Sterling, Sapphire, September!

YAY for alliterations!

I love them :)

Still on my sapphire kick, this morning I made this little pendant.

Sapphires are a stone of hope where all else is hopeless. It is a stone of creative expression. Pulling on this creative expression, I did a very simple free form design from 12 ga sterling wire. The piece has some heft to it, so pendant hangs really nice on a cord.

I love this little nugget of sapphire. It has so much character. The blue is just screaming to get out!

Wednesday Challenge

When Jo was home, she had too much fun pawing thru my supplies and helping me organize my work space.

One of her favorite games is to grab a random grouping of beads and challenge me to make something with it.

For this Jo challenge she chose these beads.



Natural sapphire, matte finish dyed agate, labradorite and fresh water pearl.

Time to put my thinking cap on :)

September birthstone - Sapphire and alternates.

Traditionally sapphire is the September birthstone but did you know jasper and moonstone are alternate birthstones for this month?

With this selection there is sure to be a style or design to please even the pickiest of persons. I did a wander around a few sites and found not so traditional settings for sapphire. Beautiful and unique, just like the person who deserves to wear it. Why buy a mass produced setting, that looks just like everyone else, when you can buy a hand crafted original work of art? Don't forget jasper and moonstone. They are just as beautiful and should not be discounted because the are not in precious category.

When I saw jasper was in the list I did a little squeal. I love jasper. I love the variety jasper has. This stone runs the gambit of all colors. From your classic red jasper to the beautiful warm multi-colors of mookite, and into the mottled greens and browns of ocean jasper. How you can pick one variety of jasper as a favorite, is beyond me. I love them all!

I have included a smattering of great designs, including a couple of my own, being that jasper was on the list. I hope you enjoy them, and that this is an introduction to a new artist you will decide to follow to find out what else they are doing.

Happy birthday September babies!

Sapphire ring - masaoms at etsy.com




sapphire earrings - NicoleLincoln at etsy.com




Sapphire ring - Leahjewelry.com




moonstone pendant - girlseattle at artfire.com



moonstone pendant - shellamie at etsy.com




moonstone earrings - adorned7 at etsy.com



jasper earrings - libragear at artfire.com



jasper bracelet - Just A Tish at justatish.com




Jasper necklace - JustATish at justatish.com

it's April

Man it is sneaking up on me.

Hey Kids, did you know Aprils birthstone was diamond!?? Of course you did!
Did you know that an alternate birthstone was sapphire? Some of you may not have.

Here is where it gets tricky so keep your hands and feet in the car and the lap bar firmly in place cuz we are going for a ride.....

Diamond and sapphire are a bit pricey for me to work with, and typically faceted/cut to be put in a setting. I am not at that stage yet. I am sure I could wrap them in a creative artsy way, just getting a hold of them is a challenge in itself so we will leave them alone for awhile.


But.......


Did you know that iolite was also called the water sapphire? Did ya? I ADORE iolite - ADORE! It is a beautiful little stone and readily available in many grades. Its color varies slightly but more than not it is a beautiful dark purple/blue. *sigh* Do ya see where I am going here - we are going around our elbow to get to our ankle on this ride to take you from sapphire to iolite. I warned ya to hang on.

It has also been called "Vikings' Compass", because it was used to find the direction of the sun on cloudy days. The stone was cut thin, like a pane of glass and held to the sky. "Light scattered by air molecules is polarized, and the direction of the polarization is at right angles to a line to the sun, even when the sun's disk itself is obscured by dense fog or lies just below the horizon." (From Wiki)

Do ya think, that maybe because I am an adventurous soul, and have a tendancy to wander and explore and have been nicknamed -DOM (Daughter of Magellan -who I know is not a viking, but was still a savvy sailor) by my husband and have a compass tattoo so I always know where I am going, that I would be so drawn to this stone?

Mebbe so. All I know is there is something about iolite that makes me squeal deep in my heart, and instead of a diamond in my wedding band, guess what...yes - I have an iolite.

Nice segway here .......

So in light of that, here are a couple of things I have done with iolite.



Faceted roundells with bali sterling celtic beads



I wear these all the time. I love these little guys. I have a strand of these faceted drops and have been very stingy with them. I think i will keep them all for me :)




Fun quick wrap on a roundel for a small pendant. I wear this one alot too.


Thanks for playin!!!