Tag Archives: Wire-wrapped Pendants

New Wire-Wrapped Pendants

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!

Greenstone pendant with greenstone beads

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.

Perfect Morenci Turquoise.

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!

Custom Rock Cutting, Lapidary, and Wire Jewelry, Created Just for You!

Custom druzy wire jewelry to match the brides wedding colors.

For a unique touch, the bride created her own bouquet out of comic books. The pendant matched the dress and bouquet perfectly.

Special occasions call for special jewelry. If you are looking for custom special occasion stone jewelry, cut and wire wrapped just for you, please consider our custom lapidary services. We have created jewelry for Renaissance (and other) Weddings, special gifts, and lots of personal mementos. The services we frequently provide at Snob Appeal Jewelry include:

Special Occasion Custom Lapidary

If you find a nice Petoskey Stone, I can polish it so you don’t have to lick it to show off the pattern!

These freeform Thomsonite cabochons are highly desirable.

These beautiful examples of Copper Country cabochons are cut and polished for use in jewelry.

Perhaps you have a favorite rock or slab that you have finally decided to have worked on. I can cut and/or slab most any rock up to twelve inches. Prices can vary for this service depending on size, number of rocks or slabs. People often bring me rocks they have found, or rocks with sentimental value. Since each rock is different, after studying it, I look for attributes to highlight, and point out flaws that I may be able to repair or work around. I am honest with my customers. My trips to the Upper Peninsula involve new and repeat customers bringing their finds to me. Many repeat customers stop to get my opinion on their Lake Superior Agates, Datolites, Greenstones, and uncounted other finds. Some want a Cabochon cut and wire wrapped, while others might just bring in a Petoskey Stone for me to polish. Whenever I do custom lapidary on any customer owned rock, I treat it as my own, not shortcutting my procedures in any way. My best advertising is word of mouth, and I do not want my integrity and honesty besmirched. I hope you’ll tell your friends about your new favorite!

2. Custom Wire Wrapping

A wire-wrapped dragonfly was a whimsical pendant for a dragonfly-loving customer.

Old stock Mexican crazy lace agate with opal turned into one of my favorite wire wrapped pieces I ever made.

A big, bold double-hinged copper nugget pendant created from a customer’s stone collection, including copper and greenstone.

A beautiful candy-striped Lake Superior Agate elegantly but simply wire wrapped, not distracting from the perfect agate.

I love it when someone wants me to make a pendant from their stone. I try to get some feel as to their style and choice of precious metal wire. I make pendants from Argentium Sterling (Tarnish resistant Sterling Silver), 14/20 Gold, both pink Gold and Gold Gold). Many customers like a mix of colors that allow different chains to match a pendant. This two or three-tone approach allows someone to purchase a gift pendant for someone they are not sure of the metal they wear. Sometimes a stone just yells for accents of a silver or pink metal, so we can discuss the choices.

A custom wire wrapped cubic zirconia faceted by a talented customer is my more recent custom piece. How’s that for bling?

As you can see from photos, my wire wrapping style is classical. I do nothing that takes away from the star of any pendant, THE STONE. With some wire artists, you will see a lot of wires running all over the place. I appreciate that some may like this “Wire Sculpture” style, but that’s not how I do it. My wrapping is very precise both in design and construction. Some multi-stone pendants are a combination of engineering and design in unison.

Prices of pendants are dependent of the amount of wire (size and thickness of the stone), how complicated the wire wrapping is, and the time it takes. To evaluate your special occasion custom lapidary, I really need to see the stone and discuss what you want done in order to give a price. I do not “cheap” on wire; In general the more wire, the better the jewelry looks.

Elegant stone wire-wrapped jewelry is my specialty. To make your custom lapidary special, the addition of gemstones or sparkly cubic zirconias might make your piece just right. Occasionally a stone calls for a playful look.

Send me a picture or give me a call and let’s see what we can do with your favorite rock or stone! Custom lapidary and custom wire wrapping are our top services! The bottom line is we love and understand rocks and can make great special occasion custom lapidary for you. Try us!

Check out our Testimonials page to see what others have said about our work.

Jewelry Gifts are for Year Round Giving

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

Royston District Turquoise, Nevada

Variety in Rhodochrosite Jewelry

Colors vary in many Rhodochrosite pieces.

I make Rhodochrosite jewelry from many lovely varieties of the stone. This week I finished a special piece which I’ll share with you, but lets look at some other pieces first!

Rhodochrosite is not the best known gemstone in the world, but it is very beautiful. Few gems can match the gorgeous variety of pink colorations in Rhodocrosite. The light pink Rhodochrosite yields fascinating beads and carvings of animals, or other shapes. The more gem-like bright pinks are the ones I try to use for jewelry. More transparency in the Rhodochrosite, the more valuable it becomes.

Rhodochrosite gets its’ name from two Greek words “Rhodon” meaning rose, and Chroma meaning color. I have seen this Manganese Carbonate in colors ranging from Brown to almost Red. Sometimes Calcium, or other minerals or metals often substitutes for Manganese and cause banding of various shades in Rhodochrosite.

Beautiful Rhodochrosite is seen at the Tucson Shows every year.

The majority of Rhodochrosite comes from Argentina, but it is found in various localities around the world, even in Michigan. The finest Rhodochrosite ever found was located at the Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado, where a few pockets produced several million dollars worth of fantastical cubic, transparent, Rhodochrosite. The Alma King and The Alma Rose are the top two speciments in the world.

Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Colorado

Sweet Home: Most specimens from the Sweet Home have names. Anyone knowing the names of these specimens, please let me know.

