Handmade Artists' Forum Blog » gemstones http://handmadeartistsforum.com Supporting Handmade Artists from around the world. The Handmade Aritsts' Forum is a site deicated to handmade crafts and goods. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:52:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 My Sunday Doodles http://handmadeartistsforum.com/my-sunday-doodles/ http://handmadeartistsforum.com/my-sunday-doodles/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:37:23 +0000 NancyWildWire http://handmadeartistsforum.com/?p=5702 Do you ever doodle? I do it all the time, not on paper, with stones and wire. I use my wire like a paintbrush to create my art jewelry. I consider and call myself an artist I just use a very non-tradional approach:)
I suppose like most creative people I am a bit eccentric,LOL!! I never really know what is going to happen when I work. Will I have a metal mess that ends up in my scrap bowl?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is nothing wrong with the materials in my scrap bowl, I frequently pull bits and pieces and recycle them as part of new work. But when I throw a new creation in there I feel I failed to achieve my goal for this day.

Today I got a wonderful surprise with great potential:) I see a few places to tweak and polish before I add it to my listings but I am very pleased, what do you think? This piece is reversible,I would wear it either direction. This is a freeform piece of silky polished moonstone with a sweet peachy pink color and fabulous luster not showing in my photos. This will look great on a leather cord with one of my hand wrapped forged clasps. Watch for it to appear soon in my Handmade shop NancysWildWire

Thanks for your interest:)

Back view Do you like my doodles?

My doodles

]]> http://handmadeartistsforum.com/my-sunday-doodles/feed/ 2 Future Jewelry http://handmadeartistsforum.com/future-jewelry/ http://handmadeartistsforum.com/future-jewelry/#comments Sat, 26 Nov 2011 21:49:10 +0000 John Atwell Rasmussen http://handmadeartistsforum.com/?p=5546 Lapis LazuliIn order to create my art, I first cut the stone that will go in the piece, then design around that.  Here are two stones cut in the lapidary in the past week.  The first is a piece of Lapis Lazuli about 2.5 inches long and it is very heavy.  Will probably use it in a horizontal position in a necklace.  Way too large for a ring. :-)


The second is a free form cabochon made with “Pudding” jasper.  Feel free to change the adjective ‘dding’ to anything that you think describes the stone.

Pudding Jasper

I will wait, but am currently working on a mixed metal pendant (gold and silver) with a highly included rutilated quartz *16 mm round faceted stone.  Another project is a ring to ask Debbie to marry me “again” next October on our anniversary. A friend is cutting this as I certainly can not do it in my shop.  Any way, that is the news so far for the day after Thanksgiving.

John

]]> http://handmadeartistsforum.com/future-jewelry/feed/ 1 Why I Knot Between the Beads http://handmadeartistsforum.com/why-i-knot-between-the-beads/ http://handmadeartistsforum.com/why-i-knot-between-the-beads/#comments Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:40:18 +0000 beadbear http://handmadeartistsforum.com/?p=4983 Knotting between the beads is important for a variety of reasons. Bead stringing, properly speaking, is a form of rigging. Where a knot is placed, it strengthens the cord three-fold. Consequently, if cord with a tensile strength of 17lbs. The cord is strengthened to 51lbs.10lb-test becomes 30lbs, etc. Thus, it secures the beads. This is especially true when a variety of different sized beads and materials are used. If the cord breaks, there is only one or two beads to pick up off the floor. Losing precious metal beads, or gemstones, can make it costly to repair.
I use a variety of different stringing material as well. I use anything that will take a knot. Generally, I will use silk, or linen. These are natural fibers, and are quite sturdy and durable. Cotton is too weak. I also use braided kevlar, of varying thicknesses. Kevlar is used in bullet-proof vests, as well as the suits astronauts wear. I often use kevlar with beads that have rough holes.
I never use tiger-tail, or any of the coated wires that many others use. Wire eventually will cut the beads, particularly pearls and opals, which are quite soft. Furthermore, when metal fatigue sets in, which it will, sooner or later that wire will kink. That kink will not only weaken it, but will cause the necklace to not to wear properly. Wire is just too stiff for necklaces and bracelets, in my opinion.
Second and more important, a knotted necklace will lay better against the body. Indeed, knotted necklaces will conform to the body of the wearer. Thus it actually becomes a part of the wearer. And you will wear the jewelry, rather than the other way ’round. So there is no “Afghan hound” effect. That is particularly vital when wearing a large piece.
Yes, it takes longer to assemble a knotted necklace. I knot each bead into place, by hand. I do not employ any of the bead-stringing devices that are available, because it does not allow me to place the knot closely by the holes on each side of the bead. Again, this is of particular importance when using beads of differing sizes, shapes or material (metal, glass, gemstone). I create my jewelry the time-honored traditional way, one bead at a time, and one knot at a time.
Beads reflect a tradition dating back to 3000 BC These beads were worn to promote good luck, and for protection from misfortune (the evil eye or malocchio). Archeological evidence suggests that concepts linking eyes and protective magic to beads evolved in western Asia and Africa, and were carried west and east with developing trade routes. The oldest eye beads made were drilled stones like agate and carnelian. 
I see both antique and contemporary beads as a link to the past through work that will last into the millennium. Beads and jewelry reflect where we are today, what we were, and who we will become. One can neither break nor ignore the thread of history, for like a strand of beads, the result would be chaos.
Wear your beads in good fortune!
Thanks,
Beadbear
]]> http://handmadeartistsforum.com/why-i-knot-between-the-beads/feed/ 1 White Peacock Creations http://handmadeartistsforum.com/white-peacock-creations/ http://handmadeartistsforum.com/white-peacock-creations/#comments Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:30:17 +0000 Shannon Byrd http://handmadeartistsforum.com/?p=4838 We started doing business in Jan 2011.  I am a jewelry designer. All of my pieces are “One of a kind”.  I love the warmth of natural rocks. The more jewelry I make the better I like working with wire wrap and gemstones.  View my creations at www.whitepeacockcreations.com.

