Daily Blogs : Lapidary, Gemstones

Gemstones and Fashion Inspiration for Spring!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

From Jennifer: Spring is in full swing here in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York, and that means it's time to freshen up my jewelry-making projects with some new gemstones! Whether you love to use gemstones as beads for jewelry stringing projects, or you're like me and prefer to use glorious gemstone cabochons in your bead embroidery and bead-weaving projects, here's some great inspiration and information from Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones and our friends at Pantone with suggestions for gemstones that you can use to match the Spring 2013 Pantone color forecast! Enjoy!


	Tammy Jones is the online editor for Jewelry Making Daily

Each year Pantone identifies the top ten fashionable colors of the year, as shown in clothing, fabrics, home décor, purses and other accessories, including our favorite, jewelry. Even if fashion and trends aren't your thing, if you're a jewelry maker or jewelry designer, you need to know these colors. Why? Because they're the colors that almost everyone else will be using when they design their clothing and accessories--or wearing when they buy their clothing and accessories--so you'll want your jewelry designs to play along.

Naturally, you should design to your heart's vision, but whether you add color to your jewelry through gemstones, enamels, fibers, or some other way, these are the colors to watch for Spring 2013 and the gems that match them. (Photos courtesy of Pantone.com.)

		Grayed Jade: This one is easy, it does look like jade--but shades of chalcedony and larimar could also work, along with faceted apatite and fluorite. Aquamarine in this slightly greenish shade is my favorite color for that gem.

		Tender Shoots: For this springy green, peridot comes to mind right away, along with grossular, tsavorite, and demantoid garnets.

		Emerald: Even though it's called emerald, this color looks a little more blue-green than emerald-green to me. Chrome diopside is another rich green option, but apatite and tourmaline will give you that hint of blue.

		Dusk Blue: Lovely sapphire and spinel as well as topaz and aquamarine could serve as this color in your gemstone creations, along with certain shades of chalcedony and larimar.

		Monaco Blue: This blue could also be served with sapphire and spinel, as well as lapis lazuli, iolite, sodalite, and possibly even very fine tanzanite.

		African Violet: Kunzite, fluorite, and amethyst have just the lovely shades of purple to match this color.

		Nectarine: Fire opals, as well as spessartite, mandarin, and hessonite garnets, match up with this juicy color, along with citrine.

		Lemon Zest: Lemon quartz is a good match for this one, along with yellow sapphire, tourmaline, chrysoberyl, yellow beryl, and topaz. Also look for Mali garnet, some citrine, and some members of the grossular garnet family.

		Poppy Red: Even though rubies are a little more blue-red than this red, rubies certain fall in this area, as do spinel. Pyrope and other garnets can be this color, as can dark fire opals.

		Linen: This pretty color immediately makes me think of pearls (surprised? ha!), but rose quartz and morganite might be a better match.

Want to stay up-to-date on what's new in the world of gemstones and lapidary? Check out Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine! Each issue is full of the latest and greatest in gemstones, from gemstone beads to gemstone cabochons, mineral specimens and everything in between. Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and don't miss out on what the art jewelry world is doing with gemstones now!

What's your favorite gemstone for spring? Have you made any great new gemstone bead discoveries lately, or found a great new source for gemstone beads? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog with your gemstone bead and cabochon picks!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

What You Should Know About Gemstones For Bead-weaving

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Although lately I've been incorporating more and more glass beads into my bead-weaving projects, when I first started learning how to bead, I used lots and lots of gemstone beads in my designs. There's something about the look of gemstones in bead-weaving designs that still appeals to me. Maybe it's the organic nature of the material, or the colors and patterns you find in my favorite agates and jasper gemstones.

But using gemstone beads in your bead-weaving is a little different than using glass beads. Gemstones mix beautifully with seed beads, if you keep a couple of things in mind before you start to stitch.

Holes and Needles and Threads, Oh, My!

Most gemstone beads can be quite a bit heavier than my favorite glass beads, so when I decide to use them in my beading projects, I usually use a heavier weight beading thread. 10 lb. WildFire beading thread is a great option for bead-weaving with gemstones, as is 8 lb. or 10 lb. Fireline.

But before you break out the heavyweight beading thread, check the bead hole by passing your beading needle through it a few times. Gemstone beads are sometimes drilled from opposite sides to meet in the middle, and the lower-quality beads will often have uneven bead holes. (I think the technical term given to those uneven bead holes by my friends is "wonky".)

If the bead hole is straight, but too narrow, use your bead reamer to widen it a bit. (Always remember to use your bead reamer with the bead under water to cool the bead and the reamer and to prevent any particles from flying into the air.) You can also smooth out any rough edges on the bead hole before you start stitching, too, to prevent your beading thread from becoming frayed.

Dye Jobs

Before stitching with any gemstone beads, always find out if the bead has been treated in any way with dyes or colors that may run if the piece becomes wet or damp. As a general rule, I try to avoid bead-weaving with any gemstones that have been dyed, particularly agates or howlite, because those colors can run and ruin the finished piece of beaded jewelry.

If you're unsure as to whether or not a gemstone bead has been dyed or colored, drop one or two of them into a cup of diluted dish soap and let it stand in a window for a couple of days. If you see the color of the bead leaking out into the water, you might not want to use it in your beading project.

Learn More About Your Favorite Gemstones

You can learn so much about your favorite gemstones and their properties in the pages of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine! It's my number-one source for fascinating information about the sources and characteristics of all my favorite gemstone beads. Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine and get six issues of great tips and techniques for jewelry makers of all kinds!

What do you love most about using gemstones in your bead-weaving projects? Leave a comment and share your thoughts, tips, and advice with us here on the Beading Daily blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

How to Choose Gemstone Cabochons for Jewelry Making

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT


	Lexi Erickson is a contributing author to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist.

