There is no rhyme or reason as to why I choose certain stones to cut and wire wrap. The recent selections were chosen simply because I was captivated by them. They were all somewhat unusual, but all spoke to me.
Gorgeous Black and White Dinosaur Bone, that I found deep in a bucket of random rocks.
My wife was in my shop last week, and discovered several slabs of various stones that she liked. I incorporated several of these in my recent creations. Bonnie will often put Gemstones in a dish and put a note in that dish that will say “Bonnie likes these”.
Natural Spiderweb Kingman Turquoise. When you cut Turquoise and do not smell the odor of any stabilizer, it’s a good thing.This was the most appealing Turkish Agate I’ve ever cut.Eyed Prehnite from the Keweenaw. It’s no wonder that Prehnite, like this, fooled many people into thinking that it was Thomsonite. In fact it is still referred to locally as “UP Thomsonite”.I was struck by the unusual mustard coloration of this piece of Dinosaur Bone. And ketchup too!I describe this Lake Superior Agate as a Candy Striped Banded Floater. It’s way more cool in person–it has a lot going on!Laker Superior Agates are really a surprise sometimes. This one is like a mixed-up soup containing many ingredients.An absolutely gorgeous Kentucky Agate sporting classic colors for the species. Usually a color dominates; this is especially nice with almost equal areas of yellow, red and black.
This has been a busy spring in my shop. I really haven’t had much time to take pictures, write blogs, or the normal things I do upon returning from suffering the winter in Florida. I suffered a mild heart attack in Florida, but I’m gearing up more every day.
None of these pendants have been put on our websites or in our show inventory. If you are interested any of the pendants in this blog, let us know.
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.
Floral Fireworks
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.
Winter has been very productive at Snob Appeal Jewelry. Many beautiful stones that have been patiently waiting for their turn to become wire-wrapped pendants called out to me, and have finally turned up on the workbench.
I’m like a dog that sees a squirrel; I pick out a stone that grabs me, then I might decide not to chase it, and grab something else. All my stones beg, plea, and whine; they tease me, and all of them want to be elevated to the pendant level. The ones that whine the loudest are the “Chosen”. The pendants in this blog were all whiners; can you hear them. Let me know which ones are whining loudest for you.
There will be no rhyme or reason for the pictures in this blog, except they are all new. Many Michigan gemstones are mixed in with assorted worldwide stones. Most have not been listed for sale on the website. Contact us it you have an inquiry. Many will go to our show inventory or are scheduled for shipment to a retail outlet.
I have also been playing around with new ways to wrap gemstones, but still keeping with my policy of never distracting from a fine gemstone by using a lot of fancy doodah and froohaw, what I call it when people run wires all over the place. I do classical wire wrapping that enhances the stones. I spend too much time cutting rare and unusual stones to cover them up with a bunch of wire. Most customers appreciate my clean, neat, style.
So, without further rants, here is some of my recent favorites (AKA the sucessful whiners).
Sometimes it pays to look through old buckets. I recall digging this Chrysocolla with Copper from the Old mine dump at the Bumbletown Mine, maybe 15 years ago. Digging is not as good as it once was, but there are still a few pockets of nice Chrysocolla in the Keweenaw, The brown matrix gives this away as Bumbletown material.
Shattukite set. These from Bisbee, Arizona.
If a Lake Superior Agate Island appears in a Laker, it’s refer to as a “Floater”. Here’s a fine Floater I cut and wrapped.
A happy Trilobite couple..I really enjoy the challenge of wrapping these odd shapes. Elrathia Kingii from Utah. Most trilobites you see are missing their cheeks; these beauties are perfect specimens.
Drusy are natural Quartz Pockets that are treated in different ways. The customers like ’em so I make ’em!
Rainbow Obsidian Starfish has been sitting for a few years. It needed to be done.
A carved Ametrine, about nickel size turned out pretty nice.
Thomsonite; one of my favorites.
A composite Turquoise with Copper inclusions.
A very special piece of Gembone. Red is one of the most popular colors. Each cell is an individual agate. Dinosaur Bone; I love it!
An atypical Greenstone with Greenstone beads on top. I just wanted to be whimsical.
Some people call Owyhee Picture Jasper the king of Picture Jasper. A really good piece (like this one), is so realistic. Found a slab in my shop; Where did this come from? Doesn’t matter if I smiled. From the Owthee Mountains on the Idaho/Oregon border.
