Dancing Wind Designs

Garnet is the Gemstone of the Week

2012-01-10T06:07:00.002-05:00

Garnet is the birthstone for January and the gemstone of the week. Garnet comes in many hues, except for blue, and most varieties are named for their color. The deep maroon color is the color associated with January and is called Almandine garnet. Garnets are one of the largest families of gemstones and the coloring depends on the minerals in the stone. It is a popular gemstone and is suitable for all types of jewelry since it has a hardness of 7.5 on the Moh scale.

The word "garnet" comes from the Latin word "granatum" which refers to the pomegranate and the color red. The use of Garnet as beads and in inlay work goes back as far as 3100 B.C. and 2300 B.C. in Egypt. Garnets have been found entombed with Egyptian pharaohs as a prized possession for the after life. Red Garnets have been prized by nobility across the ages. With the discovery of the famous Garnet mines in Bohemia, Czechoslovakia in 1500 A.D., Bohemia became a center for jewelry manufacturing and gem cutting. This increased the demand for the gem in Europe and increased the price. The popularity of this gemstone started to fade in the 1800's.

Enhancements are usually heat treatments or irradiation. Some garnets are dyed. When you are shopping for garnets, remember, all treatments must be disclosed.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2011-12-23T06:29:00.000-05:00

Thank you for reading and following my blog. I have learned a lot writing the gemstone blog posts and I hope you have enjoyed reading them and maybe gotten some useful information from them.

I'm going to resume the gemstone blog posts after the first of the year. I'm taking a little holiday break. I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, or if you celebrate a different holiday, a Happy Holiday Season. Please celebrate safely. May the new year bring you peace and happiness.

Sue

Zircon is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-12-11T05:30:00.000-05:00

Zircon is considered to be one of the birthstones for those born in December. Although this stone has been known since the Middle Ages, the oldest known Zircons, from Western Australia are 4.4 billion years old. There are several theories as to where the name comes from, but the most common one is that it comes from Persian word "zargun" which means gold colored, even though Zircons come in several different colors. Clear or colorless Zircons can rival diamonds for sparkle and shine. They are often considered to be a cheap substitute for diamonds, but can often be a valuable gemstone.

Zircons are a dense gemstone which means that the carat size of this gemstone will look smaller than the same carat size of a different gem. It is a remarkable mineral in that it can be found in many different types of rock. It is one of the most widely occurring minerals and can be found throughout the world. On the Moh scale, it has a hardness of 7.5, so it is a fairly strong gemstone.

Natural Zircon comes out of the Earth in brown, yellow, green and bright red. Some of the trace elements that give the stones their color can sometimes be radioactive. These stones are heat treated and that can produce the much desired blue color, along with white, purple, colorless, orange an pink. Heat treating is the most commonly used enhancement for Zircons. It is done to stabilize the stones and for coloring. Heat treating semi transparent grayish brown and reddish brown stones in an oxygen free environment will give it a blue color. If the same stones are then heat treated with air, the color will turn golden brown. Almost all colorless and blue Zircons are heat treated.

Zircon occurs in beach sand in many parts of the world, especially in Australia, India and Brazil. Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam are major sources of Zircon. It can also be found abundantly in Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. It is also found in Quebec, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Madagascar.

It is believed that Zircon helps one be more at peace with oneself, bring honor and and wisdom and to aid in peaceful sleep. It is also thought to promote inner renewal, foster independence, spirituality and friendliness, and bring inspiration.

Hindu poets wrote of the Kalpa Tree. This ultimate gift to the gods was a gemstone tree with leaves of green Zircon.

Natural Zircon

Photo courtesy of R.Weller/Cochise College

Blue Cambodian Zircon

Topaz is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-11-28T03:56:00.001-05:00

Topaz is a gem of many colors, although the name is primarily associated with the color yellow. The gold or yellow topaz is considered to be a birthstone for November and the blue variety is considered to be the birthstone for December. Pure Topaz is colorless, with the other colors being created from impurities/minerals in the stone or enhancement of some type. The variety of colors, the strength, and a relatively good supply make Topaz a very popular gemstone. The name Topaz is believed to come from the Sanskrit word "tapas" which means fire.

Topaz is often found with flourite and cassiterite in various mountain areas including the Urals, in Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Italy, Brazil, and Sweden. Some clear Topaz crystals from Brazil, which is the largest producer of Topaz, can reach boulder size and weigh hundreds of pounds. A Topaz called the American Golden Topaz weighs in at 22,892.5 carats.

Topaz is often called by many different trade names for the different color varieties. Some of those are Azotic Topaz, an orange pink stone with a rainbow color effect. It is synthetically colored by a thin film deposition of a thin metallic layer over the gemstone. It is named for the company that created this kind of finish-Azotic. London Blue Topaz is a deep sky blue color. It is darker than Swiss Blue Topaz. Mystic Topaz has a rainbow finish very similar to Azotic Topaz. Sherry Topaz has a light orange brown to brownish pink color. Silver Topaz or White Topaz are both trade names for the clear variety of Topaz.

Citrine can resemble Topaz and sadly, there are unscrupulous dealers who sell the less expensive Citrine as Topaz. Some of the names this false Topaz is sold under are Bahia Topaz, Citrine Topaz, Gold Topaz, Maderia Topaz, Spanish Topaz and Topaz Quartz. Smokey Topaz is really Smokey Quartz, and Indian Topaz, King Topaz and Oriental Topaz are really orange yellow Sapphires. As with any gemstone purchase, do your research and find a reputable dealer to buy from.

It is believed that Topaz balances emotions, calms passions and releases tensions. It is also believed to inspire leadership abilities and spiritual growth.

This is the American Golden Topaz which is on display in the Smithsonian. On the left is the Lindsay Uncut Topaz which weighs 70 pounds. On the right is the Freeman Uncut Topaz which weighs 111 pounds. They are also in the Smithsonian.

Citrine is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-11-13T06:45:00.000-05:00

Citrine, a beautiful gemstone ranging in shade from yellow to gold to orange is one of the birthstones of November. A member of the quartz family, the name comes from the Latin word "citrina" which means lemon. The color comes from the presence of iron.

Natural Citrine, which is a pale yellow color, is not common. It is sometimes marketed as Lemon Quartz. Most of the Citrine on the market today is heat treated Amethyst or Smokey Quartz. The color can be changed by heating to a relatively low temperature-around 750 degrees Farenheit and the darker colors can be achieved by heating to around 1700 degrees Farenheit. Almost all heat treated Citrine has a reddish tint to it.

Brazil is the main source of Citrine, with other deposits being found in Argentina, Madagascar, Zaire, Namibia, Spain and Russia. On the Moh scale, it has a hardness of 7. Flawless stones of many carats are not uncommon with the gemstone.

