Category Archives: Special Stones

Valentine Jewelry 2023

***Warning***: This **Brown Rhodochrosite** should not be worn if you do not want to be noticed.

It’s never to early to start thinking of a Valentine gift for your Valentine.

I recall when I was in grade school; so far back that most of you were not yet born.

One of the memorable events, I remember, was celebrating Valentines Day by exchanging Valentine Cards with others in my 3rd or 4th grade class.

The exchanging of cheap cards helped make for a happy classroom. I came from the poor side of town. We lived in the shadow of a Giant Paper Mill smokestack. This was good, because the rotten smell would mostly drift over our house and settle on the rich side of town. My best pal, Bill, and I played in the paper bails. A paper bail was about ten foot square, they were “stacked” haphazardly, inviting kids to make forts and hideouts in those bails. We sometimes found Valentine (and other) Cards in those bails. When Valentines Day came, I always had nice cards to give out. I, of course, never told anyone where I got the cards; after all, it’s the thought that counts.

I’m sure most kid’s parents bought them cards to give to the other kids, but my (paper bail) cards were always well received, and mom did not have to buy any cards for us boys to hand out. I had enough found cards to share with my three younger brothers. Paper bails were not a place for my younger brothers to explore, but most of the time I liked my younger brothers, and by sharing my found treasures, I felt good.

**Green Petrified Wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon**.
What make this unique is its’ color and it is the only Petrified Cedar found on Earth.

Today, Valentines Day is so commercialized by the Card Companies, Candy Companies, and jewelry Stores (of course). Don’t get the wrong idea. We promote local jewelry stores and often do custom cutting for them. I’m referring to big box jewelry stores who offer you aisles and aisles of diamonds.

**Fluorescent Sodalite in Granite**
This Yooperstone has a hidden surprise. I coupled this with some nice facetted Garnets. Adding the Garnets with the black Granite helps the ordinary looking stone stand out.

When a UV light illuminates the Sodalite, this Yooperstone **really** stands out.

Some of these slick TV ads promote Diamonds or colored gemstones. The subliminal message, in the ads, is that you are cheap if you don’t buy multiple Diamonds for your love. Most people reading this blog know that Diamonds’ inflated values are controlled by one central cartel based in South Africa. The world of stone is so much larger, we love to offer variety!

**Pallasite** **Meteorite from Symchan, Russia**
Olivine (a relative of Peridot) inhabits some Symchan Meteorites. When you shine a light up through the Meteorite, it looks like a yellow-shaded stained glass window. Olivine included Meteorites, are classed as Pallasite Meteorites because they contain Olivine.

**Shot Copper**
Copper Ore containing “Shot Copper” is occasionally found in the Keweenaw Copper Country waste piles. This Ore was hard enough to make a pendant from. Location found was in the Kearsage Lode near Calumet.

Snob Appeal Jewelry is a small business, based in a small town, in Northern Michigan. We do not use common gemstones that you see at every jewelry store. Our jewelry value is in memories, not costs. Most of our stones are much more rare than what you find in every jewelry store in the country. Our rare and unusual pendants always create a special feeling.

My wife Bonnie liked this **Snowflake Obsidian**
Could Lady Liberty be wading in the Michigan Snow Drifts?
Since she is not wearing a Carhartt Parka and a Story Kromer hat; probably Not.

**Crinoid Stem**
These Devonian Fossils are found in the same area as Petoskey Stones. It is more common to see them as little straw-shaped rings in our fossils.

In every case, our jewelry’s intent is to create a feeling of love, and that you are giving or receiving something that no one else has. We are surprised by people around this great country, having deep feelings about our Great Lakes Rocks & Minerals. Instead of common Diamonds, Rubies, and Sapphires, we have Lake Superior Agates, isle Royale Greenstones, Petoskey Stones, and Pudding Stones. We have hand made pendants, made of rare and unusual gemstones, from around the world. Our Etsy site features amazing beadwork as well as wire wrapped pendants. We’re not making millions of dollars, but we’re creating thousand of memories.

**Pink Amethyst Lace**
A very striking scenic Mexican Agate.

Valentines Day is very special to us, because a gift of our jewelry brings love and elation to others. Our jewelry is long-lasting, and evokes memories for our customers. We put love in every piece we hand make. We believe in buying locally, when we can, and we believe in honestly, Integrity, and fairness. Bonnie and I appreciate everyone that supports our small business, and are proud of our reputation. Over 1000 one-of-a-kind pieces are available on our websites.