From Jennifer: I love buying gemstones, particularly gemstone cabochons. When I look at a beautiful gemstone cabochon, I feel as though the wonderful natural colors and patterns are just asking for me to turn it into a piece of spectacular beaded jewelry. Over the years, I've collected a king's ransom in gemstone cabochons, but I'm always on the lookout for new beauties to add to my collection. If you're like me, you'll be thrilled to read Lexi Erickson's tips for selecting gemstone cabochons for jewelry-making! Enjoy!


Don't pass up the bizarre and unusual, such as cut cue balls, pottery shards that have been shaped, and reflectors from a 1930s kid's tricycle--those should be fun!

Do you suffer from sleepless nights because of your jewelry-making addiction? Are you still awake at 3 a.m. because your mind can't stop designing something elegant for that gorgeous new triangular Rain Forest jasper you just bought? If so, you are a true jewelry artist, and welcome to my world.

Here it is, 2:37 a.m., and I know that in three days we will be having the Rocky Mountain Bead Society 2012 Bead Bazaar here in Denver, and I'm already eagerly anticipating seeing Gary Wilson, one of my favorite cab cutters. I will be there standing in line when the doors open at 10 a.m. There will be eager enthusiasm among many who will sprint toward the booth of their favorite bead or cab seller. I'm guessing that the anticipation of these doors opening is something akin to the 4 a.m. Black Friday sales that I'm always too sleepy to attend (and I don't need anything that badly), as several hundred women head to one spot or the other during the opening minutes of a bead and jewelry show. Does this sound familiar? Of course, it's all good natured--and I haven't heard of any tramplings or deaths--but still, we have an urgency in our steps to be the first to see what new faceted gem and cabochon treasures await.

If you are in the blush of your first months of jewelry-making ecstasy, you may just rush to buy the prettiest color cabochon . . . but as an old timer in this business--well, maybe not that old--I'd like to share a few tips about buying cabochons for your jewelry.

One of the first things you must realize when choosing a stone is, not all stones are created equal. Just because someone is a stonecutter does not mean that his stones are easy to design around. I've learned this the hard way. There are several cutters that are my favorite because of the ease of designing with their stones. While a stone may be pretty, it may not work well with your style or designs. I still have a blue agate I bought twenty-five years ago because it was pretty, but it doesn't go with my style, so there it sits, in my Riker box of pretty stones, which I will never use.

How to Choose a Cabochon

1. When you are choosing a cabochon that will be used with a bezel, check the shape and make sure that the bottom is flat, otherwise it will rock back and forth on the backplate of your piece. Mabe pearls are especially guilty of this. A perfectly flat bottom will make it much easier to work with.

2. Check the sides of the stone. Notice if the sides are straight up and down, or if they are angled toward the top of the stone. Stones angled with a smaller bottom and larger toward the top will not fit well into a bezel. Stones with the straight sides will probably need to be set into a bezel with a bit of glue to hold them. Stones wider at the bottom and gradually narrower at the top will be easier to set. Faceted stones will need special treatment of a step bezel or special setting techniques requiring some expertise and special tools.

3. When you find a stone that screams "PICK ME PICK ME!" first check out the angle of the sides. A well-cut stone will have the same angle all around the stone. A poorly cut stone will have different angles on each side, and though you may not notice it now, your bezel will fold down differently on the sides, and it will look like a poorly set stone, when really it's a poorly cut stone. So hold a stone at eye-level and check the angles around the stone.


	The popular Sonoran Sunrise, cut by two different cutters. The stone on the left is a $5 stone; the side angles are different and the face has a wrong angle cut. The color is muddied. The stone on the right is a $20 stone and is beautifully cut.

4. Check the front of the stone to make sure it's level across the face of the cab. Again, a poorly cut stone will catch a reflection of an angle, which may mar the beauty of the face of the cab. The polish, or the recent excursion into matte stones (my favorite) should be an even finish all across the face of the stone.

5. A well-cut stone will have a tiny, almost indiscernible 45-degree angle cut all along the bottom edge of the stone. This is there for a very important reason. When you have a snug bezel, and you go to pop the stone into the bezel, you can accidently chip the edge of a stone without that little cut on the bezel as you snap it into place (I call it the "snap heard around the world"). That snap may result in a crack appearing on the face of your stone and the cracking of your stone all the way through. Disaster!

6. Don't pass up a stone because of its highly irregular edges. One of my favorite pieces is a petrified tree fern with a very rough top edge. I set it with prongs, as to not block the delicacy of that rough edge. So buy that unusual cut and give your creativity a nudge. A sharply pointed stone may need greater caution and some expertise in setting.

7. You will probably be given a small tray or plate to put your treasures in while you shop at a certain booth. Always keep that tray in your hand, because if you put it down, someone will start high-grading (shopping in) your tray. Trust me on this one; it's happened more than once to my tray.

8. If you see something you absolutely cannot live without, buy it now. Don't put it back and think, "I'll come back later to get this," because I can almost guarantee it will be gone. If you liked it that much, so will someone else.

As you work with stones, you may develop a specific color palette, and that's natural and okay. I love Chinese writing stone, matte red jaspers, petrified palm wood (both the black and the tan), serpentine, and dino bone. The only blue I buy is turquoise. Confession: I'm colorblind (yes, one of .002% of the women in the world), and I can't match colors very well. I use browns and greens (which I sometimes call "breen" because I can't see exactly what color it is). I stick with earth tones. I also wear a lot of khaki and green or black for the same reason. (People ask me if I make jewelry to go with my clothes. No, I buy clothes to go with my jewelry.) These earth tones have become my trademark, as much as my "ancient-contemporary" design sensibility. It may take a while, but look at your stone collection now and you may start to see patterns in your own buying.


