Category Archives: Wire wrapped jewelry

Wear Stone Jewelry Sets!

Our very first regular customer always wanted me to make wire-wrapped earrings to go with her pendants. She was a good friend, so of course I had to do stone jewelry sets for her, but I hate making earrings. You might not know it, but a small stone is MUCH harder to wire wrap than a larger stone, so the very nature of earrings is troublesome right from the beginning, and I avoid it unless someone pesters me into making stone jewelry sets for them. But I am a married man, and do have someone to tell me what to make, and sometimes I even listen.

You may have noticed the many recently added products at www.snobappealjewelry.com, and Bonnie has pestered me into offering you matched wire-wrapped pendant and earring sets, and she added a new category in our Pendant section entitled Stone Jewelry Sets so you can see them all in one spot instead of scattered under different stone names.

To make a matching stone jewelry set you have to start with a big enough stone that has good pattern to it, so lots of stone are unsuitable. Part of the fun in the lapidary shop is trying to see what you can get out of a piece of rock.

We’ve had many customers ask about Pendant and Earring sets, we decided to give you an easier way to locate them. So check out our new button. Which set do you like best?

Petoskey Stone Pendant Sale!

A Petoskey Stone Pendant sale just in time for Christmas!

Our art shows are over for the year so we are working on the web site, adding more pictures and descriptions of the Petoskey Stone pendants. We decided to offer some Petoskey Stone pendants for sale. If you are quick and alert, you can snag a great gift for Christmas. Check out our Sale Page for the currently available items. We included some of the Pink Petoskey stones as well. Look for nice patterns and unusual ones.

Here is a tip for the savviest shopper. There may be some sale pendants showing there that are not on the sale page. The resident data enterer, my wife Bonnie, sometimes forgets to check the two boxes that would make them appear both on Sale and on the Sale page. So to compensate for this, be sure to check out both the Petoskey Stone Pendant page and the Pink Petoskey Stone page for the best selection. If you missed my article about Pink Pets you should read all about them.

Order now for best selection! Go to our Sale Page now!

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!

Blue Stone Jewelry to Die For!

A stunning example of blue stone jewelry, a Lightning Ridge opal

Gorgeous Lightning Ridge Opal

Singing the Blues might mean you have a sad tale to tell, but what about wearing the blues? Let the Blues, blue stone jewelry that is, cheer you! You will not find anything sad about this happy color.

From ancient time people have been charmed to find dark blue Lapis, or sea-colored turquoise, and have loved owning it and wearing it. Like Cleopatra or native queens, lucky women wore beautifully colored stone. A precious blue stone from another location was money in the bank for ancient traders.

Blue Stone Jewelry includes An opal pendant

Blue Angel Opal Pendant is a sparkling Boulder Opal with Mercury Mist Topaz. Will you look great wearing it?

Larimar; notice the copper in one of the cabs?

Ocean Shadows Larimar Pendant looks like the ocean waves washing up on the sandy beach. Who wants to call it Pectolite?

Two of the finest Larimar cabs I ever owned.

Here in northwestern lower Michigan beachcombers seek Leland Blue for their blue stone jewelry. A left-over product of industry from a bygone era, various colors of the blue slag glass are loved for the color they add to a beach stone hunt. Often smoky blue, it can vary in purity of color and depth of color, each appreciated by different folks. Other areas of the world also have colored glass, we saw some from Sweden at our last Tucson gem show.

Bonnie’s Centennial Blue Datolite with Copper Lightning running down the gemstone.

Another special Michigan blue stone comes from the Copper Country in the Upper Peninsula, the Centennial Blue Datolite. Currently we have the Centennial Charmer and Icy Blue pendants available.

Blue Lace Agate is a favorite blue stone for jewelry. Formed in volcanic south African areas, Blue Lace agate is characterized by close linear stripes of tones of pale blue or white. Sometimes natural druzy pockets make lovely variations, older stock can be deep blue.

The blue with white shadows of Larimar jewelry reminds me of a pristine lake where you are looking at the sunny reflections of sun on the lake. Larimar comes from the Caribbean area and it seems right that it should look so waterlike.

