Wire Jewelry Idea for
February 1, 2012

Name: Jennifer’s Mother Ring
Submitted by: Joan Huck

Technique used: snapsets, ringmaking

Materials used:

• 20-gauge square sterling silver wire
• Citrine and Garnet CZs
• Snapsets
• Ring mandrel

Jennifer's Mother's Ring, a wire wrapped snapset family ring by Joan Huck

Joan said, "Mother’s Rings and Birthstone Rings are a "hot item" for me. I just started making them recently and I can’t make them fast enough! I made several different designs and then allow my customers to pick out their stones, style, type of wire (silver, silver filled, or craft wire depending on how much they want to invest).

"I made this one for my niece as a Christmas present from her husband. The outside stones are citrine CZs, and the middle stone is a garnet CZ."

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Tool of the Week for
January 30, 2012

This week’s tool: Metal Drawplate DRA-555.00

Demonstration by Kate, JewelryTools.com

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Tucson Show Update #1
January 27, 2012

Good morning from Tucson, where it’s expected to be 74° today and clear, sunny skies! I’m thrilled to be back here in Tucson for the world-famous gem, mineral, and fossil shows – usually at least 60 individual shows will be held during January and February! We arrived yesterday, and today is all about setting up our booth and classes area for our sister site, JewelryTools.com, who is hosting 120+ classes over the next couple weeks. I can’t wait to meet all the instructors and explore as many shows as I can!

We’re based out of Kino Sports Complex, at the Tucson Electric Park (TEP) Gem & Mineral Show. While the show doesn’t open until Saturday, when it will be free to the public (and free parking!), I thought I’d wander through the show while people set up their booths and show you what I found. Some vendors have been here for days or even weeks already, setting up their marvelous stock of gems! Take a look:

Strands and strands and strands of gemstone beads at TEP Gem & Mineral Show - don't you just want to touch them?

One of the vendors here has a lot of citrine and amethyst! Since Dale wrote about them recently in her gem profiles, I made sure to get a few pictures. (Click to enlarge)

Amethyst cathedrals waiting for the big day Saturday when the show opens!

A large citrine cathedral or geode - wouldn't that be an amazing display piece!

The TEP Gem & Mineral Show had a lot of petrified wood to look at last year; this year it's a big thing again, too! These fossilized stumps are sure to be popular.

Here are more stumps and also slabs of petrified wood. This is just while the vendor was setting up - I will have to come back when the show starts and see if they have any cabbed or small pieces for me to play with in wire!

Last but not least, I was just turning to leave when I saw these huge pure-white quartz crystals. Can you believe them!

We’ve got a busy day of setting up ahead of us, but I’ll be in touch again with LOTS more pictures and exciting gem & mineral updates from the show in the weeks to come!

Gem profiles by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong will resume after the Tucson shows.

By the way: there’s still time to discover the world of Jewelry-Making in terrific Tucson, Arizona! January 28 – February 12, choose from full-day and half-day classes that will transform your jewelry-making forever! In media including wire wrapping, beading, etching, resin, polymer clay, metal clay, chainmaille, and even more, just stop by JewelryTools.com’s Tool Tent #ES 14 at the TEP Gem & Mineral Show at Kino Sports Complex. Click here to browse all classes!

Wire Jewelry Idea for January 25, 2012

Today I’d like to share a little free tutorial, compliments of Patti Bullard of Wubbers tools. I love S Links because they are so versatile: if you notice the bracelet Patti’s wearing, it uses S Links as components in the bracelet itself. Or, you can make these with the middle loops slightly lengthened to create a simple, versatile clasp! Watch the video and get inspired to create your own component wire jewelry.

Introducing Wubbers! Easy on your hands and easy on your wire, you’ll “wub” this brand of pliers! Plus, if you order any Wubbers tool before Friday night, you’ll receive 3 free tutorial downloads! (Will be sent via email Feb. 1)

Click to explore Wubbers – there’s a lot to WUB!

