Tidbits and a moral…

I’ve returned to the world of school, to the tech college. After spending time with Don Norris, who taught me quite a bit about silversmithing and jewelry work, I decided to head back. And, as luck would have it, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College happens to have a good, solid program for jewelry design, fabrication and repair.

Not only will I improve my knowledge and skill, I will have more tools to explore. I look forward to working with the instructors I have…they have a good reputation and are good people to work with. My husband and I are hoping to find, through this time in school, to set up a public access/club access for a local art studio we’re planning.

We’re also taking time to focus on our customers and what they need. Each customer has an entry in our Special Dates and Days database. We include personal information, dates to remember, names aand addresses of anyone they might like to have reminded of said dates (some have listed themselves to be reminded of anniversary, etc.). In it we include information on what their gift recipient has had his/her eye on, what gifts are connected to certain dates, etc. Putting this together has been a large undertaking. And while I had hopes of the information being entered from several websites, it is only available to those who purchase or work with our company.

And the moral I’m sharing is to not put off for tomorrow what can be done today. I have not spent as much time drawing as I should have. And drawing is not something to be rushed. So I’m off…and those of you working with me on custom jewelry will probably notice a big difference in my sketches as well as the software I use to scan it and then send it out.

Enjoy the day!

Comments and Answers

There are a few questions that I thought I’d answer from the comments…which I do hope continue. I may not answer all of them, but I’ll do my best.

Regarding my post on Agate, I have several comments. First, Wezz, this is the only book I own. I have several on my wish list. Try the following site for ideas on what sort of book you’d prefer.

http://www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/books/gemstones.shtml

There are a lot of books listed, a few less interesting to me than others.

Gem Identification Made Easy: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying and Selling.                                         by Antoinette L. Matlins and A.C. Bonanno

And you’ll see the Schumann book listed as well.

Another comment on the agate information by Maharshi follows:

respected sir,may i have any research paper or any scientific proove that Gemstones can work for body?……….

Thank you for your kind request. For the record, I am a woman, metalsmith and jeweler. And I apologize for any miscommunication on my part. Each mention of the “lore” surrounding a stone, including its healing powers on the body, ought to be clearly labeled as “Lore”.

Under Lore, for this and any other article, is where you will find the stories and rumors of what a stone is purported to ‘do’. There may be medicinal qualitites, spiritual qualities, etc. that some people place on these stones. I do not endorse such notions. I merely note that others believe or mention these things. I see the lore as adding to the ’story’ of each stone and its history.

Thank you for reading my blog, and keep checking back. I’ll be posting more on stones and gems. And I’ll make it more clear that the lore I post does not translate to fact, or even my own belief.

Gems and Jewels: Agate

This information is here because one person who disagreed with me on the usefulness of websites told me what he would have liked to see on a website when he was purchasing an emerald ring. I decided that was a good enough reason to start this project.

In my gathering of information for my book (Gems and Jewels, Metals and Makings), I’ve collected information on a variety of stones from a variety of sources. The most common book I’ve used has been Gemstones Of the World by Walter Schumann. It’s a great book and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in gemstones. For those of you only needing occasional information, I hope you’ll find it here.

In this information I will bring together some lore associated with the stone, some history, and information on its uses for jewelry.

Agate:

Agate is a form of chalcedony. Banded with vertically running microscopic quartz fibers, these layers, or bands, can have the same or different colors. Agate comes in all colors and ranges from opaque to transparent, appearing soft and waxy. Many pieces of agate these days are dyed, which is how agate retains its color and highlights for so long.

Hardness (Moh’s scale of hardness):

6.5-7

Jewelry

Agate is often used in rings, as pendants, and in making cameos.

Associations and History:

Once used by the Egyptians as a gemstone, today agate is not thought of as a gemstone. It is most often used, these days, as decorations, some jewelry (rings, pendants, cameos) and in industry because of its toughness and resistance to chemicals.

Lore:

Agates are thought to foster love, abundance, luck, strength, security, courage, protection, balance, harmony, inspiration, and appreciation of nature.

Healing lore: Agates are associated with healing insomnia, teeth, gums, stomach problems, stamina.

Black/Banded Agate: Lore: This is a stone for grounding and centering the energies of the Root or Base Chakra. Use for self control, grounding, resilience, quiet power, grounding, invisibility, peace and anxiety. Black agate is considered a receiving stones and is used for calming, soothing, inward meditation and reflection. When used for Chakra healing and balancing, Black Agate represents the element earth, and is therefore related to our survival instincts, and to our sense of grounding and connection to our bodies and the physical plane. Ideally, when using black stones at the Root Chakra, they bring us health, prosperity, security, and dynamic presence.

Blue Lace: Lore: Helps to focus on the inner source of love within you that transforms and heals all wounds. Contains the qualities of flight, air, movement, and grace. Highly inspirational when working with the inner self. Works well with not only the Throat Chakra, but the Heart, Third Eye and Crown Chakra. Strengthens hereditary skeletal structure, outward manifested growths, Arthritis.

Botswana: Gray and waxy in appearance. Lore: Strongly recommended for firefighters, people who smoke, and for anyone who comes in regular contact with excessive amounts of heat or smoke. Helpful for anyone who wants to quit smoking. Beneficial to the circulatory system, the skin, and the brain. A pleasant side effect may be giddiness. Soothes depression.

Fire: Most often found in North America. Comes in shades of orange, brown, blue, or green. Lore: Strong connection to the energies of the earth.

Moss: Translucent, transparent agate containing inclusions of minerals that look like moss or foliage. Lore: Connects one to Nature. Improves ego and self-esteem, emotional balance and strengthens positive personality traits. Allows one to see all the beauty one’s eyes touch.

