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...]
Introducing the Melanie earrings
My kid sister loves jewelry! And of course you guessed it.. her name is Melanie! In particular she is drawn to super long designs. This inspired me to create these 5" long earrings. Originally I had created a design for her using copper with silver fused in and sterling silver components. They were 4 1/2" long. Recently I was not feeling the vibe with that design. So I set … [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...]
Indonesian Lace Agate; A love story
This gem is known as pink lace agate and is found in Indonesia. It is not to be confused with Crazy Lace agate. Yes they are both banded agates but Crazy Lace is mined in Mexico. It tends to be deeper colors with hues of brown, burnt orange, grey and yellow. Pink Lace Agate origins As indicated, this gem hails ONLY from Indonesia. Moreover It is a recent find and more … [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...]
