Nomination Charms – New Designs

 More than a stunning fashion statement, the composable link bracelet by Nomination is a unique and fun way to personalise your jewellery.
We have hundreds of charms in stock at Bertie Browns, all with individual meanings which allows you to express yourself in a different way.
We have two new sets of designs from Nomination, firstly there is the New Charm Collection. 

 

 

This collection of charms, is glamorous and girlie. Perfect for ladies who love shopping, having fun with their friends and have a passion for all things sparkly! 

 

Also available are new Nature charms. These are fun, cute and colourful with beautiful floral and animal designs.

 

Links are made from the highest quality stainless steel, so it won’t tarnish or fade. Each link is certified with the nomination logo, ensuring quality and originality. The new charms are available online from our website www.bertiebrowns.co.uk.
Alternatively come and see us in the shop and you can have a closer look at the charms and see which ones stand out for you!

Coral – Spring/Summer 2011 Colour Trend

A big colour trend this season is coral. You will find it everywhere, from clothing to accessories.

If you find the idea of wearing a coral coloured dress or top a bit scary but you still want to inject this fantastic, bright colour into your look, then add a bracelet, necklace or a pair of earrings from jewellery designer Lola Rose to your outfit and you’ll be feeling all summery in no time! 

 

 

The bracelets look amazing paired up with skinny jeans and a floaty top, and the earrings will finish off that little black dress perfectly.

If you’re lucky enough to be booking a nice sunny holiday this year then the Lola Rose Tamzin Necklace (pictured) is a great piece of jewellery to take with you. It will look great with any outfit (not to mention your new tan!) during the day or night. 

All the pieces from this collection from Lola Rose are hand-made from Coral Quartzite and are available from our website www.bertiebrowns.co.uk or pop in to Bertie Browns to have a closer look and try on your favourite pieces.

Pandora – Clips or Spacers?

 “What is the difference between clips and spacers?”  This is a frequently asked question by customers at Bertie Browns, there seems to be a lot of confusion as to what they are, what they are for and what the difference is!  So here goes………..

 

Clips are beads that open up and lock onto the threads in the middle section of Pandora bracelets.  They prevent the rest of your beads from sliding into another section or you can use them to divide the pattern or decoration of the beads on your bracelet. Clips help to complete the look of your bracelet.

 

 

Spacers are small, thin beads that are not fixed in place. They thread onto your bracelet and are used to leave intervals between decorative beads and they also showcase larger and bolder beads. They are great in between murano glass beads!

 

 

 

If you are buying a new Pandora bracelet (lucky you!) then we would recommend you start off with buying a few decorative beads that mean something to you. Why not try adding your birthstone or your favourite colour?

Once your bracelet has three or four beads you will start to get a feel for how you would like it to look when it is full and finished. However, you will find that the natural movement of your wrist will make the beads wind over the threads and end up at one end of your bracelet – this is the time you need clips! You can choose two of the same design to add a bit of symmetry or go for two different designs – the choice is yours and it all adds to the individuality of your bracelet!

 

 

We hope this blog has cleared up any confusion on the matter! If you need any further advice please do not hesitate to call us on 01738 587365 where an experienced member of staff will be able to assist you.

The more the better!

Looking for a new way to wear jewellery this season? Well, why not try layering your bracelets? Make sure you mix it up by combining different colours, textures and thickness.

 This picture of Dannii shows her wearing several bracelets from jewellery designer Annie Haak.
Here at Bertie Browns we have completely fallen in love with this beautiful jewellery range and especially love the Suka Mantra and Santi bracelet.
Destined to become a firm favourite they can be worn with any outfit, day or night.
Each piece of Annie Haak jewellery is hand-made in their studio in Surrey and bears the signature 3-heart sterling silver charm – the mark of an original Annie Haak design.
Take a look at the different bracelets available on our website or pop in to our shop and pick up some treats from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection.
What combination will you go for?

