Category Archives: Wire-wrapped gemstones

Rhodochrosite on the Workbench

We have been very busy making new jewelry for the past few weeks. The Pink Petoskey (Pink Pet) activity has also taken up time with making cabochons, wrapping them, and polishing Pink Pets for web sales. At last count there are over 30 polished Pink Pets on this site; take a look. The May/June issue of Rocks and Minerals Magazine features an article by myself and Dr. George Robinson on the illusive Pink Petoskey Stones of Northern Michigan.

I called this pendant "Brazen Vista". I think you can see why.

I daily look through my cabochon collection and choose possibilities for wire wrapping. My mood changes from day to day, so whatever inspires me, I select. Yesterday a lovely rosy pink Rhodochrosite grabbed my attention.

I knew this pendant would be a challenge because it was a rectangle. Squares and rectangles are a challenge for several reasons. The cab has to be very precisely calibrated from side to side and top to bottom or you will notice the imbalance immediately. Secondly, the wire wrapping has to be dead on from side to side and top to bottom. Thirdly, wire cannot be “pulled” around corners, so squares and rectangles must be made one side at a time. Advanced skills are required for this type of wrapping. This is why you do not see many wire wrappers doing squares, rectangles, or round shapes. This type of wire wrapping is very detailed and time consuming.

I have been looking at this large (2″ X 1 -1/4 “) Rhodochrosite cab for a few years off and on. In recent years Brown Rhodochrosite has become more expensive than normal pink Rhodocrosite. Years ago the miners in Argentina threw away Rhodocrosite containing browns as unacceptable. The value of this gemstone has substantially increased for the past several years. It is difficult to find nice Brown Rhodochrosite without pits, and this quality costs $$$. The brown coloration is a result of impurities in the stone. So finally this stone has a chance to shine.

Here are a couple other items from my workbench this week.
Bonnies new Pink Pet.

Bonnie claimed a recent Pink Petoskey Stone Pendant as her own. She normally likes all the stuff I make, and is honest in her opinions of my wire wrapping. Sometimes she just really likes a piece, and this was the case here. Click on this link to Pink Petoskey Stone Pendants as I do have lots of other Petoskey Stone jewelry available for purchase, just not this one!

Beth's new treasure. Thanks for being patient.

My good friend John gave me a geode slice a few months ago after we came back from the Tucson rock shows. During the Tucson unpacking frenzy I misplaced the stone and forgot about it until John asked me about it. This put me on a full alert to find it. I found a little silver cloth bag on my bookshelf, looked inside, and found the stone. I should have been looking for a silver bag instead of a stone. It was right where I put it, as Bonnie would say.

I had talked to John, previously, about putting a gemstone in the crystal cave of the stone, but was inspired when three Topaz’ fit perfectly in the pocket. Beth (John’s wife) loves her new piece of jewelry. Again, this piece is spoken for, but perhaps you would like to look at some other gems by following these links: Crazy Lace Agate Pendants, Ocean Jasper, Pietersite, or the every sparkly Victoria Stone.

Snoopy and the Red Agate

I haven’t written an “On the Workbench” blog in some time, but I thought I would let you see what I’ve done with some of the stuff I brought back from the shows in Arizona. Check the back blogs to review.

Bumblebee Jasper is not really a Jasper. Finding bright orange Bumblebee is uncommon.

One of the things that seemed all over Tucson this year was Bumblebee Jasper. This orange and black (but usually yellow and black) rock comes from Volcanic vents on the island of Bali in Indonesia. It is a mis-nomer to refer to Bumblebee as Jasper. It is neither Jasper, nor is it an Agate. The rock is in reality an Anhydrite/Sulfur/Hematite with welded volcanic tuft (ash). This stuff varies widely in hardness and contains many hole and flaws, so it is tricky to make a decent gemstone. It is also hard to find bright orange. The pendant I made looks like an evil mask. The stone was so flashy it did not need a fancy wrap.

Keswick Agate

I cut a Keswick Agate from Keswick, Iowa, leaving quite a bit of ordinary Quartz on the side. This was intentional. I envisioned using some of my wire over the Quartz to really enhance the eye-like pattern of the Agate. A plain wrap, like I did on the Bumblebee, would not work with the Keswick. Keswick Agate is difficult to obtain and good Keswick is hard to find.

