The HOLIDAY COLLECTION - Great Look for that Holiday Get-together !

Holiday elegance in red/gold/white large round Lampwork beads. These are surrounded by amber and red Crystals and clusters of red and clear glass beads with golden woven accent pieces. The combination is great for Holiday or anytime wearing.
This 19 inch necklace used a gold plated Toggel clasp for closure.

Gold plated French Hook dangle earrings complete the set.

Lampworking is a type of glasswork that uses a gas fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowing and shaping with tools and hand movements. It was also known as flameworking or torchworking, but the modern practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps. Although the art form has been practiced since ancient Syrian (1 Century B.C.E.) times, it became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in the 14th century. In the mid 19th century lampwork technique was extended to the production of paperweights, primarily in France, where it became a popular art form, still collected today. Lampworking differs from glassblowing in that glassblowing uses a blowpipe to inflate a glass blob known as a gob or gather, whereas lampworking manipulates glass either by the use of tools, gravity, or by blowing directly into the end of a glass tube.

Czech Crystals and glass beads are also used in this set.

Print Stone from Australia !

This highly unusual stone called Print Stone or Newsprint Jasper, comes from an area near Kununurra in North Western Australia. Actually it is a type of Silicated Sandstone which as can be seen has an increible pattern.

The highly unusual patterning makes this stone unique and fun to work with. Although this material cuts very easily, it does not take a high polish without some kind of a surface treatment such as Opticon or epoxy. A matte to semi-gloss finish can be obtained by using diamond dust with a final polishing of Zam. A good looking finish can be obtained through the use of Birchwood Casey Tru-oil, gunstock finish.

Look for these pendants incorporated into some new jewelry pieces completed by Gayle for the upcoming Fall and Holiday Shows.

.

Well after getting things finished up and the BLOG originally posted, took the small piece of the slab that was left and managed to get a third round 40mm pendant out of it. Interesting how the back side of the slab, which I used as the face for the pendants, provides a totally different looking scene from the front side seen above.

The ELEGANCE COLLECTION - Simple and Dainty !

Crazy Lace Agate oval beads and tanzanite colored Crystals join with silver plated accents to make this 20 inch simply elegant necklace.

The necklace is finished with a silve platd Toggle clasp.

Silver plated French Hook dangle earrings with matching tanzanite colored Crystals complete the set.

Crazy Lace Agate is one of many varieties of cryptocrystalline Quartz that fall under the general group referred to as "Agate." The variety that has been named Crazy Lace tends to have, as the name implies, lacy patterns that are fairly random. Much of the material found on the market today has colors of banding that tends to be various shades of white and gray with some blue, however material from older collections displays a wide variety of bright colors, but predominantly reds and browns mixed with whites. Some of the bands in Agates can be translucent to transparent. Occasionally Agate nodules will have hollows inside that have small drusy Quartz Crystals projecting from the walls. A specific Crazy Lace Agate that contains blue and white stripes is also known as Mexican Agate, coming from Chihuahua. It is an attractive, white, opaque stone, with blue patterns like a beautiful, multicolored paisley cloth. Sometimes when cutting this stone, the connection between individual bands is not that strong. When successfully cut, however, it creates beautiful and unique stones with fascinating patterns.

Czech Crystal is also used in this set.

Sea Glass - Not a Gemstone, but a Gem of a Find !

Sea Glass, not a gemstone, not natural, but is one of the very few cases which a valuable item has been created from the actions of the environment on man-made litter..

Sea glass (known by many varied names the world over - some of the more common being beach glass, mermaid's tears, lucky tears, sea tears) is usually found on beaches along oceans or large lakes that have a lot of wave action which causes the glass to have been tumbled and smoothed by the water and sand, creating small pieces of smooth, frosted glass. Do not be pulled in by some of the newly created man-made frosted glass being sold by dealers claiming that it is Sea Glass.

.

The color of sea glass is determined by its original source. Most sea glass comes from bottles, but it can also come from jars, plates, windows, windshields, glasses, art, flasks, containers, and any other glass source that has found its way into the ocean. Some collectors also collect what is known as sea pottery. Many very interesting jewelry pieces can be made out of the collected Sea Glass.