**Patricianite**
Patricianite is a beautiful stone found in the Keweenaw Peninsula. It is comprised of Prehnite, Chlorite, and visible Copper. This stone was found at the Cliff Mine. Lots of Copper in this one!!

**Ammonite**
Ammonites thrived in the seas millions of years ago **(Devonian**–**Upper Cretaceous**,) but were pretty much wiped out 66 Million years ago, along with the Dinosaurs. They are Cephalopods, related to present day Squids and Cuttlefish

**Lake Superior Agate**
This Agate is special because the eye on the right side is clear crystal, and allows you to look down inside of the Agate. I cannot show this uniqueness with a picture. One you have to see in person.

Here in our blog and on Facebook we try to show you new jewelry that is available to purchase. Sometimes new jewelry is put into out inventory to be sold at art shows. Some jewelry is sold at our Snobappealjewelry.com website, and some at our ETSY site. Some jewelry is available at retail outlets, like Copper World in Calumet, Michigan. If you see any piece of jewelry you are interested in, contact us at Snobappealjewelry@yahoo.com. We can tell you (in most cases) where a piece of jewelry is, or if it was sold. Some pictures in our blogs are “linked” to that particular piece of jewelry.

This blog is to wish you a happy Valentines day, and we are so happy you can purchase jewelry from us, instead of rooting thru paper bails for Valentine cards.

All the jewelry in this blog is available as of the date published.

VICTORIA STONE SURPRISE

I never looked in the bottom of this dish. What a surprise when I found bigger pieces of old Victoria Stones.

Imagine my delight and surprise when some old Victoria Stone was uprooted in my shop!

Out of all the blogs I’ve published in the past decade, my blogs on Victoria Stone stay consistent in their’ popularity. Victoria Stone was a man-made material, manufactured by Dr. S. Iimori in Japan in the mid-60s. At that time this beautiful, chatoyant material was marketed as Iimori Stone. Within a couple years the name of Iimori’s creation, started selling at the Tucson Shows as Victoria Stone. Victoria Stone was a hot seller, and a renowned lapidary material through the mid 60s to around 1980.

Victoria Stone Boules

The two boules I have are “Quiet Green” and “White”. The white boule has not had the crust removed. Boules were all approximately 5″ tall, the top is the bottom of the boules in the picture; the top was about 4″ across, and the bottom tapers down to around 3″.

I have to carefully peel off the crust of my white boule prior to slicing. My green Victoria Stone boule is ready for slicing.

The top of a Victoria Stone boule became depressed from shrinkage as it slowly dried. T

The green bole clearly shows the unique crystallization that apps at the top of all Victoria Stone Boules.

It appears that this boule is celebrating its’ 60th birthday.

The bottom of a Victoria Stone is a clear indication of the shape of the vessel it was poured into.

The process of manufacturing Victoria Stone was similar to making glass. Molten material was poured into vessels, called Boules. The boules were approximately. Boules were tapered like a glass, larger at the top with a bowl-shaped bottom. A glass like material was used as a releasing agent for the boule after it was cooled and dried (this liner material appeared like a glass-plaster on the boules, and had to be ground off before the boules were ready for cutting into slabs). The top of the boules showed shrinkage, and became slightly depressed. The top also displayed unique crystallization. My understanding is that the cooling and drying process had to be very precise, or the Victoria Stone would not be useable. Many hours were involved in this slow cooling of the boules.

For a very long time, slicing my two boules has been on my to-do list. I think I have just been fearful (OK chicken) of cutting these boules. When I do, I’m going to produce a Youtube video of cutting them. I first have to carefully “peel” my white boule (and this also is a concern).

Three blue colors of Victoria Stone. The top two are “Sky Indigo”; Left bottom is “Sky Blue”; Bottom right is “Deep Indigo”.

Iimori passed away around 1980, and for various reasons Victoria Stone soon passed into history. You can read about some of the history I’ve pieced together in my blog article Victoria Stone (aka Iimori Stone). Also see Victoria Stone-The New Research and old Color Chart

Victoria Stone came in many colors. Here’s a sample.

Over the years several attempts have been made to duplicated Victoria Stone, with little success. Only recently have makers come close. It has been a real challenge over the years to create a Simulant of this Simulant. I admit that some of these simulants are wonderful, but no-one has duplicated the classic, original Victoria Stone.

Let’s get back to my Victoria Stone Surprise.

