Again I am using different materials to provide a contrast in textures and styles.
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This specific design incorporates the use of manmade and natural materials. This necklace set uses glass infused with copper strands, similar to natural Rutilated Quart, as the large highlight pieces and bronze and white cultured freshwater pearls to complete the piece. A gold plated toggel clasp is used with matching matching gold French Hook earrings.
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Freshwater Pearls, abreviated FWP, are a kind of pearl that comes from freshwater mussels. They have been produced prodominently in Japan and the United States on a limited scale, but are now almost exclusive to China. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission requires that all freshwater pearls be referred to as "freshwater cultured pearls" in commerce settings.
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The Japanese freshwater pearl industry holds a special historic value as the first country to cultivate whole freshwater pearls in Lake Biwa. The industry attempted a comeback with a mussel hybrid in Lake Kasumigaura in the last decade, but this venture also met with failure, with all production ceasing in 2006. A pearl farm in Tennessee also holds special historic value as it is the only place freshwater pearls have been developed outside of Asia. Freshwater Pearsl come in a variety of shapes and colors, and dependant on the seed placed into the mussel..
Be careful when purchasing FWPs as there are now many plastic, glass, resin and other materials of fake pearls on the market, especially some being referred to as Biwa Pearls.
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Rutilated Quartz is quite simply a quartz stone with rutile enclosures. Rutile is a mineral that is made up mostly of Titanium dioxide. As a mineral, rutile is very high on the refractive index and disperses more than almost any other mineral. This means that when rutile appears in other minerals, it almost always appears in long, thin shots of color. Rutilus is, in fact, the Latin word for red. The mineral gained this name because some specimens are a lovely deep red color. Rutile, however, can also appear in golden, brown and gray tones. The long thin hairs of golden rutile produce great gemstones for pendants. Using various techniques, glass is infused with copper, silver and gold to immitate the Rutile straws in Quartz. Do not confuse Rutilated Quartz with Tourmalated Quartz.
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