Citrine is most often confused with orange-yellow topaz which is very similar in color. Topaz is the more valuable stone and sometimes, unscrupulous dealers will pass Citrine off as topaz. Some of the more common trade names for these gems are "Madeira Topaz", "Gold Topaz" and "Bahia Topaz".

Citrine's sunny color has given it the reputation of being a gemstone that radiates positive energy and one that dissipates negative energy. It is also known as the "success stone" because it is believed to promote success, prosperity and abundance, especially in business. It is also believed that Citrine will relieve depression, self doubt and anger and can reduce self destructive tendencies. It is also believed that Citrine can aid in sleep disturbances, digestive and thyroid problems, and strengthen the immune system. Citrine is also believed to be valuable in healing the spiritual self and to enhance the enjoyment one gets from life.

This is a picture of the largest cut Citrine in the world. It weighs in at a whopping 20,200 carats. Itis on display in Malaga, Spain in a special exhibition of rare gemstones.

Ametrine is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-10-31T07:00:00.001-04:00

The name Ametrine comes from a combination of Amethyst and Citrine, which is exactly what Ametrine is. The color is the result of iron in the quartz. Ametrine colors come in bands of yellow and purple and often show and abrupt color change in the stone. This is the only stone where you can get “two” gemstones for the price of one.

There is only one basic source for Ametrine and that is the Anahi Mine in Bolivia. In the seventeenth century, this mine became famous when a Spanish conquistador received the mine as a wedding gift when he married Princess Anahi of the Ayoreos tribe. He knew the unique gemstones would find favor with the Spanish queen, and introduced Ametrine to Europe. The mine has only been commercially worked since the 1980's.

Being a member of the quartz family, it is a fairly durable gemstone. On the Moh scale, it has a hardness of 7. Ametrine is typically cut to give a 50/50 color split. It is popular among among gemstone cutters and carvers because of the color variations and play in the stone. Despite the fact that there is only one source for this beautiful gemstone, it is reasonably priced.

Ametrine is rarely enhanced, but if it is, it is enhanced by a heat treatment. Natural Ametrine only comes on purple and yellow, so if you see some blue-yellow or geen-yellow combinations being sold, be aware that they are synthetic, lab created stones.

It is believed that Ametrine helps achieve a balance between the spiritual world and the material one, and can enhance cooperation with others. It is alsosaid to help with headaches and backaches. It is also said that the purple part of the stone helps one visualize the future one wants, while the yellow part of the stone helps achieve those goals.

I don' thave any Ametrine to photograph and show you, and I couldn't find any photos to include that wouldn't violate somebody's copyright, so here is a link to page of Google Images for

Ametrine .

Opal is October's birthstone and the Gemstone of the Week

2011-10-13T04:10:00.001-04:00

Opal is the featured gemstone this week, because it is also the birthstone for October. Often called nature's fireworks, this gemstone is composed of hydrated silica. Since the structure is not truly crystalline, it is considered a mineraloid, rather than a mineral. Opal has the same chemical composition as quartz, but has a water content between 3% and 21%, although the average water content is between 6% and 10%. Fine examples of opal can be more valuable than diamonds. It is a somewhat soft stone. On the Moh scale, it has a hardness of 5.5-6.5.

The internal structure of opal makes it defract light and, depending on the conditions in which it was formed, the stone can take on many colors. These colors can range from clear, white, gray, yellow, orange, green, blue, magenta, rose, pink, slate, olive brown and black. Red hues against black are the most rare, with white and green being the most common. The iridescent color flashes, are called opalescence, and change depending on the angle from which the stone is viewed.

Most opal is over 60 million years old, which dates it back to the time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Opal has been considered a gemstone since Roman times when it was considered to be second in value only to emeralds. The name, “opal” probably comes from “upala”, the Sanskrit word for precious stone.

Opals are usually sold in one of three ways. The solid gemstone by itself, although it is usually enhanced by some type of wax treatment to protect it from drying out. Opal doublets are thin slices of opal glues to a base material such as ironstone, basalt or obsidian. The darker color backing emphasizes the play of colors in the gemstone. Opal triplets are doublets topped with a domed cap of clear quartz, resin or plastic. This protects the relatively soft stone from scratches, while magnifying the play of colors in the stone.

Opals are most commonly from Australia, but are also found in the Czech Republic, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil, and in the United States, in Nevada. In 2008, NASA also announced that they had found opal deposits on Mars.

Opal is believed to aid in the healing of eye diseases, enhance creativity, and to foster love and warmth. The ancient Romans considered the stone to be one of good fortune, while the Russians considered it to be bad luck. Queen Victoria loved opals and she and her daughters created a fashion trend for opal jewelry.
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Rough opal from a Nevada mine

The Queen's Opal weighs in at 203 carats or 41 grams.

Chalcedony is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-10-02T02:55:00.000-04:00

Chalcedony (cal-see-doh-nee) is the name for a group of stones made of microcrystalline quartz. This just means that the quartz crystals are too small to be seen without high magnification. In the gem trade, chalcedony is usually used to describe the white, gray, light purple, or light blue translucent stones. The light blue and the light purple are the most popular colors. Chalcedony occurs in many different forms, colors and patterns and has been used in jewelry for centuries.

The varieties of Chalcedony are often named based on color. Agates are a multicolored variety of Chalcedony. Carnelian, aventurine and jaspers are also Chalcedony varieties. Chalcedony is well suited for jewelry with a hardness on the Moh scale of 6.5 to 7. It is a porous stone and is often dyed to enhance the color. The name comes from the ancient Greek town of Chalkedon in Asia Minor.

Chalcedony is found in many locations. Turkey is a good source for purple and blue stones, along with several different locations in Africa. There are also active blue and purple mines in the U.S.. It is also found in Brazil, Germany, Russia, Canada and Indonesia.

Because of the abundance and durability of Chalcedony, its usage goes back to as early as the 7^th century B.C..The early Mesopotamians used it in seals and that practice was adopted by the Romans. It was also used as projectiles, knives and containers.

It is believed that Chalcedony aids in emotional balance, energy, generosity, charity and friendliness. It is also said to banish fear, depression, and touchiness. It is also thought to aid eyesight, reduce fever and stimulate creativity.

Light Blue Chalcedony

Sapphire is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-09-06T19:34:00.000-04:00

Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gemstone of the week. Sapphires are the most precious and valuable of the blue gemstones, although they come in many other colors. Sapphires are made from the mineral corundum, like rubies, and are the second hardest gemstone after diamonds. On the Moh scale, they are a 9. All corundums that aren't rubies, are classified as Sapphires.

