Non-traditional heart

Valentine's Day is only about three weeks away. Doesn't it seem like it was just Christmas? Some people don't like to buy hearts because they feel like hearts can only be worn in February. Many heart pieces are made with pink or red stones making the dislike even greater. This heart necklace is onyx and black agate making it appropriate for any time of the year.

Double Loop Chain

This chain is really different. It is a double loop. We don't know what the stone is but the chain is gun metal. The colors that are showing up on the chain are not there. It must just be the light reflecting.


Merry Christmas to everyone.

Blue Stone on Gunmetal Chain

Earlier we posted several chain necklaces. Here is another one that is similar to a purple one that he made. We are not sure what stone these are. They are a nice blue with black grain on gunmetal chain.

More Milli Flories

Here is another  milli flori no claps necklace. These beads are much smaller than the other one I posted and a different shape.

Milli Flori No Clasp Necklace

We have several different necklaces that have no clasp. They are great for people with arthritis or metal allergies. This one has been quite popular because it can be worn with so many colors.

Amazonite

This picture makes this stone look a lot blacker than it is. There is black in it but it shows up more as an accent color. The blue is such a pretty color of blue. The square and round balls are amazonite with a similar color of crystal between them

Traditional Tiger Eye

This is what people expect to see when talking about tiger eye. The chain on the first piece is hand crafted using copper wire. The stones in the second piece are drilled uniquely and make a nice necklace.

Red Tiger Eye

When most people think of tiger eye, they think browns. This set is red tiger eye. If you look at it carefully, you can see the characteristics of tiger eye, yet it is a definite red color.

Adventurine and Freshwater Pearls

Here are two versions of an adventurine and freshwater pearl necklace. The adventurine is exactly the same in both pieces. The summer version has white pearls and the fall version is done with pearls that have been dyed brown.

Jasper Necklace

I know some of you are looking for an update on the garden and waterless fish pond. Be patient, it is coming. We had a show all weekend. I am letting him post his project as I don't know much about it.

There are some people though that follow the blog to see jewelry or my paper projects, so I try to post some of each. If you are a client looking for jewelry, just keep scrolling down the page.

This necklace is sterling silver and jasper.

Turquoise

We found the pendant for this necklace and figured it would be easy to match to other beads. I think that is when we first realized how hard it can be to match stones. We finally did find the other beads and they are a perfect match. The pendant is wire wrapped and fresh water pearls add a contrasting color.

November Birthdays

The birthstone for November is topaz. Like most months, there are alternative stones. For November the alternative stone is citrine. We do not have any topaz and just this little bit of citrine. The yellow stones in the pictures are citrine.

As far as family birthdays, not very many of those either. My grandma and my dad were born in November. The only person I can say Happy Birthday to is our niece, Becky.

Snow Farm Bush

This is a handmade lampwork bead that Jim made while he was taking a class at Snow Farm. Outside the studio there was this treelike bush that is the inspiration for this bead.

Textured Silver

This set is so different than anything else Jim has made. He is doing a little silversmith work at The Bead Boutique. I will post some of his silver and turquoise somtime soon.

How Many Spots Do You See?

Between the title of this post and the picture you should have a good idea of what kind of jasper this is. Did you guess dalmatian jasper?

Some More Glass

Here are two more dichroic glass pieces. To really appreciate them, you need to see them sparkle in the sun. The one on the top is copper chain and the glass is earth tones. The bottom piece is black background with blues and greens.

White Turquoise

Here is another example of turquoise that isn't the color that you would be thinking of when hearing turquoise. It doesn't look very fallish but think of wearing it with a brown or rust outfit.

Mahogany Obsidian

Anything with chain is "in" this year. This piece has the chain and the semi-precious stones that are part of what I call the chunky look. It has the look without all of the weight of natural stones that a lot of people dislike.

Rhodochrosite

When I think of October, I always think pink. This rhodochrosite necklace fits that description. Rhodochrosite is found in Colorado, Argentina, and Romania. It is a soft stone, making it hard to cut and polish. It is usually not cut with facets.

October Birthstone and Birthdays

Opal is one of the birthstones for October. This necklace is not what most people think of as being opal. This particular stone is called fire opal.

Happy October birthday to my cousin Linda and BFF Carol.