The old joke, “What’s black and white and re(a)d all over?” The answer is ‘Newspaper’ but it could also describe a lot of my jewelry designs. I love the combo of black & white (or clear) plus red, and this … Continue reading Jewelry: Black & White and Re(a)d All Over
Jade comes in two recognized forms: Nephrite and Jadeite. Although they are distinctly different under the microscope they both share a certain ‘toughness’. This means that they both are easily carved without small pieces accidentally breaking off. And of course, … Continue reading Jade, a Green Semi-Precious Stone
I saw this black and white Pegmatite rock in the National History Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. I thought the patterns on it were amazing and certainly worth a painting.Later I saw this wall in a high-end shop made up of … Continue reading Patterned Stones in Black & White & In Between
In Beaumaris, Wales I met a man selling Red Jasper, green Chert (a type of flint) and Slate which he had been cutting and polishing to make uniquely local pieces of jewelry. He told me that the stones had all … Continue reading Semi-Precious Stones: Red Jasper
A trip to Banff (and visit to one of their ‘rock’ shops) left me fascinated with Mother Nature’s ‘art’. Pyrite cubic crystals. Fossil trilobite. Fossil nautilus shell. Fossil fish. Bismuth crystals. Ammonite fossil. More of Jennifer Nichole Wells’ One Word Challenge: … Continue reading Banff Gemstones and Fossils
I have been wanting to put together a necklace inspired by the colours of Ireland: orange and green. My inspiration was the Irish flag which combines the ‘orange’ Protestants and the ‘green’ Catholics, and also the rich greens and oranges … Continue reading A Necklace Inspired by Ireland
Rhodonite, with its distinctive rose pink colour, is often veined in olive green or black. Pink rhodonite, leopard jasper, rutilated quartz, ebony & brass necklace.Detail of heavily veined rhodonite, brass, ebony with inlaid brass, and rutilated quartz. Detailed of a carved rhodonite rose … Continue reading Rhodonite, a Pink Semi-Precious Stone
One of the things that characterize Quartz is its crystalline structure. ‘Ice Storm’ necklace and earrings containing crystals of clear Quartz, often known as Crystal Quartz or Rock Crystal. A close-up of Amethyst crystals at the Cardiff Museum in Wales. … Continue reading Quartz, a Semi-Precious Stone
Ammonites and Ammolites: fossil variations on the spiral. Wikipedia: A variety of ammonite forms, from Ernst Haeckel’s 1904 Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms of Nature) Fossils of Ammonite shells found in museums and shops in Wales and Canada.An ammonite sliced in half.Polished ammonite … Continue reading Ammonite & Ammolite: a Fossil & a Gemstone
Bloodstone is an opaque chalcedony that is usually a very dark green, and distinguished by its flecks of red said to be the blood of Jesus when he was nailed to the cross. (Chalcedony is a microcrystalline quartz with a hardness of 6.5 to … Continue reading Bloodstone, a Dark Green Semi-Precious Stone with Red Flecks