I am genrally totally unorganized in my shop. Bonnie (wife) occasionally will decide she is going to “straighten up” my area. She can’t help that she is a retired librarian. To be honest, she has accomplished wonders. One of her recent finds was a container of Victoria Stone scraps that I have saved. These “scraps” were saved for making earrings or rings at some point. I actually have looked at that small dish; thinking “I should do something with those scraps”.

The other day, I rooted through those small pieces of Victoria Stone, and to my delight and suprise, there were larger pieces of nice Victoria Stone, UNDER all those small pieces. These were large enough to make into pendant cabs. About half the slabs were cracked and crazed (Victoria Stone often gets that way), but a half dozen were still in amazing condition.

Don gets excited

Black Victoria Stone was not a hot color back in the day. This makes it quite a rare find today.

To say I was thrilled to find these treasures, after hiding for nearly 6 decades, is an understatement. Needless to say, they went right to the grinder. Grinding and polishing Victoria Stone can be challenging, but it waa like everything came back into focus. I was back in the mid-70s again, happily grinding and polishing Victoria Stone. Let’s throw on a little Disco Music and get to work!

Magically, there were three different Victoria Stone Blue colors in my finds– Sky Blue, Sky Indigo, and Deep Indigo. These three colors were all very popular. I also found a chunk of Black Victoria Stone; a distinctive color, and now more rare because it was not one of the most popular colors.

Gazing upon a polished piece of original Victoria Stone is such a treat. The crystallization, chatoyancy, and rich colors are just delicious. These pictures just do not do justice to this material.

Lapidary Stuff

Clearly a top slice from a Victoria Stone Boule. This type of pattern only appeared at the top of a Victoria Stone Boule. Compare this top crystallization to stones in previous pictures.

One of the blue slabs was a surprise because of its’ crystallization. The top of all the Victoria Stone Boules developed a star-like cross pattern ONLY the top of the boule developed this pattern. I’m not sure how this happened in Victoria Stone, but that first slab off the top of the boule was always the most coveted and rare slice. because of this rare crystallization. A Deep Indigo slab had this tell-tale pattern. I was doubly excited about this piece and took extra caution with it.

From the bottom of a scrap container to a finished Pendant.

Victoria Stone is sensitive to harmonic vibrations of the hard genie wheels. I used an old, broken in, very smooth, perfectly balanced, Galaxy Wheel (220), then went to the 280 soft Nova wheel for most of the forming. I never recommend using a newer Galaxy Wheel for Victoria Stone, but I have one that is super smooth and true, so I got away with it. I can’t tell you how many times a nice Victoria Stone has become a victim of harmonics, but it’s not pretty when it happens. In addition, use lots of water and do not overheat Victoria Stone. My polishing involves white rouge and a high speed buff, being careful not to overheat the stone. It is safer to use a flat lap for polishing, if you have one.

My wife, Bonnie’s personal collection of Victoria Stone includes EIGHT Victoria Stone Pendants. If you asked her why she has so many pieces of VS jewelry, she would say ‘There are just so many colors and patterns’. she’s in a position to grab stuff off my workbench and claim it for her own. Not a problem with me; She’s been my best friend, and has put up with me for 45 years. We both agree that Victoria Stone is pretty special.

Give a Gemstone Heart

Valentine’s Day is coming soon! As a result, I have created several new Gemstone Heart Pendants, and I also will show you a few hearts in our inventory.

Beautiful Royston Turquoise from Toropah, Nevada.

Very unusual coloration for Ocean Jasper. This agate type is mined out in Madagascar.

Leland Blue Stone is a Slag Glass from an old foundry in Leland, Michigan

Beautiful “eyed” Thomsonite from the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Variscite from Clay County, Utah, is one of the worlds best.

I found this piece of Ametrine was found in a bucket in my barn. Ametrine is a cross between Amethyst and Citrine.

If cut properly, Rainbow Obsidian will show lovely hearts.

I would not count on the USPS to deliver any of these at the last minute, nor would I count on any of these hearts to still be available; so order quickly.

Floral Fireworks Rhodochrosite and Turquoise Pendant Jewelry Set

I sometimes actually require a challenge when making my jewelry. The opportunity of a challenge presented itself when I cut a very special translucent Rhodochrosite. I found it some years back, at the Tucson Gem Shows.

Rhodochrosite most often presents itself in a banded gemstone of widely varied color and quality resembling agate. It can have brown or white inclusions. You can find Rhodochrosite lurking all over the Tucson shows, but not many dealers have the highest grade stuff.