Padparascha is a pink orange variety of Sapphire that is very rare and highly valued. The word comes from the Sinhalese word for lotus blossom. Along with rubies, they are the only type of corundum to be given their own name rather than being called a particular color of Sapphire. The original mines are in Sri Lanka, but other deposits are found in Viet Nam and Africa. It is often higher priced than even the finest blue Sapphires. More Sapphires of the color have appeared in the market lately due to a new treatment called “lattice diffusion”.

Fancy color Sapphires are how the green, yellow and pink varieties are often classified. Pink Sapphires deepen in color as the amount of chromium increases. The deeper the pink, the higher the value, as the color then trends towards ruby.

Star Sapphires are stones that exhibit a star like phenomenon known as asterism. This is caused by intersecting needle like inclusions that cause a six rayed star to appear when viewed with an overhead light source. The Black Star of Queensland is believed to be the largest Star Sapphire ever mined, weighing in at a whopping 733 carats. Star Sapphire value not only depends on the size of the stone, but the body color and the intensity and visibility of the star.

Sapphires are treated by several methods to improve the clarity and color. Heat treatment is the most common method. Evidence of heat treating these stones goes back to Roman times. Un-heated stones are very rare and will often be accompanied by a certificate from an independent gem lab stating that there is no evidence of heat treatment.

Diffusion treatments are controversial as they add elements to the stone to improve color. Beryllium is diffused into a stone using very high heat, just below the melting temperature of the stone. Orange Sapphires were originally created with this process, but it now extends to all colors. It is unethical to sell these treated stones without disclosing this treatment fact and the price should be much lower than an untreated or just a heat treated stone. Treating stones with this diffusion method is frowned upon because if the stone chips or is repolished or refaceted, the color layer can be removed. Treated stones are very difficult to detect and it is recommended that you get an certified gemological lab certificate before investing in the stone. The Federal Trade Commission states that any sort of treatment on a stone that significantly affects the value of a stone, must be disclosed.

It is believed that Blue Sapphires inspires creative expression, intuition, and meditation. Green Sapphires are believed to bring luck, Pink Sapphires encourage love, loyalty and generosity,Padparascha sapphires augment wisdom, optimism and friendliness. It is also believed that Star Sapphires develop independence and balance.

A piece of pink Sapphire rough and some pink Sapphire beads that I have.

The Logan Sapphire Brooch

The Black Star of Queensland

Rose quartz is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-08-31T21:32:00.001-04:00

This blog post is dedicated to Julie Ann and Jacinda Twigg. The world has lost two beautiful people. Julie Ann sold on ArtFire as well as Etsy. She was a joy to all, especially the Mentors and Mavens on ArtFire. People remind me of certain gemstones, and Julie Ann always reminded me of Rose Quartz. In the world of gemstones, Rose Quartz is believed to bring love, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and tolerance. I saw all of those in Julie Ann at one time or another in her posts. Her loving presence is missed by many on ArtFire. R.I.P. with your angel, little koala.

The beautiful Rose Quartz variety of quartz is one of the most desirable varieties of quartz on the market today. It ranges in color from a pale, pastel pink to a rose red. The color comes from iron , titanium and manganese impurities in the rock.

Most Rose Quartz on the market today has been dyed to maintain a uniform color, but you can find some that is natural. It is all photosensitive and will fade in the sunlight. On the Moh scale, it has a hardness of 7. Rose Quartz generally has a cloudy look to it, and is not transparent, so clarity is not a high consideration when buying this gemstone.

The oldest known use of Rose Quartz goes back to Mesopotamia in 7000 B.C. when it was used as beads. Historically, it was valued as a stone of love and beauty.

Rose Quartz is found in Madagascar, Brazil, India, Germany, Scotland, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Namibia, and several states in the U.S. including Maine.

The Gemstone of the Week is Quartz

2011-08-14T20:47:00.000-04:00

Quartz is the most abundant gemstone found on Earth, it makes up about 12% of the Earth's crust, and is the gemstone of the week this week. There are many colors and types of Quartz used in jewelry. The color and variety coming from different mineral inclusions. Quartz is a component of almost all kinds of rocks. It is in the silica family. There are a lot of gemstones in the Quartz family. I'll cover three types of quartz in this posting.

Clear Quartz or Rock Crystal is clear and colorless and is one of the most common varieties. It has often been used in hardstone carvings. On the Moh scale, it is a 7. Roman ladies used to carry quartz crystal balls to cool their hands in warm weather. Roman soldiers used it to capture sunlight to cauterize wounds. Since the middle ages, quartz crystal balls have been used for telling the future. Quartz is believed to be a universal healing stone, able to clarify what needs healing and balancing and to aid in doing this. It is also believed to enhance the properties of other gemstones.

Rutilated Quartz is considered to be one of the most unusual types of quartz. Rutilated Quartz has a Moh hardness of 6-6.5. It is easily recognized by the gold “rutiles”, which are a titanium dioxide, that run through it. They sparkle and look like liquid gold in the vein of the clear Quartz stone. No two stones are alike. One may only have a few inclusions, while another is almost opaque with inclusions. Where most stones are less valuable when there are visible inclusions in it, this particular type of Quartz is more valuable the more inclusions there are in it. Also called Venus hairstone, this stone has been used in jewelry for centuries. It is believed that Rutilated Quartz has the power to aid sleep, help depression, slow aging and enhance creativity. It is also believed to enhance self reliance and diminish fear.

Tourmalinated Quartz also has rutiles, but they are due to the inclusions of tourmaline in the stone. The inclusions are a dark green or black. The quartz can be clear to dark gray in color. It is believed that Tourmalinated Quartz can balance and unite concious with subconcious, spirit with matter and heaven with earth.

There are stones on the market that are called quartz, but are really glass. Some of the names they are sold under are cherry quartz, pineapple quartz, blueberry quartz ,moonstone quartz or opalite, cloud quartz, blue quartz, watermelon quartz and pepper quartz. These imitations have a lower resistance to scratches and may occasionally have air bubbles in them. As always, when buying gemstones, buying from a reputable seller helps cut down on the chances of getting imitations.

Clear Quartz

Rutilated Quartz

Tourmalinated Quartz

Peridot is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-08-05T21:31:00.001-04:00

This lovely transparent green stone is one of the few gemstones that are found only in one color. It is a magnesium iron silicate with the amount of iron determining the deepness of the green. The iron content can vary the color from yellow green, to olive green to a brownish green. The most valued color is a dark olive green. Peridot is the gemstone quality stone of the olivine family of rocks which are often found in lavas, but aren't gem quality.

The name, Peridot, is probably derived from the Arabic word “faridat”, for gemstone. On the Moh scale, it has a hardness of 6.5-7.

Peridots have been used in jewelry for thousands of years. Historically, the volcanic island of Zabargad (St. John), east of Egypt in the Red Sea was the most important source of this gem and was mined for 3500 years. There are still small deposits where the stones are gathered today. The beaches near the deposits are green with tiny crystals. Peridot is also mined in North Carolina, on the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico in the United States. Other areas where it is found are Pakistan, which produces fine quality stones, Egypt, Myanmar (Burma),Australia and Brazil.