Picture Petrified Wood from near Holbrook, Arizona

Picture Petrified Wood comes from near Holbrook, Arizona. One of our oldest and dearest friends sells Petoskey Stones in Tucson. She wanted a pendant and swapped me some of her Dendritic Picture Wood for making this pendant for her.

Faceted Aquamarine and Amethyst; simply wrapped;simply beautiful.

I wrapped a really fine faceted Aquamarine as well as another of Amethyst. I wrapped these so they can flip over while being worn.

Thomsonite of this quality is always popular.

The Keweenaw Peninsula and Grand Marais, Minnesota both supply the beautiful Ziolite, Thomsonite. Dark eyed Thomsonite from the north shore is the most coveted. I was just mindlessly looking around the AGTA (American Gem Trade Association) show and happened to glance down a side isle and spot a couple trays in the bottom of a display case. My eye immediately focused in on a Thompsonite. I could not believe such a gemstone would exist in a show full of common Diamonds, Rubies, and Sapphires. This one even has copper inclusions.

I asked the lady at the booth if I could look at the two trays. In a humorous manner she said, “Oh, you want to look in my junk box?” I for sure wanted to get at that “junkbox”, and found several other treasures as well as this Thomsonite.

When the dealer dropped and broke one of my Malachite slices, I immediately thought of earrings to go with the bullseye pendant.

I could not help but purchase a perfect slice of Bullseye Malachite. I dislike cutting this stuff, but put my mask and gloves on, and went to it. What a great Pendant I made from the cab. The earrings came from the second slice off the same rock, but the owner of the business dropped it on the floor at checkout, and the slab broke in half. He gave me the two pieces, so I used them. I hate wasting good material.

Snoopy?

Speaking of Malachite, I saw Snoopy in a piece. Cool stuff.

Watermelon Tourmaline

Not much bigger than a dime, two other fantastic little pendants of Watermelon Tourmaline and Montana Agate called me. I have seldom seen a small agate with such a fantastic natural picture. Watermelon Tourmaline is the most coveted breed of this gemstone. Good Tourmaline, like this one, are always popular, no matter the price.

A small Montana Agate with a "big sky" picture.

Yellow Cat

Cardinal Candy: Another rare red Yellow Cat.

Yellow Cat Petrified wood is from remote regions of Utah, and was used by Tiffany back in the day. Yellow Cat is the brightest red of any petrified wood. It is really an amazing and scarce agate. I was very excited to see some at one of the Tucson Shows. The dealer told me people walked by his supply all day; not recognizing it for what it was. I am happy my mind is full of knowledge on many rare rocks.

You hardly ever see Blue Lace Agate Drusy.

Bonnie is especially fond of Blue Lace Agate. Imagine her thrill when I found some Blue Lace Drusy. Drusy means it contains pockets full of millions of tiny Quartz Crystals. This one I made into a designer cut beauty.

The workbench and the shop are still busy. I am so pleased with all the jewelry grade rocks I obtained out west, and am still exceedingly busy and thrilled about making a new crop of jewelry. I also enjoy sharing with you guys.

Amethyst Glitz

“Can you make me a pendant that will match this”? Of course I can, but why would Bonnie want another piece of jewelry when she has hundreds of pendants to choose from?

It all started on Black Friday (that was actually Thanksgiving Thursday this year). She had a coupon for a local Department Store. I’ll man up and admit that I saw a dressy coat that I thought would look nice on my bride. It had a great design and Amethyst colors. We both like Amethyst. Paired with a glimmering silver blouse, this jacket looked really great.

Unbeknown to me, the jewelry maker”s wife had NOTHING to wear with these garments, and this is where I come in. After I realized the wife has NO suitable jewelry, and asked me in a nice way to help out, I actually thought about making something like I’ve never done before. Here’s the dumb part: I announced on The Facebook I was going to make this pendant so my jewelry-less wife would have something to actually wear to our Rock club Christmas Party IN THREE DAYS!

Bonnie thought a white gemstone with some Amethyst beads that she rooted out of her beadroom stash, would look nice. We thought at first white druzy would work, but she settled on the wonderfully rare shiny white Victoria Stone. Argentium Sterling was the metal of choice. You can read the intriguing story about Victoria Stone in my blog at http://www.snobappealjewelry.com .