I seek out wonderful clear pastel pink translucent Rhodochrosite, from Argentina, without the common banding. If you do find a stash, it’s very pricey.

Over the past three days I used the cabochon I made from some of my Grade “A” Rhodochrosite as the base for a new pendant. Pendant ideas often pop into my head, many times, in the middle of the night. If pendant ideas come in a dream, I know I should get to it ASAP. Two A.M. is a wonderful quiet time to be creative.

This image shows the skilled bead work (earrings) by Bonnie. A perfect match for the pendant.

I wanted to make a three-piece pendant, but what other stones and colors look great with Rhodochrosite? Green is a go-to color when you have pink. I chose a piece of Nevada Turquoise, cut it into a more-less oval shape, and placed the two cabs on a table. What a perfect fit! Next I needed figure out the bottom section. I tried several cabochons, settled on a Mystic Topaz for the bottom. It was nice, but after a while it didn’t seem just right.

I have made thousands of pendants, and was confident something would come to me on what to do for the bottom.

Inspired in the Bead Room

Some of you know that Bonnie is a professionally trained bead artist (attended my Alma mater, The William Holland School of Lapidary Arts). She has thousands of beads in her bead room. I went there for inspiration. She had perfectly matched beads to both the Rhodochrosite and the Turquoise. She also is my strongest critic, and I generally take her criticism and suggestions seriously. She is also a fantastic gardener, and suggested I somehow incorporate these perfectly matched beads into, sort of a, garden/fireworks, floral design. She suggested a pink and green flower garden. I recall those fireworks that explode and “spray down in an umbrella shape”, sparkling as they drop.

Another few hours, and another wake up in the middle of the night, produced, what I think, was the perfect “fireworks garden”. Random bead placement insured an informal look. The pendant was finally talking to me. It told me what it wanted. The question is always; “But can I pull this off”/

The pendant is made of double gold filled wire, and twisted Argentium Sterling. The second pendant is hinged to the top so it can swing. The bottom bead strands are also hinged, and hang from the second (Turquoise) pendant and each set can also swing freely. Over the straight, swinging, bead sections, I’ve hinged in a 6-bead round circle, that also is hinged, and swings freely from all other areas. This pendant has maximum animation!

My number one critic says it’s one of my prettiest pendants ever. I like it myself; so two out of two “yes” votes.

Top: Rhodochrosite with Pyrite inclusions from Argentina. Bottom: Oppu Rhodochrosite is a rare Raspberry Rhodochrosite from Japan.

The top pendant is Actinolite, from Canada, and raspberry Oppu Rhodochrosite, from Japan. Green and pink are great complementary colors. The bottom Image is the more typical, banded, Rhodochrosite mix from Argentina.

Lone Mountain Nevada (same Turquoise as the Flora Fireworks Pendant has).

Pendants, like this, take much thought, careful planning, and many hours of careful and skillful work, but the results? FANTASTICAL!! YES, I did pull this off.

The name of my new creation “Floral Fireworks“.

Many people consider crystals found at the Sweet Home mine in Colorado many years ago to be the finest Rhodochrosite ever found. This Rhodochrosite is clear red, in crystal formation, the most valuable ever found; some specimens worth many millions of dollars. An entire 6′ pocket, from the Sweet Home was purchased by Coors and donated to the Denver Museun of Nature & Science. This is a bucket list, must see. I’ve been there, and was awestruck.

For more information see Variety in Rhodochrosite Jewelry in our Snob Blog.

Watch for more about Turquoise in an upcoming Snob Blog.

An Amazing Laker

Coming out of Warp Drive inside a Laker. I just might get a poster made of this. “*These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise”…..you know the rest.*

I cut and polished this odd Tube Agate and had a vision of the Starship Enterprise coming out of warp drive and finding they had actually warped right into this agate. Only an old Trekker, like myself, would think this. How WOULD that look exactly? How would Kirk or Picard escape from this dilemma? I’ve never been known to think like others, I admit, but if this shows up on the IMAX screen, I WILL claim credit.

A Very Special Lake Superior Agate.

You might suspect, based on how many blogs I’ve written on Isle Royale Greenstones, that they are my favorite rock or mineral from the Great Lakes Region. I do indeed love Greenstones, but those that know me also know that Lake Superior Agates are really my favorite stones. The more unusual the Laker, the better I like it. This blog is the story of one particular Laker. Other than playing with lighting, I have not enhanced this agate in any way. What you see in the pictures is as close as I can come to what I see.