Peridot is rarely enhanced with any treatment. There is enough production from the mines around the world to meet the demand easily. Peridots are often confused with green sapphires, diopside, chrysoberyl and synthetic spinel and sometimes, Emeralds. It is believed that Cleopatra's Emerald collection was about one quarter, if not more, Peridots.

It is believed the Peridot increases strength and vitality, helps dreams become a reality and attracts love. The ancients believed that Peridot was a gift from Mother Nature to celebrate the annual creation of a new world. Leaders who wore this stone were thought to be fair, wise and gentle.

The first photograph is of some rough Peridot. The second is a Peridot that is in the Smithsonian and is 310 carats.

Coral is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-07-30T21:37:00.000-04:00

Coral is the gemstone of the week, even though it is not a mineral gemstone, but rather a macrobiotic substance formed from small plant like sea life. Most commonly found in red, pink (angel skin) and white, coral also occurs naturally in blue, orange, violet, red, gold and black. The ox-blood red coral is the color that is most valued for jewelry. Coral that comes from Italy is said to be the best quality.

The basic composition of coral is calcium carbonate with a little magnesium and a trace of iron. It is semi-translucent to opaque and is relatively soft. On the Moh scale, the hardness is 3.5 to4. Coral is actually the skeletal remains of marine polyps. The polyps are surrounded by a fleshy skin and secrete a substance that allows the coral to grow. Over the centuries, the names that different corals are given have been based a lot upon their shapes. Bamboo coral resembles bamboo shoots, brain coral, the human brain, mushroom coral, mushrooms, sponge coral, sponges and so on.

Coral is found in many parts of the world. The best quality red coral is found in the Mediterranean Sea, the the Red Sea and the sea around Japan. Pink coral, or angel skin coral, is found in limited amounts in the Mediterranean area, China, India and Japan. The pink Hawaiian coral is also quite well known. Blue coral is found in the sea around the Philippines. Black coral is found around Hawaii, Australia, the West coast of Africa and parts of the Mediterranean. There is not much demand for the blue and black kinds, so the price for those is not as high as the prices for red and pink coral.

The most common enhancement for coral is dying. This is done to either change color or to make the color more uniform. Sometimes it is bleached. Coral is often filled and coated with an epoxy substance to fill cracks and cavities.

Many species of coral are endangered, but not all of it. Some coral, like bamboo and sponge coral are farm grown specifically for the market place. They are fast growing corals that are harvested in shallow water farms which makes them a sustainable resource. Global warming, pollution and harvesting for aquariums are the major causes of coral depletion.

Another form of coral that is popular for jewelry is Fossil Coral. Since that is a whole different variety, I will use another post to talk about that.

It is believed that coral can aid in the healing of lung, stomach and heart problems and help with circulation issues. It is also said that it helps in the development of courage, initiative and vitality.

Mushroom coral and Bamboo coral

Aventurine is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-07-20T20:12:00.003-04:00

The gemstone for this week is Aventurine, a member of the quartz family that is found in a variety of colors. It can be translucent or opaque, and the presence of mineral inclusions give it a shimmering effect called aventurescence. Colors range from a creamy green, to a medium green, peach, orange,yellow, brown and blue. Chrome bearing fuchite, (a type of mica) is the classic inclusion and gives the stone a silvery green or blue sheen. Oranges and brown get their coloring from hematite or goethite. The orange and reddish orange Aventurine is often mistaken for Sunstone and the greenish variety for Jade or Amazonite. Besides being used in jewelry, Aventurine is often used for ornamental purposes like vases, figurines and bowls. On the Moh scale, it has a hardness of 6.5.

The name Aventurine comes from the Italian for “a ventura” which means “by chance”. Most of the green and blue green Aventurine comes from India. Creamy white, gray and orange stones often come from Chile, Spain and Russia. The main markets for this stone are landscaping and building stone, monuments, figurines and jewelry.

Legend says that Aventurine is an all purpose healer, used to develop confidence, reduce stress, and improve prosperity. It has long been used as a talisman and is a popular stone for gamblers. An ancient Tibetan legend says that Aventurine can be used to reduce near sightedness and increase the wearer's creativity. Many believe it can bring about inner peace and calm a troubled spirit.

Orange Aventurine

Green Aventurine

Ruby is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-07-11T21:38:00.001-04:00

Ruby is the birthstone for July and is the gemstone of the week. Rubies are the most famous red gemstone. Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum (aluminum oxide), which technically makes it a red Sapphire since Sapphires are the other mineral/gemstone made from corundum. Since Rubies have such a special allure and historical significance, they have always been classified as a seperate gemstone and never as a Sapphire. The red color is determined by the prescence of the element chromiun. The name, Ruby, comes from the Latin, “ruber”, meaning red. Pigeon Blood red is the most valuable color in Rubies. The finest Ruby color is described as being a vivid medium dark toned red. These are found in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and have a bluish hue to them. The first laser was created using a Ruby.

On the Moh scale, Rubies have a hardness of 9. Among natural gemstones, only moissanite and diamonds are harder. All natural Rubies have imperfectons in them, including color impurities and rutile needles known as “silk”. These needle inclusions help distinguish natural Rubies from simulated or synthetic stones. The color is determined by the amount of chromium and iron in the stone. There are also Rubies that are called Star Rubies. These stones have rutile needles in them that form stars, also called asterism. Stones like this are cut into cabochons, while other Rubies are often faceted.

Almost 90% of the Rubies on the market today have undergone heat treatment ,which is the most common form of enhancement. This dissovles the silk inside and improves the color. These heat treatments are done with temperatures around 1800C or 3300F. Another treatment that has been used in the last several years is lead glass filling. It's a four step process that fills the fractures inside the stone with lead glass, making a previously unsuitable stone suitable for jewelry. It's possible to find high quality gemstones that have not been enhanced.

Rubies are found in Myanmar, Thailand, although production is declining there, Madagascar, Tanzania, India, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Viet Nam and Kenya. The color varies depending on the country of origin.

Famous Rubies include the 167 carat Edwards Ruby on display in the British

Museum of Natural History, the 138.7 Rosser Reeves Star Ruby, which is in the Smithsonian, and the 100 carat DeLong Star Ruby on display in New York at the Natural History Museum. Rubies have long been a part of royal insignia and other famous jewelry. Some famous large Rubies in the British Crown Jewels, the Black Prince's Ruby and the Timur Ruby are actually spinels. Up until the 19th century, spinels were belived to be Rubies.