The most common colors of sea glass are kelly green, brown, and clear. These colors come from bottles used by companies that sell beer, juices, and soft drinks. The clear or white glass comes from clear plates and glasses, windshields, windows, and assorted other sources. Some less common colors include jade, amber (from bottles for whiskey, medicine, spirits, and early bleach bottles), golden amber (mostly used for spirit bottles), lime green (from soda bottles during the 1960s), forest green, and soft blue (from soda bottles, medicine bottles, ink bottles, and fruit jars from the late 1800s and early 1900s, windows, and windshields.) These colors are found about once for every 25 to 100 pieces of sea glass found.

One might rarely see sea glass which comes primarily from early to mid-1900s Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, and RC Cola bottles, as well as beer bottles. Seaq glass which is hardly ever seen, but when found is a golden treasure is purple, citron, opaque white (from milk glass), cobalt and cornflower blue (from early Milk of Magnesia bottles, poison bottles, artwork, and Bromo-Seltzer and Vicks VapoRub containers), and aqua (from Ball Mason jars and 19th century glass bottles.) These are a one in a thousand find. An extremely rare color is black. The black glass is quite old, originating from thick eighteenth-century gin, beer and wine bottles, maybe one in a ten-thousand find.

Anyone that is really interested in Sea Glass should check out the North American Sea Glass Association at http://seaglassassociation.org/ for more information and collectors near your location.At this time, Jewelry by CnC has not yet used Sea Glass in any of our designs.

The AUTUMN COLLECTION - Earth Tones Look Good !

Earth colors never looked so good as they do in the Autumn.

The beige and blues of the Aqua Terra Jasper barrel and rondel beads are complimented with copper Crystal and mystic topaz Crystal rondel beads.

A Foiled Glass round bead is the center point of this 19 inch necklace.

A copper Toggle clasp completes the necklace. Matching copper French Hook dangle earrings complete the set.

Jasper, a form of Chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color, but some varieties may contain blues. Jasper breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for snuff boxes. Like most Jaspers, the various varieties are known by common, trade or location names. Aqua terra "Jasper" also known as "impression stone" is the trade name for a soft variety, primarily from Mexico, containing marble. Beads can range from pale/light blue color with some pale yellow or tans to dark browns and sometimes almost white.

Czech Crystals are also used in this set.

The AUTUMN COLLECTION - Bright and Cheerful !

Bold red-black-gold Lampwork coin style beads ar the focus point of this necklace. Red Coral, black Agate (OnyX) and golden coin Freshwater Cultured Pearls complete the sides.
This 20 inch necklace with a 2 inch extender is closed with a silver plate triple Toggle clasp.
Silver plate Leaverback dangle earrings complete the set.

Lampworking is a type of glasswork that uses a gas fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowing and shaping with tools and hand movements. It was also known as flameworking or torchworking, but the modern practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps. Although the art form has been practiced since ancient Syrian (1 Century B.C.E.) times, it became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in the 14th century. In the mid 19th century lampwork technique was extended to the production of paperweights, primarily in France, where it became a popular art form, still collected today. Lampworking differs from glassblowing in that glassblowing uses a blowpipe to inflate a glass blob known as a gob or gather, whereas lampworking manipulates glass either by the use of tools, gravity, or by blowing directly into the end of a glass tube.

Red Coral is a calcium carbonate (+magnesia+organic substance) found naturally in the Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Japan, Canary Isles and the Bay of Biscay. The most valuable of the varieties from these locations is red Coral. Only the calcified external skeleton of this sea creature (genus Corallium) is used in jewelry. Coral has been highly prized, worn in jewelry and used as an amulet or talisman since before the time of Egypt. Coral is one of the few Organic gemstones. All Corals except for the man-grown and harvested Sponge Coral, is being considered for addition to the endangered species listings.