A Citrine, banded, tube Laker salted with micro Quartz Crystals. How many of these have I seen? Answer: None.

When I first view a rough Lake Superior Agate I always wonder what does the inside of this agate look like? In many cases I can take an educated guess based on the thousands I’ve seen, but in many cases it becomes a mystery, and I cannot wait to slice that agate open.

I obtain my Lake Superior Agates in many ways; find them, trade for them, or buy them. These Lakers may come from swap meets or rock show, but most of my best agates come from trusted dealers. I make jewelry from my stones, and I do not apologize to my Purist collector friends that just collect them to perhaps oil them and put them on display shelves. I have no issue with simply collecting Lake Superior Agates, but to me, they are beautiful and deserve to be shown off.

The full banding, crystal, and tubes appear here.

Clearly the tubes are seen. Don’t they look like balloons?

I would never make jewelry from a large, super quality Laker, one that is clearly a true collector agate. I try to obtain fracture-free Lakers of smaller sizes, rare colors, patterns, and types. Classic Candy Stripers are always in demand for jewelry.

In Tucson, several years’ back, I bought a quantity of medium sized “Buckers”. This is a term Laker collectors give to pocket-sized Lakers, neither large nor small. I like the size of Buckers for jewelry. I can slice them on an 8” saw, and quickly see if there is a piece of jewelry hiding inside.

Micro Quartz crystals are seen here. This is the best I can do lacking a camera-microscope.

This Laker is just loaded with floating Quartz Crystals that sparkle as you move the agate under bright lights. I’ve never seen anything like it. Some of these tiny, clear quartz crystals are double terminated and resemble Herkimer Diamonds. I wish I could show you in person because I can’t do justice even in a close up to this inclusion rich agate. I do not have the capability or microscopic photography, but I was able to confirm the Quartz Crystals by using a Corbascope.

What a surprise when I plucked an agate from the bucket full of Lakers I purchased in Tucson. It was a very unusual yellow and orange coloration, it was not the normal banded beauty. As I cut this agate recently, I found that is was a Tube Agate, with some banding. But, to me, it looked like a Lava Lamp (they were a big thing back in the 60’s). I could watch a Lava Lamp for hours and globs of an unknown substance rose and fell within the globe. I never imagined 50 years later I would find a Laker Lava Lamp.

A Lake Superior Agate Lava Lamp. The **Lava Lamp** is the name I call this Laker.

Usually my blogs involve several specimens, but this Laker deserved a blog of its’ own. Hope you enjoyed your voyage with me today. Continue the journey by picking your favorite on our Lake Superior Agate Jewelry page.

You might have noticed the new look in our blog. This is part of a major update we recently had done by our web people. Please let me know if you like the changes. We (Snob Appeal Jewelry) apologize for the disruption of our website as changes were made. If you have any problems at all with our new systems, PLEASE, let us know, so we can correct things.

Isle Royale Greenstone Jewelry Bonanza

I use whatever I have to make dop sticks, screws, nails, etc. I had perhaps 100 Greenstones dopped in this bunch, ready to be cut and polished.

A Big, Bold, Greenstone about Quarter sized. Greenstone of this size are becoming extremely scarce. Many of the mine waste piles, where Greenstones were once found, have been crushed and hauled away for road fill.

Sometimes I wonder why certain things randomly happen. Why would someone decide they were going to sell grandpa’s rock collection, and pick me over the many thousands of rockhounds or jewelry makers?

A beautiful small Isle Royale Greenstone.

A non-island stone (this one from Central X)

On occasion I purchase Greenstones from other collectors. This is our Michigan State Gem, and collecting it is a challenge.The problem with Isle Royale Greenstone is that collection in the National Park is now illegal. My policy is to only purchase stones with provenance documenting that they were collected many years ago. These stones can only be found in old collections. The opportunity to purchase these historic stones presents itself on very rare occasions. A couple Greenstone collections have been acquired recently. Some from old mine waste piles and some from a very old Isle Royale collection.

Participating in Keweenaw peninsula Arts & Crafts shows allows us to meet many people. It is not uncommon when we are selling our Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry at arts & crafts shows for some random person to mention that Grandpa used to collect rocks and/or make jewelry. My response to these statements is always to query what happened to all of Grandpa’s rocks? Responses vary, but the ones I like are a derivative of Oh they are in my garage, basement, collecting dust, or some other relative has them. Most often we hear that they are lost or were sold off many years ago.

