http://www.quartztrail.com/ Jewelry Designs en-US Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:30:36 -0700 http://www.typepad.com/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quartztrail/~3/E55p9yq47VA/sedona-haul.html http://www.quartztrail.com/2011/10/sedona-haul.html Oooh ... ahhh. This is petrified sequioa from Washington State. Pretty darn rare, and I love those little tree rings. I went to a gem show in Sedona and had a pretty good haul. Snagged this next beauty from the same gem cutter: This has a ridiculous scientific name, but it's really hunks of junk peeled from the floor of a Mexican paint factory. It's then cut and polished as cabochons. They do something similar with the paint from car factories and it's called Fordite. Click to get the full effect of all those rich colors. More sequioa: Then I... Cabochon brettdl Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:30:36 -0700 http://www.quartztrail.com/2011/10/sedona-haul.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quartztrail/~3/hn-RVvPTyHo/something-special.html http://www.quartztrail.com/2011/09/something-special.html Sometimes I buy cabochons because they call to me, even if I don't know what on earth I'll do with them. I also know when I don't have the skills to set something, but I find myself reaching for the "Buy Now" button on eBay anyway. Such was the case with this lovely dendritic quartz. Dendrites are the wavy bits of minerals that look like tree branches or kelp or something. I hung onto this, wondering if I'd ever figure out who deserved such a pretty, other-worldly gem. I didn't want to risk creating an expensive piece and then failing... Cabochon Pendant Silver brettdl Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:39:16 -0700 http://www.quartztrail.com/2011/09/something-special.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quartztrail/~3/Qce4cbgoIOU/another-tucson-haul.html http://www.quartztrail.com/2011/02/another-tucson-haul.html I once again went to Tucson this year to their massive gem and mineral shows. Tucson isn't a big city and you have to imagine pretty much every motel of any size completely taken over by gem, fossil and mineral dealers, or by artsy craftsy jewelry types. And not just every ballroom or conference room -- you walk into suites to see the beds pushed into the bathrooms to make room for display cases. These are my Alaskan lovelies. The two faces (carved from antler) came from a guy at one of the suites I just mentioned -- a big,... Cabochon brettdl Sat, 26 Feb 2011 15:33:49 -0700 http://www.quartztrail.com/2011/02/another-tucson-haul.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quartztrail/~3/OaQ9aFXRMAQ/ebay-auction-begins.html http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/10/ebay-auction-begins.html Hey all, I'm auctioning some of my nicest pieces to benefit the Young Survival Coalition, a breast-cancer support group for women under 40. The group was co-founded by the amazing Lisa Frank, who just completed the Tour de Pink to raise money and awareness for the group. Here's the first piece ( http://bit.ly/a5CbI8 ) and the close-up is above. I'll try and feature a different piece every day, but get thee to eBay and bid! The auctions end in a week. Cabochon Pendant Silver brettdl Sat, 23 Oct 2010 14:18:53 -0700 http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/10/ebay-auction-begins.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quartztrail/~3/AwImkfrzOA8/purple-mcpurple.html http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/purple-mcpurple.html This is a set that's also going up for auction at eBay in a few weeks for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It's to benefit a support group for survivors founded by a friend of mine. In this set, the pendant's a little-known stone called fluorite. No, it's not the stuff you find in toothpaste or tap water. It's a soft stone, and this one has a soft purple cast to it. The earrings are purple jade, and it's a pretty rich purple that coordinates with the pendant. They're set in sterling silver that's been hammered to look like sunshine. Even... Cabochon Silver brettdl Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:58:00 -0700 http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/purple-mcpurple.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quartztrail/~3/Lp3r3bWuzG0/medusa.html http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/medusa.html I dubbed this Medusa because it was something of a monster to make. It'll be up for sale in mid-October on eBay, so watch for it in a few weeks (I'll post a reminder). The center stone is a fossilized agate, and the triangular stone is aquamarine. The two smaller stones are topaz -- the real thing, not crystals. The silver has been partly melted, fused and then quenched in water to give it a rippling effect. Since my photography skills suck, you can't really see how pretty this is. The eBay listing will have much better photos, promise. Half... Cabochon Pendant Silver brettdl Tue, 28 Sep 2010 03:39:00 -0700 http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/medusa.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quartztrail/~3/O5cy9jDbW3w/dysfunctions-part-ii.html http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/dysfunctions-part-ii.html Last week, I told you about my friend caught between her Mom and Grandma. Here's Part II, where I show you what Mom ended up getting. Mom was pretty happy, I hear. The stone is called pietersite. I can't remember the country of origin, though the vendor was Chinese (off of eBay). That means nothing -- the stone was likely from Africa somewhere. What you can't see from the photo is how the stone shimmers. It's an effect called chatoyancy, and it's similar to the inner sparkle of cat's eye. Only this is flecked, rather than having a straight, eye-like... Cabochon Pendant Silver brettdl Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:37:00 -0700 http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/dysfunctions-part-ii.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quartztrail/~3/1jCYb_c51Fg/incorporating-other.html http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/incorporating-other.html My first paying commission. A friend at work had a dilemma. She needed a birthday gift for her Grandma, who helped raise her. But if she got Grandma something and not her Mom, there'd be trouble. Her mother would say, "See, you love your Grandma more." Yeesh. Hard to believe there are grown-ups who say stuff like that, but I vowed I'd work within my friend's budgetary and emotional limits. Grandma's had to be a little nicer, but not so much nicer that Mom would be offended. Here's is Grandma's piece: The black-and-white stone is a crinoid fossil, the twin... Cabochon Pendant Silver brettdl Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:24:00 -0700 http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/incorporating-other.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quartztrail/~3/swFiYRC1dHg/gift-for-my-surrogate-mom.html http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/gift-for-my-surrogate-mom.html Carol was my mother's best friend and quite possibly misses her more than I do. Of course, Carol's also taken it upon herself to noodge me out of conviction that no one should be without a Jewish mother, ever. This is a lot of work for Carol, since I never exactly listened to my biological Jewish mother. But if I ever get guilt withdrawal symptoms, I know who to call. Birthdays are tough for Carol, as my mother used to call her first thing and warble an off-key Happy Birthday. My mother was tone deaf, and I'm very glad I... Cabochon Ring Silver brettdl Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:13:00 -0700 http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/gift-for-my-surrogate-mom.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Quartztrail/~3/mK3vKq_cV1g/stacking-rings.html http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/stacking-rings.html Okay, so it's not really a stacking ring if there's only one ring. Funny how that works. I made another ring that doesn't quite stack with this one, which means I must make another to go in between them, right? Meantime, I've been wearing this solo. That's a topaz in the middle. I liked the color (London Blue, if you care) and I have a bunch gems more just like it. I think they're about 3 or 4mm in diameter. I won't have a chance to make more until after October. I have a big auction coming up and I... brettdl Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:21:43 -0700 http://www.quartztrail.com/2010/09/stacking-rings.html