The Jewelry Blog

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Jewelry and Computer Cats

I've still been working with garnets to some extent since it is the birthstone for this month. I've been exploring garnet mixtures and came up with a couple that I'm satisfied with. The first is the bracelet above, made possible by the large, square, beautiful lampwork bead with a sprinkling of sterling silver across the middle and two different shades of pink: on the left is pink opal, to the right is a graduated pink. Two roughly faceted garnet nuggets are offset by two gorgeous Peruvian pink opals - best quality, with a strong deep pink and some translucence. I love these glorious opals! The bracelet below is another mixture that I accidentally discovered when my bench was covered with all kinds of gemstones. These beautiful rounded rectangles of pietersite happened to be lying next to the lampwork beads that you see in the bracelet. I tried amethyst, but it clashed, the way that some gemstones do unexpectedly sometimes, when you'd swear that they would be perfect together. However, the dark garnet was perfect. Garnet, pietersite and very pretty lampwork beads - not a combination I see everyday, but one that I do like. Both bracelets are on the Garnet Bracelets page of the site.

I've been lucky lately with getting some beautiful borosilicate lampwork beads with unusual colours and great blends of colours. The peach - pink - orangey ones in the rhodochrosite bracelet below are an example. They are so lovely, in fact, that I don't put them in the little drawers that I have for different colours; I leave them out on my desk so that I can look at them. The gemstone bracelet below has the addition of two pinkish genuine rubies on its second strand, and a generous helping of some of my most intricate sterling silver.

Finally, I would like to introduce you to two of the greatest joys in my life - and my helpers whenever I do work on the computer. In front is Cuervo Sebastian, winking at the camera. Behind in his usual place snuggled up next to the computer (it's very warm there) is Cluny Camillo. Cluny and Cuervo are kind enough to let me live here with them, and they even let me sit here on the bed while I work on the computer and watch tv. By the way, they don't wear jewelry!

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Friday, January 09, 2009

Garnets for January

Above, a Swarovski bracelet made with clear AB crystals
The birthstone for January is the garnet - probably named after the pomegranate whose seeds it resembles. If the garnet is your birthstone, you're lucky since the very dark red garnet goes with almost every colour in the wardrobe. But if you really don't care for the dark red, grossular (green) garnet is equally beautiful as is the yellow-gold of Hessonite garnets. In fact, garnets come in almost every colour except blue.

According to folklore, garnets have wonderful and magical qualities that are supposed to help one with everything from attracting love and success to curing depression and skin disease. It also inspires self-confidence and courage and bestows the wearer with energy.
Garnets look especially good with lampwork; they also play well with other gemstones as you can see in the picture below of the garnet and citrine bracelet. Garnets look equally good with gold or with silver so they never really go in and out of style the way many gemstones do. Of course, the Victorians were great aficionados of the garnet and mixed it with pearls and even with turquoise.