A Ring of Two Stones - Sky Blue Topaz and Labradorite

This is a birthday ring, for this month, and I liked the idea of using a birthstone. Of all the shades topaz comes in, the sky blue variation is, for me, the most beautiful. It does seem to look like a little piece of sky, captured in stone, perhaps even the sky on a November day when the sun is as bright as it can bear at this time of year and the blue around it has that slightly chilled look, as if the heat from our star can't quite warm it to the deeper hues of summer.

The other most usual birthstone for November, according to information on the web, is citrine. And although I've used topaz and citrine together before (see the stones I bought and what I made from them), it just didn't seem to work right for this birthday or the ring I wanted to make.



So when I bought the rose cut cabochons I wrote about in this post, as well as the sky blue topaz which I'd purposely chosen, I bought gems in colours I hoped would match nicely with it. The lapis lazuli was too opaque and the iolite too small (fool that I was not to order it in a larger size) but the labradorite sat perfectly with the topaz. Against the sky blue topaz, the labradorite looks, to me, like stormy skies, with a hint of rainbow, the opposite to clear blue heavens but with a beauty of its own.

I made a simple ring in rectangular wire, with the design left open to be a little adjustable so I didn't have to reveal too much by casually enquiring after someone's ring size - let's face it, when isn't that a giveaway?

When I make this again, I may use a slightly heavier wire as I had to hammer this ring to give it a bit more strength - I didn't want it to be too adjustable... But I'm happy with the colours and cut of the gems against the silver and I hope the recipient is too. I also rather love the way the gems, especially the labradorite, look different in varying lights and I've tried to show that in the photos I've included here.

The Slow Making of a Fluorite and Silver Ring

This fluorite gemstone has been in my jewellery-making stash for a long, long time. I bought it years ago and I loved it straight away, the colours in it, the richness of them and yet also its wonderful transparency, the way the light rushed through it and altered the depth of those purples. And I think I always knew that I'd end up making it into a ring just for myself, it was merely a matter of time and opportunity and all those little things coming together...



Last year I set a gemstone of the same size into a necklace for a loved one, and as I did so I experimented a little with settings. I made up a few, and one of them just wasn't quite right, certainly not good enough to use for a piece of jewellery that wouldn't be mine - I don't know whether other makers are like this, but I'm happy enough to wear my own 'seconds', pieces that I would cringe if someone else wore for but, on me, I'm more than happy with.

And so, when a little serendipity brought both the fluorite gem and the setting onto my work bench at the same time, I knew I could find a home for both of them with each other, and with me.



I did a little more experimenting as I went, adding some tiny silver balls onto the edge of the bezel setting and, while I know the ring is a long way from shop-perfect, it's perfect enough for me. In fact, I rather like the look of it, and I enjoyed making it up, knowing I only had myself to please. With hindsight, I'd have set the silver balls at an angle, rather than at top (or bottom) of the setting as they are now, but, that aside, I'm more than happy to be able to wear that beautiful fluorite at last.

Green Marble Gems from Scotland

Even when you're buying gemstones for other people it still feels like a treat for yourself. Perhaps that's just me. But I always feel a thrill of excitement when a package arrives in the post and I get to unwrap it and see the gems for the first time... Oddly enough, it's not quite as exciting in a shop - maybe because it isn't until you get them home that you can really indulge in really looking at and feeling the texture (so important - or again, perhaps that's just me...) of your new gems.



The new gems in question here are rather special as they're from the UK. The UK doesn't seem to have masses of gemstones, perhaps partly due to the relatively small size of the country. And the colours of those we most often see from here tend to be more muted rather than some of the brighter hues gathered from overseas. I know part of the glory of gems is that they can be from anywhere all around the world, and that in itself can feel special, to be able to hold a tiny piece of rock from thousands of miles away. But it's also nice, when you're from a small place, to feel that connection to something a little closer.

Sourced from the Highlands of Scotland the islands on the west coast, the stones I bought were a small collection of green marble. The greens are subtle and hint at their origins, from the plants they once were. The veining is as beautiful as you would expect from marble, and the marble itself is in gentle off-white shades, nothing stark at all.

The smallest stone is around 17 mm and the largest 40 mm and I've not yet decided what to do with any of them, although I have started working on settings for a couple of the gems. But they're so wonderful to look at that I want to try and do my best by them, to make sure the silver around them doesn't detract from the stones, and only enhances them.



I found the stones on Etsy, from a shop called Two Skies Rocks. They collect and shape stone from around the world but with an emphasis on that which comes from Scotland, which is where they're based. Their shop is well worth a look and, if you do buy from them, you'll find your parcel carefully packaged (with a lot of tartan!) and the gems thoughtfully chosen.

