I don't think a better combination is possible with this combination of jewels.
I thought this month’s “on the workbench” should feature one of the new pieces from the talented Bonnie’s workbench. I just loved the colorations and design of this necklace. So here we go with descriptions from a very talented beader. I have asked Bonnie to tell about this set…
The Petoskey Stone is our official Michigan state stone, so it is very popular in most of our Lower Peninsula art shows. As an artist, it is a great neutral stone to work with. The colors are so flexible, you can mix it with any color you choose. Amethyst is a favorite choice of mine, but so is blue, black, or river stone (ivory color). Turquoise is such a popular stone, and in the southwest you often see turquoise and hematite paired together. These oblong turquoise beads are the beautiful robin’s egg characteristic of the famous Sleeping Beauty turquoise (Globe, AZ). Matrix-free, they have the clear bright color many people expect when they think of beautiful turquoise.
The shiny black hematite beads are faceted, similar to the smooth long turquoise bead shape. The focal bead is a nice round Petoskey Stone disc with an excellent hexagon pattern. With earrings to match, you can wear favorite stones from both Michigan (our primary state to hunt stones in) and Arizona (our favorite place to go in February for the famous Rock & Mineral shows).
This piece of jewelry is also featured in the November/December 2011 issue of Michigan Country Lines magazine in an article about Snob Appeal Jewelry and our dedication to jewelry made from Michigan gemstones.