The Color Purple

Did you know that the purple color of amethyst is due to its iron content?

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This variety of quartz is the Birthstone for Aquarius (Water Bearer): Jan. 20 - Feb. 18 

and is used to celebrate the  4th and 6th years of marriage.

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Amethyst becomes paler if kept out in sun. Clean with warm, soapy water and a soft bristle brush. Keep away from strong chemicals and avoid sudden temperature changes. 

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Healing ability: Amethyst magnifies psychic abilities and right-brain activity. It strengthens immunity, while energizing and purifying the blood. Amethyst relieves headaches, improves blood sugar imbalance.

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Mystical power: Given as a symbol of sincerity, security, and peace of mind. Cures impatience, balance high-energy, eliminate chaos, promote clarity, and help keeps one grounded. Activates and balances the 6th chakra (third eye). 

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Ancient folk believed it protects against drunkenness. As the myth goes, drinking wine from an Amethyst goblet would prevent one from becoming inebriated. The gemstone still symbolizes sobriety.  Associated with a number of superstitions, being regarded as a love charm, and protection against thieves. Placed under the pillow at night, the beautiful amethyst is believed to produce a calm and peaceful sleep. 

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Note: this information is for curiosity only and is not meant to be medical advice.

 

Stocking Up

I have been working hard stocking up for this years show season. My to do list is huge so it can feel overwhelming. Where to start? I break it into manageable pieces by working by color. If you have ever been into my booth you may have noticed that it is organized by color. The shutters on one side are cool colors and the other side is warm. The necklaces on the table tops follow this pattern also. This last week I have been tackling cool colors. Bright multi-colors, greens, blues and finally purple.

I start by refilling each shutter, going over each pair of earrings and polishing or tweaking as needed. Then I can see what my needs are for backup. I also put a few bracelets on each shutter and so this is a chance to see what gaps I have there. Then it is time to make things. New this year will be the addition of more stone earrings and bracelets and less glass only items. 

Here are a few of the things that you will find on my shutters this year: 

 This is an oldie but goodie. Some designs I phase out over time, 

but this one continues to be a best seller.

 And the same design but with a nod to 

our local sports teams, Seahawks and Mariners.

 Lapis lazuli earrings. Such a luscious color!

 Assorted green gemstone bracelets.

 

Just for fun green glass.

Green jasper bracelets and earrings.

 Just for fun glass earrings.

 And lastly amethyst earrings and bracelets.

Treat Yourself

Looking for a fun way to treat yourself? How about a spa day or weekend at  Angeline Spa at the Clearwater Resort in Suquamish! And while you are there you can shop from a recently re-stocked selection of Beadware stone necklaces.

The Spa is nestled behind the Clearwater Casino and next to the hotel. They serve both resort guests as well as the public. They offer a menu of facials, manicures, pedicures, body wraps and massage for women and men. The Hawaiian Healing massage and the foot reflexology sessions sounded great to me. I relax just writing about them!  

Belinda, the manager, and her staff are very personable and will make your comfort and relaxation their top priority. Check out their website or give them a call at 360-598-1420 for more information. 

A few of the necklaces now for sale in their gift shop: 

 Amethyst

 Dragons Blood Jasper

 Ocean Jasper and Freshwater Pearl

 Ocean Jasper and Labradorite

 Turritella Agate

 Turritella Agate and Freshwater Pearls

Biz of Art: Production Work #2

Here are some photos of my production work in process. 

For this work I lay things out in a sort of assembly line fashion. 

 First I layout the pendant stones and choose coordinating seed bead colors.

 Next I pull out accent beads and clasps. Then I begin creating each necklace.

 Another example with red agate.

 All those new necklaces need to be added to my inventory spreadsheet and then tags must be printed, punched and labeled. 

 The last steps are to photograph each piece and then package them.