Beautiful Sleeping Beauty Turquoise

Turquoise is probably the most popular blue stone ever found. We have a very pure Intensive Flair Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Pendant. Other stones from Royston or Kingman have matrix incorporated in the stone color, making more interest for many stone collectors.

Dark Blue Lapis Pendant in gold fill

Another famous blue stone is Lapis. Found in mountains on the Afghanistan and Pakistan border, the political and geographic situations make it a challenging stone to get. We have several faceted dark blue pieces as well as a denim lapis heart. Pyrite is often found in Lapis stone. A stone of the ancient pharaohs, it decorated the tomb of King Tut.

Our Blue Opal Angel Pendant is an Australian opal.

Morenci Flowers Azurite/Malachite Pendant with gemstones

Close-up Azurite/MalachiteAzurite is a lovely blue stone but is not as well known. Our favorite pieces often combine with malachite and originate from our own southwest copper mines, Morenci and Bisbee being the most famous. Lasting Romance Azurite-Malachite Pendant is dressed up with some other precious gems to make a beautiful piece. Morenci Flowers Azurite Malachite Pendant is a smaller stone with various shades of blue and is also enhanced by precious gems.

And if that isn’t enough choices for you, how about the Victoria Stone which has some dressy and vibrant blues. The most popular is the bright blue like the Hues of Blue Victoria Stone Pendant, but you might also like the Indigo Bling Victoria Stone Pendant dressed up with London Blue Topaz.

Indigo Blue Victoria Stone with London Blue Topaz

Our gemstone pendant inventory goes far beyond what you see on the web. If you desire Lightning Ridge Blue opal, Kyanite, Sodalite, Dumortierite, Hemimorphite or Holly Blue Chalcedony, there’s a good chance that we can make a custom blue stone jewelry piece just for you. It might sound expensive, but it really depends on your stone choice. Go ahead, ask us!

After all that beauty, you must be over the Blues! Which blue stone jewelry is your favorite? Order today before it is gone!

Datolite Jewelry from Keweenaw Datolite

Caledonia Gem Red

We offer a wide selection of gemstone jewelry from Great Lakes stones, but a favorite gem of ours may be one you have never heard of. We are pleased to offer a great selection of Datolite Pendants, because it is so unique, colorful, coppery, and generally surprising. Datolite is not one of those “pretty sounding” jewelry names like Larimar or Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, but it is indeed very beautiful and exceedingly rare, particularly in bright, pastel colors that some of the mines were famous for. Datolite is a Michigan gemstone that should be better known.

Franklin

Mesnard

Quincy

Clark Mine

The old Copper Mines of Michigan’s historic Copper Country have produced colorful Datolite of which there is no comparison. We are fortunate to have hunted Datolite, and bought old collections over the last 30 years, always looking for great colors. Finding coveted, colorful Datolite today is rare because of several factors.

Caledonia

Closeup showing massive copper content. This Datolite virtually shines in the sun from the copper content.

HUNTING DATOLITE TODAY

Over the past 5 years many of the old copper spoil piles have sadly been crushed and used as road fill, both under paved roads and to stabilize forest roads for logging operations. Most of the few old mine dump piles left are privately owed and unfortunately, but understandably, in this lawsuit-happy world, the owners are hesitant to permit rock picking on their piles. Unstable rock piles can be quite hazardous and we hear of injuries every year caused by many factors. Frivolous lawsuits can totally dissuade what used to be rockhound-friendly mine owners from allowing anyone on their piles.

Copper, Calcite, and Datolite from the Central Mine.

Deleware

Gorgeous Mesnard

I have always felt that if I am collecting rocks it’s my owe damn fault if I injure myself. i always have my mind trained to automatically think “If i do this, then this might happen”, especially while climbing around on, or moving rocks. Money hungry specimen miners have even tunneled into rock spoil piles in the winter for valuable, colorful Datolite in years past.

MINERAL INFORMATION

Like most of the minerals and metals in the Keweenaw Copper Country, Datolite was formed in the amygdaloidal basalt through hydrothermal precipitation. It is associated with prehnite, epidote, native copper, calcite and a variety of zeolites. You could also say it is associated with chlorastrolite as it may be included in the greenstone, as can zeolites.