Now I'm away to ponder over the stones some more and figure out which one I can find a good enough reason for to keep for myself...

Rose-Cut Cabochon Gemstones - a discovery

Confession time - I'm not a person who has their finger on the pulse. Films, TV series, books, music and, jewellery as well, I tend to come to things late. Which I don't mind as such, apart from the feeling that I've been missing something that everyone else knew about...



So it's fitting that only very recently have I discovered rose cut gemstones. Perhaps I didn't notice them whenever they arrived on the online retail scene, as keen as I've been to only deal with flat-backed cabochons. Or perhaps I missed them when I assumed that if I wanted a faceted gemstone then I had to have a pointed back to it to contend with (and it has always felt like those angled backs are something to contend with, never something to get along with).

Given a little research has shown that rose cut stones have been around for at least 500 years it's obvious I'm later than normal, even for me, on this scene. I do know that they weren't available where I was looking when I first started working with gems and was hunting for just such a thing, and can only assume they've become more accessible in the intervening years.

But recently, spending a while perusing gemstones on line and searching, searching, searching, I was rather excited to discover rose cut gems, which, to my mind at least, are the best of both worlds - the beautiful facets that catch the light with the more practical (for me, anyway) flat back.



I've indulged in some recently, and have started finding ways to use them in my jewellery making (photos to follow!). I also hope to buy some more, in different stone types, and find uses for them too.

The stones in the picture are labradorite, lapis lazuli, sky blue topaz and iolite. The largest is 5mm, the smallest 3mm, so they're all rather neat and delicate-looking, but all utterly beautiful, although I do have a personal soft spot for iolite... what's your favourite gemstone and how do you use it? Do share in the comments below.

A Gem of a Find - Aquamarine Treasure

I have too many 'jewellery items'; tools, materials, beads and metal, small pots that will come in handy one day to put even smaller things in, and pieces of paper and plastic that have intriguing textures and patterns on that are inpsiring and interesting and, again, will come in handy one day.




Consequently I have a drawer or two (or more, well, okay, definitely more) or slightly random 'items' stored in an extremely ad hoc manner. This makes it hard to find a particular 'item' when I want it, something I know I have but have only a vague idea of where it is. But it also means that when I go searching sometimes I find some real gems. Literally.




I went searching for a couple of underused tools and not only found them (yay) but also found, stored away with them, a small quantity of delicate silver wire (either 0.3 or 0.4 mm - I will need to measure it to be sure) and a tiny bag of beautifully cut aquamarine gemstones.




I'd forgotten just how inspiring gems can sometimes be, especially when they're cut to bounce and reflect light in the most delightful way. Spending some time just looking at these got me thinking of things to make from them and aware that as soon as I did so the simple magnificance of them would be lost a little - not only would they be 'finished' (for now anyway - repurposing gems in jewellery making has been going on since prehistory) but any setting, even plain silver wire, would detract from their beauty...

Does this mean they won't get utilised? I doubt it. But I also know I'll take my time doing so and spend a little more of it at present just looking at them...

Garnet Gems and Hammered Silver Circles Earrings

I do enjoy making jewellery gifts for people I know. Matching colours and styles and preferences to the individual are some of the best joys of hand-crafting and when the choices you make as a designer work out well then that's a fantastic feeling.

These earrings were made for someone who only wears drop styles and whilst I looked at a few different colours of gemstone, I came back again and again to garnet. These small faceted ones are a deep but bright red and very rich in tone. When I saw them being worn I knew I'd made the right decision. The garnets were set with Wraptite settings, like I used on this necklace recently also.

The hammered circles were from a patch of time a while back when I made a lot of shapes and played around with textures and finishes on them. They looked just right in these earrings and the tiny silver beads, set on wire, finished things off nicely. The recipient seemed genuinely pleased with these - she's worn them nearly constantly since receiving them - so I feel content in feeling content...

Denim Lapis Lazuli - Casual Class

Denim Lapis Lazuli beads

A few years back I bought myself a few strands of small, round gemstone beads. You might have some yourself, stretches of thread or nylon strung with gems of wonderful colours. I bought some and used some and put the rest away for later. 'Later' having arrived at last, I delved into my work-box of beads and gems and found I fell back in love, and fast, with denim lapis lazuli.

Like tiny planets of sea & sky...

