Have Fun with Personality Pins

Great on hats, coats, bags and more

Gehazi Collections Blonde Maven Pin

There are always fun ways to dress up your casual attire, pins are one of the best. Our newest pins have our signature mah jongg flair and feature at least one mah jongg bead.

Gehazi Collections Red Dancer Pin

Heading off to play mah jongg -- the real game with the clack, clack bam action -- glam up with the Blonde Mah Jongg Pin. It features a clever gal with flying tresses and beaded limbs. It has just enough sparkle and unlimited charm.

She is lightweight, about 5" inches long and features a mah jongg bead for her body. We have a limited selection available and no 

two are alike.

The Gehazi Collections Red Dancer Pin is also a fun way to spice up an outfit. Also about 5" she looks like she is dancing on air and having a ball doing it. Her arms are an eclectic mix of glass beads and crystals.

Our Eclectic Collection has a diverse selection of non-theme creations including the Stunning Agate Pin with its colorful mix of pearls, glass, bone, crystals and more hand wire-wrapped on copper chain.

Stunning Agate Pin

The Batik and Cowry Pin transcends seasons. It's great on a wool coat and spectacular or a summer dress or dangling from a straw hat. It features warm tones and the richness of Swarovski crystals.

Batik and Cowry Pin

Whether it is a pair of earrings, a bracelet or a pin such as these, the key is selecting something that's fun and fitting. For me, the key is whether it makes me smile while I'm wearing it.

The compliments, of course, are icing on the cake.

Stay tuned!

Meet the Sassy Mah Jongg Mavens

Meet the whimsical new faces of 

Gehazi Collections

We are getting a jump on spring with our inaugural series of Gehazi Collections Sassy Maven Mah Jongg Dolls.

Sassy Maven Ava

These whimsical ladies are leading us into fresh new designs in mah jongg accessories and art.

The gals are about 10" long and characterized by their painted faces, hand-sewn regalia and their enormous attitudes. Of course, each is adorned with at least one mah jongg tile in her design.

They are whimsical and ready for a little clack clack action.

Our first series features dolls in red and yellow, perfect for getting our minds off the dreary gray days of winter. 

They have hair and painted faces that just make you smile. Each doll also has a small hook on the back so that it is ready to hang on a wall.

Sassy Maven Clarice

These lovely creatures have been designed and created exclusively for Gehazi Collections by our friends at One Sun Creations.

They expressions range from pouty to plucky and their hairdos may remind you of one of those gals at your last mahj tournament. The best part is that they are so individual. 

We really like the idea that no one else will have a Sassy Maven exactly like the ones you add to your collection.

Take a moment and meet a few of them.

Sassy Maven Ava is a DIVA (did you notice we put that in upper case!). Just ask her, She'll tell you. She loves green dragons and wears four of them at her waist. Watch out if she shows up at the tournament because chances are she is going to cause some sort of comical ruckus.

Sassy Maven Evelyn

Sassy Maven Frances loves pearls and ribbons and she always seems make friends wherever she goes. Could it be the power of the four winds draped down her hips?

Sassy Maven Clarice is a big-hearted soul who cherishes friends and good times. She also has a penchant for shopping. She adores mah jongg, but if there is a sale at the shoe store, she just might be a little late to the tournament table.

Sassy Maven Evelyn is, well, she is a princess. She wears a chic fringe necklace and shows up for red dragons on her waist.

Sassy Maven Gracie isn't happy if all attention isn't on her. Maybe she was royalty in another life! She can be a little self-absorbed, but at heart she is the friend you can't live without.

Sassy Maven Frances

And, when we have shown them around, we've found that young girls like these for their own collections, and college students are taking them to campus to brighten their dorm rooms.

One customer told us that she was sending it as a gift to a longtime mahj friend who 

needed a little cheer during a hospital stay.

We are thankful for the feedback.

Sassy Maven Gracie

Now, it's your turn to give one of these mahj gals a new home and allow these beauties to be a reminder of all the fun and friends that make the game and life so much fun.

Each comes  in her own gift box whether it's for you or a treat for your favorite real-life maven. 

This is the first of our series, so count us on adding more.

Stay tuned! 

Gehazi Collections is always creating something new!