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to make and more time figuring out HOW I was going to do it. After a good nap, I arose with my mind clear and a picture in my mind of what the pendant would look like. I usually do not use colored Aluminum wire, but Bonnie does with her beads. Alas, she did not have any purple (I thought she had every beading item available), so we made a not-so-quick-trip to craft stores (notice I said stores with an S) to locate this wire so I could continue.

After a few hours of watching various “Redneck” shows and wire wrapping, the pendant emerged from the workbench. A good hint is if you are using your mind creating jewelry, you can still watch mindless TV, but not anything deep like “Polar Bears Discuss How to Properly Prepare Seal Sushi”. 1. Wait for seal head to pop up in the hole. 2. Snatch seal from the hole and eat, no seasoning necessary.

OK, so I got off my point; deal with it. Maybe the reason that this piece of jewelry looks unlike anything I’ve done before is because of watching Redneck Duck Calls, or some such show while making it.

Since I was clearly focused on my task, Bonnie took this opportunity to vacuum, do laundry, make cookies, and in general stay clear of my area, and not interrupt my concentration. I do tend to get grumpy when interrupted at key points, and sometimes she can tell what’s key, and what isn’t.

I awoke this morning with ideas that came to me in dreams on how to finish this project. I got right on it even before coffee! The jewelry is actually finished ladies and gentlemen. I could go into a lot of details on how I pulled this one off, but it’s Christmas and the stores are open, and I have to set up for our Open House tomorrow. Remember, shop small or shop on this website (trust me, we’re small). Now enjoy, what Bonnie calls, “The glitziest pendant you’ve ever made”.

Here is my bride Bonnie, happily wearing the pendant that "matched" her new duds.

Close-up of Bonnie's Pendant. Those Swarovski Crystals really add glitz to this Party Pendant. White Victoria Stone & Amethyst Beads.

Datolite-A Borosilicate to be proud of

I always keep several hundred cabochons in my inventory, ready to be made into fabulous Snob Appeal Jewelry. After I cut my cabs I carefully place them in boxes, trays, or perhaps just lay them gently on the dining room table (this my wife is not fond of). She is misguided in thinking that the dining room table is only for dining on.

The workbench was a mess today; not to worry; I'll just put stuff on the dining room table.

Fortunately she is married to a husband who thinks outside the box and can utilize the dining room table for several things at once. The table is an ideal place for putting new and old jewelry that may be in the loop for cleaning, posting up, washing, remaking, or just to lay somewhere where it “won’t get lost”. The issue sometimes is that the jewelry can get covered by several layers of newspapers or mail; then I either forget it’s there or lose it. That being said Bonnie enjoys saying things like: “Are you missing this?’, or “If you’d put it where it belongs, you’d be able to find it.” Comments like these disrupt the serenity of my retired life.

Today I went in search of my favorite borosilicate, Datolite. What is your favorite borosilicate? I re-discovered a beautiful pastel, copper-included Datolite from the Mesnard Copper Mine in the Keweenaw Peninsula of upper Michigan. The Mesnard mine was near the Quincy Mine but it seemed that the finest Datolite colors of yellow-orange, pink, and red came from the Mesnard. The Mesnard waste piles are now owned by a gravel company and are no longer available for hunting, making Mesnard Datolite ever more rare and more coveted every year.

I love this Mesnard Datolite.

The designer shape and the coloration of this cabochon warranted a tri-tone wrap. I used gold, Argentium silver and pink gold for the wraps. The pink gold beautifully draws out the copper inclusions in the cabochon. I love the dancing sunset colors of the stone. A picture cannot do justice to the true colorations of this remarkable gemstone.

A bonus Mesnard Datolite.

The most common white Datolites are still out there, but colored Datolite is dwindling. The only place to find these fine old pieces of Mesnard are from old collections, and even these are becoming very limited. Fortunately someone who has inherited an old collection, or has an old collection and needs some ready cash sometimes approaches me. I really appreciate how hard these gems are to locate both then and now, and I am always trying to keep a good variety of Datolite jewelry available.

If you enjoy rare gemstone jewelry or have ever sought a piece of Datolite Jewelry, you should act now before there is no more of these beautiful rare hues available. Many a Mesnard has vanished in the piles on my dining room table, increasing the shortage of my favorite Borosilicate.

Petoskey Stone Twins

Same stone; Different pendants.

