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...]
Having a ‘Fat Finger’ Day?
It happens to me all the time. In the morning, I put on one of my rings; lo and behold.... it is too tight. Seriously? it fit me last week? and I am pretty sure that weight gain or loss has marginal effect on the fingers. This ring is a good example. I wore it yesterday as shown and today it was too tight. Don't have a clue what all the reasons are for swelling of the … [Read more...]
Do you love COPPER Jewelry?.
Well those of you who follow me KNOW that I adore copper. When I first started taking metals classes, the instructors always had us making the designs and templates with copper. Copper was considered a low cost alternative to silver and gold (Duh!) So we could make lots of mistakes on our journey to become designers... without the financial burden. That made lots of … [Read more...]
Sacred Spiral; Your Spiritual Connection
Are you as fascinated by Spirals as I am? A Spiral starts as a smaller tight circle and expands quickly to infinity. The spiral is an ancient symbol representing growth, spirituality and evolution. furthermore it has been found in cave carvings, burial sites, shells, weapons and the Milky Way. Skipping a stone on the water creates a spiral too. Many believe that the … [Read more...]
Stone Setting: An inside look at Bezel settings
Have you taken a peek lately at your jewelry? How are the stones and gems set (or held in) on the design? There are a variety of ways to set stones in metal. Bezel setting is perfect for cabochons (gemstones that are cut flat on the bottom). And it is my GO-TO process! I start with a bezel strip. This is normally fine silver but I have also use sterling silver when I want … [Read more...]