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Tool of the Week for
January 23, 2012

This week’s tool: Wubbers Pliers

Demonstration by Patti Bullard, creator of Wubbers Pliers

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Gem Profile Contest for
January 20, 2012

I know we promised a Gem Profile for today, and I apologize – there’s been a change of plans! We are nearly ready to head down to Tucson, Arizona – Dale’s been preparing for weeks, and with good reason – making kits for her classes at the TEP Gem & Mineral Show! – and we’ve been packing and planning around the clock, too. So please accept our apologies: we will be resuming the Gem Profiles, starting with Rose Quartz, when we return from Arizona, starting February 24. While we’re in Tucson, I’ll be bringing you updates each Friday (if not more often!) – and today, well, I thought it might be fun to do a little contest! How well have you been paying attention during the gem profiles? Click here to review our 34 Gem Profiles.

Gem Profile Contest: Name that Rock!

It’s pretty simple: Below are 8 pictures from Gem Profiles that we’ve published on the Blog. Simply leave a comment below identifying each stone in order, and you could win! (Don’t sweat it: If a stone is paintbrush jasper, we will accept "jasper.") The first 5 comments with the correct answers will each win a $10 gift certificate to Wire-Sculpture and 10% off all Tucson Jewelry Classes!

We have our winners! Here they are:

1. Vivian
2. N Irish
3. Jeanne
4. Dianne Courage
5. Jana

Congratulations to our winners – be looking in your email inboxes for your prizes! Thank you to everyone who participated – we’ll have to do this again!

Still want to try your luck at identifying these stones? The answers are now at the very end of the post. Good luck, rockhounds!!!

Picture #1:

Picture #2:

Picture #3:

Picture #4:

Picture #5:

Picture #6:

Picture #7:

Picture #8:

Think you know them all? Leave a comment listing what stone is pictured, in the order shown, and you could win a $10 gift certificate!

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Answers: 1-amber, 2-charoite, 3-rhodochrosite, 4-pyrite, 5-labradorite, 6-velvet peacock obsidian (tricky!), 7-lapis lazuli, 8-picture jasper. How’d you do?

Wire Jewelry Idea for
January 18, 2011

Not too long ago, we talked about the Fall 2011 Pantone colors: the colors that seemed most prevalent in the fashion, design, and jewelry world for the fall 2011 season, picked by color expert Pantone. True to form, nearly every shirt I was drawn to while shopping was one of those 10 colors! And sure enough, the jewelry I made with those 10 colors in mind matched nearly anything in the stores.

Well, it’s time to start thinking spring and summer, and Pantone’s already there with the Spring 2012 Pantone forecast.

Pantone Spring 2012 Color Palette

The browns and yellow are pretty similar to the Fall 2011 colors, so if you have jewelry made with those colors, feel free to display it proudly. However, the Deep Teal, the dark Cedar, and the pale blue colors might want to sit this summer out. This spring, the colors spring to life with vibrant, vivid fuchsia (Cabaret), fierce orange (Tangerine Tango), and a solid Blue (Sodalite Blue). These are loud summer colors designed for warm weather!

I’ve put together a humble list of suggestions using this season’s Pantone Spring 2012 colors. For more ideas, especially with fashion, explore Pantone’s own website!

>

Tangerine Tango
Dark Champagne CZ	Red/orange Aventurine Beads
Amber Beads	Orange Craft Wire
Solar Power
Topaz Swarovski Beads	Mookaite Cabochons
Yellow Craft Wire	Brass Wire
Bellflower
Lilac Swarovski Beads	Light Amethyst Beads
Lavender Craft Wire
Cabaret
Fuchsia Craft Wire	Fuchsia Swarovski Beads
Fuchsia Dyed Mother of Pearl Beads	Dyed Pink Druzy Cabochons
Sodalite Blue
Sodalite Beads	Lapis Beads
American Blue Craft Wire	Pietersite Cabochons
Margarita
Green Fluorite Gemstones	Fluorite Cabochons
Chrysoprase Beads	Prehnite Cabochons
Sweet Lilac
Light Rose Swarovski Beads	Shell Beads
Cockatoo
Amazonite Beads	Sesame Jasper Cabochons
Polishing Cloths!	Aqua Glass Cabochons
Driftwood
Smoky Quartz Beads	Smokey Quartz Craft Wire
Starfish
Antique Copper Craft Wire	Natural Druzy

And here are some ideas of what you can make with the Spring 2012 Pantone Palette!