 Annie Haak jewellery available from www.bertiebrowns.co.uk

Mothers’ Day – What’s it all about?

Mother’s Day is the contemporary version of the original name – ‘Mothering Sunday’. The occasion has a long history, which dates to as far back as the 1600’s. During that time, the poor used to send their children to work as domestic servants or trainees in the homes of the higher classes. Once a year, these children were given leave for a day, so that they could visit their Mother Church as well as their own mother.

Mothering Sunday is not a fixed day because it is always the middle Sunday in Lent (which lasts from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday). This means that Mother’s Day in the UK will fall on different dates each year and sometimes even fall in different months. 

Mothering Sunday was also known as ‘Refreshment Sunday’, Pudding Pie Sunday (mmm like the sound of that!) or ‘Mid-Lent Sunday’. It was a day in Lent when the fasting rules were relaxed, in honour of the ‘Feeding of the Five Thousand’, a story in the Christian Bible.

Did you know?
Mothering Sunday is also sometimes know as Simnel Sunday because of the tradition of baking Simnel cakes. The Simnel cake is a fruit cake. A flat layer of marzipan is placed on top of the cake and is decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles minus Judas, who betrayed Christ.

It was not eaten on Mothering Sunday because of the rules of Lent, instead it was saved until Easter. The word simnel probably derived from the latin word ‘simila’, meaning fine, wheaten flour from which the cakes were made.

 

 

 

KIMONO BEADS TO SUPPORT VICTIMS OF JAPANESE TSUNAMI

Fable Trading Ltd, sole distributor of Trollbeads original charm bead jewellery in the UK and Ireland, has announced a donation of 50p from the sale of each limited edition Trollbeads Kimono bead towards helping victims of the Japanese tsunami.

Fable Trading responded immediately to the disaster appeal following the massive earthquake which hit the east coast of Japan on Friday, 11^th March 2011. It will donate monies raised to ShelterBox, a Cornish based international disaster relief charity which provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. Visit www.shelterbox.org for more information.

Trollbeads six new limited edition Japanese glass Kimono beads were launched on 4^th March 2011 and Fable Trading has also guaranteed to donate retrospectively for all beads sold since the release, a total of £1500 to date. Created by Japanese designer, Nozomi Kaji, the beads are evocative of Japan, reflecting the colours and patterns of a traditional silk kimono. Each bead is priced at £26.

“We were very moved by the tragedy of the recent earthquake in Japan and wanted to do something positive to help the many thousands of people whose lives have been affected” said Sarah Morfoot, managing director of Fable Trading. “Trollbeads Kimono beads present a genuine opportunity for us to donate to ShelterBox, which is already on the ground in Sendai and ready to respond. We hope to raise enough money to pay for at least five ShelterBoxes which cost £590 each and contain vital items for disaster relief”

Admin/Purchase Ledger Clerk Required

This is a fantastic opportunity to work for an award winning retail company based in Perth.

Permanent, Full-time, Salary TBA ( but exceeds minimum wage)

Job description

Purchase Ledger

• Invoice checking and verification – attach PO’s and log deliveries/invoices as received
• Reconcile supplier statements each month
• Run suggested payment reports
• Process authorised supplier payments through Sage
• File records regularly and keep records tidy

General Admin

• Reconcile accounts for monies received from payment gateway
• Maintain weekly sales summary spreadsheet
• Maintain spreadsheets for staff holidays/sickness/rotas
• Bank reconciliations
• Other reconciliations and data analysis
• Support the owner/director in various adhoc projects

Requirements

• Prior experience of working within a finance function essential
• Prior experience of working with Sage essential
• Excel and word processing skills
• Good GCSE’s/Highers
• Able to work in a team environment
• Accuracy and attention to detail important

Valentine’s Day History

 

What is Valentine’s Day?