These are some I just couldn't let get away, even though the shapes may present challenges to set, and they are pretty large.

When I get home from my excursion, I immediately catalog my stones. I group them according to whom I have purchased them from. This may seem strange to those of you who put all your blacks together, greens together, etc. But as an archaeologist, I learned to group pot shards according to their pueblo, which showed a characteristic style. So now, I group all my stones according to cutter, and each has his own characteristic style. That way, if I need another particular shape or stone, I know who I got it from. I also keep a sketchbook (or it can be done on a computer) of when I purchased it, who from, the name of the stone, price, and the outline of the stone.

And no, I don't have an exact design in mind when I buy a stone. I may have an idea, but the exact piece is rarely in my mind, though it has happened a few times. I buy stones I like.

So Saturday morning as I start out to the gem show, my husband will say, "You really don't need any more stones. You have a lot in your inventory," and I gently explain to him, "Dear, I must buy some for my inventory. What I have is my collection."

So go pick out the best, the pick of the litter, for yourself, and happy hunting. --Lexi

If you want to learn more about working with cabochons and the gorgeous gemstones and materials that they can be made from, you'll want to make sure you subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and see all of Lexi's great tips and insight! You'll also find great jewelry-making projects, information on the latest and greatest in jewelry-making tools and books, and expert advice from some of the most trusted names in jewelry-making.

Do you have a tip for buying gemstone cabochons? Leave a comment here and share it with us here on the Beading Daily blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

All About Agates!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 07:00:00 GMT


	*This beautiful Painted agate cabochon from Gary Wilson came home with me from Bead Fest Philadelphia.*

For me, no trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia is complete unless I stop and make a purchase at Gary Wilson's booth. This year, the piece that caught my eye was a big, beautiful gemstone cabochon made from Painted agate, and I knew that if I didn't bring it home with me, I would regret it for years.

It got me thinking about my favorite gemstones, of which agate happens to be one. There are many beautiful variations of agate, from the pale, delicate colors of Botswana agate to the deep, dark, and dramatic red and black agates that I love to use in my beaded jewelry projects.

How an Agate Gemstone is Formed


The earthy tones of Bamboo Agate mix well with onyx.

Agates are characterized by their distinctive banding patterns, and this is what attracts me to these particular gemstone beads. Agate is formed in small spaces of volcanic rock where water containing high amounts of silica is pushed through, and these waters create each layer of the banded agate pattern that you see when the rock is cut apart. When there isn't enough silica left behind to fill up the entire space in the volcanic rock, druzy (crystal) formations occur, leaving behind thousands of tiny, shimmering crystal points similar to what you see in an amethyst or quartz geode.

Because of its volcanic nature, agate is an extremely durable gemstone and can be intricately carved into gemstone cabochons, beads, and decorative items like statues, plates, and even cups.

Metaphysical Properties of Agate

If you want to use your agate gemstones for healing, it is believed that they are best used as powerful emotional healers. Agates are believed to help discern truth, encourage honesty, and improve memory and concentration. Energy healers sometimes use agates placed under the pillow to help relieve insomnia or to banish bad dreams.

Idar-Oberstein Agates


	My prized strand of Idar-Oberstein agate beads.

One of the the gems (no pun intended) of my antique trade bead collection is this strand of Idar-Oberstein agate beads. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, this little town in the corner of southwestern Germany was known as the gemstone capital of Europe, rich in natural resources that provided both the raw material and the power of the rivers to cut and polish the finished products.

Many of the Idar-Oberstein agates were actually mined in Brazil, and then shipped back to Germany as ballast on the now-empty ships. These gemstones were then sent to Idar-Oberstein where skilled craftsmen would turn them into sought-after gemstone beads, cabochons, and cameos.

While the gemstone cutting trade declined in the early 19th century, the Idar-Oberstein region still produced some of the world's most beautiful gemstone beads, including many made from agates. However, production has dropped off significantly in the last fifteen years due to increased competition in the gemstone market from places like Thailand and India where labor costs are much lower.

Learning More About Your Favorite Gemstones

If you love learning more about your favorite gemstones and seeing how some of today's most creative jewelry artists are using them in cutting-edge jewelry design ideas, you'll want to check out Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. Each issue is full of tips and information about purchasing and using your favorite gemstones in projects ranging from advanced lapidary to simple bead stringing. You'll also find great advice and information for anyone in the jewelry business, hot new tools and techniques, and plenty of inspiration for your next jewelry making project. Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and get the inside scoop on all your favorite gemstones.

Do you have a favorite type of agate? Tell us all about it and leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

The Gemstones of Spring!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

It's almost spring, when a young beader's thoughts turn lightly to those of...new gemstone beads, of course! Spring is a time of renewal and fresh starts, so take a look through your bead stash and see if you have any of my top picks for the gemstones of spring. The bright colors of these beautiful gemstone beads will add a lightness to your spring jewelry designs!


Peridot was believed to be a gift from Mother Nature to herald the return of spring!


Carnelian was once considered to be the property of the noble class.


Stashing a rose quartz under your pillow is said to add a little fire to your marriage!

Peridot is one of my favorite gemstones. A bright, spring green, this gemstone is also known as olivine and is formed from volcanic activity. Peridot has also been found on some meteorites! In ancient times, it was believed that peridot was a gift from Mother Nature to celebrate the return of spring. Looking at the bright, sparkling hues of peridot, it's easy to understand why this gemstone would be associated with the blossoming of trees and plants after a long, cold winter.

Carnelian is another of my long-time favorite gemstones. I've always been attracted to the bright, rich orange tones of this gemstone, and I love the way it looks when you mix it with sterling silver or even African brass beads. Never let it be said that I don't have good taste when it comes to my love for carnelian -- at one time, carnelian was considered strictly the property of the noble class, and people of high social status were often buried holding a carnelian gemstone.