The Sweet Home Mine originally was a silver mine where the Rhodochrosite was a related mineral. Years after the silver played out, the mine was re-opened as Rhodochrosite became popular as a gemstone. The history of the search and ultimately the discovery of Crystal Rhodochrosite in the Sweet Home is enthralling.

Brown Rhodochrosite

It used to be that the second-class brown Rhodochrosite in Argentina was discarded, but within the past 10 years these old spoil piles have been revisited. “Brown Rhodochrosite”, as it is known, has become quite popular for jewelry. It is commonly a mix between the normal banded pink, and banded brown, often with pockets and holes. I love the brown Rhodocrosite, as do others based on the rapid rise of the price of the rough. If you want a Rhodocrosite with character, brown Rhodocrosite is the ticket.

The Great Ape

Nice Color!

JAPANESE BOYTRYOIDAL RHODOCHROSITE

I was wandering one of the big wholesale shows a few years back and found a Japanese vendor that had some old Rhodo from the Oppu Mine in Japan. This locality near Naka- Tsugaru-gun, Aomori Prefecture, Tohoku Region, Honshu Island produced Botryoidal (bubbly looking) Rhodochrosite as well as deep pink crystalline Rhodochrosite, suitable for faceting. I had heard of this material and never seen it is person. Some Japanese Rhodochrosite seems to be a gemmy cross between Amethyst and Rhodochrosite (I would call it a dark Raspberry). The Japanese vendor said he has a stash and releases a few pieces every year. People walked right by this ultra-rare Rhodo all day with very few even looking at it. He was a gemstone dealer and he specialized in this Japanese Rhodocrosite jewelry.

Rhodochrosite with Inclusions.

An amazing botryoidal Rhodochrosite (Probable Japanese), I found in a random bucket of rocks I bought in an estate sale. I searched the entire bunch of rocks from that estate and never found any more of this.

Same Rhodochrosite with a light shining through. Amazing, isn’t it?

Concentric bands form bullseyes in some stalactites of Rhodochrosite, but Rhodochrosite also comes in wonderful transparent massive forms of rich pink. Although not Sweet Home transparent, the bright rose color of this material is amazing. Some of this massive Rhodo is not banded but seems to be a compacted Rhodochrosite crystals.

INCLUSIONS IN RHODOCHROSITE

At the major shows in Tucson we may also see Rhodocrosite with Manganese (tree-like inclusions), as well as Silver inclusions. I usually buy a few of these if I find nice pieces. This Rhodochrosite fits well with our credo of providing unusual and rare gemstones in our jewelry. I could say much more about Rhodochrosite, but I’m not writing a textbook here.

My latest Gem Rhodochrosite set.

I will mention also that my metaphysical friends love Rhodochrosite for its’ love and healing abilities. I don’t know much about metaphysically powers, but who doesn’t need some love and healing at times?

Please visit our Rhodochrosite Jewelry page to see our currently available pieces.

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

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 .

Morrisonite Jasper Jewelry

Treasures from the Tucson Gem Shows

Oregon’s Morrisonite Jasper has been called the “King of Jaspers” because of it’s range of colors and patterns. The deposit is located near the Owyhee River; the small town of Watson is nearby..

Many times the Gem Shop will have lovely Morrisonite. The Gem Shop sells both rough and cabochons to lapidary artists. I found one amazing piece that caught my eye at his location. I looked at it 3 times before I decided that I really wanted to make jewelry of it. Yes on occasion I do buy cabochons if they are worthy! Eugene (Gene) Mueller, of the Gem Shop, occasionally mines this material.

What struck me was the simply amazing patterns in this special piece. It seemed other worldly and sort of fit my personality. The difficult part, with this piece, was figuring out what should be the top and bottom. what it boiled down to was the mountain (volcano) in near the center top, that appeared to be spewing lava that runds down the landscape. Forget the cost; I just had to have this piece. Visit our Jasper Jewelry page to see what is currently available.

Rear

Yellow Datolite from the Delaware Mine (and Other Places)

Classic Delaware Yellow. The color is corrected in this picture to reflect the true color.

What I bought in Tucson-Part 3

Sometimes I find unusual things in odd places. Bonnie was perusing my friend Gary Wilson’s booth at one of the major Tucson Shows, when she spotted three slices of Yellow Datolite. All were from the same piece of Datolite. Yellow is one of the most sought after colors in Datolite.

Most Keweenaw Datolite sports a wide range of coloration caused from small copper inclusions ranging from orange to red to pink. White is the most common color and was found in all the Keweenaw mines. Yellow Datolite is rarer, getting it’s color from manganese, which is not as abundant as copper. The finest bright yellow is found around the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the northernmost land in Michigan. Fine yellow Datolite has been found at the Quincy, Franklin, and Mesnard mines. Often these three mines had mixtures of colors that looked like they were stirred together, and not quite mixed enough. These three mines as well as the Centennial (blue) are historically the gourmet Datolite collectors Favorites.

Yellows are also found in other mines including the Delaware and Connecticut. Often, Datolite colors can be fairly specific to one mine, and yellow shades are ones you can often determine the source from the hue of the stone, but we Datolite collectors can sometimes be fooled by yellows.

The Delaware Datolite cut into three pieces. I have a couple more to wrap.

The king of yellow Datolite; The ultra rare Kewenaw Point.

The Quincy Mine produced a wonderful caramel yeollow. This little beauty I made for this blog.

The Delaware mine tailings pile has all been hauled away and that historic site for hunting Datolite is now extinct. Enjoy these Datolites while they are still available.