Black Agate (Onyx) which is truely a died black Agate, is more common and perhaps the most famous variety, but not as common as natural Onyx. Onyx is a crypyocrystalline form of Quartz. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color (save some shades, such as purple or blue). A picture of a true Black Onyx specimum is seen below. True specimens of Onyx contain bands of colors of white, tan, and brown. As stated, the pure black form which most people know as Onyx, is not a naturally occuring variety. Black Agate or poorly colored Onyx is heated and dyed black to come up with the pure black form so well liked within the jewelry industry.

Freshwater Cultured Pearls are a kind of pearl that comes from freshwater mussels. They are produced 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 freshwater pearls be referred to as "freshwater cultured pearls" in commerce. Although the Japanese freshwater pearl industry has nearly ceased to exist, it holds special historic value as the first country to cultivate whole freshwater pearls in Lake Biwa, using the Biwa pearly mussel. The industry attempted a comeback with a mussel hybrid in Lake Kasumigaura in the last decade, but this venture also met with failure, with production ceasing in 2006. The pearl farm in Tennessee also holds special historic value as it is the only freshwater pearl outside of Asia, it continues as a tourist attraction. Today China is the only commercial producer of freshwater pearls, producing 1500 tons using a triangle shell mussel and several hybrids that have shown heterosis from several mussel species.

BLACK CORAL - An Endangered Species !

Black corals (Antipatharia) are a group of deep water, tree-like corals related to sea anemones. Although the most famous are found near Hawaii, they are also found in rare dark shallow water areas such as New Zealand's Milford Sound where they can be viewed from an underwater observatory. They normally occur in the tropics and some have ben found in the Caribbean. Though black coral's living tissue is brilliantly colored, it takes its name from the distinctive black or dark brown color of its skeleton. Also unique to black coral are the tiny spines that cover the surface of the skeleton, the origin of the nickname little thorn coral. In the Hawaiian language, black coral is called ‘ēkaha kū moana. Black coral is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The Black Coral which grows in Hawaii's offshore waters was adopted as Hawaii's official state gemstone on April 22, 1987. Since its discovery by early Hawaiian divers, harvesting of the spectacular corals has led to the establishment of a thriving Black Coral jewelry industry and enhanced visitor and resident appreciation of Hawaii's ocean resources.

Hawaii's state gem was promoted by scuba divers, perhaps supported by the local jewelry trade. Surprisingly, the Department of Land and Natural Resources testified in favor of its adoption. Coral’s richly colored branches are living gems formed deep beneath the ocean. These precious corals polish to a gorgeous luster and have been used as gemstones dating as far back as 25,000 years—longer than pearls. Each coral gemstone color has its own distinct quality. Black Coral is exotic and dramatic and has long been considered to guard against misfortune. Pink Coral is delicate and is said to bring good health. Red Coral is best described as rich and romantic. And Gold Coral with its mysterious inner light, is the rarest of all corals.

The first new Black Coral bed found in centuries outside of Caribbean waters was discovered in the waters off Lahaina, Maui in 1958. Today, Hawaiian Black Coral -- the world's finest -- is carefully collected by hand by divers at depths that exceed 200 feet. To ensure the future of Hawaiian Black Coral, divers must strictly adhere to state regulations that prohibit the harvesting of immature colonies. Harvesting of Black Coral is prohibited in most locations in the world.

Black Coral is rare and, when polished, it shines with such luster you can almost see your own reflection in it. Its stunning contrast against yellow gold makes it a wonderful gift as well as a beautiful keepsake to treasure forever. Black Coral gives one a perfect reminder of a trip to the Islands.

As with many gemstones today, be careful that what is being bought is genuine Black Coral and not faux, plastics or other imitations that abound, especially in the Caribbean.

The AUTUMN COLLECTION - Holloween Merryment !

White, black and gold make the Lampwork beads stand out in the center of this necklace.

The Lampwork beads are paired with black Agate (Onyx) rondells and light yellow Czech Crystals.
The Toggle clasp is polished pewter on the 19 inch necklace.
Silver plate French Hook gangle earrings complete the set.