Rose quartz has always been a popular gemstone for jewelry makers. Quartz, in general, is the second most abundant mineral found on Earth, and jewelry made with all types of quartz have been found dating back to prehistoric times. Rose quartz gets its pink color from trace amounts of titanium, iron or manganese. Rose quartz crystals are extremely rare, and need special care to prevent the color from fading in sunlight. It's believed that this gemstone can help add a little fire to your marriage if you stash one under your pillow -- it's worth a try, right?


	Orange calcite is said to alleviate the symptoms of depression.


	*Don't try this at home: amethyst was once believed to prevent drunkenness.*

Orange calcite is another one of those warm and yummy gemstones that will brighten up your spring jewelry making projects. But how's this for adding a little interest to your beaded jewelry made with calcite: during the second world war, high-grade calcite was used to make opticals for anti-aircraft weaponry and bomb sights! Calcite is also important for marine animals. The ancient Trilobites (now extinct) had a lens of clear calcite that helped them see underwater. In ancient times, it was believed that orange calcite could alleviate depression. It's easy to understand why, when you look at the bright, sunny color of calcite gemstone beads!

Amethyst is also a type of quartz, but how it gets its gorgeous purple color is still something of a mystery. Manganese and sulfur have both been detected in amethyst stones, and when heated, amethyst gemstones can simulate the bright yellow color of citrine. Amethyst has been used for centuries to prevent drunkenness -- not that I've ever put that to the test -- and when placed under your pillow, amethyst is supposed to help alleviate insomnia.

Learn more about your favorite gemstones every month in the pages of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. Each issue focuses on a different gemstone with great information on source, tips for cutting and cabbing, and use in jewelry designs. Along with all you need to know and up-to-the-minute product reviews, you'll find each issue packed with inspiration and instruction. Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine today and discover more fascinating facts about your favorite gemstones!

What gemstones say "spring" to you? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your favorite gemstones for spring!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Gemstone Cabochons: How to Find Hundreds of Interesting (and Affordable) Gemstone Cabochons

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:00:00 GMT

From Jennifer: Studying geology in college is definitely an advantage when it comes time for me to choose and buy my gemstone cabochons for beading. I learned how to identify and classify dozens of different types of rocks, gemstones and minerals, all of which comes in handy when I'm browsing at bead and gem shows. Even if you don't have a background in geology, Merle White has some wonderful information for us about finding and identifying beautiful and affordable gemstone cabochons.


	Merle White is editor-in-chief of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine.


Unusual cabochon gems can make your jewelry designs stand out like this dendrite in quartz pendant. Photo courtesy of Village Silversmith.

Attractive and Inexpensive.

"When in doubt, guess quartz." That's what I tell a jewelry making friend of mine who periodically shows up with some attractive and usually inexpensive gem material hoping for an ID. Of course this is not a scientific test. You cannot appraise a stone this way. And it isn't always the correct answer. But very often it is, and in the world of offbeat gems, it is an excellent place to start.

Endless Varieties.

As many of you probably know, quartz is the most common mineral species found on earth, so there is a heck of a lot of it out there. It occurs all over the place and in different situations, and the result is that it has a lot of different looks and a lot of different names: rock crystal, rose quartz, leopard jasper, Botswana agate, chrysoprase, carnelian, and amethyst, just to name a very few--but there are over 700 named agates alone! One of the things I love best about wandering through the endless maze of gem dealers at the Tucson shows in February, in fact, is keeping any eye out for interesting and unusual stones, and many of them are quartz.

It's colorless when pure but takes on a wide range of colors and an almost endless variety of patterns when it's not, which is very often the case. Some of it is transparent enough to be facet quality, some shows a glimmering translucency, and some stones are opaque. In all its incarnations, quartz takes an excellent polish and is not easily scratched or chipped when worn in jewelry.

Easy to Find, Yet Unusual to Look At

Because it is plentiful (and because of the vagaries of the gem market, which I won't get into here), quartz gems are often unlike anything else and are generally inexpensive, easy to find, and a good buy. This is also why so many of the stones my friend shows me turn out to be quartz, just like I said (and I do love being right).

While you can find some kind of quartz gems at any gem show and all over the web, you never know what kind of quartz gem you'll find at any given place. It's always worth a look because you could always stumble upon material from a new source that's just a little different, or material from an old source that hasn't been on the market for decades and won't be around again any time soon.

If you love gemstone cabochons as much as I do, you'll want to make sure you pick up the December issue of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine where you can find more fascinating information about gemstone cabochons, as well as some of the best sources for designer cabochons like these. Better yet, subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and get a full year of articles and information from the industry experts!

Do you use gemstone cabochons in your beading and beadwork projects? How do you use them? Where do you find the best deals on gorgeous gemstone cabochons like these? Leave a comment and share your thoughts here on the blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Alternative (and Affordable!) Gemstones for Your Jewelry-Making Projects!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Karla Rosenbusch is the associate editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine

From Jennifer: I love making beaded jewelry with gemstone beads, mainly because of the huge variety of gemstone beads available! Today, Karla Rosenbusch of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine shares with us some of her favorite new gemstones. These stones aren't just gorgeous, they're also affordable!

Well, I admit it. I'm a stone addict. Yes, that sounds really bad, but what I mean is that I love gemstones. And when it comes to the stones I select for my jewelry, the rarer and more esoteric, the better. I love to browse the booths at gem and mineral shows, looking for little-known "alternative" gemstones for my jewelry designs. I particularly like "earthy" stones such as jaspers, agates, and feldspars, and I'm always looking for new ones to use.


	Peruvian Blue Opal. This necklace combines Peruvian blue opal with freshwater pearls and features a delightful ceramic dragonfly pendant.