Biz of Art - Production Work

While I love creating individual, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, I sometimes need to do what I refer to as production work. To me this means taking a design that has been popular, is easy to make, and I have plenty of supplies for and then making many repetitions of this design. During the show season I am so busy that I turn over my inventory fairly rapidly. So production work is a necessity when you are trying to sell enough to pay your every day bills.

I still try and add some individuality to each piece by changing an accent bead, the color theme, or the metal used.  Here are some recent examples.

 In this first series I am using a small wedge of picture jasper as the focal stone. This batch is black seed beads and various pewter accents with pewter clasps.

 Next up I switched to using brown seed beads and copper or pearls with copper clasps.

 The last batch I went back to pewter, but this time with a grey blue seed bead.

 In this series I stuck with the same overall design, but used a wedge shaped agate. 

Here they are mixed with agate accents.

And in the last batch I used black glass beads as accents.

Beads, Stones and Rocks, Oh My!

For the first time I ventured south to the Tucson bead shows. What an experience! I knew there were a few different shows. I figured in 4 days I'd have a chance to see most of it. Boy was I in for a surprise. There were 40 venues each with hundreds of vendors!! I did not even scratch the surface. So much to see. My favorite was a huge indoor outdoor market, some called Electric Park. Everything from fine gemstones, to stone beads, to raw rocks and boulders and even some tables, sinks and garden art.

Another first was taking classes. Even though I have been creating jewelry for many years, I  have never taken any classes. There were many to choose from so I decided to focus on learning a new skill, torch soldering. I really enjoyed myself and wondered why I waited so long! The first class was all about the science of soldering. We had a little time to get introduced to a small butane type torch and do some basic soldering. Next up was a class on using that knowledge and making some simple findings.

 My next two classes were more soldering, this time detailed work using a more complex torch. First I practiced making copper earrings with a small cage to hold a stone. The next class I made open bezels, enclosing pottery shards and attaching a tube hanger. I will need a lot of practice to master soldering. While I seem to have some of the ergonomics and techniques down....I am too impatient and tended to nuke my pieces to death!

My last class was for fun - making a bracelet using all cold connections. I used rivets, screws, and hammers to create this really cool bracelet. The instructor also showed me how I can incorporate a stone. I loved this class! You will definitely see some of these techniques in my work later this year.

In between classes I shopped. I had set myself a budget and had a few things on my list. Mostly I wanted to look for things that jumped out at me. Interesting colors, shapes and high quality. All of the vendors I dealt with were so nice! For most purchases I managed to either talk them down or get things thrown in for free. I ended up just slightly over budget but got some really nice stones.

I hope to be able to return next year!!

Lapis Lazuli

These were one of my good buys from the Tucson shows. This bunch was mixed in with a heap of others like it, but for some reason this bunch jumped out at me. I held them up and asked how much. The seller gave me a price, and I asked "per strand"? And he said no for the lot. Sold!! I see them as small pendants on dainty necklaces and as statement earrings.

The name of this stone comes from 'lapis', the Latin word for stone, and 'azula', which is Arabic for blue. This opaque, deep blue gemstone has a grand past. It was among the first gemstones to be worn as jewellery and worked on. At excavations in the ancient centers of culture, archaeologists have again and again found among the grave furnishings decorative chains and figures made of lapis lazuli – clear indications that the deep blue stone was already popular thousands of years ago among the people of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome.

The golden sarcophagus of King Tutankhamen was richly inlaid with lapis lazuli, as were other burial ornaments of Egyptian kings and queens. It was used extensively in scarabs, pendants and other jewelry, and ground into powder for dyes, eye shadow and medicinal elixirs

Another of its earliest uses was as a pigment for paint. It was ground up into a powder and mixed with binding-agents to produce the intense, but expensive, ultramarine color favored by many early Masters such as Michelangelo. Many pictures of the Madonna, for example, were created using this paint. Unlike all other blue pigments, which tend to pale in the light, it loses none of its radiance. Today the blue pigment obtained from lapis lazuli is mainly used in restoration work and by collectors of historical paints.

