What a nice gesture!!!

I just love it when I'm contacted out of the blue, by a wonderful person telling me they have mentioned my blog, on their blog today...and with such kind words...please take a few minuets to take a look at Laura Godsil's blog ... LWGODSIL'S JADIS JEWELRY

Thank you Laura...

"Birthstone of the Month" Emerald...again

***I've decided to re-publishing my previous "Birthstone of the Month" posts...they were, for the most part well received...I've been contemplating doing a series of post regarding the healing properties of semi-precious stones but thought I would begin by re-publishing these...***

Emerald is the most precious member of the beryl family; the name is derived from the Greek “smaragdos”, which means “green stone”.

The wonderful green color is produced by chromium present in the gemstone. The vibrant color won’t fade, as it is stable regarding light and heat. As with many gemstones the color varies depending on the source or the location the gemstone was found. Apparently the most favorable color is a strong slightly bluish green.

Colombian emeralds are a pure green with a slight tint of blue. There are significant deposits, especially in the Muzo mine northwest of Bogotá.

This magnificent emerald was mined in Colombia, set in white gold, with yellow gold claws, encased in diamonds...what more could you ask for ladies!!!

A 60 carat Colombian emerald set with approximately 25 carats of diamonds on yellow gold. Market value US$240,000

Brazilian emeralds are a slightly lighter color of green with more yellow noticeable, often slightly cloudy, but most often without inclusions. Deposits have been found in Bahia, Goias, and Minas Gerais and while relatively new deposits, discovered since the 1980s, Brazil has become one of the most important suppliers of emeralds!

From Northeast Brazil...A fully terminated, semi-gemmy Emerald crystal...Measures about 1/2" across...semi-gemmy means "clear in spots but not completely"

Zambian emeralds have good clarity are are a deep green. Other deposits have been found in Russia, Afghanistan, Australia, Ghana, India, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania, Vietnam, China and the United States.
These lovely emerald crystals are from Wenshan, near Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
Here is a natural, grass green Emerald (Beryl) crystal from the Lao Cai Province of Vietnam
Famous Emeralds can be found at the British Museum of Natural History in London, England, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, in the treasury of Russian, in the state treasury of Iran, in the Treasury room in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey and in the Viennese treasury in a vase is a gem 4 ¾ in (12cm) high, weighing 2205cts, cut from a single emerald crystal.

Most emeralds are not clean, having some imperfections such as cloudy, cracks, inclusions of fiber, tremolite rods, some of which make the emerald sensitive to pressure…hence the emerald cut was designed to maximize the color while the rounded corners help to minimize chipping and breaking of the corners.

These semi-gemmy emerald crystals are from the Jiangsu Prov, in China

It is common for emeralds to be dipped in a specific type of oil or sometimes prepared with an artificial resin in a vacuum if they have hairline fractures or other faults…this is usually done in the country of origin. The FTC in the United
States requires a disclosure of this kind of treatment.

While not my favorite gemstone I have to admit these lovely gems have grown on me…a nice set of emerald earrings or perhaps a bracelet would be nice…what do you think???

Cheers

Natural gem photos courtesy of "Orbital Joe"

Emerald jewelry courtesy of "Swamibu"

I thank both Orbital Joe and Swamibu for allowing me to use their wonderful photographs! More of their amazing work can be found on Flickr.com

Information courtesy of:

Gemstones of the World, Walter Schumann, Third Edition, Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.,

The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones, Judith Crowe, Firefly Books, 2006


Cheers

"Bloggers Unite for Human Rights"

Human rights issues abound all over the world…violations are everywhere; rape, child abuse, forced labor, murder, induced starvation, false imprisonment, discrimination due to race or gender, lack of freedom of speech, government corruption, war crimes and the list goes on…for all our efforts to be a “humane” world, we are lacking in so many ways.

What is wrong with human nature that allows people to perpetrate such horrendous atrocities to their fellow man/woman/child? What about logic, ethics, kindness, and empathy? So often money, pride, ego, and power get in the way!

It would be so easy to say, “What can we do”? As individuals we do the best we can to help fight for human rights…joining in on days such as “Bloggers Unite for Human Rights” allows the group to speak volumes!

“Do unto others as you would have them do to you”…

I'm in the mood! Will it be "A little bit Simple" A little bit Sassy" or "A little bit Sultry"?

A little bit Simple!

Obsidan and everything sterling silver!