As I've spent time hunting for new stones for jewelry, I've discovered that you don't have to spend a lot of money on them. Many of the stones I select are very inexpensive, but the jewelry you can make from them is exquisite.

Below are some of my favorite lesser known—and lower priced—stones.

African Opals
When most people think of opal, they usually think of the stunning milky stone with sparkling pops of color. But there are many other forms of opal. I'm a huge fan of African blue opal, a great earthy stone that features blues, tans, browns, and whites. You can also find wonderful African yellow opal, which is more brown and white than the blue variety.

Peruvian Blue Opal
Another opal variety that I've recently started using more and more is Peruvian blue opal. This stone has an incredible sky-blue color and blends well with any number of other stones. This gemstone is quickly moving up my list of favorites.


Jaspers. I love the color combination of using apple jasper and turtle shell jasper together.

Jasper


	Mookaite. The pendant of this necklace uses one of my favorite jaspers, mookaite from Australia.

One of the most common stone classifications, the name "jasper" covers an amazingly wide range of stones. But this most basic of gemstones can be incredibly beautiful. Recently, I added two new jaspers to my repertoire, apple jasper and turtle shell jasper. Apple jasper is a delightful red, while turtle shell jasper is mottled red, brown, and white. I love to use these together for a jasper celebration.

One of the loveliest "jaspers" I've ever found is not actually jasper. It's called Red Creek jasper although sellers suspect that it's actually a marble. It's also not red; although it can display some lovely red highlights, Red Creek jasper is primarily green and brown. It's actually named after the only location in which it's found, China's Red Creek.

Mookaite
One of the more rare jaspers that I just love to use is mookaite. Yes, the name sounds a little odd, but it comes from the Mooka Creek in Western Australia. It's a red, gold, and cream stone that's a real eye-catcher.


Bamboo Agate. This necklace uses large bamboo agates with smaller ocean jaspers for a multistone piece.

Agate


	Unakite. I particularly love this piece's unakite heart pendant.

Another common earthy stone with myriad varieties is agate. My special favorites are the lovely fire agate and the more earthy bamboo agate with its brown, white, black, and tan color combinations. You'll find these two stones—as well as a range of other agates—all through my jewelry. They work great with just about any other earthy stone.

Other Gemstones
There are many, many other inexpensive gemstones that I love to use in my jewelry. I'm a huge fan of unakite, a green and red stone that is actually a form of granite. If I want to use a less expensive form of onyx, banded onyx with brown, black, and tan stripes is a great alternative stone. I also love the vivid blue-green color of amazonite.


	Aventurine. For a great color contrast, I used pink aventurine with vivid green malachite.

Aventurine
But my very favorite inexpensive alternative stone is aventurine. I'm one of this stone's greatest advocates, and I love to urge people to try it out in their jewelry designs. It comes in green and "pink" forms—although I prefer to call pink aventurine "salmon." That's actually a more accurate description. If you look at any of my jewelry, you'll find aventurine popping up everywhere, either as the primary stone or a great "background" stone that I use to show off the focal stone of the piece.


African Blue Opal. For a mixed-media jewelry set, I used African blue opals and bronze metal clay beads.

Designing With Alternative Gemstones
One of the best ways I've found to use inexpensive earthy stones is to combine them with other unusual stones. I love to mix and match the colors and sizes of my stones to come up with an amazing variety of looks. Unakite with aventurine, Peruvian blue opal with jade, Red Creek jasper with bamboo agate-the possibilities are endless. I also love to mix stones with other jewelry media. One of my favorite necklace-and-bracelet sets combines African blue opal with bronze metal clay beads. I get tons of compliments every time I wear that set.

As I play with my favorite stones, I like to keep my designs simple to show off the gemstones to their best advantage. The best way I've found to do that is by stringing them. I'm especially fond of stringing stones with gold or silver spacer beads or with freshwater pearls to create fabulous necklaces and bracelets. It's really an inexpensive way to get an expensive look.

If you want to learn more about your favorite gemstones and how they make their journey from rock slab to polished gemstone cabochon, you won't want to miss a single issue of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. Each issue is full of inspiring and informative articles about your favorite stones and new ideas and techniques for turning them into stunning finished jewelry. Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine today and read more about your favorite gemstones! And if you're the kind of person who takes your magazines with you wherever you go, now you can get a digital subscription to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and have your issues delivered right to your laptop, desktop or tablet computer!

What are you favorite gemstone beads? Share your favorites here on the blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Bead Pick from Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones: Glinter Silver Beads

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Tammy Jones is my bead buddy and the Online Editor for Jewelry Making Daily. I asked her to tell me about her favorite new beading or jewelry making product from the pages of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. Tammy found these gorgeous new Glinter silver beads and had this to say about them:

Tammy Jones is the Online Editor for Jewelry Making Daily

My job puts me in the metal, wire, and mixed-media areas of jewelry making, and I love all of that, but my first love was beads and beading. I can't do the fancy stitches--I don't have the patience for it, so peyote stitch is as far as I got into that type of beading. The beading category of "stringing" is more my thing, and while some ladies get swoony over Delicas and the new size 15s (squint!), I'm usually more drawn to metal beads or bigger gemstone beads.

So while flipping through the August 2011 issue of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist, I got really excited when I saw Glinter Silver Substitute from Elephant Eye Beads. They're metal beads (they also have clasps, charms, chain, wire, and other findings), but it's the metal itself that's the cool thing. It's an alloy of zinc, copper, and silver that looks like but costs less than silver, and apparently behaves like silver, too. In their studio tests, the folks at Elephant Eye created a rainbow of patina on it using liver of sulfur. The results they achieved are some of the prettiest, most colorful patinas I've ever seen! Some of the colors in the patina remind me of gemstones, and it makes these beads look like a combination of metal and gems!

