It's a Drusy!

My newest love is the drusy. What is a drusy, you ask? It is a gemstone that is covered with a large number of tiny crystals. Porous parts of rock were exposed to water with silica in it, and these crystals were formed. Drusies remind me of the surface of snow that has frozen, snow that glitters at night under the streetlights. A drusy (also called druse or druzy) is truly one of nature's most beautiful phenomena. The bracelet above has a soft blue drusy in a kidney shape that forms the focal of the bracelet. The beautiful lampwork is from Burt Gumeson"s "Jewels" series.
At Cluny Grey Jewelry we have a new section featuring drusy jewelry. As yet, there is only the one bracelet that you see here, but more are coming. I have a great ocean jasper drusy that will probably become the pendant in an ocean jasper necklace (unless I decide to make a bracelet from it - you know how I am about bracelets!)
On the personal side: my son and daughter-in-law are home after 3 years in Portugal (I did go there to see them). It is wonderful to have them home although for the past 3 or 4 days they have escaped the humid misery of the Arkansas summer by visiting a friend in Seattle. They will be in Washington, D.C. for the next two years and I am delighted to have them on the same continent! (That hasn't happened since 1998). My daughter-in-law is also a jewelry-maker and is hoping to take class in lampwork - and I'm crossing my fingers that she will be able to. Anything she puts her hands to turns into something exquisite!
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Rose by Any Name:Ruusu, Levantado, Gül

A unique bracelet that I'm not sure how to classify. It's from the Raj Collection, but features rhodochrosite as well as lapis, turquoise and lampwork with vermeil. Rhodochrosite is rather expensive, rather soft (Moh's hardness between 3.5 and 4), and because it has perfect cleavage, it is rarely faceted since it is so difficult to cut. Most rhodochrosite comes from South America - Argentina, Peru. However, in 2002 Colorado named rhodochrosite its state mineral; while found worldwide, some of the best samples of the stone have come from the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado.
The name comes from the Greek word rhodo for rose.
See this at Cluny Grey Jewelry as well as other unique bracelets.



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Rainbow Moonstone: Bring Me the Moon

Some lampwork beads are just stunning! These silver-laced beads are. With blue and white and flashing silver, they are perfect for a rainbow moonstone and kyanite and sterling silver bracelet. I also used white Softflex so that the rainbow moonstone would not have a dark look to it.

See this unique handcrafted bracelet and more at Cluny Grey Jewelry

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The Many Colours of Turquoise and Coral

Surprise! More necklaces! The first one is with stabilized turquoise and freshwater pearls, double strands with sterling silver.


I really, really like coral - and sometimes the rougher it is the better it is. Of course these coral slices have a smooth polish to them, as do the rondelles, but they are so rugged looking despite that. I like coral that looks as though you just broke it off the reef yourself!


The rose quartz necklace has a great lampwork bead that is huge (from Connie at River Oaks II - she does super work!), but the focal is the very large pink, yes pink, turquoise nugget that is at the center. I don't know why I like such an ersatz thing, but I really do. Lots of sterling silver with this one, too.

The simple coral bracelet above has little pieces of rough coral with freshwater pearls and sterling silver. Coral is just so basic, so rough in some ways, that it is very appealing, especially for summer.
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