New Treasures from Bonnaroo - New Stones for My Collection!

Our one vacation every year is Bonnaroo. If you have never heard of it, it is a 4 night music festival in Manchester, TN. I take that back, it is more than a music festival, it is heaven. Yes there is music, all types of music, but there is also experiences, classes, community and more. It is my mecca.

Each year when we go, we also buy a momento of sorts, typically a t shirt or hat, and every year I get a new stone.  I have gotten labradorite, ammolite, garnet, prehnite and this year I bought 7..... I couldn't help myself. 

I typically shop at one tent in particular Twisted Bliss, and I did shop them, but I also found Wormtown Trading. 

I went for an early morning stroll, it was hot, I was on a mission for coffee. Very few of the vendors were open, and I stumbled into Wormtown. So many things, and so many of those things were crystals. Immediately the tourmaline caught my eye. I thought this will be the new pendant for the 2018 Bonnaroo experience. I continued to browse, and I found a box of very dark, tumbled cylinders. It looked like Pakistan Jade, but I thought it was too dark, and I had never seen it in long thin 'spears'. I asked what it was to make sure, and  - surprise - it is Pakistan Jade!

I continued to wander thru the tent, so many awesome stones, and most of them I had, but you never know when one will just pop out at you.  

Then I found the bumble bee jasper..OMG! I love this so much. I have several cabs of this, that I have wrapped into pendants. I did some reading on this jasper, and found that it is volcanic made, and because of this, it is also toxic. The sulfur content in the stone is too high, and it will get into your skin. It is highly recommended that if this stone is made into jewelry, that is has a metal backing on it. They had so much of it displayed and I had to touch each piece. I asked one of the women working there if she had heard of the toxicity of the stone, and she had. We chatted about it for a bit, while I was still looking. 

THEN I found a chevron amethyst point. I have chevron amethyst beads, but I had never seen it in it's natural state. FELL IN LOVE!

I was just about to check out when I spotted a box of carnelian. This beautiful stone, with all it's patterns and deep orange color had to come home with me because I am giving it to my daughter.

I had to stop.

Later that day I made it over to Twisted Bliss. I love that vendor so much. Not only do they have beautiful, and not so run of the mill loose stones, but the wire wrapping they do is incredible!!!

There I found the citrine. 

O

M

G

That beautiful point with a window!!!!!

I got a smaller piece as well, to wrap for this years stone (i know I have the tourmaline for that) but you can't have too many pendants!!

The stones in the picture are as follows:

1 o'clock - carnelian

4 o'clock chevron amethyst

5 o'clock Pakistan jade

6 o'clock citrine point

7 o'clock citrine point

9 o'clock tourmaline

center - bumblebee jasper.

I'll break down each stones properties in the following blogs. 

This is my collection for this year, and I can't wait to get busy at the bench and make some jewelry!!!!

Thanks for stopping by, be blessed and always remember, be peaceful, be kind and find time to create!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!

"Chicken Slayer" Viking Pendant Necklace

A couple weeks ago I got the visit of a lifetime. My friend Jenny, of whom I had never met face to face, but we have been dear friends online for nearly 10 years, came to visit me from Sweden!!! We had 10 glorious days together doing everything we could think of and then some. We definitely didn't waste anytime, we were always busy. She brought me the greatest little gifts. One of them was this little brass pendant. She thought I could do something with it. The pendant is a replica of Viking jewelry. I got really excited when I looked at the pendant, because there was a dragon on it. She politely told me - "It is a chicken darling"

I am still not convinced


I couldn't wait to sit down and get to work on this. I paired up the pendant with this large TierraCast bead I have been hoarding for so long from Rings and Things , they no longer have it on their site :(

I knew I had to use iolite. Iolite is known by some as 'The Viking' stone. The vikings cut slabs of iolite very thin and held it up to the sky on very cloudy/foggy days to find the sun and help them navigate their ships. Iolite is also one of my favorite stones. So to incorporate that into the piece has even more meaning. I added rainbow obsidian and tourmaline, with little brass cap accents. I used seed beads to separate the beads, which also allows the design to have a better flow

I also wanted this to be a simple design, to compliment the 'age' of the pendant.