Onyx and everything sterling silver!

Lovely lampwork beads and everything Bali silver!

More lovely lampwork beads by the same artist and everything sterling silver!

A little bit Sassy!

Lab created crystals and sterling silver!

Freshwater pearls and brass everything!

Sterling silver everything!

A little bit Sultry!

Soft, sexy, freshwater pearls and Swarovksi accents!

A stunning necklace! Huge turquoise chunks, gold filled wire, aqua lab created quartz, magnificent!

More Pearls...two stunning rows of Swarovski pearls and Swarovksi crystals!
Pearls look "hot" with anything!

Twin Dee Designs

The woman behind Twin Dee Designs is a mother of a 21-year-old daughter; about to graduate from college with an Engineering degree, a 19-year-old son, and a 16-year-old daughter, in junior high school, she has raised her children alone for the last 13 years.

Her name is Denise and she has been sewing since she was very small, at ten she made an outfit for herself… by hand…can you imagine? After seen this, her mother showed her how to use the sewing machine, and in Denise’s words “that was that…all I did was sew and made most of my clothes”.

She discovered quilting around the age of 18 but didn’t

actually get into it until she was 25, when she developed a love for the process of making a quilt; it was a relaxing pastime …making cloths took a back burner at this point in her life.

Quilting was part of her life for many years, but at 49 she began something new…quite by chance!

She was making book covers for a Harry Potter fair and picked up discontinued upholstery fabric, but she found some of the fabric was just to beautiful for book covers so she decided to make bags!!! She bought books for ideas, and made the bag I purchased from a pattern but added her own touch…the leather. She has since changed the pattern to make smaller ones with zippers instead of a snap flap,all the other bags are her own pattern!

Denise enjoys making her bags, and has five bags presently in the works, along with a few prototypes she wants to change before she lists them. All this in only 8 months, she opened her Etsy shop August of 2007 …time is even more precious to Denise now as her son is recuperating from a terrible accident, and her need to be with him takes precedent…so she does what she can!

What woman doesn’t need another bag, or a change purse? I certainly didn’t “need” the one I purchased but I love it just the same!

Her amazing bags can be found at www.twindee3.etsy.com,stop by and have a look! The quality and craftsmanship of her work is superior, this is a woman who likes what she does and it shows in the pieces she makes!!

I have to show you my wonderful purse Denise made...I love it...the quality of the material and workmanship is superb!

Visit Twin Dee Designs on Etsy for a great shopping experience!

I've Been Featured!!

This lovely bangle "Crazy For You" was featured yesterday on "Friday Findings" on Capitola Girl, where you can find interesting post regarding the latest in jewelry information and Posh Mama, a wonderful site about and for women...stop by the sites are interesting and informative!


The lovely Azure Islands Designs, turquoise, sterling silver wire wrapped earrings, were given away in a contest for the "Friday Findings" contest on Capitola Girl, hope the lucky winner enjoys wearing these beauties! Nothing better than turquoise jewelry in the summer!

How about a pair of earrings?

Smokey Quartz, Swarovski crystals, sterling silver findings and ear wires

Freshwater Pearls and Swarovksi crystals,sterling silver findings and ear wires

Lab created Aqua quartz, sterling silver findings and ear wires

Need a little something to wear?

Spring is here! But.....Turquoise and copper says summer!



Or what about yellow, brown and copper? Resin beads with copper spacers.


Luscious popsicle orange lampwork beads mixed with sage, brown and silver!
Don't you love orange popsicles???

Azure Islands Designs, Azure Accessories!

Xue-Originals

Her name is Xue…it is pronounced as “Sch-ue” and it means snow, which she loves…imagine that since she was born and raised on a sunny tropical island …Xue Juan is her name in Mandarin (the official language of the Chinese) her combination of Chinese characters means a type of snow flower…such a pretty name!!!

This red pendant (above)is one of Xue's handcrafted polymer pendants the Chinese characters "ai" means "Love"

Xue is a talented eclectic artist, who happens to be a friend of mine…she lives in Tokyo with her husband of 14 years and two children. The first thing I felt about Xue was her kindness towards others… we've never met but words speak for themselves!

She is a self-taught artist with more than 20 years experience in advertising, graphic design, theme parties, cartoon illustrations, paper sculpture, mosaic art and jewelry design. Her designs and interest come from life experiences… living in and traveling to many amazing locations. Xue explains that she is motivated by her daily exposure to both the Western and Asian cultures in her mixed Chinese and European family.