Valentine was a Roman priest put to death on February 14th, AD273 for refusing to give up his Christian faith. The day coincided with the Roman Spring festival, Lupercalia, held in honour of the gods Pan and Juno. Lupercalia was believed to be one of the most important festivals in the Roman calendar, and was brought to Britain by the Romans. The early Christian church frowned upon the festival but unable to prevent people from celebrating it, linked it with the name of St. Valentine, who became the Patron Saint of Lovers.

Folk Tales and Customs

There are many folk tales and customs surrounding the celebration of Valentine’s Day in the UK. Today it is a more commercial venture than was seen in Britain in the Middle Ages when February 14th was believed to be the day birds paired up ready for the mating season.

One of the first records of Valentine’s Day linked with romance was a poem by Chaucer in 1382. The poem celebrated the anniversary of – the 14-year old – the King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia. And, the first Valentine was believed to be a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife whilst being held in the Tower of London. I suspect they didn’t have a romantic dinner for two that evening!!

In British folklore there are many ‘spells’ to be cast, rhymes to be sung and rituals to perform to supposedly find your one true love. Two popular ones are bay leaves on the pillow before sleep and repeating ‘Dear Guardian Angel, let me have what I so earnestly do crave, a Valentine imbued with love, who will both true and constant prove.’ before sleeping and your one true love will appear in your dreams. Or, to attract love in to your life, scratch ‘All my love come to me’ into a white candle using a thorn from a white rose bush. Watch the candle burn down and picture your love coming to you.

Flowers

The sending of flowers on Valentine’s Day is reputed to be the busiest day of the year for florists. But there is a language associated with which flowers to send. Red roses declare true love, but a white rose means I Love You Not! Yellow depicts jealousy with pink for innocent love. Red Tulips are a declaration of powerful love and Snowdrops bring hope.

Phew! Who knew it was so complicated?

Sparkling Pandora!

Well, it’s Friday evening and there is nothing on TV apart from rugby ( not even Scottish but English!) so there was nothing else for it but to clean my Pandora bracelet. I’m now feeling extremely smug and my bracelet is sparkling like new !!

Please,please take care of your Pandora bracelet and clean it regularly. It’s not difficult and you can do it whilst watching TV, helping kids with homework, nagging husband etc!! When silver is exposed to the air, perfume and day to day dirt it will start to oxidise and become dull. DON’T PANIC !!!…. all you have to do is get a bowl of warm soapy water and a nail brush. Take all your charms off your bracelet and clean them and your bracelet with the nail brush then dry them off with a tea towel or kitchen roll. Finish your cleaning by polishing each charm with a soft jewellery cloth (you can purchase these at Bertie Browns for £1.95) and prepare to be shocked at how much dirt has been taken off!  There is nothing left to do now but to admire your sparkling clean bracelet…..and perhaps dream about your next Pandora charm!

Pandora Valentine Bracelet

5 Reasons to buy your wife/partner Pandora this Christmas

It’s that time of year when thousands of men across the UK will be frantically searching online and asking friends what on earth they can buy those special women in their lives for Christmas to cherish and treasure. A symbol of love.

Here are 5 reasons to buy a gorgeous Pandora charm bead or charm bracelet for your wife this festive season.

1. You’ll never be stuck for a present idea – Pandora charms are inspirational, and we want to help you find the perfect presents for your loved one for Christmas and beyond.

2. Our charm beads and charm bracelets are made from the finest quality silver, gold and murano glass , designed to remain beautiful for a lifetime.

3. Pandora charms are highly collectable, with new launches throughout the year – this means you can keep buying additional collectable jewellery items to add to your loved one’s collection.

4. Pandora make it easy for you – your loved one can set up their very own personal wishlist so you know exactly which charm beads and charm bracelets she wants for forthcoming birthdays and anniversaries.

5. Pandora is an affordable luxury – our charm beads and charm bracelets are priced to be a slice of luxury for your loved one, but without the high cost of diamonds or similar jewellery items.

Call Bertie Browns on 01738 587365 for personal advice on choosing your Pandora charms