The highest quality lapis lazui is found in Afghanistan. It is also found in Russia, Chilean Andes, Italy, Mongolia, the USA, Canada, Myanmar and Pakistan

Lapis lazuli is regarded as a stone of friendship and truth. It is said to encourage harmony in relationships and help its wearer to be authentic and give his or her opinion openly.

This stone is a powerful crystal for activating the higher mind and enhancing intellectual ability. It stimulates the desire for knowledge, truth and understanding, and aids the process of learning. It is excellent for enhancing memory. 

Healing Qualities:
Lapis lazuli is beneficial to the throat, larynx, and vocal chords, and helps regulate the endocrine and thyroid glands. It enhances circulation and improves cardiac rhythm. It reduces vertigo and lowers blood pressure, and is thought to alleviate insomnia 

Lapis lazuli is also thought to relieve general pain and inflammations, and is especially effective against migraine headaches. It aids the nervous system and brain disorders, and is believed to help with attention-deficit, autism and Asperger's syndrome. 

Spiritual Energies:
Lapis lazuli is one of the oldest spiritual stones known to man, used by healers, priests and royalty, for power, wisdom and to stimulate psychic abilities and inner vision. It represents universal truth. It quickly releases stress, allowing for peace and serenity. It permits tapping into personal and spiritual power. 

Note: This information is provided for curiosity only and is not meant to be medical advice. 

Red Pietersite

This stone really jumped out at me when I saw it mixed among many others. After reading its description I can understand why! Known as the Tempest Stone, its highly charged energy is almost tangible. Just as lightning clears the air and makes all things new, Pietersite discharges negative energies and emotional turmoil, and cleanses the aura, restoring it to calm.

 

Pietersite is a powerful protection stone, especially against the elements. It calms nervous people and animals during storms, protects when driving in bad weather, and guards homes and businesses against storm damage. It also acts as a shield against the adverse effects of technology, particularly if you work long hours with a computer or live near a mobile phone mast

For those who have tried and failed many times to beat an addiction, Pietersite is an extremely supportive and strengthening stone. It explores causative influences, increases the resolve and lends will power in following a curative program.

Pietersite also boosts self-esteem when worn consistently. It is especially empowering for creative people who lack confidence in their abilities.


Physical healing:
Pietersite stimulates the physical body, providing energy and strength, and is a nervous-system stone, useful for stimulating and strengthening the nerves and brain. It eases headaches, nervous diseases, breathing difficulties, stomach pain and dizziness. It also stimulates the pituitary gland, balancing the endocrine system and the production of hormones governing metabolism, blood pressure, growth, sex, and body temperature. Thought to ease eye infections, Pietersite is also reported by some users to improve long-distance focus and night vision

Emotional healing:
Pietersite is an important tool in bringing pent-up, internalized feelings and conflicts to the surface, allowing the unsaid and unexamined to erupt in an emotional outpouring that not only clears the air, but begins the process of healing. An excellent ally for those who are stuck or unable to make progress, Pietersite helps to clear stagnant energies, habits and life patterns, and reveals new directions for one's life. It also lends the will to take action toward those new goals. Pietersite removes the illusion of separateness, and the beliefs and conditioning imposed by others. It brings one to the source of their own inner guidance, and assists one in recognizing the truth or falsehood of others' words or actions. It promotes speaking out and exploring anything that may hinder access to one's own truth.

Pietersite is a variety of Quartz, composed naturally of Tiger's Eye, Hawk's Eye and Jasper, and is characterized by an incredible chatoyancy (cat's eye effect or optical reflectance effect) and brilliance of life within the stone. It is found in Africa. The most common Pietersite is gold but it is also rarely seen in red and even rarer is blue. 

Note: This information is provided for curiosity only and in no way is meant to be taken as medical advice.