At a recent Art Show I returned to our booth and Bonnie was taking to a lady. Bonnie has a much more friendly face than I, and people seem to connect with her. I overheard the word Greenstone, but we generally do not interrupt conversations. An old Greenstone collection had been in storage for over 20 years! A worker on the island had spent free time walking the beaches and trails and collecting. This treasure we certainly were interested in looking at. The question of why people might chose us over someone else, to sell an old collection to, is obviously the awesome Bonnie’s friendly disposition and “good looks”; This statement should score me some points….

A couple days later I excitedly watched as an old wooden box was opened up to expose ten pounds of wonderful, but small, Isle Royale Greenstones! How long would it take me to find so many Greenstones in this day and age? It just can’t be done.

After a few days these Greenstones ended up changing hands. Bonnie thought I was crazy, but knew I was happy to have new stones to sort, dop, cut, polish, and wire wrap into Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry.

On the Keweenaw Peninsula, mine waste piles are being crushed and used for road fill; accelerated, recently, due to the storm damage to roads in the some areas. Historic Greenstone sources are gone forever. How long would it take you to dig ten pounds of Keweenaw Greenstones? Where could you even locate this many Island Stones? I have found many Greenstones in the past, but it is not like the old days folks.

Beautifully patterned Island Stone.

A Thomsonite-flowered Greenstone from Isle Royale.

Some prefer a smaller pattern. This chatoyant beauty is from Isle Royale.

A very cool bubbly Island Greenstone desert with a whipped Zeolite topping.

An amazing light Green, broad patterned, Island stone is small, but very worthy.

I have been happily cutting this hoard; the shop machine have been humming, and I have been smiling. These beautiful Greenstones were actually within a few miles of us every time we went to the Keweenaw, but just like magic, they eventually migrated to me. I think it was Kharma, or it could have been just plain luck resulting in Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry!

During November and December, many of these spectacular stones will appear in some new jewelry and sold on our website in the Greenstone area. If you need a perfect Greenstone, like what you see in this blog, get ahold of us. Christmas is not that far away when it comes to getting custom jewelry made. If you hope to get a ring, buy a stone from us and take it to your jeweler (or make something yourself). I guarantee this new trove is producing the very finest Isle Royale Greenstones available. I have cut thousands of Greenstones, and these new (old) gemstones are great quality stones.

We have been frantically trying to post up as many new Greenstone pendants as we can for Holiday Season sales. Most of the stones in this post can be found on our website.

See our pendants and cabs at Greenstone jewelry and cabochons

Read our history of the Michigan State Greenstone gem

Read interesting Isle Royale information

Visit the official Isle Royale NPS website

Making Custom Great Lakes Stone Jewelry

Among our Great Lakes stone jewelry pieces, every year one or two pendants stand out as very special. One extraordinary stone pendant this year was a triple segmented pendant of three semiprecious gemstones from the Great Lakes area. A gorgeous Minnesota Thomsonite, a Keweenaw silver nugget, and a copper-filled Keweenaw Datolite show off the great influence of metals in stone through this fancy piece. The photo does not do it justice. In person, it shines in many directions and swings freely, and the pinks in the top and bottom complement each other.

This special piece was custom made for a most discriminating customer. Annually she searches through my inventory to find my best new pendants. Also she picks out stones that fit her bold and eclectic tastes, offering design challenges in the late summer and allowing me to create something very special over the winter months. She is an advocate of Michigan artists as well as loving Michigan stones and the great jewelry that can come from Great Lakes stones.

Great Lakes Stone Jewelry

You can see that the size of this pendant is big and bold; this one is around five inches in length. The silver nugget was most likely picked from a mine ore crusher many years ago somewhere in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Thomsonite was an inch tall and even wider, and dug in Grand Marais Minnesota years ago before the famous Thomsonite site was filled and and a park was created. The Datolite with loads of copper inclusions, was located on the Delaware Mine waste piles, making the entire pendant from places no longer existing. Most of these stones I’ve had for many, many years.

In order to make these large, multi-stone pendants, I think freedom or movement in the pendant is vitally important for comfortable wearing. When sitting, the pendant conforms to the different body positions.

Next year’s Extraordinary Pendant is being designed and, to be honest, I do not yet have the perfect stones. I’ve been feverishly searching my stash. I am not satisfied yet.

