and the Answer is... everything! For starters this vibrant blue/green gem is the national stone of Peru. I just love knowing that these gems are only found in the Andes mountains. How amazing is that? This rare stone can be as clear as the color of the Caribbean sea. Or it may feature some darker inclusions as you can see in the stones shown here. One single specimen of … [Read more...]
How do I create Pure Metal Earrings?
I love working with metal. Can you tell? Creating my collection of Copper and Sterling Silver PURE METAL earrings requires lots of elbow grease. First I texture the raw metal. This is usually done by hammering but can be done with a rolling mill as well. The metal must be softened (heated) before starting the texturing. Since the metal becomes distorted from the … [Read more...]
The Truth about Natural and Lab-Grown Gems
Did you ever wonder whether the gems in your jewelry are 'real' or not? Well of course they are real, but did they come out of the ground?? or were they created in a lab? Basically there are 3 types of gems; Natural, Lab-grown and Imitation. Natural Gemstones are found deep within the earth's surface. They have been formed over many years and without the interference of … [Read more...]
Tiger’s Eye Gemstone: Legends and Facts
Tiger Eye (also called Tiger's Eye) is a semi-precious gemstone from the quartz family. It is easily spotted by it's luminescent band that resembles a cat's eye (or tiger in this case!!) Mostly you see these in brown tones, but they can also be seen in red tones or yellow tones... all with the tell-tale band. I love working with this gem. The brilliant 'band' seems to … [Read more...]
5,6,7,8.. Who & What do we appreciate?
As the Holidays wind to a close this year, I have been thinking of all the people and things in my life that I appreciate. Have you ever done that?.. just realize how lucky we all are to have people (and animals) who love us and 'things' that bring us pleasure. I decided right then and there to list all my 'appreciates'. What I created was a list that is endless. Each time … [Read more...]