Fabulous Fluorite

Fluorite is a glorious, multi-tonal gem with fluorescent properties (hence the name). It has a lovely transparent-translucent clarity with tones ranging from deep purples and lilacs to minty greens. Ideal with spring pastels and sorbet shades these gems also hold their own against darker colours and look stunning against white.

Sunset over Ayer's Rock

Mookaite is a wonderfully diverse gemstone. This set is made completely of the one stone, with colours ranging from cream to mustard to pinks, reds, purples and rich browns. Mookaite is a gemstone that is only mined in the Mooka Creek, Australia and to many evokes the feel and rich earthy tones of an Aussie sunset.

Here, different shapes, sizes and facets of Mookaite have been used to bring out the best in this unique gemstone. I have wired some of the beads to make pretty flower shapes and add an asymmetric design to the necklace.

Visions in Violet

Amethyst & Magenta Imperial Jasper.

Set 1:
The flat oval shapes lay beautifully against the skin here, with 2 different sizes and 2 gemstones co-ordinating to make a great look for day or night.The faceting polished texture and translucency of the Amethyst makes them reflect light for extra sparkle, offset by the opaque matt texture and depth of colour of the smooth Imperial Jasper.

Set 2: SOLD.
This set uses the same stones, but some different shapes and sizes. The Jasper ovals used in set 1 are co-ordinated here in a long necklace with Jasper rondelles (a "squashed" round shape) and smaller Amethyst rounds. I made a choice of 2 bracelets for preference, the one made with the rondelle shapes is nice and chunky (the lady that bought these said they reminded her of juicy fat blueberries!) and the oval bracelet sits flatter against the skin, so is suitable for everyday wear as it doesn't get in the way.

Himalayan Influence

Turquoise, Red Coral.
When I was in Tibet, I noticed that a lot of people wore Turquoise and Coral beads. This struck me as a little odd at first: here, at the highest plateau of the earth, for thousands of years, people had had access to this organic gem of the sea. But geologically, the mountains of Tibet used to be at sea level: millions of years ago, when the Indian sub-continent smashed into the Asian mainland, the land that was once at sea-level was forced upwards to eventually produce the highest mountain range in the world. And the coral of course moved with it.
I love the history - both natural and cultural - of gemstones, and to use them in the combination that is traditional to a culture adds interest to the pieces. Plus, the colour combination is lovely and bright, with a summery, tribal feel enhanced by the design of the necklace.

Candy Colours

Multi-coloured Quartz with Citrine.

Using contrasting shape, cut and colours of gems introduces a contemporary feel to pieces. The pale yellow rough-cut nuggets of Citrine stop the rainbow of smooth quartz nuggets from being too overpowering, but still add to the summery feel of the piece. I have introduced a simple design element of the citrine flower, which sits asymmetrically at the neckline to add an unusual look. I tend to make symmetrical designs: if there is a flower or a cluster or design element, it tends to fall in the centre, but I am trying to expand away from this, to give more variety and interest to my pieces.

       

A good design tip: if you want to make earrings, select the beads for these first. Particularly if you are using nuggets or irregular shapes. In this case, I decided to use 2 different colours of the Quartz, but I selected 2 of the citrine nuggets of a similar shape and weight.

Welcome!

My jewellery making hobby is taking off in a big way, so I'm separating it from my other blog, Paper Cadillac. Hopefully it will make it a bit easier for me to showcase the different designs and talk about them without it getting lost with my other crafts. This blog isn't about the hard sell, its more to display my designs. I love to inspire and take inspiration from other crafters and lovers of handmade, so welcome on board!