Recently I have created several custom pieces for other customers, and I can create one for you. I’ll work with your stones or mine. Christmas is approaching fast. Please think of us for your gifting needs.

Here are a couple custom pieces I’ve recently done from customer stones.

From one jasper a customer found on a romantic getaway. I love these nostalgic pieces.

A beautifully, customer cut CZ. It was a big faceted stone. The wire wrap challenge was matching the carefully calibrated stone with the wraps. The flowing design in the top directed the eye down into the stone. Michael’s wife will wear this on a romantic cruise in the near future.

You can see earlier examples of our Custom Work.

See a recent bridal set at Custom Rock Cutting,Lapidary and Wire Jewelry, Created Just for You!

Quartzsite Rock Shows: What did we find?

I thought I’d show you some of the things we bought in Quartzsite. I sometimes buy exceptional Cabochons cut by others, especially Malachite or other minerals that contain hazardous materials. I also often purchase high quality, unusual or exceptional cabs. These might be bargains, but at other times the Cabs are so notable I pay up so our customers can purchase and enjoy the rare, unusual, and exceptional.

Bonnie helped lure me into the Bumblebee Jasper and the Amethyst rocks. The Malachite was all my pick. I’ll get them made just in time for St. Patricks Day (or any other day).

Really exceptional Malachite. The large teardrop in the middle is 3″h x 2 1/4″w. Awesome!

I had to make this one within an hour of retuning from the trip to Quartzsite. The pendant size in 3″ x 2 1/4″ and the reason it looks a little odd is because he is a wild guy and the lighting got distorted by the stone which is faceted. I loved it and wore it to dinner to show my friends.

Very nice Bumblebee.

Orange Sodalite

Seraphanite and Sunstone from Russia. This material is awesomely silky.

I can make some great jewelry from this beautiful Amethyst I found in a tub of slabs.

Pink Amethyst Lace of exceptional quality.

Russian Tektites. Tektites are natural glass formed and ejected from a meteorite strike.

Unakite, a stone found in many places including our Great Lakes beaches.

I came home tired from driving, but excited to start making jewelry, and so I did!

Jewelry Gifts are for Year Round Giving

Hand crafted gemstones masterfully wire-wrapped by Don Reed are the heart of what you find on our website. Our one-of-a-kind stone pendants make thoughtful gifts. Hand crafted jewelry gifts are always well received. You don’t have to wait for a big holiday to give a pretty gemstone gift. A pretty stone pendant is appreciated anytime, and gifts given “just because I thought you’d like it” are fondly received.

Shopping during the Christmas season is brisk, because presents are expected, but try giving a nice gift in January or March “just because I love you”. Gifts for “no reason” are especially appreciated.

The holiday season is over, but we are still making jewelry. The holidays tend to energize me enough to make some of my best new things afterward. We know you need gifts for all kinds of upcoming events and occasions.

A small Greenstone from Isle Royale old stock. The colors and patterns in Island stones are amazing.

Watch for our Tucson Gem Show Reports

We have started thinking about the big shows in Tucson and Quartzsite and will be searching out those hidden treasures you expect from us. This month I’ll show you some recent hand crafted jewelry you have not seen. As I write this just after Christmas I have enjoyed making some of you happy, happy, and you are adorned with your newly-created jewelry. Other folks have birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, or other special occasions coming up. You can purchase our jewelry on line, custom order using our gemstones or yours, see us at the Art Shows we participate in, or purchase our jewelry at Copper World in Calumet, Michigan, or Richardson’s Jewelers in Escanaba or Marquette.

Web Tip:

On any page of our website you can search for the perfect hand crafted Jewelry gift. Try typing in “special occasion” in the white box, and see what’s available today.

February’s blogs will be from the shows in Tucson (and perhaps Quartzsite). Keep checking this blog.

An amazing Copper Agate from the Kearsarge Lode in the Keweenaw Peninsula. This one has unusual banding.

Copper, Datolite, Epidote from the Kearsarge Lode.

A Koroit Boulder Opal dressed in lavender.

I decided this bright red Gem Bone is what many people look for in Dinosaur Bone. The bottom piece swings, and moves with the body.

Malachite pseudomorphs of azurite, Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Mun. de Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico. One of the prettiest gemstones you’ll ever see. These look like they’re sewn with green silk. The stones must be stabilized before being made into jewelry.

A Swarovski Crystal angel crystal set.