Diana Harwood's Buttons Buttons: Tangerine Tango, Solar Power, Starfish

Jodi Bombardier's Art Deco Earrings have a touch of "Bellflower" purple!

Stephanie Eddy's Viking Knit necklace has Starfish, Margarita, and Driftwood colors: the look of slightly antiqued copper is definitely "in"!

Lena Bugrimenko's Melted Ice Necklace: Making chainmaille jewelry and not sure how to complement the spring 2012 colors? Simply use a different color of wire to make jump rings, like Lena's Driftwood-like dark jump rings, for the perfect accent.

Dale Armstrong's Personal Power Crystal - Don't want to buy new wire or cabs to fit trends? Invest in a rainbow of small beads and accent the tops of your pieces, like Dale's beads here which resemble bellflower, tangerine tango, and solar power!

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Tool of the Week for
January 16, 2012

sponsored by JewelryTools.com

This week’s tool: Jewelry Shield Protectant, Item # JWL-180.00

Demonstration by Kate, JewelryTools.com

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
January 13, 2011

Smoky Quartz, one in a Series on Quartz

Irradiated smoky quartz crystal wire wrapped by Susan Mazlum and accented with crystal beads.

When macrocrystalline quartz is colored or tinted in shades of gray or brown, it is called smoky quartz. These gray shades can be very pale through grayed yellow-brown with or without reddish tints, dark charcoal colored or nearly black and almost opaque. Commonly found in vugs that formed in pegmatite veins, smoky quartz occurs in masses or crystals; the crystals being color zoned that sometimes grade toward amethyst or citrine colors. These crystals can be thin druzy crusts or giants that weigh nearly half a ton! Smoky quartz can also be found near water clear quartz or amethyst as well as inside geodes. The beautiful smoky coloration comes from inclusions of aluminum, calcium, lithium or magnesium. Natural radiation also contributes to the color, meaning that a lot of really "black" stones on the market have actually been cut from smoky quartz that has been artificially irradiated, or "treated."

A few smoky quartz beads and one of the large smoky quartz stones in Dale's collection.

Smoky quartz ring wire wrapped in sterling silver by Joe Peterson.

Jackie Morris wire wrapped this smoky quartz stone with sterling silver wire.

In Scotland, smoky quartz of a rich caramel yellowish brown has been used as a gemstone for centuries and carries the special title of "cairngorm." having been found and mined in the Cairngorm Mountains in the Scottish Highlands and it is the national stone of Scotland. Like several other cultures who didn’t like carrying coins, early Scots wore jewelry as a form of money. The cairngorm was also used to make Scottish "pebble" jewelry, "a mosaic souvenier jewellery made from precious metal and native stones." Naturally black smoky quartz that is almost opaque can be called "Morion" (which is also the name of a conquistador’s helmet, but the two have nothing to do with one another). The dark, lustrous smoky quartz found in Switzerland is known as "Alpine."

In Brazil, smoky quartz has been found mixed with citrine. Which came first? The smoky, that when heated during formation turned yellow, similar to the ametrine we spoke of last week. In some instances, the original smoky crystal is still "smoky" and the quartz that crystallized over it turned yellow, causing a phantom (more on phantom crystals later).

Faceted bi-colored, smoky-citrine stones that are waiting for me to do something with them. Notice the unusual smoky striations and fading color in those on the left.

When any quartz is broken, it is razor-sharp, so it makes perfect sense that the earliest known humans of the Americas,  Paleo-Indians or Clovis who lived 13,000 to 14,000 years ago would have used it to create work tools and weapons. If you scroll down to artifact #154 on this NOVA page, you will see a beautiful example of a smoky quartz "point," probably used on a spear. Ancient Romans also enjoyed smoky quartz and often used it to carve into their official seals, using the method we call intaglio today. Ancient Sumerians and the Chinese also utilized smoky quartz, by carving it into snuff bottles and small statues for home and ritual purposes .

Smoky quartz is often used to make into carvings and statues. This smoky Buddha is part of my daughter's collection.

A couple of nice whiskey quartz stones.