The beads are just stunning, aren't they. Each one is so unique, and so perfect. Denim seems such a casual word for such a beautiful stone. It's interesting to discover that this particular type of lapis lazuli is essentially a marketing success story. The white (which is calcite, a relation to humble chalk) component in the stone was originally considered to make it inferior to the deep blue shades, with touches of gold-coloured pyrite, that were preferred and sought after. Turning the supposed 'flaw' into an attribute was a clever idea.

Silver and denim lapis earrings, made by myself

Whilst wondering why I haven't used my bead stash more, and secretly being glad I haven't so I could discover it all over again, I've been adding beads to silver like a cook who has recently discovered Muscovado after only ever using white caster sugar before...

Holiday by Bracelet - 'Jewellery Maker' Kit

You know the saying, a change is as good as a holiday? That was part of my reason for deciding to try a jewellery making kit. I‘d not used one before, so the idea of indulging in some pre-prepared creativity was appealing. When I began making jewellery it was as part of a silver-smithing course, where the emphasis was on using the metal in ways that didn’t necessarily mean crafting jewellery. In essence, I began making jewellery as a side effect of working with silver. And every now and then, something simpler, not involving hammers and a soldering torch, makes a nice change...

Also, by way of a coincidence, a friend of mine has recently asked me for some advice on jewellery kits as she wants to start creating but is bewildered by the choices available. A lot of people seem to start making jewellery through kits, little collections of (nearly) everything you need that result in a finished piece of gorgeousness that you can also wear. It’s a good place to start and ideal if you want to experiment before committing to buying packets of beads, rolls of wire, and heaps of tools.

So with the idea of a 'holiday' for me, and a bit of research for a good friend, I took up a kind offer by Jewellery Maker to try one of their kits.

The jewellery kit arrived swiftly in the post, well packaged in a jiffy bag and bubble wrap, around a strong cardboard box that contained instructions and ever component of the bracelet I was going to make, carefully separated into tiny plastic pouches. A simple instruction leaflet was included. The bracelet itself, made from silver plated copper, was sturdy and easy to put on and remove, and had an intriguing one-and-a-half wrap design, separated with jump rings - see photos to understand exactly what I mean here. While I used the image on the box as inspiration, it would have been possible to use any of the different parts of the bracelet, or all of them, to fix the gemstones onto; this is a nice touch, the ability to customise and personalise a kit.

Along with the bracelet came a bag of silver plated jump rings, which were used to attach the gemstones, all carefully separated into different bags for the different gems; moonstone, peridot, amethyst and iolite - a great selection of colours that complemented each other beautifully. Every bead was already on a head pin, looped at the top so it could be fixed to the bracelet itself with a jump ring.

Please note that if you are a beginner then this kit, and I suspect many (if not all) others, assume that you have some basic tools like snips and pliers. This particular kit needs a couple of pairs of pliers to open and close the jump rings, and I found a small round-nosed pair handy for straightening some of the loops on the head pins as well. The only downside of the kit was here - a few of the headpin loops were a little too small to fit a jump ring through, and while most of them were easy enough to adjust with the round nose pliers and then use, a couple remained just that bit too small - these were on the smallest beads as well, so I guess that was why. It certainly didn’t detract from the overall effect of the bracelet when finished though, and only added a fine layer of frustration when constructing it - and I could have removed the supplied head pins and added my own to make the beads work.

I found the kit fun to make; mixing the different colours of the beads to suit myself, and slowly attaching them to the bangle was a fun way to spend an afternoon on a rainy weekend. The end result is pretty, full of colour and sparkle, and fun to wear.

If you’re an advanced jewellery maker, then you may find this kit a little too simple - although it is very effective. If you’re only just starting out then the kit couldn’t fail to inspire you when you see what you can make, and how easily. It should encourage you to carry on creating.

~~

Please note - I was given the jewellery kit in return for a blog post about it, but my views are my own and have been given honestly.

Silver, citrine, topaz and toil... the finished jewellery

Recently I showed some photos of the cut gemstone beads I'd bought for a project. Here are some images of the finished jewellery items themselves.

The plan was a to make a necklace for a very special birthday, falling in November, so being able to incorporate birth stones was important. I also wanted to make something wearable so, while it may look delicate, the soldering and strengthening of the silver through hammering means it's pretty strong.







The earrings were less planned and came about as I didn't have enough citrines to use for both items, but this also allowed me to play with the varying sizes of the white topaz gems. I was also able to use one of the little soldered silver designs from the necklace, and echo it in the earrings.



It was a time-consuming and absorbing project, and took a lot of preparation, but the final piecing together of the necklace especially was surprisingly quick. Hope you enjoy seeing the results of the toil!

Citrine and White Topaz - November Birth Stones

Late last year I was busy with a birthday project, and that project allowed me to indulge in buying some beautiful gem stones...