There are many beliefs and legends about this gemstone. Rubies have long been considered a stone of love and passion. It is believed that the person who wears a good quality Ruby will have a life of peace and harmony, protected against danger and blessed with good health. It is also believed that the stone aids in the healing of peptic ulcers, depression, fever and gout.

This photo is the Rosser Reeves Star Ruby.

Flourite is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-07-05T10:39:00.005-04:00

Flourite has been nicknamed “the most colorful mineral in the world.” It comes in a range of sparkling colors from purple, blue, green, yellow, colorless, brown, pink, black to reddish orange. Intermediate pastel colors can be found in between the colors in some stones, also. Some Flourite is a single color, but most have multiple colors arranged in bands. A now scarce variety of purple blue Flourite, known as Blue John, is found in one of the oldest known localities for the gemstone, Castleton, Derbyshire, England. It is still mined there, but only a few tons per year.

Flourite was first called flourspar. Flourite derives from the Latin noun, “fluo” meaning stream or flow. Flourspar comes from the German “flusse” meaning stream and “spaerstan” meaning spear. It is a relatively soft stone, a 4 on the Moh scale. It is composed of calcium flouride.

Flourite is a widely occuring mineral found in large deposits in many areas of the world. Deposits are found in China, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, England, Norway, Mexico, Kenya, and Ontario, Newfoundland, and Labrador, in Canada. In the United States, deposits have been found in Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kentucky, Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio, New Hampshire, New York, Alaska, and Texas. In 1965, Flourite was named the state mineral of Illinois since at that time, Illinois was the largest Flourite producing state in the U.S.. In 1995, the last Illinois mine was closed.

Besides being used as a gemstone, Flourite also has industrial uses depending on which of the three purity grades it is. Metallurgical grade Flourite, the lowest grade has been used a flux to lower the melting point of raw materials used in steel production. Ceramic

grade, the middle level of purity, is used in making opalescent glass, enamels and cookware. The highest grade, which is 97% pure, is acid grade Flourite which is used to make hydorgen flouride and hydorflouric acid by decomposing the Flourite with sulfuric acid. There is also synthetically grown Flourite which is used instead of glass in some high grade telescopes and camera elements.

When it come to the metaphysical aspect of Flourite, it is believed that Flourite opens pathways of the brain to higher dimensions of light, increases alertness and mental activity and helps in grasping complex and abstract concepts. It is also thought to bring in objectivity and concise thoughts, action and behavior.

These photos show some of the different colors, and the banding of Flourite.

Tiger's Eye is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-06-21T10:34:00.003-04:00

The gemstone of the week this week is Tiger's Eye. There are several variations on the name, among them Tiger Eye and Tigereye. All the names refer to the silky, golden brown gemstone of the quartz family. It is a brown quartz silcon dioxide with yellow and brown parallel fibers. Iron oxide gives the stone it's yellow gold color. The glitter on the surface of the stone is known as chatoyancy (sha-toy-ancee).

Tiger's Eye is a vitreous stone-hard, unbendable and glasslike. On the Moh scale it is a 7. This makes it suitable for all types of jewelry, although care should be taken against exposing it to sudden temperature changes, as that could cause the stone to crack.

Tiger's Eye is usually cut as cabochons as this best shows off the chatoyancy and color. Heat treatment is the usual enhancement for this gemstone. Red Tiger's Eye is heat treated. The heat oxidizes the iron and turns it red. Years ago, I had some Tiger's Eye stones. My mom and I put them on a cookie sheet, in a 325 degree oven for 12 hours and they turned a lovely red. To prevent cracking,we did not preheat the oven, but put the stones in the oven, then turned it on, allowing the stones to gradually warm. Every couple of hours, we would turn the stones with tongs. We also left them in the oven to gradually cool down after we turned the oven off.

Tiger Eye is mainly found in South Africa, but is also found in Austrailia, Myanmar, Namibia and California.

Tiger Eye is said to help lower blood pressure, help with asthma and heart disease. It is also believed to pull someone into a more flexible and positive attitude and give the wearer courage and confidence. Roman soldiers often wore carved Tiger Eye into battle.

In these photos, you can see the different banding and how each stone varies.

Moonstone is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-06-08T21:55:00.001-04:00

Moonstone, the gemstone of the week, is also the European birthstone for June. This mysterious beauty has been used for jewelry since before AD 100. The ancient Romans believed that is was created from the solidified rays of the Moon. It is considered to be the second birthstone for the month of June. During the Art Nouveau period, this was a very popular gemstone. Famous jewelry houses such as Cartier's and Tiffnay used it in a lot of their pieces.

Moonstone is a member of the feldspar family, and is a potassium aluminum silicate. It is an opalescent stone and, like Labradorite, has flashes of color called schiller. In Moonstone, schiller is more often called adularescence-a billowy, floating color effect. It comes from the word “adularia” which was the first name for this gemstone. It was called after the first place moonstone was found, Mt. Adular, in Switzerland. Adularescence is created when light falls between two layers of feldspar that have intermixed, causing the light to scatter, producing the schiller effect.

On the Moh scale, Moonstone is a 6-6.5. The colors can range from blue, peach, green, pink, yellow, brown or gray, all with a silvery sheen. Rainbow Moonstone is a milky white with a rainbow sheen. The most valuable moonstone is one that has a colorless, transparent to semi-transparent appearance with a vivid blue adularescence. Ideally, the sheen should be centered to the top of the gemstone. Moonstone is found in Brazil, Madagascar, Europe, Myanmar, Tanzania, and in the U.S. in Pennsylvania and Virgina. The highest quality gemstones come from Sri Lanka. They are most often cut in cabochons to best display their adularescence.

Moonstone is believed to refresh memory, soothe and balance emotions and act as a digestive aid. It is also believed to heal strife between lovers and awaken passion.

Here are some of the moonstones I have.

Rainbow briolettes, rainbow faceted beads, peach, rainbow, white and gray and faceted peach beads.

Pearls are the Gemstone of the Week

2011-06-02T19:39:00.002-04:00

The birthstone for June, Pearl, is the gemstone of the week. This precious gemstone has been used in jewelry and ornamentation for centuries.

Most gemstones are minerals, but Pearls are organic and formed by living organisms. They are formed in the soft tissue layers of mollusks, such as oysters and mussels and begin forming when an irritant such as sand, gets inside the shell. They are made of calcium carbonate and organic conchiolin, that build up as concentric layers . (If you cut a pearl in half, the inside layers would resemble tree rings.)This is done in order to protect the inside of the oyster or mollusk from the irratant. This process can take anywhere from 4 months to 7 years. The longer it takes, the larger the pearl.

