Antique pendant, agate, and aventurine necklace

 I purchased this pendant at an antique store. It reminds me of dogwoods blooming in the spring.

 For this necklace, I used aventurine and agate.  Green aventurine is said to to a stone of optimism and a zest for life according to the Book of Stones. Agate helps with balance and stability and if recovering from an illness. The two green stones are also earth stones.

Here is a close up of the agate with all the different variations of the gemstones. The round stones are aventurine. A little bit of spring all year long....

www.carolingrammoore.com ~ www.artisansofthegap.com www.facebook.com/CarolIngramMoore

Getting Ready for Holiday Show in Big Stone Gap

In between preparing for art classes for the City of Norton Parks and Recreation, which is a lot of fun. The studio has been filled with all sorts of arts and crafts for the holidays. Although as I wrote to a friend this morning, it has been like  blazing a holidaze trail.
This Saturday from 10 am - 5 pm  and Sunday from 1 pm - 5 pm is the annual Big Stone Gap Holiday Crafts Show at Carnes Gym.

 Just a few of the pieces of jewelry I will have at the show. Hope, the limited edition Holiday ornament will be available for sale. One is currently at the Southwest Virginia Museum in their art gallery.

 These bracelets have a variety of beads from metal, to crystal, to gemstone, to glass and stretch. They can stretch due to memory wire. The bracelet can become a necklace when stretched. It always comes back to a bracelet shape.

If you live locally, come by this weekend. There are some great arts and crafts available for sale.
Supporting your local artists is always a good thing.

www.carolingrammoore.com ~ www.artisansofthegap.com www.facebook.com/CarolIngramMoore

Artisans of the Gap

Each Wednesday, well, each Wednesday when I am in town, you can find me at Artisans of the Gap at 419 Wood Avenue in downtown Big Stone Gap. Yesterday afternoon, Fiona and I changed the windows of the shop/gallery. It was a very hot afternoon, but we were both determined to fill the windows with a change of art. Today, I took the camera to the shop to take photos for our blog. I was surprised to find the reflection of the street of Big Stone Gap so clear. We are located across the street from Miner's Park. The white lines are the parking lines for cars and trucks and most importantly, customers.

 The window to the right faces an intersection and Trail Realty. The cars you see are cars driving along the downtown streets. The large grocery store is only a block or two away.

I added a new piece of glass to the shop case. The butterfly plate is an rainbow red that is iridescent. The plate has three copper butterflies fused between layers of glass. Below the plate on the first shelf are some fused glass hair pins. These were popular items purchased by my family this weekend. On the bottom shelf are two fused glass plates and a lovely garnet citrine necklace.
I'll be there on Saturday from 10 - 2. Stop by if you are in the area. Lots of great pottery, fiber, silk scarves, jewelry and glass to see and purchase.

New Art Work for Artisans of the Gap

 I am about the complete a gemstone nugget necklace with a BE word charm. There will be a sterling silver clasp on the necklace. Someone is already interested in the completed piece. It has a variety of gemstones which represent the wind, earth, fire, and storm. It is 25 inches without the clasp.

 I made a glass square at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg last year. I have since slumped the glass and made a small plate.

A lonesome pine tree will be a pendant for the Tolliver House Craft Shop in Big Stone Gap. Just a few of the  new pieces ready to leave the studio for the shop and the Tolliver House.

Butterflies under glass

While working in the shop this week, Artisans of the Gap, I began creating this necklace. The butterflies were fused glass. I cut some dichroic glass, copper butterflies, and clear glass to create the pendant. It was fused in the kiln. I put a silver plated finding on the back of the piece. It was such a beautiful, sparkling pendant that needed some gemstones to add even more sparkle to the piece. The white gemstones next to the pendant are rainbow moonstone. The purple circular gemstones are amethyst. The pink leaf and other pink stones are rose quartz. I finished the Butterflies Under Glass pendant with a sterling silver clasp.

I found that it is a good thing to wear your own jewelry before you sell it, just in case there are any problems with the piece. I made a piece for myself out of beautiful silver wire, not realizing the wire was not for beading. I bent over and stones tumbled all over the floor. I rewired the piece adding crimp beads as well as crimp bead covers and a nice beading wire. I have also learned to add a nice sturdy clasp to pieces that are filled with gemstones and fused glass. All my jewelry is guaranteed if anything happens, but I can tell you that I stopped using the silver wire.