After seeing Tammy's recommendation, I went to visit the Elephant Eye Beads website and I totally fell in love with these Glinter silver beads, too. I even ordered a set of bead caps and a clasp to use as the findings for my project in our ongoing Bead Along here on Beading Daily! The Glinter silver beads are a great low-cost alternative to sterling silver, and I love the wide range of shapes that are available from Elephant Eye Beads.

If you want to keep up with the latest jewelry-making trends (including innovative new beads), you'll want to check out Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. It's packed full of gorgeous jewelry making projects and product reviews for the latest in handmade art jewelry. Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and find new inspiration for your jewelry making projects!

Have you found a new bead or a new jewelry making trend that you absolutely love? Share it here on the blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

What Inspires Your Jewelry-Making?

Kristal Wick — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:52:00 GMT

Q&A with Tammy Jones

I don't know about you, but I love knowing what makes people tick. What inspires a designer/writer/artist, and where did they come from? Knowing this background information gives me a deeper connection and understanding of their work.

Tammy Jones, editor of Jewelry Making Daily, and I usually chat about artistic techniques, design, and how to score more crystals! Here's our latest chat featuring Tammy's fascinating jewelry making background.

Kristal: How did you become inspired to start making jewelry?

Tammy: I've been crafty ever since I was a little girl; I don't even remember when I first started making jewelry! I do remember when I was lucky enough to get paid to do it! I was the crafts editor for HGTV for seven years, and during that time I wrote and edited project instructions for every segment of the Carol Duvall Show, That's Clever!, and other craft shows. Naturally, I got hooked on making jewelry after watching designers such as Lisa Pavelka, Tim Holtz, Donna Kato, and Suze Weinberg make jewelry on the shows. I started with beading and some wirework--mostly wire and strung jewelry, all made of sea glass or just about any pretty little thing found on the seashore.

After HGTV, I worked for a large jewelry retailer creating gemstone education and jewelry-making content for their website. That's when my true gem geek came out; I studied gemstones from the Gemological Institute of America for three years and started dabbling more seriously in jewelry-making techniques such as beading, metal clay, mixed-media jewelry, and wirework. Soon after that I started Southern Baubelles, my jewelry shop on Etsy, and soon after that I became the editor of Jewelry Making Daily. I've been so lucky to have creative careers that encourage my crafty side.

Kristal: What was your best jewelry-making day?

Tammy: I feel so lucky to have been taught metalsmithing by Lexi Erickson, a frequent contributor to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist. She is so gracious and such a wonderful teacher, and after she taught me the basics that I didn't know, she let me do slightly more advanced work than I could have done in a regular class.

I think being given freedom to play after learning basic skills like that is fabulous; my lampwork instructor, Marcy Lamberson, did that as well. I'm usually a fast learner, and I have pretty specific ideas about what I want to make, so I get frustrated in classes if I have to adhere to a set progression of projects. Being able to use my newfound skills and advance at my own pace was a wonderful learning experience for me and, both times, has resulted in some of my favorite jewelry work so far.

Kristal: What's your favorite type of jewelry-making?

Tammy: In the past two years, I've finally learned two jewelry-making techniques that I'm really excited about--silversmithing (metalsmithing) and lampwork-glass bead making--and I love both of them. My favorite though, has to still be metal clay. It's simply magic! I felt that way when I first discovered it, and I get that same feeling every time I make metal clay jewelry. Most of the jewelry I make and sell for Southern Baubelles either involves stringing gemstones, metal clay, or both.

Kristal: If you could take a workshop from any jewelry guru (dead or alive), who would it be?

Tammy: Oh my gosh, I've been so lucky to learn from so many wonderful designers like the ones I've mentioned above, and there are many more! Kate McKinnon and Hadar Jacobson are favorites for metal clay, and someday I need to get Helen Driggs to teach me some of her cold-connection and metal fabrication magic. I'm in love with Susan Knopp's enamel jewelry designs, too. If we're going to span space, time, reality and all that, though, I'm going to have to really get big ideas! I love Cathy Waterman's designs, especially her Love of My Life line, and Paula Crevoshay's work is beautiful--so full of colorful gems that I love. Early Tiffany & Co. designs by Jean Schlumberger are inspiring to me; I'd love to meet the man behind them.

Thanks Tammy! Now it's your turn to take the first step in learning how to make metal jewelry with a subscription to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist.

Creatively,

Metal Maven Helen Driggs Shares Some Jewelry Making Insights

Kristal Wick — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:44:00 GMT

When you think of metal jewelry-making mavens, Helen Driggs, Senior Editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist comes to mind. I took a moment to chat a bit about the magazine and I'd love to share with all you beady peeps!

Helen had a lot to say when I asked her if there are any beginning projects in Jewelry Artist Magazine:

Wired Steampunk Earrings
by Leslie Rogalski

“I usually gear my Cool Tools & Hip Tips column to beginner/intermediate jewelry makers, so that's always a fine place to go for those just starting out as metalworkers. In the upcoming April issue, I covered nonmetal stakes-kind of a focused topic for beginners, but I did provide basic information about stakes and metal forming as an intro to the technique.

And my good friend Lexi Erickson has an ongoing soldering series in every issue as well, which is a fine pace for beginners to learn.

Jewelry Artist is always a good source of information about gems and other materials for creating jewelry, and the latest issue covers sagenite, a lovely purple gemstone. Roger Halas created a companion project to go with the materials feature.

I think beginners could also learn a lot by reading Ask the Experts, Smokin' Stones, and Trends, three regularly appearing columns in each issue.”

Springtime with steampunk is my cure for this gosh, darn spring fever I’ve got these days. Time to breakout your stash of found objects and create some earring jewelry. Making your own earrings in less than three hours fits within my attention span these days, how about you?