Marketing names for smoky quartz usually come from another name that imitates the color of the stone – for example, whiskey quartz. Natural whiskey quartz resembles the Scottish cairngorm, but most of what is affordable today is heat-treated to a lovely cherry wood color. Another name, root beer quartz, describes smoky quartz that looks like a brown beer bottle. However, "smoky topaz" is not a legal marketing name, as topaz and quartz are two totally different materials, and although it is considered archaic to call smoky quartz topaz, several folks still do. This misconception probably occurred when Scotland became known for its smoky quartz that was found in close proximity with natural topaz. Topaz is more expensive and softer stone, whereas smoky quartz is very affordable, more durable, and beautiful in its own right!

A variety of faceted smoky quartz stones, some bi-color with water quartz. Private collection, Dale Armstrong.

A close-up of the faceted stone in the above photo, showng the detail of the flower intaglio. Private collection, Dale Armstrong

Did you know that fortune tellers often use crystal balls made from smoky quartz? Metaphysically, smoky quartz is supposed to provide grounding for all endeavors and to negate negative energy.

Susan Hironaka wire wrapped these smoky quartz crystal points in 14kt gold filled wire and accented them with freshwater pearls.

The huge smoky crystal that sits next to my work space, hoping to divert any negative energy and to keep me "grounded"!

Most of the smoky quartz on today’s market comes from Brazil and Madagascar, and a few other notable deposits are found in: Switzerland, Scotland and Russia. In the United States, a very richly colored smoky quartz can be found in the Pike’s Peak pegmatites of Colorado; smoky quartz is also mined in Idaho and can be found in Montana, California, Utah, Maine, and North Carolina. Unfortunately if you have smoky quartz from Arkansas, it is more than likely a milky to clear quartz that has been heated.

Next week I will tell you a bit about lighter colored, rose quartz! Have you made wire jewelry with rose quartz before? Email pictures to tips@wire-sculpture.com, and they could be featured!

Resources

Print Resources:

• Love is in the Earth by Melody, ISBN 0-9628190-3-4
• Minerals of the World by Walter Schumann, ISBN 0-8069-8570-4
• Simon & Schuster’s Guide to Gems and Precious Stones by Curzio Cipriani and Alessandro Borelli, ISBN 0-671-60430-9

Internet Resources:

• www.curriehj.freeserve.co.uk/typeloc.htm
• www.holyroodpr.co.uk/index.php/coverage/entry/jeweller_draws_up_unique_map_of_precious_scotland/
• www.jewelscollectingdust.com/jewelleryinformation.htm
• www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/ancient-clovis-cache.html
• www.wikipedia.org

Gem Profile by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Wire Jewelry Idea for January 11, 2012

The tradition of birthstones is a wonderful way to make jewelry that is tailored to a person that you haven’t even met yet. Simply keeping the birthstones in mind when purchasing cabochons, CZs, beads, and other supplies will ensure people will find symbolic significance in your jewelry as well as treasure it for its handcrafted beauty.

Whether or not one believes there is any metaphysical significance to the birthstones, we can’t deny the strategic power it wields for jewelry-makers. When a customer sees a ring display of a dozen or so colors in the same style, she’s already accustomed to expect that one in the display is her birthstone, and thus will immediately look for “her” stone. Additionally, a very popular gift for women is a “Mother’s” or “Grandmother’s” ring or pendant, which uses the birthstones of her children and grandchildren in a personalized jewelry design. If you can create rings or pendants in an assortment of stones, such as a multiple-bead or multiple-CZ ring, you will be very popular leading up to May for Mother’s Day!

Tradition has it that the birthstones originated with the High Priest Aaron’s breastplate as described in the Bible, and was standardized into 12 recommended by Tiffany & Co in this Tiffany-sponsored poem dating to 1870. Other cultures, including the Babylonians and the Tibetans had separate birthstones, as well as ancient Indian or Ayurvedic birthstones.

In today’s downloadable chart, we have researched several birthstone cultural traditions, as well as included an anniversary chart and a zodiac birthstone chart. An online version of this chart is available here (Symbolic Gemstones of the World) or click below to download.

Download Gemstone Symbolic Charts (368 KB) | Download Adobe Reader

Click to Download!

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