As one visits the Caribbean, the vibrant colors that are seen in the Ocean, on the Islands and in the Sunsets inspired this jewelry collection called "Caribbean Delights". The first two cover the green of the islands and the blues of the water.
SOLD A peridot colored 2 inch Sonoran Glass Leaf acts as a focal point and is combined with Green and Tan Rhyolite rectangular beads, Coper accents, natural White Coral and Green Aventurine pebbles to take the wearer on a tour of the Islands of the Caribbean. This 18 inch necklace with a Copper Toggle Clasp is versitle and very light weight. Copper French Hook Earrings using Rhyolite, Coral and Aventurine complete the set.
.Rhyolite is a relatively common volcanic rock. It is the chemical equivalent of granite. Although the two rock types have the same chemistry, Rhyolite is extrusive and granite is intrusive. While granite has crystals that are generally easy to see, in rhyolite the crystals are often too small to see. This is due to the more rapid cooling of the rhyolite lava compared to granite's slower cooling magma. Rhyolitic lavas are often more explosive and slower moving than the less viscous basalt lavas such as those that erupt on the island of Hawaii. Rhyolite often is found with flow banding "frozen" into the rock. This lends to uses as decorative rocks and even ornamental stones for jewelry.
.Corals are marine organisms typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps. The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans, which secret calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton. Coral tissues become colorless as they reveal the white of their calcium carbonate skeletons, an event known as coral bleaching and most corals are found in the white form. Other colorations also exist depending on chemicals and algie in the water in which they grew. Corals are highly sensitive to environmental changes. Scientists have predicted that over 50% of the world's coral reefs may be destroyed by 2030; and as a result most nations protect them through environmental laws, especially the black corals. To overcome the shortages for jewelry and other ornamental uses, coral farms are now being developed and used for non-ocenaic purposes. Sponge Coral has been raised in these Coral Farms for decades.
.Aventurine is a form of quartz (chalcedony to be more specific), characterised by its translucency and the presence of platy mineral inclusions that give a shimmering or glistening effect termed aventurescence. The most common colour of Aventurine is green, but it may also be orange, brown, yellow, blue, or gray. Chrome-bearing fuchsitte is the classic inclusion, and gives a silvery green or blue sheen. Oranges and browns are attributed to hematite or goethite. The majority of green and blue-green Aventurine originates in India. Creamy white, gray and orange material is found in Chile, Spain and Russia.
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SOLD As blue a the waters of the Caribbean, a blue colored 2 inch Sonoran Glass Leaf is the focal point of this 20 inch necklace. Opalite and Lapis beads along with crystals have been charmed to highlight the leaf. Wavy Lapis beads and chips, bronze accents and a bronze Toggle clasp complete the necklace. Clusters of charmed beads and crystals hang from the Frech Hook earrings to complete the set.
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Lapis Lazuli is a rock, not a mineral: whereas a mineral has only one constituent, Lapis Lazuli is formed from more than one mineral. The main component of lapis lazuli is Lazurite, and a feldspathoid silicate mineral. Most Lapis Lazuli also contains Calcite (white), Sodalite (blue), and Pyrite (metallic yellow). There can also be other possible constituents and trace amounts of other minerals. Lapis lazuli usually occurs in crystalline marble as a result of contact metamorphism. The finest color is intense blue, lightly dusted with small flecks of golden Pyrite. Stones with no white Calcite veins and only small Pyrite inclusions are more prized. Patches of Pyrite are an important help in identifying the stone as genuine and do not detract from its value. Often, inferior Lapis is dyed to improve its color, producing a very dark blue color with a noticeable grey cast which may also appear as a milky shade. Lapis takes an excellent polish and can be made into jewelry, carvings, boxes, mosaics, ornaments, and vases.
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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Sonoran Leaves are a specially fired glass that is made into the shape of leaves in different sizes for use in pendants and earrings. Boro glass is a particular type of glass, better known under the brand name of Pyrex. It was first developed in the late 19th century and was used primarily for scientific glass due to its strength and durability. Artists have started to use boro glass for bead making even though it is a very hard glass and requires high heat to form a bead. Boro glass has a very distinctive range of colors from varions other minerals or impurities, often much more vibrant than the softer European glass. Sonoran Leaf pieces are made one at a time, in a flame. Because they are made by hand there may be slight variations in color from one batch to another. Do not confuse these Sonoran Leaves with other types of poured or fused glass leave made in bulk.
