So I've found a new website that absolutely thrills me.  If you haven't gone yet and you're at all interested in supporting individual artists, check out Etsy.com.  This is a site where artisans from all over the place can upload their goods and sell to the general public through a common website.

I've found tons of jewelry that I wouldn't mind having, and the prices are fair and reasonable.  I've bought 4 things so far and each time the artist had written me back directly about this or that.  Customer Service is A+.  Be warned, however that you may need some time to check it out, as there are tons of artists displaying their work.  I waded through about 300 pages of jewelry photos; but I loved every minute of it.   Much better, in my opinion, than Amazon.com for gifts, jewelry, and all around interesting stuff.