To receive Helen's Cool Tools & Hip Tips column as well as fun and fabulous jewelry making projects, subscribe now to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist.

What a treat it is to chat with Helen about the fascinating world of metal! Take a peek at my bonus blog: Helen Driggs Shares More Jewelry Making Insights.

The best is yet to bead!

Creatively,

Soldering, Metal Jewelry Making, and Singed Bangs

Kristal Wick — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:44:00 GMT

Kristal Wick
is the editor of
Beading Daily

Lexi Erickson is no stranger to soldering, melting metals, and burned bangs, but then everybody has to start somewhere! Lexi has been teaching high school and college metals for over twenty-three years and currently teaches jewelry classes at Coyote Creek Studio Arts Foundation in Fairplay, Colorado, where she is the director of the metals program. She is also the past president of the Pennsylvania Society of Goldsmiths and is currently on the board of Colorado Metalsmithing Association, as well as a frequent contributor to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine. I recently had a chat with Lexi, and here's a bit about the wonderful world of metals and soldering up close and personal!

Q: Have you got any exciting soldering news to share?

A: (Laughing here) Soldering isn't usually something that has "exciting" news. It's not terribly earth shattering to most people, except us few solder geeks. But one of the newer things on the market is that Tevel at Allcraft Tools has made a heavy 16-gauge straight wire, 12 inches long, solder that is great to use when soldering from the stick. There is no curvature to it, and it's sturdy, just right for bezels and getting into those hard-to-reach areas. I love it.

Something else fun and exciting is that I'll be teaching "Soldering With Success" at Beadfest in Santa Fe in March of 2011. I'm looking forward to meeting and working with our readers. Plus, I'll be assisting in Helen Driggs's classes, and she'll be assisting in mine. What fun!

Q: What are your top soldering tips?

A: Hmmmm . . .

•   Probably the biggest thing is that cleanliness is so important when soldering. Everything must be clean, otherwise the solder will just ball up and never flow.

•   Knowing the melting points of the metal you are working with verses the melting point of the solder is important. When working with sterling silver wire, you reach that melting point awfully fast. It's good to know the indicators of just when that metal is getting ready to collapse or ball up.

•   It's important to know that if you do make a mistake, you can un-solder pieces and make adjustments.

•   It all just takes practice. LOTS of practice. My favorite soldering quote is "Doing 1,400 different things doesn't make you a pro. Doing one thing 1,400 times makes you a pro."

Q: What's coming up in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine for you?

A: OH, WOW! The most exciting news is that I am doing a monthly series on soldering, taking it from the very basics of "What is solder?" that came out this month, (December, 2010) all the way through advanced soldering, including difficult metals to solder, soldering gold, multiple layer soldering, and soldering jump rings, which has some great tips. Along the way there will be three or four step-by-steps. It's great for beginning students just learning, and even those who have been soldering for years may pick up some new tips.

Q: Worst soldering experience?

A: Only one? Oh! I have enough to write a book on what NOT to do! Let's see . . . there's the time I caught my bangs on fire . . . in class . . . in front of twenty students. But I'm probably not the first to do that. What's fun about being a teacher to so many beginners is that I see all kinds of fun, almost impossible, situations that require soldering. They don't understand the physics of design yet, and they really tax my imagination and creativity as I try to make it happen. I have learned so much by answering my students' questions. But the best story, and worst time, was when I was teaching at Baum School of Art in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I told a student to put a penny under his multi-level piece to raise it to the level he needed for the final soldering. It was a beautiful piece, and as he heated the piece, the penny just melted and his piece sunk right into the "copper" penny, which of course, is no longer copper but an alloy of much lower melting temperature metals. I still feel bad about that one, but he took it very well, changed his college major to jewelry, graduated with honors, and is an up-and-coming young jeweler on the East Coast. We still e-mail. Of course, now I just tell students to use the piece of folded copper I carry around in my toolbox for such instances. But I was so embarrassed!

Q: Favorite gemstone, bead, and cab?

A: Gemstone--without a doubt--padparadscha. I just wish I could afford a 15-carat one! Bead--I'm a sucker for serpentine beads. I buy them and never part with them. Mine, all mine! (Greedily rubbing my hands together.) Cabochon--petrified palm wood and dino doo-doo!

Q: What do you like about Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine?

A: It's a long history for me. My dad was a geophysicist and subscribed to Lapidary Journal since its inception in 1947. Every night, I took either a Lapidary Journal or a National Geographic to read in bed. Then I became an archaeologist and a jeweler. Never doubt the power of the printed word! When I became a jeweler in the 1980s, my goal was that one day I would get mentioned, just once, in the magazine. Now I'm a regular contributor and a multiple cover-artist, I just can't believe my good fortune. I'm truly blessed. I love the rich variety of ideas in LJJA and the inspirations. I love the tips from the Benhams, I devour everything Sharon Elaine Thompson writes on stones, and I laugh through my friend Terri Haag's funny true-life stories. I read it from cover to cover and keep them forever. But the photos and interviews of the artists and cutters who now have become friends are so enlightening. Most of all, LJJA is a tremendous inspiration with great tips.

Take a tip from Lexi and give a great holiday gift of inspiration to a buddy or yourself with Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. Just be sure to pay attention to your hair when soldering!

Come bead with me!

Creatively,

Show Off Your Cabochons

Leslie Rogalski — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Working with cabochons

I used to have something called a worry stone. It was a small polished stone with a smooth indentation, offering a tactile path to serenity, like a kid who rubs the satin on a comfort blankie. I have the same sense of “ahhhh” when I touch a shiny cabochon. Made of stone, glass, gemstone, or other materials, cabochons usually have no holes. They’re level on one side and domed to some extent on the other and come every shape and size you can imagine.