Cascades of Pearls -- Funky and Full of Flavor

Gehazi Olive Pearl Choker Set

As a young girl, I understood that pearls would be for me, one day. Perhaps on prom night or a special church service or just sometime in the future when I wanted to show the world how grown up I had become. Only in recent years -- and as a very grown woman -- have I fallen in love with these treasures from the sea.

Give me those classic strands like those worn by Jackie O or Michelle Obama and the sophisticated appearance is unmistakable. But what I like most is pearls with a twist. I like them funky and full of flavor.

Recently, as I looked around the studio, it caught my attention that there was an overflow of pearls: iridescent ones, colored ones, even boring dull ones. I wanted to create something a bit different. And I think that is what I did. I mixed colors, textures and stones and artistically gave birth to pearl  sets with a twist.

Gehazi Gray and Black Multi-Strand Necklace Set

 The Gehazi Olive Pearl Choker Set  features pearls in a rich olive contrasted with larger creamy baubles. The centerpiece adds a contemporary twist that is delicate, yet distinguished.


The Gehazi Citrine and Pearls Necklace set pairs the gemstone with rich bronze pearls and a polished shell that makes it anything other than grandma's necklace set. I like the yellow and bronze together because of their richness. The dangling focal adds just the right touch of drama.

The Gehazi Gray and Black Multi-Strand Necklace Set is five

Gehazi Savory Orange Necklace Set

strands of pearls and glass beads in varying sizes and shapes. The necklace is lightweight and the layers adds interest and personality.


The Gehazi Savory Orange Necklace Set is another creation with freshwater pearls. The gemstone is orange Botswana agate and it pairs well with the rose and gold hues in the dyed pearls.

Gehazi Wrapped Pin and Green Necklace Set

By far, the Gehazi Wrapped Pink and Green Necklace Set was the most fun to create. It's dyed howlite funky pink pearls, Swarovski and a silver. It's perky. It's artsy. And, it reminds me that pearl jewelry can be eclectic, fun and beautiful no matter how old I am.

Introducing Artist Christopher Michael

Eclectic. Edgy. Energetic.

Those are a few words to describe the magnificent creations of artist Christopher Michael. We could give you a formal bio, but the truth is the work speaks for itself.

Where some of us tend to slip into safe mode, Christopher keeps the edge on with signature pins that are fashioned from an array of materials including mah jongg tiles, Bakelite tiles, charms, glass beads, bone, bambo and more. Each pin is intriguing and bedazzling.

If you like fish, birds or flowers, you will find that Christopher does too, and employs those themes in his incredible work making his quirky avant-garde originals full of personality. Each pin comes in a eco-friendly burlap gift bag.

We are offering here for an introductory price of $49.99 – an absolute steal for such well-crafted, original wearable art. So hurry, the special price ends March 1, 2010.

It is with pleasure that Gehazi Collections introduces Christopher Michael. We look forward to more items from him.

Take a peek at more pins from Christopher's collection.

Why I Sell Mah Jongg Beads

A customer recently asked me where I get my mah jongg beads. The answer I gave was certainly more than she expected. I think I gave her the entire saga of how I came to sell mah jongg beads in the first place.

I told her that I buy mah jongg beads from sources around the world. The sources change from time to time. But I'm always on the lookout for good beads and mah jongg beads that are a little different.

And, then I told her why I sell mah jongg beads. I think it's worth sharing.

Let there be no doubt, question or second guessing on this. I never intended to sell mah jongg beads. I wanted to keep all the beads to myself!

It was tough enough to find the beads I needed. I searched the Web, shopped at bead stores, hunted around on EBay...all in the name of a good vendor for those colorful bone tiles.

Most times, I had no luck or my success was short-lived. Sadly, my mah jongg offerings reflected the scarcity. I needed good quality, large quantity and consistency.

Eventually things changed. Maybe I just started looking in other places. I found the right vendors and could get my hands on exactly what I needed.

The more items I created, the more I sold and so the cycle continued. Often I found that I had tapped into merchants who were able to sell me mah jongg beads because their limited stock has sat on shelves because of limited demand.

Eventually, these vendors were sending me the last of what they had and weren't willing to order more from the factories because...only a few of us were buying the bone beads anyway. More recently, from what I understand, it is difficult to find beads because of poor qualities coming from some overseas factories and because some factories tripled the minimum order quality at a time when not everyone was willing to put up three times the dough.

