Birthstone Chart

January  - garnet
February - amethyst
March - aquamarine
April - diamond
May - emerald
June - pearl
July - ruby
August - peridot
September - saphire
October - opal
November - topaz
December - turquoise

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Necklace Length Chart

CHOKER - 16 inches - Falls just above the collarbone

PRINCESS - 18 inches - A popular, medium length

MATINEE - 20 to 24 inches - A popular longer style

OPERA - 28 to 32 inches - Noticeably long; includes most “flapper” style necklaces

LARIAT - Usually 48 inches + - A wrap-around style without a regular clasp. The ends loop through one another. A trendy style of late

ROPE - 40 to 45 inches + - The longest of the long. Not for the wall flower

Standard Necklace Lengths
 - Most necklaces you'll find in jewelry stores measure one of several standard lengths, but even when lengths vary you can use the standards to help visualize how a necklace will fit.
 - If your overall build is larger or smaller than what's considered "average," necklaces will fit you differently. Let the lengths of necklaces you already own be your guide to new favorites, or go shopping and try on necklaces of different lengths.

Adjustable Necklaces
 - Some necklaces have extra links at one end so that the clasp on the other end can attach in different places to adjust the necklace length. Adjustable necklaces are versatile, since you can change their appearance to suit your ensemble, and the decorative chains that are often used for end adjustments look attractive as they dangle at the back of your neck. These necklaces are good choices when you're giving a gift and aren't sure which length to buy.

Short Necklaces
 - Short, fifteen or sixteen inch necklaces are called chokers. They rest just above the collarbone, accenting your neckline.

 - Even shorter necklaces are called collars. They wrap snugly around your neck.

Longer Necklaces
 - A princess necklace usually measures about eighteen inches and. hangs just below the collarbone.

 - Twenty-four inch long necklaces are sometimes referred to as matinee length necklaces. They hang much lower of course, extending to the breast area.

 - An opera length is even longer -- 28 or more inches.

 - Ropes are very long necklaces that can be worn as-is or wrapped to create a two-stranded choker.

 - Lariats are another type of very long necklace, but they are unattached at one end so that you can tie and knot them in different ways to suit your style.

Measuring Necklaces
 - The clasp that holds a necklace in place can add three-fourths of an inch, or even more, to its length. When you're shopping online read descriptions carefully to find out if clasp lengths are included in the overall length given for each necklace.  (Clasp lengths are generally not included in Bizee Butterfly Jewelry measurements.)

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KAZURI Story 

Kazuri Founder - Lady Susan Wood was born (1918) in a mud hut in an African village. Her parents were missionaries from England in the Ituri Forest. Lady Wood was sent back to England to be educated and married Michael Wood, a surgeon. They came to Kenya in 1947. They were dedicated to making a difference and Lady Wood started a coffee plantation on the Karen Blixen estate, famous from the award winning movie "Out of Africa" , at the foot of the Ngon'g Hills, about 30 minutes from the bustling Nairobi city center in Kenya. Lady Wood was a visionary, an unsung hero of her time. She assisted her husband in founding the East African Flying Doctor Service, which expanded into the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) of which Michael Wood was Director General for 29 years. Michael Wood was knighted in 1985.

In 1975, Lady Susan Wood set up a fledging business making beads in a small shed in her back garden. She started by hiring two disadvantaged women, and quickly realized that there were many more women who were in need of jobs and so Kazuri Beads was created and began its long and successful journey as a help center for the needy women especially single mothers who had no other source of income. In 1988 Kazuri became a factory and expanded hugely with over 120 women and men. Here women are trained and apply their skills to produce these unique and beautiful beads and jewelry. The beads are made with clay from the Mt Kenya area thus giving them authenticity to their craft. The factory acts as a social gathering with the hum of voices continuing throughout the day. With unemployment so high, one jobholder often ends up providing for an "extended family" of 20 or more. Kazuri is a member of the Fair Trade Act.

Today Kazuri, the Swahili word for 'small and beautiful' produces a wide range of hand made, hand painted ceramic jewelry that shines with a kaleidoscope of African colors and Kenyan art that reflects a culture and appeal to a worldwide fashion market. Kazuri's beautifully finished products are made to an international standard and are sold worldwide. These standards are maintained through high training standards and a highly motivated management team.

In 2001 Mark and Regina Newman bought the company and their goal is to further increase the size of the company and to maintain the guiding philosophy ... to provide employment opportunities for disadvantaged members of Kenyan Society.

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