Today I wrapped Petoskey Stone jewelry from a pair of cabochons of the same perfect stone.

The stone on the right was wrapped in Argentium Sterling and Pink Gold. The Pink Gold wire is a new product, so it is fun to try it out with different stones. This Petoskey stone really looks good in that combination, and result in a new jewelry look. This one is available for purchase today.

The next slab produced the stone on the left. I wrapped this one in 14/20 Gold Fill and Argentium. This one looks great also. This one will be for sale in Copper World in Calumet at the end of the week. You’ll have to call them!

I expect to make more Petoskey Stone Jewelry in the near future from some of the rare pick Petoskey’s I have, so watch for it.

Enjoy this pair; more to come.

Blazing Fingers on Lake Superior

McLain State Park is noted for it’s beautiful sunsets. While waiting for the sunset I sat on the shores of Lake Superior wrapping a lovely pink Datolite that I cut last winter. How great that I can take my work to remote locations and be so inspired.

Superior Serenity Pendant

This guy is happy on the shores of Lake Superior.

There is something about Lake Superior that is so serene sometime, while other times the lake can be so dangerous. Tonight’s serenity inspired my wire wrapping and I think I’ll name this piece of jewelry “Superior Serenity”. I hope you like this one. I’ll throw this up on the website if it doesn’t sell in the next couple weeks.

Fingers ablaze as I create a Datolite pendant.

Victoria Stone and Imperial Topaz-The Retirement Pendant

Sometimes making handcrafted jewelry requires a lot of thinking before any action is taken. I’ve been thinking about how technically to create this pendant for several weeks, and for various reasons all the pieces of the puzzle did not come together until now. What I see in my mind’s eye sometimes does not easily translate into a finished piece of jewelry. On rare occasions the process of how to make a pendant has to simmer inside of my head for a while.

I could not figure an easy way to create this piece of jewelry. I am showing you one of most complicated wire-wrap jobs I’ve ever accomplished. Alert: I would recommend you not attempt this at home!

This has been in holding since June 15th. I’ve got the stones, now what should I do?

I started with an impossibly rare bottom end piece from a Victoria Stone Boule. I previously mentioned in another blog about the unusual, chatoyant, flower pattern that appears on only the bottom of the Victoria Stone boule. (http://www.snobappealjewelry.com/blog/?p=159) Among Victoria Stones, this is the most unusual of patterns. I have been saving this particular Cabochon for several years, until I figured out something to do with it that was worthy of its’ beauty.

I had one of my “jewelry dreams” one night and thought that Imperial Topaz might work with this green Victoria Stone Cabochon.

Imperial Topaz is considered by most to be the Cadillac of Topaz, and quite expensive (so is the Victoria Stone). An opportunity to buy a large faceted Imperial Topaz presented itself last year, so I jumped at it. I liked this natural 28.9 ct Imperial Topaz from Pakistan because it has a large platelet inside. The platelet produces a rainbow within the stone. Unfortunately under the photo lights I use, you cannot see the phenomenon. You’d have to see this in person to really appreciate it.

What do you think of this one? BLING! BLING!

Putting the Topaz and the Victoria Stone together was a match made in heaven, but not quite enough bling for old Don. I added two faceted Pink Topaz and a pair of lovely green Peridots. NOW there was something unbelievably nice!

Several hours of work over several days produced this amazing piece of jewelry.

I refer this piece of jewelry The Retirement Pendant because it is the pendant I have been planning ever since retiring from my day job a couple weeks ago! Bonnie wants me to give it a more fitting name when I post it on this site for sale in the next couple days. It’ll take me this long to figure out the perfect name, but if you have any suggestions I will consider them.

Enjoy this special piece.

Read more about Victoria Stone manufacture and colors at https://www.snobappealjewelry.com/blog/victoria-stone-the-new-research-and-victoria-stone-color-chart/

Pietersite-On The Workbench

Pietersite was on the workbench at the Ludington Art Show. I happened upon a great cabochon while digging through my cases at home, and decided if things were slow (they were), I would demonstrate next to the booth.

It's difficult to see the 3D pattern on Pietersite.

It is always nice to work in the fresh air.

This Pietersite came from the one vendor I deal with, (the mine-owners) in Tucson. If you want more information on Pietersite go to my blog (March 13, 2011). http://www.snobappealjewelry.com/blog/?p=1062

The finished product turned out great.