Plum (Purple) Agate: Agate is composed of microscopic crystals of Quartz laid down in colorful bands or ribbons. The appearance of agate is waxy and soft. Almost always translucent and occasionally transparent. Lore: Is the stone of meditation and spiritual transformation. This stone works on the upper Chakra. It assists in allowing trust with your own intuition and opens the spiritual flood gates to a realm of endless possibilities. It gives us the space to “be” our spiritual selves and clears the mind for extraordinary vision and insight. Agates are grounding stones. They help obtain a better physical/emotional balance. They work to raise consciousness. Builds self-confidence.

Red/Banded Agate: Lore: This is a stone for grounding and centering the energies of the Root or Base Chakra. The color for the Root Chakra is red or black and it is grounded with your power. When this Chakra is open, you feel in good health and connected with your physical body. It is used to ground your essence into your physical body. This Chakra gives you determination, grounds you and helps in survival in the physical realms. Red is a projecting stones which assists in destroy disease, strengthens conscious, courage, strength, physical energy, luck, and success. Red stones are used for protection, courage, energy. Help with blood, relieve anemia, stop bleeding, heal rashes and wounds.

Who Are We: Why Social Networking Isn’t Always Easy

One of the more interesting aspects of online business is socializing. Not always a priority of mine when I have some work calling to me, socializing means conforming to some sort of protocol. Someone else answers the phone when I’m at my bench working hard. But when I’m online, no matter the task, I’m at the proverbial phone. So I’m the one answering.

As a part of a social network for marketing and advertising, I’m learning some interesting things…the first of which is how to be sociable on a blog. In that spirit I’ve taken some time to share a little bit about our business and our jewelry. This latest lesson has come from my teammate Joella at Always Wired BeadLady. Where her work and style differ from mine, her attention to detail and love of creating are a match. So, at her behest…

Random Facts

It is possible to catch a porcupine and take quills from them. You must, however, hold them upside down by the tail and you cannot, I repeat, cannot, hold them there upside down for long…it will kill them.

Now I can’t say I’ve ever gotten quills for jewelry in this way…or that I’ve ever considered it…but I kindof like that someone has. It reminds me that jewelers can be brave.

No, you won’t find the jewelry we currently have for sale made of porcupine quills. Both my husband and I have, at various times, used the quills in our jewelry. His jewelry is a combination of modern influences and styles and more traditional Native American jewelry.

Not all jewelry is created equal…environmentally speaking, that is. My husband and I have spent a lot of time and effort in learning how to be as environmentally and socially responsible as we can in our jewelry business. Our metals are obtained through Hoover & Strong, and are all 100% recycled. This means we can make you something beautiful without further harm to the earth. We hope our customers feel as good about this as we do.

My favorite present from my husband was a hammer…and his friends think he’s the luckiest guy around because of it. I love making jewelry, and I love working with good tools. So when I’m learning new techniques, when I’ve worn out a tool, or just because, my husband knows he can get me something I’m sure to love AND sure to use.

I saw a picture of a silver tree that was actually grown. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined. Even more beautiful than the molten lead my father used to make his sinkers for fishing. But it took starting a business to teach me more about the elements than I ever knew in highschool.

• Ag = Silver              Au = Gold
• Cu = Copper           Rh = Rhodium
• Ge = Germanium   Ti = Titanium
• Pt = Platinum         Pd = Paladium
• Ni = Niobium          Hg = Mercury

(Which of the above should not be a part of your jewelry?)

What does Sterling Silver mean, anyway? Our first order for chains (we only make some) led me to ask a lot of questions. Within the first week or so the chains tarnished, and shouldn’t have. I cleaned them, thinking they may have been older but kept them aside regardless. And I called our supplier of chains, who was appalled and ready to ship more chains pronto. But first I wanted answers.

The answers…Nearly anything can be considered sterling silver if it contains the minimum .925 silver (92.5%). Usually the rest is copper, but it doesn’t need to be. And our supplier didn’t know what the other 7.5% could be.

Not only did we change suppliers, we changed our way of doing business. We sought out information on better grades of sterling silver and discovered Argentium Sterling Silver…which is an amazing product, replacing the copper (or whatever mix) with germanium. The result, much less tarnish and trouble.

We now use Argentium Silver…anyone who would prefer Sterling Silver can be accomodated, but I will soundly recommend Argentium.

If you’re interested, here is some information…http://www.argentiumsilver.info

Or you could always ask me.

Oh, and there are some of my teammates in marketing that I would like to introduce you to. They have, in their way, inspired me to greater work, to be seen later this month. I hope you take a look. I’m sure their inspiration and style will capture a lot of attention.

• Tina C. of M5Creative Corners She makes some incredible quilts…her use of color is enchanting and inspiring.
• Wilma of Wilma’s Whimseys Her glasswork is truly artful.
• The young woman who owns Simplexities is very creative and a little mysterious. Her versatility intrigues me.
• Heidi at FairyWorks brings enchantment and otherworldly charm to her jewelry.

Leaves and Trailing Vines

I’ve hardly begun finishing my pieces already pictured and I have more I’m starting with. And such wonderful ideas!

On a whim I looked at Alchemy on Etsy (where some of our jewelry is available) and encountered someone who is looking for some of what I’m already making! Leaves and vines and flowers and feathers have been all I can think of these days. Perfect to find someone interested in just these things!

In very early stages of work, I am finding my way with Argentium Sterling Silver. It is much more tarnish-resistant than standard Sterling Silver and it fuses, much like Fine Silver.

The experiments are going well, if you don’t notice the unfinished pieces waiting to meet my files and polish. Photographs to come, and sketches as well. Truth be told, the sketches were thoughts, and I’ve not held too true to them. The work doesn’t suffer for it, though.