The Mohs hardness of Datolite is stated to be 5.5, but from my cutting experience, the hardness can vary even within a nodule or Datolite piece. Other minerals mixed in with Datolite can also be of different hardnesses, which makes cutting and polishing a copper-included Datolite quite challenging. A Datolite from the Keweenaw Peninsula can either form in seams or as nodules with a texture of cauliflower, with no hint of what is within. The most Datolites are white and have been found in all the Datolite collecting areas. Savvy Datolite hunters look for Nodules that have a light colored, cauliflower-looking skin and often porcelain-looking shards of white on the piles. Often what is found may indeed be some old dinnerware, but other times it is Datolite. Datolite is a Calciumborosilicate and it’s not unusual that it may resemble glass or porcelain. Some high temperature, high strength glass, such as Pyrex, is a BoroSillicate. One of the most glass-like, solid Datolite, from my experience, was found at the Isle Royale Mine #7 near the now Walmart location in Houghton. The Datolite from the Isle Royale Mine #7 has been made into very stable beads in the past, harder and higher in Silica than most other area mines. It is normally a translucent very pale white-green, but very nice blue Datolite has been found at the Isle Royale.

Quincy

Isle Royale Mine pendant and beads.

Isle Royale Mine Blue

DATOLITE COLORS

Experienced Datolite hunters are able to make educated guesses as to what mine a Datolite came from, based on color and crust. Keweenaw Datolite has long been treasured for jewelry and offers a broad spectrum of the rainbow. The Canary yellow from Keweenaw Point, the blue/greens from Centennial, and apple reds from various mines, and bright orange/yellows from the Quincy/Franklin/Mesnard mines are some of the most coveted. A great source of pictures to identify Datolite colors from different mines is Jeff Anderson’s Dwarves Treasures page. His favorite mineral is Datolite and he has sample Datolites from many locations.

My metaphysical friends tell me that Datolite can sharpen all mental abilities. I’m afraid that even though I have worked with Datolite for many years I still forget things. I tell people I’m in my “Wonder Years”; just today I wondered what day it was, where my TV tuner was, where my car was parked, and where Bonnie (wife) went to.

Even though I’ve owed this spectacular 38 Gram piece of luscious canary yellow Keweenaw Point Datolite for some time, you’ve never seen it. I have not decided what I’m going to do with it yet. High Grade Yellow Point Datolite is the most rare of Keweenaw Datolites, therefore the most valuable Datolite there is. I did not enhance this Datolite; This is exactly what it looks like.

The prices of Datolite Jewelry can vary widely based on scarcity, color, size, and quality. Remember that because of the vanishing mine dump piles, Datolite hunting is now very limited. Many prime locations of the past are long gone, buried, flooded, or ground up. These factors combine to make Datolite jewelry pieces great heirloom treasures which can be passed down through your family with their story. Many times someone will be seeking a Datolite from a certain mine because a relative had worked there many years ago. Quincy or Delaware Datolites are popular because people want to remember their tour of those mines.

Datolite pendants are very popular at Copper World, our retail outlet in Calumet. You may be able to purchase a rough Datolite there also.

Really good Datolite (jewelry) is a great investment, and like Western Turquoise, many the sources are no longer available. Any jewelry from Michigan’s Copper District is a good investment with a historic backstory, but for color and variety you can’t beat Datolite Jewelry.

Greenstone Jewelry, Where’d you get that big one?

Compared to a normal sized Greenstone, this one is a giant!. I can hear that little one screaming “I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy”.

Unfortunately, one of my long time friends in the Keweenaw developed some medical issues and can no longer cut rocks. On a recent trip up north, I was able to purchase some Greenstones that he will no longer be able to process into gemstones. A few were sizable.

Greenstones fill vugs in the Amygdaloidal (bubbly) basalt. These bubbles were created as gasses tried to escape from the lava as it cooled. In the Keweenaw the little bubble voids (Vugs), eventually filled with Silica (that produced Agates) or other minerals like Datolite, Thomsonite, or Greenstone. Copper and Silver also filled open areas in the basalt. Most all minerals and metals percolated up as super-heated, mineral and metal rich steams. That’s the very simple explanation of the Keweenaw lava. These lava flows were some of the most massive eruptions ever on earth. Most of the lavas in the Keweenaw simply bubbled up from giant rifts in the earth.