There are two basic kinds of Pearls-natural and cultured. Natural pearls occur in nature without assistance from humans and are very rare and because of the rarity, they are very expensive. Cultured pearls are created when humans insert the irritant into the shell. Cultured pearls are grown on pearl farms where they are cared for while the pearl grows. Some pearls are started from an irritant type of nucleus, some, like the Akoya pearl, are formed around a bead nucleus. Only one out of four cultivated mollusks lives to grow a marketable pearl. Since natural pearls are so rare, it is safe to assume that most pearls on the market today are cultured. Pearls are among the softest gemstones on the market. On the Moh scale, they are only 2.5.

The most valuable pearls are perfectly symmetrical, fairly large and naturally produced. They have a shimmering iridescence which is called orient. I've listed a few of the more common terms used for

pearls. Baroque pearls have an irregular shape. Biwa pearls are from the freshwater lake, Lake Biwa, in Japan and also have an irregular shape. Blister pearls grow attached to the inside of the shell. Freshwater pearls grow in freshwater mollusk and resemble puffed rice. Mabe pearls are cultivated blister pearls. Oriental pearl is another name for saltwater pearl.

Pearls are often enhanced by dyeing. They are very porous and accept dye well. It is the easiest, and least expensive way to get a matched strand. One drawback to this is that the dye can fade over time. They can also be bleached to increase their whiteness. Irradiation darkens the nucleus of the pearl to produce darker pearls like blue gray and black. Most experts believe this to be permanent. Metallic pearl colors are often both dyed and irradiated. As a general rule, all bright or striking pearl colors are dyed or enhanced in some way.

Pearls are found in Japan, China, Tahiti, Ceylon, Scotland, Norway, Australia, Indonesia, the Gulf of Mexico, and Myanmar. The finest Oriental Pearls are found in the Persian Gulf.

It is believed that Pearls help people see themselves, and eliminate emotional imbalances. They are also thought to give wisdom through experience. Ancient Chinese myths told of pearls falling from the sky when dragons thought. The ancient Greeks thought that pearls were the tears of the gods.

These photos are some of the Pearls I have in my gemstone stash.

Faceted Pearls

Keishi Pearls

Pale Pink Pearls

Sunstone is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-05-27T11:26:00.000-04:00

The sparkling gemstone, Sunstone is the gemstone of the week. Sunstone is a member of the feldspar family. When veiwed from certain angles, it has a brilliant, spangled appearance. This optical effect can be from tiny scales of red hematite which are irregular in shape. This gives it a look similar to aventurine and it is sometimes called aventurine-feldspar. Some crystals contain pyrite which gives it an extra flash of sparkle. Darker stones contain copper. Sunstone is formed in molten lava and then thrown out to earth by a volcano. As the lava weathers, or breaks up, Sunstone crystals are released. It is a sodium calcium aluminum silicate.

Sunstone is a relatively hard stone with a hardness that varies from 6-7.2.. Also called, Heliote, which comes from the Greek word “helios” and “lithos” meaning stone, Sunstone is the state stone of Oregon.

Sunstone was not common until recently, when, in the 80's deposits were found in Orgeon. It has also been found in Norway, Siberia, India, Canada, Russia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Oregon Sunstone is the only variety that contains copper inclusions.

The Vikings considered Sunstone to be a talisman for navigation and this gem has been found in Viking burial mounds. Sunstone is believed to bring luck, instill optimism and boost the energy level. It is also believed to boost physical energy in times of stress or illness. It is said that Sunstone also inspires freedom and originality.

These pictures are some of the Sunstones I have. I love the peachy tones this stone has.

Sodalite is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-05-20T10:17:00.001-04:00

Sodalite,an opaque, royal blue gemstone with white streaks, is often confused with Lapis Lazuli. It is one of the minerals that makes up Lapis. The chemical compostion of Sodalite is sodium aluminum silicate chloride. The chloride is what differentiates this from Lapis. Lapis contains sulphur. There are two ideas for where the name comes from-one is for the sodium content and the other is from the Latin word “solidus” for solid, since it was a solid used in the process of glass making. It will fuse to a colorless glass if heated to a high enough temperature.

Sodalite is a hard mineral, yet because of the crystal structure, fragile with a hardness on the Moh scale of 5-5.6.

Sodalite is sometimes referred to as Princess Blue after Princess Patricia, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She fell in love with this gemstone after a visit to Ontario, Canada and used it to decorate Marlbourough House in England. Sodalite has been discovered in ancient ruins and tombs in ornamental forms. It was often used as a substitute for Lapis Lazuli.

Signifiacant deposits of Sodalite are found in Bancroft, Ontario, Mont-St-Hilaire, Quebec, Lichtfield, Maine, and magnet Cove, Arkansas. Smaller deposits are found in Brazil, Bolivia, Portugal, Romania, Burma, and Russia.

It is believed that Sodalite was used by Egyptian priests to dispel fear and promote a clear insightful mind. It is also believe to help with a wide range of physical aliments from diabetes, and digestion issues to thyroid problems. It is also thought to be a soothing stone and to instill confidence.

ArtFire Daily Email-a Chance to Win $100 Gift Certificate

2011-05-16T23:10:00.000-04:00

If you click the link on the right, you can sign up for the ArtFire Daily Email. By signing up, you will have a chance to winn $100 gift certificate to any ArtFire studio. Like Vintage goodies, sign up, like handcrafted goodies, sign up. All ArtFire studios are participating in this so when you win, you can shop anywhere on the site. It does have to be spent in one studio, though. Enter now-who knows, you might be the next winner drawn.

This week Serpentine is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-05-09T20:03:00.000-04:00

Serpentine is the name given to a large variety of rock forming minerals that are green, yellowish green, or brownish green in color. There are over twenty varieties of Serpentine and they are not always easy to tell apart. All Serpentines are a basic magnesium silicate. The name comes from the Latin “serpentinus” meaning snake rock. The mottled colors do give it the appearance of snakeskine. In mineralogy and gemology, Serpentine is divided into three groups, antigorite, chrysotile and lizardite.

Serpentine ranges from opaque to translucent and the Moh scale hardness varies within the different varieties. On the Moh scale hardness ranges from 2.5 to 5.5. Antigorite is the hardest variety. Serpentine is often streaked with the minerals calcite and dolomite. These minerals are what give Serpentine the white and gray streaks.

Several trade names have been given to Serpentine to distinguish the different varieties. These are bowenite, connemara,verde-antique and williamsite. It is often sold under the names of new jade, lemon jade, olive jade, Afghan jade and green jade. When buying, this is something you need to be aware of as these stones are not jade at all, but Serpentine.

Serpentine is found in many places around the world, including Afghanistan, Burma, China, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, Norway, and the U.S.. In the U.S. it is found in Northern California, Rhode Island, Conneticut, Mass., Maryland and southern Pennsylvania.

It is said that Serpentine can restore self confidence, repel fear, and enhance meditation. It is also believed to bring good luck and to help people obtain their dreams.

