Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
January 19, 2011

Question:

There is an abundance of Andalusite in my area. I’ve tried to work with it with little luck, as far as achieving a water shine, so I need to come up with a way as to use wire to bring out the beauty. Using silver, I find that the silver dominates the beauty and leaves the Andalusite with a non-attractive look. How can I wire this as to produce the high quality pendant that I want?

-Steven in Fresno, California

Answer:

Gee, what a sad situation, to be surrounded with Andalusite – I need to visit you and see! (see Google Images results for Andalusite)

You don’t mention if the stones you have are gemmy (transparent to translucent, usually faceted) or if this Andalusite is basic (pink and white with black cross, usually cabbed). I gather it is the latter, so I would recommend just making a regular frame pendant for it. If the stones are of the gemmy type, then any of the prong designs offered in our DVDs or in my book would work beautifully, because using prongs along the edges of the stone will not cover the top much at all.

Gemmy Andalusite is not often found in larger sizes and is also known as "poor man’s alexandrite" due to the fact that this natural stone contains several colors (red, yellow and green, sometimes in brownish tones). Unlike Alexandrite, Andalusite does not need lighting changes to see the many colors. As a June baby whose birthstone is the extremely rare-but-gorgeous red/green Alexandrite, less-expensive Andalusite is one of my favorite stones!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Tagged with:andalusite, cab, cabochon, gems, gemstone, how to, pendant, wrapping

Filed under: Daily Wire Jewelry Tips • Gemstones & Beads • Project Help

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
January 18, 2011

Question:

I have a stained, dirty piece of ivory. Can I clean it with toothpaste, a tooth brush and a little warm water? Ivory is basically teeth anyway!

-Pam in Mechanicsville, Virginia

Answer:

Hi Pam, I have to tell you that when I read your question, I could understand why you would think toothpaste would be an obvious choice to clean ivory with. However, at the same time, I grimaced, knowing that our Ivory Expert would scold me. So I posed your question to Wire-Sculpture Faculty member Mary W. Bailey who responded:

"Oh goodness, what a supposition. First of all, toothpaste has an abrasive in it…so don’t use it. A soft toothbrush would be fine to start with, but do not use water, since ivory and water are a bad combination. I would use some glycerin and work it gently to clean off the surface dirt. The glycerin will also help put oil back into the surface and loosen deeper dirt. Keep working the glycerin into the ivory and wipe it off between cleanings with a soft rag. I realize this is a general answer, since I don’t know what the item is: a bead, a carving, a tusk, or other ivory piece."

For more tips on Ivory, click our Ivory and Pearls blog category.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Tagged with:bone, cleaning, glycerin, ivory, teeth, toothpaste

Filed under: Cleaning, Polishing, & Care • Daily Wire Jewelry Tips • Ivory & Pearls

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
January 17, 2011

Question:

I am creating some black onyx jewelry for an arts and crafts festival: a kind of simple design, mostly black onyx strung on bead wire with a sterling silver clasp. I have seen some jewelry of this type on jewelry shows on TV, and they price it according to the carat weight of the beads. Is it a proper way to price, or should I sell it according to the mathematical equation which I have read in your blog? Any help appreciated. Thanks!

-Nora in Surprise, Arizona

Answer:

Yet another way that is used to price jewelry and sell it, by the carat weight. This type of marketing is used by people who want to impress others with the weight of the stones used in a finished piece of jewelry, to "push" a sale. In my opinion, this is generally not a good way to sell, unless the stones (or beads) are of a precious or semi-precious nature.

Most of what is sold as black onyx today is dyed. If one were to have natural, solid black onyx, then it is a semi-precious stone. If you are lucky enough to find natural black onyx, it will likely be banded with shades of white, such as the affordable selection of black onyx cabochons and beads offered on Wire-Sculpture.

Stone beads that could be sold by the carat weight would include those that are more rare and are of good to excellent quality (meaning eye-clean, excellent color, etc) such as Apatite, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Diamond, Jade (the genuine article), Aquamarine, Amethyst, etc. Depending on the demand for certain stones, Lapis, Larimar, genuine Coral and others can be added to the “sell by the carat” list. Please be careful about what you believe (and may buy) from television sales channels! To avoid possible costly mistakes, do your research first.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Tagged with:beads, black, black onyx, cabochons, carat, carat weight, how to price jewelry, onyx, pricing

Filed under: Daily Wire Jewelry Tips • Gemstones & Beads • Sales, Marketing, Shows, & Display

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
January 16, 2011

Question:

I have purchased your Beginner Series and am having a great time with the projects. My question is this: In your videos your twisted wire looks perfect from end to end. In other words, it’s not twisted more on the ends than it is in the middle. I use a drill and hold my wire with my pliers just as you show, but the wire twists much more on each end than in the middle. So by the time I get my wire the way I want it in the middle, it is way too tight on both ends. The orbit earrings using a 14" piece of wire is a good example of this. How do I get my wire to look as even as yours?

-Rebecca in Ft. Myers, Florida

Answer:

Oh yes Rebecca, twisting wire. It really is as easy as it looks, but due to the "nature of the beast"; my wire does not always twist consistently either! If you can, twist some wire veerry slooowly and watch it. You will see that the wire twists at both ends, each toward the center, meeting in the middle. This means that the middle does not twist as tightly as each end.

The only way to twist consistently is to plan for about 1/4-inch on each end to twist more tightly and then cut the ends off. For example, with the Orbit Earrings, cut your wire 15-1/4 inches long, and then cut in half. This will give you two 7-5/8 inch pieces. Your pliers and drill will each hold 1/8-inch, leaving the additional 1/4-inch on each end that can be cut off.

For lots more information about twisting wire, please see my article: Getting Twisted, and congratulations on your success, Rebecca!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Tagged with:beginner, earrings, jewelry wire, twist jewelry wire, twisting wire, wire twister

Filed under: Daily Wire Jewelry Tips • Jewelry Tool Tips • Technique Tips

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
January 15, 2011

Question:

I’m very interested in the Lucky Stone multi colored CZs. I finally figured out the light and dark difference. Will there be a consistent color in them? Also I like the baguette style, but I am not familiar with the concave version. What is half-drilled? I was wondering if you could answer this quickly since you have a sale on them now. Thank you so much.

-Sue in Lacey, Washington

Answer:

Hi Linda, my order arrived the other day and as I look at these "Lucky" CZ stones to answer your questions, I am seriously impressed!

1. Yes, the consistency of color is uniform when looking at two stones of the same size, shape and cut (so earrings will not be a challenge).
2. When a faceted stone is concave cut, it means that the pavilion has been scalloped, giving an almost sunburst effect when viewing the stone from the front (concave cut is my personal favorite).
3. When an item (usually a bead) is described as "half drilled," it means that a hole has been drilled on one side that goes from 1/3 to 1/2 of the way through the item. Most often half drilled beads are used at the end of a wire/eyepin/headpin, and adhered using a good epoxy.

I hope these answers help you choose your selection of "Lucky" CZ stones; just remember, when they are gone – they are gone!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Tagged with:concave, cubic zirconia, cut, cz, gemstone, half drilled, lucky

Filed under: Daily Wire Jewelry Tips • Gemstones & Beads