Lampworking is a type of glasswork that uses a gas fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowing and shaping with tools and hand movements. It was also known as flameworking or torchworking, but the modern practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps. Although the art form has been practiced since ancient Syrian (1 Century B.C.E.) times, it became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in the 14th century. In the mid 19th century lampwork technique was extended to the production of paperweights, primarily in France, where it became a popular art form, still collected today. Lampworking differs from glassblowing in that glassblowing uses a blowpipe to inflate a glass blob known as a gob or gather, whereas lampworking manipulates glass either by the use of tools, gravity, or by blowing directly into the end of a glass tube.

Tiger's eye (also called Tigers eye or Tiger eye) is a chatoyant gemstone that is usually a metamorphic rock that is a golden to red-brown color, with a silky luster. A member of the quartz group, it is a classic example of pseudomorphous replacement by silica of fibrous Crocidolite (blue asbestos). An incompletely silicified blue variant is called Hawk's Eye. The gems are usually cut as cabochons in order to best display their chatoyancy. Red stones are brought about through gentle heat treatment. Dark stones have had their colors improved and been artificially lightened using nitric acid treatments. Honey-colored stones have been used to imitate the much higher valued cat's eye Chrysoberyl (cymophane), but the overall effect is unconvincing. In addition artificial fiberoptic glass is a common imitation of Tiger's Eye, and is produced in a wide range of colors. Tiger's Eye mostly comes from South Africa and East Asia. Don't confuse Tiger's Eye and Tiger Iron. Tiger iron is an altered rock composed chiefly of Tiger's eye, red Jasper, and black Hematite. The undulating, contrasting bands of color and luster make for an attractive motif, and it is mainly used for jewelry-making and ornamentation. Tiger iron is mined primarily in South Africa and Western Australia.

Black Agate (Onyx) which is truely a died black Agate, is more common and perhaps the most famous variety, but not as common as natural Onyx. Onyx is a crypyocrystalline form of Quartz. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color (save some shades, such as purple or blue). A picture of a true Black Onyx specimum is seen below. True specimens of Onyx contain bands of colors of white, tan, and brown. As stated, the pure black form which most people know as Onyx, is not a naturally occuring variety. Black Agate or poorly colored Onyx is heated and dyed black to come up with the pure black form so well liked within the jewelry industry.

Tiger's Eye, Tiger Iron or Hawk's Eye - you select your choice !

If these three gemstones were placed in front of you, could you pick them out immediately? I hope so by the time you finish reading this Blog.

Tiger’s Eye is a chatoyant gemstone that belongs to the Quartz family. It is normally a metamorphic rock which is yellow to red-brown in color with a silky luster. Chatoyancy is a changing in the luster or color of a gemstone as light is reflected within the thin parallel fibrous bands. The fibrous structure of the material is what causes this effect to happen. Tiger's Eye gemstones are normally cut into various cabochon shapes to best display their chatoyancy. Tiger's Eye can also show a Cat's Eye effect.

Tiger's eye is derived from Crocidolite (a mineral comprised of iron and sodium) which has been oxidized to a golden brown from its original blue color and the Crocidolite has been totally replaced by Quartz. An incomplete silicified process producing a blue variant is known as Hawk’s eye.

Even though the iron and sodium dissolves when the Quartz becomes imbedded between the fibers of Crocidolite, there are traces of hydrated oxide of iron that are left between the Quartz and Crocidolite, thus creating the golden color that is common to the Tiger's Eye gemstone. How golden brown, red, blue or green the Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye ends up is determined by how much of these varying amounts of hydrated minerals are deposited. The rarer blue Hawk's Eye will have only the slightest amounts. Tiger's Eye is also called a Cat’s Eye Quartz when the color is greenish grey. It is called Tiger’s Eye Cat Eye when the brown stone reflects a golden yellow stripe and if the stone is bluish or blue gray, then it is known as Hawk's Eye Cat Eye. The rare mahogany or any redish colored stones are known as Ox Eye or Bull's Eye.

