Category Archives: Stone Jewelry

Lake Superior Agate Jewelry

A rare Amethyst Crystal within a Lake Superior Agate.

One day I’m going to figure out how all the different search engines work as far as rating everyone’s sites. A good example is when I searched Lake Superior Agate Jewelry.

On Google we came up first on the first page for one of my blogs on Lake Superior Agate Jewelry. On a Yahoo search I don’t know where I went. I was on the first page for a while, then went off into Neverland, even though we have the finest Lake Superior Agate Jewelry on the Internet. I looked at some of the Lake Superior Agate Jewelry on line and was amazed at the low quality of some of the Lake Superior Agates I saw. So save yourself a lot of trouble; You will not be disappointed in Lake Superior Agate Jewelry from Snob Appeal Jewelry.

A favorite gripe of mine is web pages where everything on it is “SOLD”. How can “search” engines take pride in sending you to these obsolete pages? Our pendants are all One-of-a-kind, and when they are sold, they are removed. That’s why if you like something, don’t wait! You never know when your favorite jewelry might be gone.

A stylish colorful Lake Superior Agate Pendant.

As a bonus, since I have mentioned Lake Superior Agate Jewelry so many times in this one blog, maybe I’ll move up to where I belong!

What gifts are you giving this year?

This time of year your mailboxes are filled with catalogs full of imported items, from the cute and cheap to the “what’ll they think of next” high-tech solutions to problems you didn’t know existed! The products we offer are of a different kind: long-lasting, treasured items that people really enjoy forever. I think the greatest gifts are custom made, one-of-a-kind which is what we really specialize in. We offer spectacular natural stones, each a bit or a lot different from it’s brothers, not common diamonds or jewelry store products, but truly unique pieces of art you can obtain on our website.

We offer beautiful stones from around the world, but we know that our best selling products represent something from our customers interests or past—often someone who once lived in the UP and has moved away wants a greenstone or Datolite to remember rock hunting in the Keweenaw, or someone who lived in the Midwest and loved Lake Superior agates

Burgundy Beauty Lake Superior Agate Pendant

or Thomsonite and now wears it in their new home far away. Stone jewelry is beautiful and helps keep us grounded in things that we value.

Purchasing items we make assures you we stand behind our quality and gives you the peace of mind that you are buying an American made product. You just can’t tell what you’ll get when you buy imported goods. Bottom line is you are sending more money overseas and not supporting the U.S. economy.

Our customers enjoy the stories behind the stones we use, like where they came from, how we got them, and how the jewelry is made. We really appreciate all our customers, and many seek us out both at shows and on the web. They know they are getting the best when they deal with us and are proud to give our products. We have never had any reports that someone did not like our jewelry.

Bonnie and I are just normal, hard working people like most of you. We know what we would like someone to get us for a gift, and strive to make products we would like to receive.

Thanks for your support in the past. We are looking for an even better 2010, and hope we can meet more of you at one of our shows next year.

Dogman Pendant

Mushroom Jasper, mushroom rhyolite, mushroom picture rock, and mushroom picture jasper are all interchangeable names for a wonderful silica rich rhyolite from Arizona.

This stone features orbicular patterns and other wild designs and generally shows earth tones with some reds mixed in. I like this stone because it is different (and I like different). The patterns create wild pictures that stretch the imagination. Let me tell you about where my imagination went recently with a mushroom jasper stone.

The Michigan dogman legend began as an April fools joke on radio station WTCM, in Traverse City, back in 1987. It has since been recorded in books such as the Year of the Dogman and The Haunting of Sigma by Frank Holes, Jr. These stories are based on sightings of creatures in the woods very close to us!

You can read about the dogman legend at Michigan-dogman.com. dogman The drawing of the dogman on this website resembles the picture in the mushroom rhyolite I just cut. I can also see a skull off to the top left of the dogman’s face. Terrifying!

I think this is an exceptional Halloween pendant, so I’m posting it on the website for sale. I’ll bet some Dogman fan will need this, but I wanted all the blog fans to see it. Happy Halloween!

Mohawkite

Originally named after the primary source at the Mohawk Mines (copper mines) in Mohawk, Michigan, Mohawkite is a rock that closely resembles fine gold in quartz from California.

Algodonite and domeykite are the two principal arsenides found in the Keewenaw. These two minerals when mixed with arsenian copper form Mohawkite. Mohawkite is one of them many historical names for this mixture. The Mohawk #2 as well as mines at Ahmeek were the primary source for this rock. A little know factoid is that over 100 metric tons of Mohawite were removed from the Mohawk mine between 1900 and 1901. The Mohawkite was massive in nature. p9130106

I have hunted Mohawkite on organized trips in the Keweenaw. I believe the Mohawk spoil piles are private property so make sure permission is gained before going on these piles. Mohawkite is elusive and requires some luck and a good metal detector to find.

I always treat Mohawkite with respect when working with it, always using gloves and a mask when grinding and polishing. I also change the water on the Genie and any saws I use after finishing with Mohawkite.

After the Mohawkite cabochon is polished, it is fairly docile (unless you plan to eat it!). I have been experimenting with coating the cabochon with industrial epoxy. This seals the metals against tarnish, but having said this, some people like the tarnished-natural look and prefer a natural, polished stone.

Mohawkite is an unusual and obscure jewelry material, and one of those special rocks to be found only in my favorite rock hunting location, the Keweenaw Peninsula.

I sell Mohawkite jewelry both on this website and at our art shows.

Jeane’s Dragonfly

As a fun project I made a dragonfly pendant based on a design I found in one of Jessie Donnan‘s advanced wirewrapping books. The first dragonfly features glass beads for the body. I had the glass dragonfly out at a show in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and one of our customers, Jeane, liked it. She had the creative idea that I should make another copy using Michigan’s distinctive state gemstone, the Isle Royale Greenstone. Jeane is an avid lover of Upper Peninsula rocks and minerals as I am.

I am always up to a challenge, and I immediately thought that this was a wonderful idea. I used silver beads for the eyes of the dragonfly, but made it from 14/20 gold filled wire. The trick was in finding enough greenstones in the right size and having them drilled. I may someday make another dragonfly similar to Jeane’s, but for now she has the only one. Thanks for the great idea Jeane!

The Evil Spider

On occasion I find unusual patterns in the stones I cut. I expect to see beautiful landscapes in the Biggs and Deshutes Jaspers, but it is a rare treat to find a picture in other stones. One of the advantages of cutting my own cabochons is that I can pick out these unusual pictures. I have found great pictures in Petrified Wood and sometimes in agates (like the Parrot). In this Butterfly Jasper I saw an evil spider.

I guess it sort of looks like the alien craft from the original War of the Worlds movie also.
With a nice wire wrap and a great image, this piece was also purchased by Debbie, another fun addition to the “Debbie Collection” of Snob Appeal Jewelry wire-wrapped pendants.