The ELEGANCE COLLECTION - Simplicity at its Best !

Many times all that is needed is the simplest of design. In this 21 inch necklace design the simple single strand of Freshwater Cultured Pears has been highlighted with a golden chain.
A gold plated Butterfly has been added to the center as a highlight.
A gold plated magnetic barrel clasp completes the necklace.

Matching gold Plated French Hook earrings finish out the set.

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.

The ELEGANCE COLLECTION - A Graceful Classic Design !

SOLD With a center highlight faceted gemstone of Lepodolite, white potatoe freshwater cultured Pearls, amethyst and light amethyst Swarovski Crystals, this 21 inch necklace presents a graceful and classic look.
The necklace is finished with a silver platted patterned square Toggle Clasp.

The earrings are Sterling Silver circular Shepards Crooks with a 1 1/2 inch pearl and crystal oval dangle.

Lepodolite is a lilac-gray or rose-colored phyllosilicate mineral in the mica group that is a secondary source of lithium. It is associated with other lithium-bearing minerals like Spodumene in pegmatite bodies. It is one of the major sources of the rare alkali metals rubidium and caesium. It occurs in granite pegmatites, in some high-temperature quartz veins, greisens and granites. Notable occurrences include Brazil, Russia, United States,Canada and Madagascar.

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.

Swarovski Crystals are also used in this set.

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.
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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.
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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 ELEGANCE COLLECTION -- Copper and Gold !

A Golden/Copper Foil Glass bead with Czech Crystals combine with Fresh Water Cultured Pearls and Crystals in sheer elegance in this 20 inch necklace with a golden Toggle clasp.

Details of the Golden/Copper Foil Glass Center Bead.

Golden ornate Toggle Clasp.

Matching cluster French Hook earrings complete the set.

Freshwater cultured pearls and crystals are used in this set.

SUMMER SENSATIONS - Sunset and Stars !

Carved circles of dark Rose Quartz representing the sunset encircle this necklace with two styles of Freshwater Cultured Pearls representing the stars are dispersed in the center and between them. This 24 inch necklace is completed with an antique silver Toggle Clasp. Matching Frech Hook dangle earrings complete the set.

Rose Quartz is a type of Quartz which exhibits a pale pink to dark rose red hue. The color is usually considered as due to trace amounts of titanium, iron, or manganese, in the massive material. Some Rose Quartz contains microscopic rutile needles which produces an asterism in transmitted light. In crystal form (rarely found) it is called Pink Quartz and its color is thought to be caused by trace amounts of phosphate or aluminium. The color in crystals is apparently photosensitive and subject to fading. The first crystals of Rose Quartz were found in a pegmatite dike near Rumford, Maine, USA, but most crystals on the market today come from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Rose Quartz is not popular as a gem because it is generally too clouded by impurities to be suitable for faceting. Rose Quartz is more often carved into figures such as people or animals. Hearts are also commonly found because Rose Quartz is pink and an affordable mineral for Valentines Day.

Freshwater Pearls (FWP) are a kind of pearl that comes from freshwater mussels. They have been predominantely produced in Japan and in the United States on a limited scale, but are now almost exclusive to China. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that Freshwater Pearls be referred to as "Freshwater Cultured Pearls" in commerce.

GEMSTONE JEWELRY - A Unique Gemstone !

Sometimes it is not the design that makes a piece of jewelry unique, but the material it is made from. Most gemstone jewelry uses material that can be found world-wide or at least in several different locations. Thus many times the same piece or variety of Agate or Jasper goes by various names. Other gemstones that are found world-wide, for instance Turquoise, is known by the same name eveywhere. And then there are a few gemstones that are unique to a single location.

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This necklace is such a design, The pear shapped Nevada Lapis pendant hanging from a string of Freshwater Pearls and Crystals, comes from a single location. The necklace is then highlighted by round and tube silver plated beads with a silvefr toggle clasp. French hook earrings with Freshwater Pearls and silver beads complete the set.

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The second design below uses another Nevada Lapis oval pendant which has been wire-wrapped and hangs from a necklace of Opalite beads which are also used in the French Hook earrings.

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Nevada Lapis is a interesting gemstone in the skarn family (A lime-bearing silicate derived from nearly pure limestone and dolomite with the introduction of large amounts of silicon, aluminum, iron, and magnesium). One dealer claims it is form of Chalcedony (a cryptocrysalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of the minerals Quartz and Morganite) from the Orient, varying in shades from pastel pink, green, beige, gray, yellow, and white. It other words, Nevada Lapis looks like an agate but in pastels. This dealer also says that the name Nevada Lapis is a misnomer, because it is neither from Nevada nor in the Lapis family of stones. It is likene to Unakite, but with different color scheme.

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Then there is a report from a geologist that says the scientific name for Navada Lapis is “Thulite-Diopside Skarn”. It is a rock composed of at least ten distinct minerals including: Thulite, Diopside, Clinozoisite), Microcline, Sericite, Titanite, Epidote, Plagioclase Feldspar, Scapolite, Actinolite and Quartz. The pink color is due to the presence of Thulite and Clinozoisite, the green is due to Diopside, and the cream color is mostly due to the presence of Microcline and Scapolite. Navada Lapis is a skarn of hydrothermal origin, having been formed from a granite which is 171 million years old. Because of the hydrothermal origin, all of the minerals forming this "gem quality skarn" are silica rich, which gives Navada Lapis its hardness and ability to take a polish. Previously skarn had never before been found to occur as a gemstone. The general character of the Navada Lapis is very similar to that of the Yerington Batholith rocks composed from diorite in granite. This formation is only known to exist in the east side of the Pine Nut Range. These rocks are associated with the giant porphyry copper deposit in northwest Nevada near Yerington in Storey County, close to Douglas, Nevada. This type of skarn is known from various places around the world, especially in the Orient, but nowhere else is it found to occur as gem-quality material and as colorful as the Nevada Lapis. The brightness of the pink Thulite and green Diopside in combination is unique in the world.

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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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Opalite is a stone mined in Utah that comes in varying shades of purple, lavender and creamy white with swirls of yellowish-brown and pink. Opalite is also referred to as Tiffany Stone. Opalite is also a trade name for synthetic opalized glass and various opal simulants. The name is also many times used to promote impure varieties of variously colored common opals.

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GEMSTONE JEWELRY - Mixed Materials

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.
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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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