I loved the reds and browns in this piece. The Holographic depth of Pietersite can only be viewed in person, and is pretty incredible. I think it came out pretty amazing considering I was working freestyle. I may post this up on the web later today.

Let me know what you think.

Here’s a bonus; I made this remarkable Lake Superior Eye Agate also. This one will go to the Celebration of Agates Show.

eye-agate

Drusy Quartz on the Workbench

I’ve been working on Drusy Quartz Pendants for a couple weeks. The pendants in this blog will all be sold for under $100 at our shows this year, but if you like one give us a call. I just love these gems.

Drusy (Druzy) Quartz is generally grey or blue agate, from Brazil, containing natural pockets filled with microscopic sugary Quartz. This material can be left in its natural form or treated in several ways.

drusy-onwb

I am constantly amazed at the variety in Drusy.

Hot pink and white on this frilly-looking drusy are feminine and fancy.

Drusy can also be coated with a microscopic film of titanium, platinum, gold or sterling silver. This process is called vapor deposition. When a Drusy is coated with titanium, it adds a brilliant purple, cobalt or rainbow of colors. Drusies can also be dyed, or dyed and coated.

Someone will be pleased to own this Emerald colored Drusy.

The cost of Drusy jewelry varies widely depending on the quality of the Quartz and the expense of the treatment. Most Drusy Quartz originates in Brazil. Miners look for pockets of crystal containing sugar-sized quartz within agate matrix. These pieces are graded and sold off to treatment operations.

I threw a light on this great yellow drusy so you could see it shine.

This blue Drusy is SO cool!

Drusy micro-crystals can easily be damaged when used in rings. I use these Druzy Quartz cabochons exclusively in amazingly colorful and flashy pendants. I hand pick Drusy being sold by quality dealers at the Tucson Gem Shows.

I base my selections on predicted hot colors for the upcoming year. Fashion magazines are featuring bright color this year, and drusy jewelry makes a perfect complement to these fabrics. I also count on my artistic proficiency to imagine what would work with my jewelry making approach.

I am constantly amazed at the variety of Drusy Quartz.

I make pendants both in a simple style or a more elaborate style to cover all my customer’s tastes. I use both gold and silver wire, often in combination. People will comment on your jewelry when you wear these pendants. Each of my pendants is distinct and exclusive. You can be assured no one else will have a pendant like yours.

Greenstone from the Junkpile

I promised you something special on May Day, and here it is.

I have a BVD (Better View Desired) pile in my shop. Rocks that I’m just not sure of, as well as gemstones that need further time-consuming work go into that pile. Stones that are without promise go in the trash bucket, but when they don’t look real promising, I’ll give them a toss in the BVD pile. When I’m feeling patient, I pick through that pile for something to work on.

I placed several possible Greenstones in that pile a few months ago, and today I re-discovered my BVD pile under some other material. I decided to have a little fun and see what I could make out of the BVD pile.

I immediately discovered a large Greenstone that had a small patch of pattern. The rim of the Greenstone showed mostly Calcite. Experience told me that Calcite could be a good sign, or then again maybe not. Calcite often means copper in it. Some of the finest copper crystals are found embedded in Calcite.

When you have Calcite you have to be extra careful. Calcite can sometimes be fragile, and at other times it is very solid.

As I carefully proceeded into the stone, I noticed that fine Greenstone appeared just on the outer layer of the Calcite gradually appearing under the stone’s dark green crust. A beautiful unusual stone began to emerge from an ugly duckling. Greenstone is very striking on pure white Calcite, and this one has fabulous contrast. As a bonus, I noticed that the Calcite was accented with fine copper particles. I love how my close-up photo shows the copper.

Close-up detail reveals fine copper within the calcite.

This is what makes rock collecting and lapidary so satisfying–every stone has it’s own look. This one is WOW!!!

Another amazing Greenstone-I'm So lucky!

The finished Greenstone ended up being a 5.4 gram beauty, one inch tall and about 3/4 inches wide; the largest Greenstone I’ve cut in a while. I was so thrilled about this Greenstone, I wire-wrapped it right away. Gold with a bit of twisted silver was the perfect choice. The regal looking wire top is an ideal enhancement to this beautiful and scarce gemstone. The first person that saw it now owns this dream, so if you want your own greenstone, browse our pendants or cabuchons.