Jewelry, inspired by Nature
Technical aspects and characteristics of gemstone jewellery
Making a Staurolite pendant: why Staurolite? It does not possess qualities most admired in gemstones, such as clarity, shine or color. Its natural cross shape is not even regular. Why do we fall in love with this seemingly unattractive mineral? … Continued
Making a silver branch pendant: step 1, selecting the stones Gemstones are not ‘born’ in the shape of a leaf or a petal. Raw crystals can resemble a floral shape, but they should be ‘helped’ by cutting and polishing. Not … Continued
When visiting gemstone countries the gemstone is the best souvenir to bring home. Tumbled semi-precious stones make perfect souvenirs: they are small, lightweight, not too expensive and almost always allowed for export and import. A personal memory from gemstone countries … Continued
Tigers eye jewelry: priceless stone at a small price The mysterious chatoyance-effect of the tigers eye has made it a popular stone for Tigers eye jewelry.The gems are cut in cabochon shape in order to best display their chatoyancy. This stone … Continued
Magnesium properties: chemistry, life and esoterics Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is an alkaline earth metal and the fourth-most-common element in the Earth as a whole (behind iron, oxygen and silicon), … Continued
Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry. The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἀ a- (“not”) and μέθυστος methustos (“intoxicated”), a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness. The ancient … Continued
Tumbled gemstones are magical. They offer such a variety of size, shape and color! And last but not least they are inexpensive too. I have written about tumbled gemstones before, in this blog. The “raw” beauty of these stones has … Continued
Some time ago I wrote a blog about making copies of custom made jewelry stating that it was mission impossible. One of the reasons was color deviation in stones ordered later online. See and judge for yourself: on the left hand … Continued
Tumbled gemstone jewellery is challenging for a jewelry maker. Their irregular shapes are difficult to fit into a standard bezel. Very often the only way to hang them onto something is to drill a hole through them. Drilling requires special … Continued