She has spent the past 17 years living in Shanghai, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and now Tokyo.

Even though all that moving and relocating could be a little unsettling with each move, came more inspiration (and Xue explains more ways on how to unpack fast…with kids, you also learn quickly, to ask for the washroom in various languages) She is a stay at home mom who also volunteers for artistic projects in her children’s school…Xue always wore her handcrafted jewelry to school and it wasn’t long before people were asking her about her wonderful pieces… and that is how she started making jewelry for others.

Xue Originals consist of bracelets, brooches earrings, lariat, and necklaces all handcrafted individually and carefully in her home. The lovely necklace to the right features Xue's wonderful polymer clay beads done in black, white and gray.

Lovely blue and green polymer beads handcrafted by Xue are the focal for the earrings above.

Dramatic black and gold is used in the focal polymer beads for the earrings on the right.

Her logo has been her identity for decades…it is both her logo and seal…she uses this seal to stamp on things that she has made such as illustrations, and 2D work. A friend hand-carved this seal as a farewell gift for her when she worked in Shanghai years ago. In Japan where she now lives it is sufficient to use a carved seal in lieu of a hand signature…but Xue chooses not to do that.

When traveling she visits local craft/bead shops and like myself buys more than she can keep up with. She enjoys creating jewelry pieces with colorful glass beads and does amazing polymer clay pendants. She often has a blast making beads with her children.

Blue is one of my favorite colors...just love this polymer clay pendant made by Xue.
Her website can be found at http://xue-orinignals.com/, in her world of Asian and European heritage she writes about everyday life where ever she finds herself living at the time, she writes about snow, about her children, her creations and about friends…her wonderful husband of 14 years did both Xue’s website and Etsy shop http://www.xueoriginals.etsy.com/ for her because in her words “getting started and all that technical stuff boggles me”.
Even though her Etsy shop and website are relatively new her talent has allowed her to be featured 3 times in Etsy treasuries…Xue claims those opportunities were made possible only because of the kind people on Etsy, maybe so but I also thing she was featured because her work is uniquely beautiful!!!

An orange handcrafted polymer clay pendant with gold speckles adorned by pretty pink flowers






Xue's latest work...aluminum card holders, for everything from business cards, photos, credit cards, personal cards...they will keep everything handy

I'm a Scholar, top left

Linda Floats,

top right

It's Spring,

bottom right

Genie in a Tea Pot,

bottom left

Along the same lines is her compact... every woman need a compact!

Dragon flies, brown compact

Azure Dreams, blue compact

Stop by Xue-Originals, either her Etsy store or her web site…I know she would love to have you visit!!!

DIAMONDS

While doing research for this feature I came across amazing information…far too much for this feature…this is a short overview…it may spark you interest to find out more, I know it did mine!

Diamonds are said to be a “girl’s best friend”!!! Is there any female out there who doesn’t like diamonds? I’d like to hear from you!!!

This choker is made with 18th century raw diamonds featuring an breathtaking emerald with pearls and rubies throughout. Part of a collection on display at the British Museum in London and stems from India under Muslim rule.

As you may know the diamond is the birthstone for the month of April…and what stunning choice!


The most coveted of engagement ring is a diamond...solitaire or variation of... I'm sure the woman wearing this ring is thrilled with it!!!

“Adamas” meaning invincible is the ancient Greek term from which the word diamond is derived from…text dating as far back as before 400BC make reference to diamonds and their possible value so they aren’t a modern day treasure!

There are more than 20 countries that produce diamonds but a few of the important suppliers are Botswana, South Africa, Angola, Congo, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Guinea, Russia, China, the United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Canada and Australia.

While the diamond, which is made from carbon, is the hardest natural mineral it has 4 directions of cleavage…a sharp blow in one of these directions and the diamond will split (cleave). A jeweler or setter must take care to ensure these areas are not in a position to be hit and therefore split when the stone is set in a piece of jewelry…


The diamond in the rough is not brilliant and may even appear greasy when found…polishing and cutting is necessary to transform the stone to what we expect to see in a stunning piece of jewelry!

This is part of a belt buckle made from raw(uncut)diamonds set in gold from 19th century India. The belt width is 2 inches...gives you an idea of the size of the diamonds...