 

When I took them out of the box (wisely unmarked to go through the postal system), I was, as always, struck by how beautiful well cut gemstones are. It was a sunny day and holding the gems up to the window made the light splinter and dance in exquisite colours...it was genuinely wonderful.

The white topaz came in a mix of sizes, graduated from about 3mm to 7mm. They're drilled through the middle and very slightly doughnut-shaped, although that could be more of an optical illusion due to the many facets.



I chose white topaz rather than the more traditional and widespread blue as I was combining the gems for a November birthday, and felt that with the rich yellow of citrine, another November birthstone, they work better for the recipient than blue and yellow.



I only purchased four citrine gems, button shaped and nicely factetted. They're a beautiful rich autumn colour and I think much more than four would have been too many, although another two would have allowed the matching earrings I made to go with the necklace to match that little bit more...

Photos of the finished items will follow soon. Do let me know if any beautiful stones you've used in projects, especially if you have photos to share!

Pendants plus cords equal necklaces

A little while ago I wrote about having a heap of gemstones, some threading materials, and not yet having put the two together in a logical manner... well, that's changed.

I've still some gemstones that aren't strung, but now, more than not, are officially necklaces...

I've also begun the slow process of working through my extremely-badly-put-away silver-smithing gear and trying to to turn it back into a functioning set-up... stay tuned!

Shhh...

Things have been very quiet on the jewellery-making front for me lately, and for a while really. A combination of factors - health issues, other commitments, downright bad organisational skills... I also made the foolish mistake of packing everything up in a hurry when family were coming to stay and now, naturally, most things are in the wrong place, together with other things that were already in the wrong place, alongside the remaining things which are just...well, I'm not quite sure where they are.

So, yes, the noise of making jewellery has been ringing very, very quietly...

But a while back I was given some gems, all ready with the tops drilled out and bails fitted in.

Gorgeous gemstones

I then, slowly, added to my pile of ribbons and stringing materials with a few extra pieces of cord and faux suede... and, of course, nothing happened.

Faux suede in autumn-y shades

But now I'm making a concerted effort to do something with all these goodies. To that end, they're sitting out on a  table, reminding me that they need putting together, making into jewellery, and then good homes finding for them.

That's all that's needed.

Nothing much.

Well, aside from time, inspiration, energy... and a little more motivation it seems.

It'll get done. And soon.

Definitely.

I hope...

Green leaves . . .

I love fluorite gemstones (both green and purple) and these chips are some of many I've enjoyed using with silver.





Incorportaing these into this bracelet with the little silver leaves just seemed a perfect way to use the beads and I'm really pleased with the outcome (hence the devotion of an entire blog post to the bracelet).

More little gems

I've a cluster of gemstones, recently purchased, that I'm planning to delve into shortly, see if I can turn them into anything more beautiful than what they already are . . .

Sea shells, sea shells, and silver and pearls . . .

Here's a selection of pendants/necklaces I've made up, based around sea shells (all found by me on beaches on the south coast and in the fantastic Channel Islands), with a bit of silver and some gemstones and pearls. I'd love to know what you think and which one is your favourite!

Just a simple pearl added to this one . . .

Labradorite and citrine . . .

A heart made from rose quartz . . .

More pearls . . .

Citrine and rock crystal gems . . .

Rock crystal chip and an amethyst button . . .

Labradorite, pearls and honey jade . . .

Purple fluorite . . .

Guessing gems

Here's a bit of a guessing game. A few days ago I was fortunate enough to be given a kind of lucky-dip selection of gemstones, chunky ones with holes drilled through, to use as beads.

Quite a few I can identify but some have got me stumped. So if anyone has any ideas, then please feel free to share and discuss! I'd love to be able to definitely put names to the gems.

Picture one.
1. Top left: Fluorite
2. Bottom left: Carnelian
3. Top right: Blue Lace Agate
4. Bottom right: Sodalite

Picture two.
5. Top left: Amethyst
6. Bottom left: Green Moss Agate
7. Top right: Smokey Quartz
8. Bottom right: Carnelian

Picture three.
9. Top left: Moonstone
10. Bottom left: Moonstone
11. Top middle: Moonstone
12. Bottom middle: Amazonite?
13. Top right: Fluorite
14. Bottom right: Citrine

Actually, having listed everything I seem to have been able to identify much less than I'd initially thought I could! All help, even guesses, gratefully received!

Added note - I shall add suggestions of stone names to their numbers as they come in but please feel free to disagree with them, especially my ones!

Another added note - Everything has got a name now. I hope they're the right ones! If you disagree with any, please let me know.