Snob Appeal Jewelry has made many people happy this holiday season. Santa was busy delivering gifts, made by us, throughout the Land.
Two Christmas gift pendants stood out from the crowd. The first was made for the Jewelry Makers Wife (Bonnie). The idea formed while cutting a piece of Fairburn Agate from Teepee Canyon, South Dakota. This was old stock, containing yellows and reds.
Although Bonnie has a fantastic jewelry collection, there are not many yellow gemstones in it. I cut the Teepee into a Teepee shape. I had a very fine piece of Citrine nearby and formulated an idea. This whisper of an idea all formed around May. Now that’s thinking of Christmas early!
Cutting and polishing was no problem. The problems were keeping the stones safe and secret for the better part of a year, AND remembering where they were while secreting them from Bonnie. Still, there was one more component the pendant needed. I developed a ploy to enhance the proposed pendant with facetted Gemstones, and initially made this piece while she was gone to a Garden Club Meeting.
The “Gem Strip” as I called it contained an Imperial Topaz, flanked by a pair of Peridot’. I put all three components in a little zip-lock envelope and hid them in the RV, in a sock drawer. I knew I’d re-find them. I did pretty much forget them until we Snowbirded to Florida, and I looked for socks.
I was inundated with custom orders before Christmas and finished them all up a couple weeks before Christmas. it took another week, off and on. to finish the pendant. The finished pendant was one of my best, fitting for a Jewelry Makers’ Wife. She was very happy when I gave it to her on Christmas Eve.
The second Pendant I Custom made for one of best buddies’ wife. Andy sometimes helps me with minor RV repair issues. He installed a Wi-Fi extender unit and said “I don’t want money. I need you to make something for Whitney” (his bride). “She loves Turtles, and Greenstones”. Almost instantaneously an idea formed.
I cut a turtle-shaped piece of Petoskey Stone for the body. I always have a good supply of Isle Royale Greenstones and I picked out four matching legs, a tail shaped Greenstone, and I saw I had another Greenstone shaped like a Snapping Turtle’s head; PERFECT!
The challenge was attaching the appendages to the turtle so they would not get knocked off while wearing the pendant. This was solved by cutting a thin Jade backer. Jade has the ability to be cut almost paper thin, yet still maintain strength. My diamond bandsaw made quick work of this.
The pendant glued together perfectly and a Prong setting also increased the integrity of the Pendant. The bail was hidden behind the head of the turtle, and I “Collared” the turtle’s neck. Now he’s “Whitney’s Pet”.
Whitney is delighted. This was really an amazing and fun piece for me to make.