My bead collection is a vital part of my design business. Over these many years I have purchased a variety of gems. In the early years I bought whatever was bright and beautiful and did not give much thought to the type of gem, the quality of the gem or the origin of the gems. Let's just say I have learned a LOT over the past years. Most of the those early finds are long gone. … [Read more...]
Are You Ready to Rumble?
Rumble is an alternative site to YouTube. It has been growing in popularity for the last 2 years. I am excited to finally be a part of this exciting new platform. Currently I have downloaded about 12 videos and expect to get another 20 downloaded in the next few weeks. If you are already a part of this community, Please follow my page. You will discover lots of information … [Read more...]
Tiger Eye or Tiger Iron.. what is the difference?
What is Tiger Eye? Tiger Eye (or tiger's eye) gems are a form of quartz. They are easily recognizable by the golden colored band in the brownish gold gem. Since they are opaque, they reflect light. This gem is so named because it resembles the eye of a tiger! It has a hardness of 6 to 7, which is typical of a quartz. This makes is ideal for creating cabochons and beads for … [Read more...]
Getting Hammered at the Jewelry Bench
So Many Hammers... So Little time! Hammers are an essential piece of my design experience. Each year I purchase more and more hammers. To date I own 31 hammers. Each hammer is designed for a specific task. Texturing hammers (and I have several) are used to create texture and design in the metal. I have ones that create patterns such as tiny squares or circles, a … [Read more...]
Cloud Dreams; My Newest Collection
Have you ever spent a lazy afternoon gazing at the clouds on a sunny day…picking out shapes, naming them, dreaming, and having fun? This is the spirit that inspired me to create my CLOUD DREAMS collection. Finding the Gem The stones (from Indonesia) are White Plume Agate. I discovered this gem quite by accident. Over the last year I have been purchasing many of my … [Read more...]