This Serpentine piece is in a necklace I made. It is a yellowish green, almost chartreuese color.

Emeralds are the Gemstone of the Week

2011-05-01T19:23:00.001-04:00

This week, the gemstone of the week is also the birthstone for May, the beautiful, enchanting, lush green Emerald. The name comes from the French word “esmaraude” which in turn, goes back via Latin to the Greek root “smaragdos” which simply means “green gemstone”.

Emerald is the most precious and expensive member of the Beryl family of gemstones. It is classified as one of the four traditional gemstones along with diamonds, sapphires and rubies. Along with being the birthstone for May, it is the gemstone for the 20th and 35th anniversary.

Clarity is important for Emeralds, but inclusions or flaws, are much more tolerated with this stone than they are with other gems. They help assure the buyer that they are getting a genuine Emerald. This gem has a hardness on the Moh scale of 7.5-8. Inclusions do make this stone brittle and more difficult to cut. Because of the enhancements to Emeralds, which I will cover a couple of paragraphs down, these stones should not be cleaned using ultrasonic jewelry cleaners.

Color is the main consideration when grading and pricing Emeralds. By definition, Emerald is a medium or darker green to bluish green. The most valuable stone is slightly bluish green with a medium dark tone with strong to vivid color saturation. Emerald color comes from chromium, vanadium or a combination of both. Emerald is a beryllium aluminum silicate.

Emeralds are often enhanced by oiling.This is done by placing the stone in a vacuum chamber with heated oil, and sometimes resins. Not only does this improve the appearance of the stone, but also helps to fill in the inclusions it has. Steam cleaning, using solvents or ultrasonic jewelry cleaners will remove these oils and change the appearance of the stone. Clean an Emerald with a soft, dry cloth.

Almost all Emerald mining is done from host rocks where the Emerald has grown into small veins or on the walls of cavaties. Columbia is the world center for Emerald mining. Northwest of Bogota is a mine called the Muzo mine which produces deep green, fine quality stones. To the Northeast of Bogota is the mine called Chivor which also has high quality deposits of Emeralds. Brazil also has Emerald mines which produce a lighter color green gem. There is also a mine in Brazil which produces a rare form of Emerald known as a Trapiche Emerald. This stone is characterized by star shaped rays that come from the center of the stone in a hexagonal pattern. This pattern is caused by black carbon impurities that form in a star pattern. Emeralds are also found in Transvaal, Zimbabwe, Russia, Australia, Ghana, India, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Zambia. Not all of these deposits produce high quality stones, some are suitable only for beads and cabachons. They are also found in the U.S. in North Carolina which has made Emerald the official state gemstone.

Emeralds have been mined since around 1500 B.C.. Many museums have incredible collections and there have been many famous Emeralds over time. One of the most famous and legendary Emeralds is the Mogul Emerald which dates from 1695. It weighs in at 217.80 carats and is 10cm high. One side is inscribed with prayer texts, the other side has floral engravings. In 2001, Christies auctioned this off for $2.2 million dollars to an unidentified buyer. The Viennese Treasury contains an Emerald vase that is 4.5 inches high, has a carat weight of 2205 and was carved from a single Emerald crystal. One of the largest Columbian Emerald crystals is on display at the New York Museum of Natural History. It is called Patricia and has a carat weight of 632. The Bank of Bogota has a collection of five Emerald crystals with carat weights that range from 220 to 1796. Other countries also have incredible, historic Emeralds in their palaces and treasuries, including Iran, India and Turkey.

Stories and legends have sprung up around Emeralds for centuries. It is believed that when worn, it will protect from epileptic seizures, give the wearer wisdom, faith and success in love. It is also believed it will drive away evil spirits, aid in spinal ailments, mental illness and neurological ailments and as an antidote for poison.

Synthetic Emeralds have been on the market for several years. They are considerably lower priced than genuine Emeralds. Watch out for these names, they are often synthetic-Biron, Chathan, Gilson, Kimberly, Lennix, Regency, and Zerfass. Some of the names given to green dyed glass and passed off as genuine are Broughton, Endura, Ferrer's, Medina, Mt. St. Helens, and Spanish Emerald. Sometimes, other stones are sold as Emeralds. Green Flourite has been called African and Bohemian Emerald, South African and Transvaal Emerald. Dyed quartz, prehnite, peridot and green sapphires are passed off as Emeralds also. Another practice is the selling of Emerald doublets. A doublet is created when two lesser quality stones are adhered together with a colored paste and passed off as a single stone. Since a good quality Emerald is an investment, be sure to buy your stone from a reputable dealer and do some research so you know what you are buying.
The pictures are 1. The front of the Mongul Emerald. 2. The Patricia Emerald 3. The Emerald Vase from the Viennese Treasury.

Kyanite is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-04-29T09:54:00.001-04:00

This sapphire blue, shimmery, multi purpose gemstone with unusual properties, is the gemstone of the week. For many years, this stone was considered more of a mineral than a gemstone. The name comes from the Greek word, “kyanos”, meaning dark blue.

Kyanite is unusual in the fact that it has the same chemical compostion as andalusite. Both are aluminum silicate, but have different crystal structures. In addition to being used for jewelry, kyanite is also used in industrial applications including spark plugs, electrical insulators and heat resistant ceramics to reduce the shrinkage as it expands.

Kyanite has been mined for about a century, but little is known about it's history. The color of Kyanite is not always uniform and can be blotchy and streaky. The crystals can be transparent to translucent and the crystals are found in long blades or columns. The stone can also be found in green and black and occaisonally, rarely, yellow, white and gray. Depending on which way the crystals are cut in a particular stone, the harness on the Moh scale can range from 4.5-6.5. The blue color comes from trace elements of iron and titanium. Green Kyanite gets the color from vanadium. Faceted Kyanite is a rareity. Because of the hardness variations in each stone, this complicates the faceting process.

Interest in Kyanite as a gemstone has been low, mostly due to the lack of sufficient supplies of gem quality rough. A recent find of gemstone quality rough in Nepal will probably raise the interest in this beautiful stone. Other sources of Kyanite are Austria, Brazil, India, Myanmar, Serbia, Switzerland, Namibia, and California. California has mostly green Kyanite.

It is believed that Kyanite is the stone of channeling, altered states, vivid dreams and dream recall. It is said that it will protect the wearer during these states. It is alos believed to bring loyalty, tranquility and honesty to the wearer.

The photos below are different color ranges of Kyanite that I have in my collection.

A Gardening Break

2011-04-25T21:22:00.001-04:00

It was so nice this weekend, low 80's with a nice light breeze blowing, that when we went out running errands, I picked up some plants for my flower bed. I like to add some annuals for color until the perrenials bloom and I have a trellis that needed something on it. I've got some honeysuckle planted there, but it will take a while for it to climb up and I am impatient.