I imagine the difficulty in finding diverse and good quality mah jongg beads is what might have sent some jewelry makers into drilling into old mah jongg sets or using their creativity on the chunky acrylic beads that started showing up in craft stores. (Not that there is anything wrong with that. I absolutely adore a couple of the acrylic beads I've worked into the collections.)

Personally, I won't drill granny's (mine or yours) old mah jongg set. I'm a sucker for sentimental value. Plus, I would not be happy if I ruined a good tile with a poorly drilled hole. But there are mah jongg jewelry artists who use original tiles and the results are spectacular.

Eventually I tapped into the right combination of sources for the beads I use to create everything from mah jongg watches, pins, purse charms, earrings, bracelets, necklace sets, wine glass charms and more.

As my collection became more diverse I received e-mails and phone calls from curious others about where to find mah jongg beads.

Now, do you really think I wanted to give my competition one of my guns to shoot me with? Honestly, I didn't. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it made sense to add the beads to the site. I wasn't giving up a source, I was becoming a source.

That was a couple years ago and selling the beads has helped more crafters and beaders make mah jongg jewelry from fun and profit. But I have no regrets about that. It was one of the best business decisions I could have made.

Selling mah jongg and related beads has put me in touch with many wonderful beaders throughout the country. And at the end of the day, I feel good that Gehazi Collections is making it easier for other beaders to get good quality beads and customer service from someone who has walked in their shoes.

So, where can you get mah jongg beads for making jewelry? At Gehazi Collections, of course.

Until next time,

Sandra Davis

Gehazi Collections

Go Eclectic with a Grand Mix of Color

I took note recently in a local department store. Signs all around welcomed color back. Each time, I smiled and nodded in agreement.

Yes, color is back and so is any eclectic combination of colors. That's good news because Gehazi loves color. The more the better.

That's one of the things we love about our expanding selection of pins, charms and zipper pulls. They are colorful, eclectic and funky.

Instead of a bone mah jongg bead decked with the traditional neutrals or a single color, we've spiced it up a bit with our Fancy Mah Jongg Purse Charm. Several of our pins take color to another level with their mix of Swarovski crystals, batik bone, Czech glass, silver, copper and more.

For those enamored with the peace symbol, we've created the colorful Fancy Peace Purse Charm that is meant to be latched on to something that you want to dazzle up a bit.

The secret is that a mix of colors work nicely with just about everything. That is especially true with smaller items such as pins, brooches, charms and earrings.

For those who are really color shy, just a shock of a bright hue works nicely.

Our new Blue Tile Mah Jongg Pin does the trick. A bright blue acrylic tile with Swarovski crystals and a fancy coin offers a less complicated, yet very sophisticated approach to color.

In these days of an uncertain economy dashes of color are fashionable and easy on the pocketbook. It's a smart way to dress up just about everything already in your closet.

Whether it's a Gehazi piece or something else you pick up, color is hot this season. For sure, you'll see more of these colorful mixes on our site and at our shows.

We promise that you'll get more compliments than you can imagine.
Yes, welcome back color. You've been gone far too long!

Stay Tuned,

Sandra Davis
Gehazi Collections
http://www.gehazi.com/

Aretha Franklin's Sweet Millinery Treat

We just happened to be at the right place and the right time recently and got wind of a little tidbit about the Queen of Soul's big day in Detroit.

Ms. Franklin celebrated her birthday Saturday, March 21, at Seldom Blues. If you know Detroit, you know that Seldom Blues offers an exquisite dining and entertaining experience.

The story is that Ms. Franklin's birthday cake was flown into Detroit in four pieces a day before the big event. Two pastry chefs are said to have flown in to make sure the cake was assembled properly. Of course!

The cake turned out to be a replica of the hat Ms. Franklin wore in January when she sang at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. You know, that hat the has made

Now that's a sweet birthday treat.

I did attend one of Ms. Franklin's parties years ago. I would have loved to be in the crowd for this one.

Ahh, maybe next year! And if Ms. Franklin invites me, I'll whip up a scrumptious jewelry ensemble to match her hat, coat or whatever she wants.