Crackled Black Agate with a little of this and a little of that

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

 These jewelry components had been sitting on the bead board waiting for creative inspiration. Maybe it was the Open Studio or maybe it was the muse, Sunday I finally finished this necklace. It is cracked black agate stones.

I found some Tim Holtz metal tags long ago. This one which reads encourage your hopes not your fears I used for this necklace. It is strung with beading wire and then I added copper metal bead caps, copper jump rings, copper crimp beads, copper crimp bead covers, and a copper clasp.

I collected Susan Lenart Kazmer Industrial Chic charms for their artistic flair. Love her work! I added a glass lily of the valley charm to the SLK charm.

I used two sizes of crackled black agate for this necklace. Agate according to The Book of Stones is a stone of stabilizing and strengthening.

Dichroic Beads and Imagine

 This large bead is a dichroic bead made from dichroic glass. Several of the beads on this necklace are fused glass beads. There are some interesting beads on this necklace that are iridescent on one side and black on the other. Being a creative collector, I have lots of different things in the studio including beads.

 An imagine gold plated charm on a crystal bracelet seems to shine.

The center bead is dichroic as well as the second bead to the right and the left. The 4th, 5th, and 6th beads are the glass iridescent beads. Finished with a vintaje finding. Waiting for a new home...

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

Soapstone and antique daffodil pendant

 I found this wonderful antique daffodil pin when a local antique store went out of business. I took off the backing and sanded it really well. I attached a hematite bail to the new pendant. I put it in a safe place which sometimes in this studio is a misnomer. I decided yesterday that I was going to make a necklace with the pin.

 Soapstone is a gemstone that is said to create a positive energy around itself and can exert a calming influence on the person wearing it. The research I went to about the stone added more. It is used when undergoing great changes in one's life and help to prepare you for anything. It is thought to allow your ideas and inspiration to broaden, open, and develop. Soapstone comes in many variations of color. I used more vanilla and creams with some pale green and then used caramel soft browns with copper spacers and antique brass clasp. There are two tiny crystal butterflies and two tiny crystal flowers separating the soapstone. I must have been thinking about Valentines when I added four copper heart shaped beads.

The finished gemstone necklace is a little over 24 inches long. Aren't the daffodils beautiful?

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

Chrysocolla, Malachite, Turquoise, and Fly

 I have always enjoyed the charms made by Green Girl Studios. This charm I purchased in a bead shop in Asheville, North Carolina. The charm has a dragonfly on one side.

 The word fly is on the back of the charm. This necklace started with the charm. I wondered what gemstones would accent with the dragonfly. One of my very favorite gemstones is chrysocolla which is a copper based stone in colors of blue and green said to have gentleness and power. Each chrysocolla  is unique in its blending of colors . I  used two other copper based stones turquoise and malachite.

 Fly is joined with a turquoise chip and a turquoise nugget. The green stones are malachite. The larger stones are chrysocolla.

 The chrysocolla is quite a large stone. To finish this necklace, I added green turquoise nuggets and a blue turquoise stone. The clasp is copper based.

 After I finished creating the necklace, I made a pair of earrings. They are chrysocolla and malachite on a silver beaded wire. The ear ring wire is dappled sterling silver.

Just to let you know the size of the chrysocolla. I am thinking this necklace might be one just for me.

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

Smoky Quartz and Obsidian Necklace

 Not too long ago, I created a necklace for my sister in law Lori who is undergoing treatments for cancer. Her necklace was filled with smoky quartz, obsidian, and hematite stars. As I read about gemstones from the book The Book of Stones by Robert Simmons & Naisha Ahsian, I became aware of qualities of smoky quartz Needless to say, I really like these two stones. I found a source for smoky quartz nuggets and golden obsidian. I finished this necklace this afternoon on a silver grey foggy mountain day. The sterling silver humming bird is held aloft with lapis which is a beautiful blue stone.

 The nuggets are heavier than most stones. I used black chain to connect the strands of smoky quartz and  golden obsidian. A sterling silver clasp completes the necklace.

Here is a close up of the variations of the golden obsidian. They have a soft sheen to them.

Tomorrow, I think I am going to create in glass.

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

Christmas Stone Ignites Creativity

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

Imagine coming home after practicing the organ on a dreary cold day to find a package hanging on the door of your studio. I put the Christmas gift under the tree and waited until Christmas Day to open it. Wrapped very carefully in the bottom of the bag was this beautiful gemstone. On the bead board was the carnelian already wrapped. This began the creative juices flowing.

Having created the necklace, I decided to create some earrings. It took just a few tries to remember how to wrap all these tiny little jasper gemstones to the larger jasper. They look like little flowers dangling from the larger flower blossom. The sterling silver ear wires I purchased are hammered and heavier than I normally use.

The finished necklace is shown in the photo above. It is full of jasper gemstones much like the stones in the earrings. There are five links of copper wire on each side of the necklace. A sterling silver clasp was added. Lately I have been creating gemstone and mixed metal necklaces long enough to simply place over your head and fall across your chest.

You just never know what happens with a Christmas stone.

New Jewelry and A Favorite

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

 Several years ago, I created the focal point for this necklace by fusing two already fused pieces together. They sat for the longest time in the glass bowl waiting. One day I thought why not use gemstones with glass. Looking at the art glass, I thought of the gemstones in the studio.

 Rose quartz, amethyst, and bloodstone seemed to let me know that they would harmonize. I put them all together.

I wore this necklace at my daughter's wedding last year and my niece's wedding this year. A very favorite of mine. Along the way I learned a lot about double strands of gemstones.

 Lately, I have been using antique pieces I acquired when a local antique store went out of business. This sweet cross was the inspiration for this necklace.

Enamel leaves, aventurine, malachite, and green chalcedony with a sterling silver clasp....

 A nice piece of jasper started the creative juices flowing. I added a humming bird from Sterling Nye earrings. Jasper, fancy agates, and copper wire complete this necklace.

A friend gave me a very nice piece of fancy agate for Christmas. It will be part of the next necklace. Sometimes you just have to wait for the muse to dance.