We can create unique pieces to match something you already have or a new outfit.  I use a lot of gemstones like malachite, lapis, tigereye, etc.  I like to mix the medias so that we get lots of variation in color and depth.

]]> http://handmadeartistsforum.com/white-peacock-creations/feed/ 0 Myriad Design http://handmadeartistsforum.com/myriad-design/ http://handmadeartistsforum.com/myriad-design/#comments Mon, 04 Jul 2011 00:25:25 +0000 MyriadDesign http://handmadeartistsforum.com/?p=4903 Jewelry, Jewelry & more Jewelry Me "Lnda Ekblad" and my support sysem my husband "Frank" Myself and my supporting husband

I am new to Handmade Artists Shop and the Forum blog.   So I though I would give all of  you  a short blog to start off by, providing my links to where I sell and what forums I belong to:

Handmade Artists’ Shop:  http://handmadeartistsshop.com/shop/MyriadDesign

Etsy:http://www.etsy.com/people/Myriaddesignjewelry?ref=si_pr

Blogspot: http://myriaddesignblog.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Myriad_Design-Artisan-Crafted-Jewelry-and-more/211888015504463

Artisan Jewelry Designers: http://artisanjewelrydesigners.ning.com/profile/LindaEkblad

Twitter: http://twitter.com/myriad_design

Check these sites out to find out a little more about me, what I sell and my interests.  I am glad to be a part of another Artists’ forum.

Jewelry, Jewelry & more Jewelry

Myriad Design Jewelry

]]> http://handmadeartistsforum.com/myriad-design/feed/ 0 Making a Ring http://handmadeartistsforum.com/making-a-ring/ http://handmadeartistsforum.com/making-a-ring/#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:36:13 +0000 John Atwell Rasmussen http://handmadeartistsforum.com/?p=4988 Several people have asked over time to see what I start with and then what has been produced.  While Debbie and I were in Helen, we went gem mining.  One of the rough stones we found was a piece of amazonite (feldspar).  I decided to make a cabochon (18×13 mm oval) that would fit a cabochon head that I already had in stock (purchased from Tripps).
Amazonite Ring
In this thumbnail (click to see larger image) are the amazonite rough stone, the purchased head to mount the stone after making the ring and cutting the stone and a section of 8 gauge half round half hard Sterling Silver wire.  These items are made into a ring size 7.  I took the wire, wrapped it around a ring mandrel and sawed the wire to be size 7, then marked the width of the head and opened the wire to match that size and ground the wire ends to match the angle of the head.  Meanwhile, yesterday, I went to our gem society workshop and cut the cabochon.  Combining everything meant soldering the wire to the head, pickling this and then polishing the ring without the stone in it.  I do this by hand (no tumbler in my shop).  Then the amazonite cabochon was mounted in the head and the ring is completed.

Amazonite Ring Amazonite Ring Amazonite Ring

That is the story of how I make a ring.

 

John

]]> http://handmadeartistsforum.com/making-a-ring/feed/ 2 Purple Passion http://handmadeartistsforum.com/purple-passion/ http://handmadeartistsforum.com/purple-passion/#comments Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:05:45 +0000 John Atwell Rasmussen http://handmadeartistsforum.com/?p=4878 Purple Passion involves Fluorite and Amethyst cabochons which were cut this week. I started Monday morning cutting three amethyst, one fluorite and one ruby cabochons. I have finished cutting the cabochons, and have completed two as necklace pendants. First to be examined will be the Fluorite. This gemstone is quite soft (Moh’s hardness = 4) and must be set in a protective setting. So I designed a bezel setting for the freeform stone. The fine silver bezel wire had a 20 gauge Sterling silver wire soldered to the bottom of the bezel to support the back of the stone in the setting. Then I hammered the bezel to produce dimpling. The top edge of the bezel was scalloped with saw and file. Finally, a bail ring was soldered to the back of the bezel. Now that the bezel setting was crafted, the stone was placed in the bezel and the scalloped edge was burnished over the edge of the cabochon and here is the finished product:

Purple Passion Necklace Purple Passion Necklace Purple Passon Necklace

The rest of the 20 inch necklace was made with fluorite chips and silver colored ball chain. The next necklace was made with an amethyst cabochon. I had an amethyst crystal about 5 inches long. I cut the crystal into two pieces along the c-axis and then cabbed each stone. One has been completed with wrapping with 22 gauge Sterling silver square half hard wire in a criss cross pattern. The resulting pendant is about 3 inches by 1/2 inch. Here are my two pictures of this beautiful wire wrapped pendant.

Amethyst Cabochon Necklace Amethyst Cabochon Necklace

Now I am watching the first game of the finals for the Stanley Cup, Boston playing Vancouver. Even though Boston beat the Flyers, I will root for them as they are one of the original six teams.

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