Originally thought to be a religious rite, studies now show that ancient Egyptian Pharaohs entombed themselves with glittering pieces of jewelry to hide the secrets of their shiny decoder rings from rivals. Protect precious-metal passwords with today's Groupon to Jewlz Jewelry & Beadcraft in Layton. Choose between the following options:
• For $15, you get $30 worth of nonconsignment jewelry, beads, and beading materials.
• For $15, you get a two-hour wire art class, to be scheduled according to demand (a $30 value).
The skilled artisans at Jewlz Jewelry & Beadcraft fashion fine fineries with a vast array of nonconsignment beads and trinkets. A stunning multitude of beads ($0.05—$0.20 per bead) hewn from a variety of materials such as crystal, copper, pearl, and sterling silver join forces with filaments and metal findings to form works of art more wearable than portraits with holes cut around the faces. Owner Cathy Stevens and in-house silversmith Juan Carlos Cahue craft finished pieces, such as earrings ($3), or sterling silver jewelry (up to $200) worthy of dazzling the most discerning of eyes. Though prices vary as widely as Jewlz Jewelry & Beadcraft's diverse selection, the average price of pieces equates to about $10 per item.
In a two-hour wire art course, customers construct their own pendant out of solid copper, silver, or gold plate wire and either a glass or stone bead under the wing of a professional jewelry artist, preparing students to tackle the creation of beautiful ornamental lobster traps and bejeweled batting cages.