Diamonds have been found in many colors, yellow, brown, pink, and of course colorless. The green, blue, reddish, and black, diamonds are more valuable…depending on the stone they can be much more valuable! How about this for a "stunner"...a 10.4 black diamond flanked by by glorious clear baguette diamonds. The spots you see on the black diamond aren't dust, they are inculsions and marks on the diamond...they stand out more because it is black. This photo was taken in a factory in Amsterdam, Holland.

What an array of colored diamond? These lovely diamonds are on display in the "Natural Hisory Museum" in London, England. Alan Bronstein, an American diamond consultant started this collection in 1980, over the years Alan and his friend Harry Rodman add to the collection...and still are!!!

As much as 80% of diamonds found have flaws which are then classified as industrial grade diamonds, lending themselves to industrial and manufacturing usage… such as cutting abrading or polishing tools, used in drill bits, as well as in mining, oil and gas, electronic, optical, thermal, machining, dentistry, and medical industries along with scientific applications. Such a beautiful versatile mineral!!!

Only diamonds of the highest quality are for jewelry…when purchasing a piece of jewelry made with diamonds a buyer should make themselves familiar with the “four C’s”, color, clarity, carat weight and cut…

Color: colorless stones are extremely valuable, yellow or brown-tinged are considered imperfect. Clear strong colors such as blue, green, red, orange and pink are considered “fancies” and are rare and highly prized!

Clarity: this is determined by the presents of or lack of blemishes or flaws.

Carat: the weight is the diamond’s size

Cut: the shape and proportion of the stone

Today you will find diamonds in all sizes but the shapes are relatively basic, beginning with the standard “brilliant cut”, then you have a grouping of cuts called the “fancy cuts” baguettes, pear shapes, heart shapes and marquises fall in this category, Asscher, Trilliant, and princess cuts are modern technology cuttings…new baguettes cut such as Princette and bagillion are becoming more popular as the new technology allows for more brilliance in these cuts.

This beautiful necklace is 1.5 carats.

Here is a little tip for keeping your gem sparkling:

“Grease adheres to diamonds, affecting their color and brilliance. Fatty deposits from dishwashing and cosmetics can lower the color of diamond by several grades. The simplest way to clean a diamond is to sit it in hot water with a drop of dishwashing liquid and gently brush it with a soft toothbrush. Alcohol also removes grease and dirt”. Quoted directly from Pg. 121 The Jeweler’s Directory of Gemstones

Five of the many famous and important Diamonds:

Dresden Diamond: 41 carats…early history not known, possibly from India, now in the Green Vaults in Dresden, Germany

Hope Diamond: 45.52 carats…first seen in 1830 bought by banker by the name of Hope…since 1958 in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC

Cullinan I or Star of Africa Diamond: 530.20 carats…one of 105 stones cut from largest rough diamond ever found 3,106 carats…kept in the Tower of London, it is on the scepter of the king’s insignia.

Sancy Diamond: 55 carats…on display in the Louvre, Paris

Tiffany Diamond: 128.51 carats…when found in 1878, as a rough diamond it was 287.42 carats…purchased by Tiffany in New York and cut in Paris with 90 facets.

Diamonds… steeped in history, and legend…always in fashion!!!

Kasikci diamond...on display in one of the treasury rooms of the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey.86 carat , surrounded by 49 very large brilliant cut diamonds.

NOTE: As with many things there is a dark side to the diamond industry, “conflict or blood diamonds” as they are known has been a concern since the 1990’s. Due to this issue the United Nations passed a resolution in 2000 requiring “certificates of origin” with the hope of ensuring the rough diamonds come from legitimate and legal sources. Even though as of 2006, 71 countries follow the certification process, which is called the Kimberley Process, it is difficult to enforce and it is alleged that smuggling still occurs in certain countries

Photo of "solitaire engagement ring" courtesy of Stephen Durham, Stephend9, Flickr.com

Thank you Stephen and Randi Lynne Durham for allowing me to feature the beautiful photo of your ring!!!

All other photos courtesy of Swamibu, Flickr.com

Thank you Bu for allowing to feature your "stunning" photos!!!

Information References:

Gemstones of the World, Walter Schumann, Third Edition, Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.,

The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones, Judith Crowe, Firefly Books, 2006

"Diamond," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2007, http://ca.encarta.msn.com,%204/4/20084/4/2008

http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/elements/diamond/birthapr.htm, 4/4/2008