional form. Kristi has been compassionate and toward my every want and whim, professional, and devoted just as much to her art as she was to my total satisfaction with the finished piece.

Working hand-in-hand with an amazingly talented jeweler to create my engagement ring was an empowering, fun, and rewarding experience not many girls get – an experience for which I am grateful. The outcome – a beautiful new ring my fiancé and I can be proud of but and, possibly even more precious – a dear friend.

This is the story of a happy customer and a newly happily engaged girl!
Lauren Condell, Denver CO
303.653.4255

::amazingness::

The most amazing and wonderful thing happened to me this past weekend! I got my cuff back! You know-the one I compared to an NSYNC song! I've never been more shocked and dazzled in my life and am so GLAD to have it back. I have a feeling that selling my jewelry is going to be harder than I imagined. I just don't want to let anything go...

::money, money, money::

everyone wants your money. it's expensive to maintain your business. there are a lot of other things you need to think about before you just jump in. will you have money to renew officer lists, domain names, hosting services, etc? you need to plan for these yearly expenses in your business plan. 

just to give you an idea of some of the costs- i just had to pay 125 smackers to renew my list of officers to maintain my LLC status. yahoo wanted 34 dollars to renew my domain name. ridiculous, so i paid about 60 dollars to keep my domain name for the next 4 years with godaddy including 4 years of private registration.  what is that you ask? making your domain name private means less spam, less junk mail like credit card offers, and more protection. after all you don't want any joe schmoe who is computer savvy to learn your address and phone number do you? especially if you are selling expensive goods. that's all i've got for today kids.

tip for the day:: track your expenses religiously

::my website::

Thanks to all of you who have commented on my website www.isabelladean.com, either sent me emails or told me in person. This website is one of many great templates made for photographers actually, but I think they work for just about anyone. 

mine cost 100 bucks and is the sadie model. as you can see, i've changed it up quite a bit.

check out blutemplates.com for all the info.

**one con to blu templates is that they have NO phone number and it took almost 2 weeks for my site to go "live" when they advertise one day. 

::all done::

platinum and lander turquoise engagement ring. all finished!

::bye, bye, bye::

you might love this song by justin timberlake, but I'm not talking about the song people. my beloved cuff sold today. it's on it's way to san francisco and i'm so sad. maybe i shouldn't have sold it, but i just thought i could use the money to really propel my business. i just put so much work into that bracelet, maybe i should by it back, no, it's too late. oh well, i hope whoever gets it will enjoy it as much as i have.

::randy pausch::

my mother bought me the last lecture for my 26th birthday. she said she hoped it would inspire me. i've wanted to read this book and watch his lecture for some time, yet never got around to doing it. time is such a funny thing.

for those of you who don't know who randy pausch is...let me fill you in. he is a professor at carnegie melon who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given 3-6 months to live. he is a mentor, father of three adorable children, husband, son, brother, but most importantly an inspiration. isn't it interesting that people only really find purpose to their lives (the purpose to really live) when they don't have much of their life left? what are we all waiting for? here is his webpage complete with video of his last lecture and updates on how he is doing http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/

i watched his lecture on my laptop, late last night when i couldn't sleep (still stuffed with bday cake). for 76 minutes, my eyes were glued, i was enthralled by his devotion to his family, students, and his unrelenting desire to acheive his childhood dreams and leave a mark on the world. That and he was pretty funny. It made me think about my own childhood dreams and dreams that have developed as of last few years. would i ever be able to accomplish them all? i think olympic gymnast is out of the running.

i want to leave behind a legacy. i want to be proud of my life and know that i did something that really helped others. i like to think i help animals when i volunteer at the shelter, or help clients achieve weight loss goals or do away with their blood pressure medicine. all those things are great, but they aren't on a global scale. i really hope my jewelry will be an outlet to reach people and organizations worldwide. i just keep thinking one person really can make a difference.

i am excited to have just purchased some recycled glass beads made from artisans in Ghana. the sale of their beads supports local businesses.

to be contd.......