OK, I got off track here; so I see these Greenstone nodules in my mine rock and use small extraction tools to “pop” these out (where did that one fly off to?).

I always get excited when I work a really big Greenstone nodule. I’ve also learned not to get my hopes up too high; a lot of these big potentials turn out to be hollow or have a poor pattern.

Hidden under this pendant is a Quarter. Not the largest I’ve ever cut, but not a slouch by any means.

The back was fairly dead.

I usually grind the Chlorite husk off and see what’s inside. This particular stone had potentially nice pattern on one side, but was dead (no pattern), on the other. More than an hour later a really fine, big, Greenstone was finished. It’s now jewelry.

I wrapped that 9 gram Greenstone unisex style so anyone can wear it. At about 1″ across in all directions, it’s a fine piece. There is actually a Quarter under it, to give you an idea. I’ve cut many bigger ones, but these big ones are getting very scarce now days, as the old spoil piles are being crushed and hauled off for road fill.

I’ve been very busy cutting Greenstones lately, and sometimes I get a bit of a surprise. I thought you might appreciate a few oddballs and a couple very nice Greenstone.

A great Greenstone all the way around.

“Holy Greenstone Batman, it’s a Ninja Turtle”. Zeolite lining in depression.

Awesome! Greenstone in Patricianite.

Greenstone in Calcite

The reverse is all Calcite

There’s something unusual about the reverse.

The back side is Quartz. You can see the Chlorastrolite through the Quartz.

Nothing special, just a nice little Greenstone.

These other beauties are on the “to wrap” list or will be sold for other’s to work with. These are all from different locales and different hunts. Be sure to visit our Greenstone Pendants page and our Greenstone cabochon page to see current offerings.

It’s always a thrill when a plan comes together; and it did with this stone.

Multi-Stone Lake Superior Agate Pendants

In my quest to have jewelry that no one else has, I’ve created a line of multi-stone Pendants. My first ones were scarfed right up by discriminating buyers that wanted something no one else has.

These pendants are all comprised of two or three individual parts tied together by hinges or eyes so they can all move individually. This is such a complicated procedure, it may take up to ten hours to make a pendant (I suppose if it were easy, everyone would do it). I use a multitude of precious metal wires: 14/20 rolled gold gold, Pink Gold, and Argentium Sterling, often in multi-colors.

In this blog, I’ve taken a few Triple Threat Lakers and broke them down to show you why I like the varieties of Lakers. Although the Dinosaur Bone pendant pictured is nice, all three pieces are cut from the same stone, whereas in the Lakers I wanted to mix varieties.

This transparent Gembone gave me the idea for my Triple Threat Laker Pendants.

Movement is important to me in these multi-Stone Triples.

In the past I have created some multi-stone pendants, but the Lake Superior Agate ones I recently finished, are in a class of their own. I mixed metals as well as different types of Lake Superior Agates for each one. Even though many feet of precious metal wire is used, it is used in my usual classical style; neat, precise, and elegant, yet not used in a way that takes way from the inherent beauty of the Lakers

This made the perfect Mother’s Day Gift for a great mother (and wife).

Great “Shadow” effect in this one; very deep.

A beauty; Mauve, banded, perfect!

Red and White Paint Agate.

Unusual Tube Agate

Gorgeous Candy Striped pastel Fortification

Paint Agate with Water Level (Gravitationally Banded)

The Lake Superior Agate is the Minnesota State Gem. Incorporating some of the different varieties of agate colors and patterns, (paint, tube, candy striper, fortification) you see here why this is such a prized stone throughout the Great Lakes region.

As you can see, the construction process began with finding wonderful agates and winnowing them down to three special pieces that go well together. Skillful cabochon cutting and careful jewelry design are the next steps. The spacing and careful blending of shapes requires patient and masterful wire wrapping. Creative work requires time to think through and create each pendant. The work is so meticulous, I need many breaks, thinking through the next steps, how the pieces will connect. Lake Superior Agates are my favorites and this jewelry has become my new way to showcase them. I have also enjoyed wearing them and talking with people about these multi-stone agate pendants.