Bezels
Bezels are the rims that hold a cabochon or other focal piece in place. I know many of you have already made pendants with wire or metal, enclosing stones, shells, even buttons. Some of you have even used metal techniques such as prongs to hold a special stone in design. I haven’t ventured too far into metalsmithing myself yet, but I am such a fan of cabochons in jewelry––whether rings, pins, or pendants, cabochons can be showcased in beadwork, wirework, even clay, as well as metalsmithing.

Jeff Barber is a lampwork artist known for his beads but who also makes glass cabochons such as these with their striking swirls of pattern and color. And look, a couple have beaded bezels.

The Entangled Wire Bezel by Lisa Niven Kelly shows the adaptability and texture of wire for different-shaped focal cabs.

Editor Helen Driggs shows an unusual approach to a metal bezel in her Carrasite and Copper pendant. Her bezel plays around the shape of the focal piece.


Bead a cabochon pendant Here’s one of the ways I incorporate a cabochon as a beader: I use circular netting because it allows more of the focal to show than if I covered its sides with a more solid beadwork stitch. It's more a cage than a bezel. Use a symmetrical round or oval shape for your first go at this. Shown here: a 35mm black tigereye cabochon, beading thread, and two sizes of beads: size 11˚ seed beads and 3mm round crystals.

1: On a comfortable length of thread, string a circle alternating 1 crystal and 1 seed bead, to form a ring that will fit on top of your cab but well within the perimeter, leaving about ¼" around the edge. My ring uses 18 crystals and 18 seed beads. Tie the tail and the working thread securely.		2: Form a starburst of picot points around this ring: string 3 seed beads, 1 crystal, and 1 seed bead. Pass back through the crystal. String 3 seed beads. Skip 1 crystal in the ring and pass through the next, forming a point. Repeat for 9 points around the circle.

3: Exit the 3 seed beads, the crystal, and the tip seed bead in one of the picot points.		4: Work another round of netting, looping between the tip seed beads of the picot points: string 10 seed beads,1 crystal and 10 seed beads. Pass through the next tip seed bead. Repeat to form 9 large loops.

5: When you return to the first loop, pass through the first 10 seed beads and the crystal in the center of the loop. Lay the cabochon face down inside this netted circle.		6: String twice through all the center crystals for a secure circle, pulling them into a snug ring in the middle of the back of the cabochon. And yes, you can wear this side facing out!

		7: For a bail, exit near the top of one of the back strands of seed beads. I used 2-drop square stitch to form a strip and joined it to a bead at the front of the cabochon.

Learn to bezel with the best
If I were working in metal, I’d be at my bench instantly after seeing the 10 Cabochon Pendant Jewelry Projects eBook from Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist. These designs are so unique and the stones and gems so gorgeous, I get goose granulations all over just looking at them! See if you don’t, too.

Have you found a way to wear a fabulous cabochon? Share it on our Beading Daily galleries!

What's the Hottest Jewelry-Making Technique for 2010?

Leslie Rogalski — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Cold connections top the list for 2010 hot jewelry-making techniques
Please welcome Helen Driggs, managing editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and author of the Flashcard eNewsletter. Today she's bringing us her forecast that cold connections will be the most popular metal technique for 2010. I think she's hit the nail on the head with this one! --LR

It's riveting
You’d have to be living under a rock to not know that cold connections are smokin’ hot! It is possible to make very sophisticated jewelry even if you don’t have regular use of a torch. If you have been wanting to learn how to add the ubiquitous rivet to your own jewelry-making repertoire, the March 2010 Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist is just the issue for you. (You can also catch my classes and demos at Bead Fest Philadelphia.)

		See the details of the process In my column, Cool Tools and Hip Tips I’ll show you how to make both tube and wire rivets just like a pro–in thorough detail. If you’ve never made a rivet and you’d like to try it, check it out. You’ll see every step of the process, from measuring, drilling, sawing, and setting to finishing your rivets. Our detailed process photos get in close to show you how to create tube and wire rivets.

		Learn how to create riveted links In the same issue, the incomparable Connie Fox has created a tribute to Frida Kahlo in the form of a multi-metal linked bracelet that is entirely cold-connected with rivets, jump rings, and micro hardware. Connie Fox reveals the facility of rivets in creating beauty in form and function.

		Riveted art jewelry with glamour Plus, our cover artist, Nanz Aalund, an accomplished goldsmith and well-known metalsmithing instructor, created this fantastic riveted gemstone pendant using a beautiful faceted gemstone and textured sterling silver. Nanz Aalund’s stunning riveted gemstone and silver pendant shows how elegant and upscale rivets can be.

		But wait, there’s more! Later in the year, we’ll have more on cold connections, particularly in May, when we’ll feature a riveted cuff bracelet formed in a hydraulic press by popular Bead Fest instructor, Jack Berry, one of my favorite metalsmithing buddies! Here is Jack Berry’s amazing hydraulic-press formed and riveted sterling cuff bracelet–awesome!

Keep up with the whole year of trends and techniques
We’ll keep you up to date all yearlong, with the very latest in tools and materials. I’ve planned a Jump Ring Megaguide in my Cool Tools column for our August 2010 issue, when you’ll learn how to make them, use them, and texture them using several different metals. May will feature a comprehensive guide to jewelry-making supplies, and every issue is a feast of beautiful jewelry designs and inspiring techniques–we’re talking 12 issues of pure jewelry-making fun. Subscribe to Jewelry Artist so you don’t miss a single page!

Rarity, Beauty, Durability: Gemstone Truths or Myths?

Michelle Mach — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:54:00 GMT

Ask anyone in the jewelry trade what makes a good gem and the standard answer is "rarity, beauty, and durability." The problem is that many people take these ideas to mythic proportions and believe that all gems have to be all three of these things. Here's why they do not....(read more)