I am so excited about this piece. It has been a while since I have made something for myself. I am thrilled by this gift from my friend, and can't wait to wear it!

What do you think? Chicken or Dragon?

It's October! Opal!

October brings in fall and hayrides and bond fires and home coming and chilly nites and ....and...

Can you tell I really like October :)

Opal is the birthstone for the month of October. In ancient times opal was recognized as a symbol of faithfulness and confidence. The brilliantly colored opal was said to have magic powers because of its play of many colors. It was known to strengthen eyesight, protect against contagious diseases, ease sadness, and turn pale in the presence of poison. Opal symbolizes magic, love, hope, happiness, and truth.

This is what I traditionally think of as opal

“Natures Fireworks" and “The Queen of Gems" are some of the superlatives that have been used to describe opal.

My favorite: The Australian Aboriginals believe that they have lived in Australia since the Dreamtime, the beginning of all creation. Over time, their culture has produced a rich variety of mythologies in hundreds of different languages. To the Aborigines, opals, like other minerals, have a spiritual value because they represent something a Dreaming ancestor left behind as a sign of their presence. The aboriginal Wangkumara tribe recount a legend of how their people gained fire from opal stones, with the assistance of a Muda – a creator who switches from human form to pelican:

Long, long ago the Wangkumara people decided to send a pelican (Muda) to explore the Northern Territory, so he could return and tell them what was there. After a time, while still in Queensland, the pelican felt ill and landed on top of a hill. While resting, the pelican observed the ground beneath him, amazed by its magnificent array of colours. Being curious he began to peck at the coloured stones with his beak. Suddenly, a spark flew out and lit dry grass nearby. The flames rose and spread across long distances, approaching a group of Wangkumara who were camped near by. The people were able to cook their meat and fish for the first time, grateful for this new gift brought by these precious stones.

Have you seen boulder opal?? Be still my heart!!!



In the 19^th century, opal was considered unlucky in Europe, due to the plot of a popular novel of the time written by Sir Walter Scott, while in Asia it has always been considered to bring loyalty and hope to the wearer.

Prized for its unique ability to refract and reflect specific wavelengths of light, the Opal was called "Cupid Paederos" by the Romans, meaning a child beautiful as love. One legendary explanation for this gemstone's origin is that it fell from heaven in a flash of fiery lightning.


How about Fire opal...SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! (my mom's favorite)

The Opal dates back to prehistoric times. It is a non-crystallized silica, which is a mineral found near the earth's surface in areas where ancient geothermal hot springs once existed. As the hot springs dried up, layers of the silica, combined with water, were deposited into the cracks and cavities of the bedrock, forming Opal. This gemstone actually contains up to 30% water, so it must be protected from heat or harsh chemicals, both of which will cause drying and may lead to cracking and loss of iridescence. Opal must also be guarded from blows, since it is relatively soft and breaks easily.

Most of the world's Opal deposits are found in Southern Australia. Other sources of this gemstone are Brazil, Mexico, Czechoslovakia and Nevada. Quality Opal is very expensive, made more so by the caution that must be exercised in cutting, polishing and setting it into jewelry.

This is the opal my mom gave me. It is cut on the bias so you can see all the layers in the stone and then inlayed in the pendant. I wear it everyday!

Now lets not forget pink tourmaline :) Pink tourmaline has the seemingly magical property of pyroelectricity. Scientifically speaking, this means that when heated, the gem takes on a static electric charge, making it capable of attracting lightweight objects. No wonder this gemstone was revered for its mystical properties centuries ago! Considered the "stone of the muse," it was believed to stimulate the creative process of its wearer. Pink varieties of Tourmaline range in color from pastel pink to ruby red and are mined in Brazil, Afghanistan, Burma, and India. A gift of this stone is symbolic of hope.

Up until my 30's I didn't know that October had two birthstones, pink tourmaline and opal. Growing up it had always been that little piece of pink glass to represent the pink tourmaline!

What is your favorite thing about October??