Thomsonite form Superior’s North Shore. Big perfect pieces like this are very scarce.
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
A nice group of Raptors. Triebold Paleontology always Impresses.
Another Triebold Specimen: This one a Thescelosaurus Neglectus (65 million years ago)
We were really excited today to get on with our buying and exploring at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Shows. There are some 41 official shows and several bandit shows scattered all over Tucson. They open and close at various times. You need a show guide (a large catalog) that lists the locations of shows, dealers, and dates for shows. Some shows require dealer ID, while others are Wholesale/Retail.
Buckets of Turquoise at J.O.G.S.
Turquoise Bead picking.
The J.O.G.S. Show opened at the Tucson Expo Center and we were near the front of the line. We were not really looking for anything in particular, so we Freestyled, looking for things we did not know we needed. Bonnie looked at, and purchased some beads. We look for quality and bargains, but were conservative in our purchases. The crowds were not large, but people were spending some money. I would call the J.O.G.S. show “busy”.
I saw buckets of Turquoise in the usual spot, some nice cabochons and much gem material. Perhaps pictures were frowned upon, but I ask several dealers, and they said I could take a picture. One dealer that we deal with every year again had great stuff. I purchased a Moss Agate cabochon and a wonderful slab of Maw Sit Sit.
Maw Sit Sit from Burma (Now Myanmar)
Maw Sit Sit is a cousin of Jade, but not really Jade. It is considered a rock and not a mineral. You can look it up on line. A very interesting stone indeed. Good stuff is also quite valuable. I looked over on the counter and saw three pieces of Elbite Tourmaline. Are you kidding three pieces of fairly good Tourmaline for a give-away price? This must be a mistake. It was not. The largest piece was 2 1/2″ X 1 1/4″. The buy of the day.
Blake Brothers' Guard...Don't mess with the silver dude!
I saw a very intimidating guard at the Blake Brother’s booth.
A scary skull available for purchase. Bumblebee is not jasper. It is a sulfur rich volcanic Tuft from Indonesia. It can be made into some very colorful Bumblebee jewelry.
We proceeded on to the 22nd Street Show. Last year we were promised an additional tent and a paved lot, but that did not happen. Half the show was fossils and dinosaurs, and the other half random gems, jewelry, cabs, and carvings. If your kids are into dinosaurs, do take them here!
Amanda Adkins has to be the "hottest" Miner around.
The entire cast of the Weather Channel Show “The Prospectors” was there. I asked Amanda Adkins for a picture. She graciously agreed. She is very tough on the show, but very nice in person. It doesn’t hurt the eyes to see her either. I enjoy the show and everyone was taking turns in the booth and selling their wares from Colorado.
A great Dendritic Agate I could not resist.
Tourmaline bargain. Nice buy Don.
Smilodon Skull and Petrified Wood.
Check in tomorrow for more adventures from the Tucson rock shows.
For St. Patricks, my gift to you is some of my favorite green pendants from past to present.Many of these I am very proud of as some of my best work. Join me as I look at favorite green gemstone jewelry.
Easy picking of Turquoise at the Tucson Gem Shows.
Catseye Jade is set off by Sunstone and Faceted Topaz
Jade is one of the automatic gemstones that you think of as being green.I found a rare Catseye Jade from Russia a couple years back and teamed it with Moonstone to create a striking multi-phenominal pendant.
Meta Jade.
Malachite makes an amazing designer pendant.
Malachite is another green gemstone with striking patterns.
Turquoise and its relative Variscite are a couple other great green stones that cover many shades on the color wheel.
Azurite/Malachite enhanced with London Blue Topaz, Apatite, Tourmaline.
Apple green Chrysoprase.
Chrysoprase is the most valuable Quartz and is famous for its luscious apple green coloration.
Something that resembles Jade is Meta-Jade, the rare pre-runner to Victoria Stone.You really cannot tell it from Imperial Jade.
Green Victoria Stone, Peridot, Pink Topaz, and Morganite
Greenstone/Thomsonite
Dark green Victoria Stone is one of the most sought after colors from this long gone gemstone.
My favorite green stone is Michigan’s State Gem, the Isle Royal Greenstone. As you can see, you don’t have to be Irish to love green stones or greenstone jewelry.
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.