Marra Mamba Tiger Iron was Bonnie’s Christmas Gift Pendant. loc. Western Australia

Royston District Turquoise, Nevada

Variety in Rhodochrosite Jewelry

Colors vary in many Rhodochrosite pieces.

I make Rhodochrosite jewelry from many lovely varieties of the stone. This week I finished a special piece which I’ll share with you, but lets look at some other pieces first!

Rhodochrosite is not the best known gemstone in the world, but it is very beautiful. Few gems can match the gorgeous variety of pink colorations in Rhodocrosite. The light pink Rhodochrosite yields fascinating beads and carvings of animals, or other shapes. The more gem-like bright pinks are the ones I try to use for jewelry. More transparency in the Rhodochrosite, the more valuable it becomes.

Rhodochrosite gets its’ name from two Greek words “Rhodon” meaning rose, and Chroma meaning color. I have seen this Manganese Carbonate in colors ranging from Brown to almost Red. Sometimes Calcium, or other minerals or metals often substitutes for Manganese and cause banding of various shades in Rhodochrosite.

Beautiful Rhodochrosite is seen at the Tucson Shows every year.

The majority of Rhodochrosite comes from Argentina, but it is found in various localities around the world, even in Michigan. The finest Rhodochrosite ever found was located at the Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado, where a few pockets produced several million dollars worth of fantastical cubic, transparent, Rhodochrosite. The Alma King and The Alma Rose are the top two speciments in the world.

Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Colorado

Sweet Home: Most specimens from the Sweet Home have names. Anyone knowing the names of these specimens, please let me know.

The Sweet Home Mine originally was a silver mine where the Rhodochrosite was a related mineral. Years after the silver played out, the mine was re-opened as Rhodochrosite became popular as a gemstone. The history of the search and ultimately the discovery of Crystal Rhodochrosite in the Sweet Home is enthralling.

Brown Rhodochrosite

It used to be that the second-class brown Rhodochrosite in Argentina was discarded, but within the past 10 years these old spoil piles have been revisited. “Brown Rhodochrosite”, as it is known, has become quite popular for jewelry. It is commonly a mix between the normal banded pink, and banded brown, often with pockets and holes. I love the brown Rhodocrosite, as do others based on the rapid rise of the price of the rough. If you want a Rhodocrosite with character, brown Rhodocrosite is the ticket.

The Great Ape

Nice Color!

JAPANESE BOYTRYOIDAL RHODOCHROSITE

I was wandering one of the big wholesale shows a few years back and found a Japanese vendor that had some old Rhodo from the Oppu Mine in Japan. This locality near Naka- Tsugaru-gun, Aomori Prefecture, Tohoku Region, Honshu Island produced Botryoidal (bubbly looking) Rhodochrosite as well as deep pink crystalline Rhodochrosite, suitable for faceting. I had heard of this material and never seen it is person. Some Japanese Rhodochrosite seems to be a gemmy cross between Amethyst and Rhodochrosite (I would call it a dark Raspberry). The Japanese vendor said he has a stash and releases a few pieces every year. People walked right by this ultra-rare Rhodo all day with very few even looking at it. He was a gemstone dealer and he specialized in this Japanese Rhodocrosite jewelry.

Rhodochrosite with Inclusions.

An amazing botryoidal Rhodochrosite (Probable Japanese), I found in a random bucket of rocks I bought in an estate sale. I searched the entire bunch of rocks from that estate and never found any more of this.

Same Rhodochrosite with a light shining through. Amazing, isn’t it?

Concentric bands form bullseyes in some stalactites of Rhodochrosite, but Rhodochrosite also comes in wonderful transparent massive forms of rich pink. Although not Sweet Home transparent, the bright rose color of this material is amazing. Some of this massive Rhodo is not banded but seems to be a compacted Rhodochrosite crystals.

INCLUSIONS IN RHODOCHROSITE

At the major shows in Tucson we may also see Rhodocrosite with Manganese (tree-like inclusions), as well as Silver inclusions. I usually buy a few of these if I find nice pieces. This Rhodochrosite fits well with our credo of providing unusual and rare gemstones in our jewelry. I could say much more about Rhodochrosite, but I’m not writing a textbook here.

My latest Gem Rhodochrosite set.

I will mention also that my metaphysical friends love Rhodochrosite for its’ love and healing abilities. I don’t know much about metaphysically powers, but who doesn’t need some love and healing at times?

Please visit our Rhodochrosite Jewelry page to see our currently available pieces.