Tiger's Eye is also a pseudomorph. Pseudomorphs form when one mineral replaces another. Since Tiger's Eye is a Quartz replacement of Crocidolite, therefore it is a pseudomorph of Quartz after Crocidolite. The same thing happen when Quartz replaces wood to produce Petrified Wood. Tiger's Eye is also considered as one of the most popular chatoyant gemstones.

Now we throw in a confusion factor for identification. Tiger Iron is a composite gemstone of black Hematite, red Jasper and Tiger's Eye. It has rippled wavy bands of color often which resemble a scenic view. It usually has a greenish cast with shades of golden yellow, brown and reds. Marra Mamba is a form of Tiger Iron that was found only in a specific area of Australia near Mount Brockman. It is a very rare type of Tiger Iron that contains shades of green, red, blue and yellow. Since the area has been mined out for many years, very little of the "true" Marra Mamba is available in todays markets. If you want to see some, find a good collector or a museum that might have some.

Tiger’s Eye is often heat treated in which any changes are permanent, therefore no extra care is needed, but just like any other gemstone it should be protected from sharp blows, heavy scratches and large temperature changes. Quartz dust can be hazardous to breathe according to several recent research studies. Since the fibrous mineral in most Tiger's Eye has been completely replaced by Quartz, it is best to take adequate precautions to avoid breathing any of the dust when cutting or polishing Tiger's Eye, or any oher Quartz stone.

The fibers in Tiger's Eye are very thin and may only be an inch or two long. Most are only 0.001 millimeters, in diameter. Since Tiger’s Eye normally has bend or twisted fibers, sawing can be tricky and cuts must exactly parallel to the length of the fibers in order to get the full chatoyant effect. You will end up with a lifeless, dark brown to black worthless stone if the saw cut is perpendicular to the fibers. Very careful cutting and polishing is required to line all the fibers up to get a true cat-eye effect.

Red Tiger's Eye is not a natural occurrence in most cases. It is usually a result of deliberate heating. Honey-colored Tiger's Eye have been used to imitate much higher valued Cat’s Eye Chrysoberyl. The most common man made imitation of Tiger's Eye is an artificial fiberoptic glass and/or resin that is produced in a wide range of unusual colors.

Tiger’s Eye commonly comes from South Africa but also can be found in Burma, Australia, the United States and India.

ELEGANCE and the HOLIDAY Look !

With this set ones gets to take their choice of the

feel of ELEGANCE or the HOLIDAY look

Red and Clear Crystal elegance with white Freshwater Cultured Pearls and Rhinestone slices highlight this 19 inch necklace. The clasp is a Sterling Silver hook with a Figure-8 loop.
The silver plated French Hook earrings have a 2 1/4 inch drop.

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.
.
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.

Crystals and Rhinestones are also used in this set.

The HOLIDAY COLLECTION - Red, Black and Silver !

Red Coral, black Agate(Onyx), Jet Glass and silver plated accebts grace this 19 1/2 inch necklace.
A sliver plated flower provides a central focus point.
A sliver plated Toggle clasp completes the necklace.

The matching silver plated French Hook earrings contain red Coral, black Agate(Onyx) and silver plate highlights.

Red Coral is a calcium carbonate (+magnesia+organic substance) found naturally in the Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Japan, Canary Isles and the Bay of Biscay. The most valuable of the varieties from these locations is red Coral. Only the calcified external skeleton of this sea creature (genus Corallium) is used in jewelry. Coral has been highly prized, worn in jewelry and used as an amulet or talisman since before the time of Egypt. Coral is one of the few Organic gemstones. All Corals except for the man-grown and harvested Sponge Coral, is being considered for addition to the endangered species listings.

Black Agate (Onyx) which is truely a died black Agate, is more common and perhaps the most famous variety, but not as common as natural Onyx. Onyx is a crypyocrystalline form of Quartz. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color (save some shades, such as purple or blue). A picture of a true Black Onyx specimum is seen below. True specimens of Onyx contain bands of colors of white, tan, and brown. As stated, the pure black form which most people know as Onyx, is not a naturally occuring variety. Black Agate or poorly colored Onyx is heated and dyed black to come up with the pure black form so well liked within the jewelry industry.