A lot going on with this Floater

A Floater with floating banding. A special featutreat the banding shows the the bands actually are red Quartz Phantoms

A classic “Painted” Laker

Lightning Ridge Opal and Jewelry

A Lightning Ridge with an unusual patter enhanced with a Mercury Mist Topaz

We found some quite spectacular Opal Doublets from Lightning Ridge Australia this year in Tucson.

Depending on the lighting, this one turns color.

The lighting makes this change color from orange to green and everything in between.

You search and search at the worlds largest Rock, Mineral, Gem, and Fossil Show and occasionally you find the right quality combined with affordability. One of the things we located was a dealer selling high quality Lightning Ridge Black Opal, AND I was the first buyer at his booth and got first choice. I carefully searched a couple virgin boxes of cabochons, picking out the best of the lot.

A classic Lightning Ridge Neon Blue. A picture does not do justice to any of these opals.

Black Opal is a loose term as most of the opals are not black. In fact many are a darker blue background, but they can come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Lightning Ridge is inland in the east/central part of Australia approximately a 10 hour drive from Brisbane. Lightning Ridge mines have been producing quality opal since the early 1900s and the area continues to produce even today.

You just can’t take a good picture of these.

A very dark opal with much flash.

I mentioned in one of my Tucson Gem Show blogs looking over and recognizing another dealer acquaintance. We had great fun. He also had a couple promo boxes he was sorting through. I noticed the material he was choosing and fed him a few pieces from my box, as he fed me some stuff from his box. We had enjoyed the “dig”.

The picture does not show all the pinfire in this dark blue LR black opal.

Each stone I picked suggested how its’ eventual pendant wrap might be created. Every stone suggests whether it should be gold, silver, or Pink gold, or maybe the gemstone might like a two-tone treatment. Black opals are so striking and colorful that they do not require much as far as wrapping them; let the stone star, not the wire.

In the past shows I’ve found some very fine triplets, but these doublets were so much better.

For those that do not know the term “Triplet” refers to a thin layer of opal sandwiched between a clear cap and a dark backer. A “Doublet’ refers to a nice thicker layer of gem opal with a backer. The better Doublets are backed with Ironstone from the same area the stones came from.

I’ve created many works of opal art with more to do in the future. Opals were our biggest sellers at the “Agate Expo” international agate show last year, nd for good reason. We have very high quality with very reasonable prices. If you like any of these, or anything we blog about, get ahold of us. Our jewelry goes to our website, our retail outlets, and some we sell at art shows. We should be able to track down anything you want or suggest similar.

A “Painted” Lake Superior Agate

Lake Superior Paint Agate

I thought a short little blog was justified for this fine little Lake Superior Paint Agate.

“Paints” are onte of the many varieties of Lake Superior Agates. The majority of Lakers are banded, called fortification agates and are fairly transparent in that you can see light through them. People will say the difference between Jasper and Agate is that you can see light through Agate, but not through Jasper.

This is not always the case as there are always exceptions to this rule. In most cases this rule is true, but sometimes we see opaque Lake Superior Agates, mostly as painted agates.

It is like someone took a wide paint brush and made swooshes (is that a word?). I guess if Nike can use it, so can I. These brushstrokes are wide and bold; in many cases in reds and oranges that make very striking Jewelry.

Here’s a paint I wrapped that I really liked. Enjoy

The Amazing Colors of Abalone

I have recently started wire wrapping a group of Abalone doublets acquired in Tucson. These shells are so very amazing, with their variety of iridescent colors. Waves of the irridescent coloration just flow across these shells.

Abalone looks like a clam, but it really is a type of snail. An abalone makes its shell in layers. The abalone grows a layer of a specific kind of protein, and then a calcium carbonate mineral called ‘Aragonite’ crystallizes on the protein layer, until it is much thicker than the protein layer, and then there’s another protein layer, and then another layer of the mineral, aragonite, The protein is like a glue that holds the aragonite mineral crystal layers together. Aragonite and Calcite are naturally occuring calcium carbonate minerals that usually form in a sea environment.

Calcite is the primary makeup of Petoskey Stones and other fossils found in the Great Lakes where we live.

The cabochons I purchased in Tucson were all the same size and shape. The challenge is doing a different wrap for each cabochon. Here’s some samples of my latest pendants. I have one posted on line, but they would all be in the same neighborhood as far as price.

You will enjoy wearing one of these shiny eye-catching beauties .