I love my flower bed. It was a birthday present one year. About 50 years ago, there was a house behind the one we live in now. (Rumor has it, it was so high off the ground, cows could walk under it.) The big oak in the backyard got hit by lightening and ended up burning the house down. There was a ton of broken, mossy, cool looking brick around and I had been talking about making a flower bed out of them. So, one birthday weekend, my husband came home with mortar and concrete and I learned out to do brick work. It was a lot of fun and I had a blast.

I used to have Alaska Daisies planted all around the outer border. They were white and had huge blooms on them. The butterflies loved them. Winter before last, the armadillos not only dug them up, (I'm used to that-rushing out to replant the morning after) but they ate the roots, too. I haven't replaced them, not sure why. I think I got tired of digging them up and dividing them every year. I had run out of room for them. So, I have moved on to the next phase of the flower bed. I have some small, yellow daisies, I think they are called Lamb's Ear Daisy because of the shape of the leaves. They are going to need digging up and dividing this fall. I will use them around the border in place of the white daisies.

Here's a little photo tour of this bed, along with what's old and what's new.
This is a shot of what I think are the Lamb's Ear Daisies. The partial pot in the top left corner is full of Impatiens. I have a ton of those hanging in baskets under the cedar tree in back and they just keep reseeding themselves. Everything that has ever been under those baskets has at least 3 or 4 Impatiens in it. Impatiens are the only thing I really have growing that isn't drought tolerant. Since we seem to be constantly in an extreme drought situation, I've been growing drought tolerant plants for years.

This red beauty is what I got to go on the trellis. It's called Crimson Sun Parasol. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw. It looks like red velvet. It's already clinging to the trellis.

I love Periwinkles. I have some in there every year. They are almost as good at reseeding as the Impatiens, but this year, they haven't started to sprout. I got some in different colors than what I had in there last year. Bright fuschia, and a medium pink. I tried to find some white ones, but nobody had any in stock. I'm good with these, though. I know the butterflies will like them.

I also got a couple more Dianthus (or pinks). They were marked down to .50 because they were so rootbound they were dying. I got a bright pink one and a little white one. I am pretty sure this pink one will make it. The little white one, I don't know. I already had 3 or 4 in assorted shades of pink.These have such a great spicey smell to them. Reminds me of cloves and something else, but I've never been able to figure out what the something else is.

Here's a shot from the end of the flower bed. The tall, sword shaped leaves are Candy Lilies. They are orange and yellow. It's a cross between a day lily and a blackberry lily. Most of the ones you see here have grown from seeds dropped from the flowers. They are a perennial, too . They are fairly cold hardy. The leaves will die back, but not the roots. The flowers come up from the center of the leaves on a skinny stalk and last a couple of days. It's a summer bloomer. The rust color pot in the back has 9 jade plant leaves in it. I repotted my jade plant a few weeks ago and these fell off, so I stuck them in a pot of dirt. They seem to be surviving so far.

Last, but not least is Lantana. I have always loved this stuff, but never had any. They are sitting in two planters on either side fo the steps. The planters are actually the things that go inside a chimney when you build a house. Can't think of the technical name for it right now. They were "rescued" leftovers from a building site because I though they would make neat planters. They have a nice mossy patina on them that helps keep the soil moist. They are some sort of unglazed clay/ceramic material and do tend to dry out easily. I had no idea that Lantana has small, soft thorns on them until I started putting them in the planters.

I hope you enjoyed the tour, If you would like some Candy Lily seeds, let me know and about late August or early Sept., I can send you plenty of them. :)

Turquoise is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-04-22T17:23:00.000-04:00

Popular for thousands of years, Turquoise is the gemstone of the week this week. The popularity of this gemstone goes back to the ancient Egyptians and continues up through today. One thing that could account for the popularity is the fact that it is readily available and reasonably priced. Depending on the source, prices per carat can range from $1 to $50. Along with Zircon, it is the birthstone for December.

It is believed that the name, Turquoise, comes from the French word “pierre turquoise” meaning Turkish stone. That is a reference to the fact that Turquoise was brought to Europe from Persia by Turkish traders. For centuries, Persia (Iran) produced the most valuable Turquoise. Now, some Turquoise mined in the Southwestern U.S. compete easily in value. The term Persian Turquoise is used today to refer to stones that do not have the black or brown veining commonly found in U.S. stones.

Turquoise is an aluminum phosphate mineral. Bluer stones have a higher concentration of copper to give it it's coloring while greener stones have a higher concentration of iron or chromium. Since the soil makeup surrounding Turquoise deposits influences color, the location name is often included in the stone name. A perfect example of that is Sleeping Beauty Turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Globe, Arizona.

Turquoise is a relatively soft stone-between 5 and 6 on the Moh scale, and is usually enhanced somehow. There are many ways of doing this. I have covered some of the more common processes and names of Turquoise on the market today.
     Foutz Enhanced Turquoise is the name for stones that have been treated by a process that impregnates and hardens the stone with vaporized quartz. This treatment is not detectable by normal testing methods. It is used on high to medium grade stones and will not work on low grade stones.

     Stabilized Turquoise has been treated with a plastic resin that allows lower grade stones to be suitable for using in jewelry.

     Wax treated turquoise works like stabilization and in the past, most Chinese Turquoise was treated this way. Today, most Turquoise from China is resin stablized since they have learned the process.

     Reconstituted Turquoise is mostly all man-made and should be labeled as imitation.

     Compressed nuggets are pieces of Turquoise that are bound with dye and resin. If you cut a piece of compressed Turquoise in half and look at the cross section, you can see the individual pieces of nuggets that were joined together.

     Chalk Turquoise is true, light blue, soft Turquoise that must be stablized to be used in jewelry. Today, there are some dyed stones that are passed off as Chalk Turquoise.

     Imitation and simulated Turquoise are stones that are made or dyed to look like Turquoise. Ceramic, polymer clay, glass and plastic are most often used for imitation Turquoise. Some of the more common stones that are dyed to create simulated Turquoise are Howlite, Magnesite and Dolomite.

     Do your research before you buy so you get what you pay for. Descriptive names are often used despite the chemical composition of the stone.

Turquoise today comes from several sources. In the U.S, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada are the source. Other sources include, China, Mexico, Tibet, Iran, Peru, Africa, Austraila, Europe and Siberia.

It is believed the Turquoise has many powers. In ancient Persia, it was believe that if the stone changed colors, it was a warning of impending danger. It was often used to ward off the evil eye. Many cultures have held the belief that it is a good luck talisman. It's said that Turquoise enhances self confidence, and provides a sense of unity with one's self. Crystal healers recommend it for detoxifacation from alcohol, poison or radiation.

Here is a link to the Tantalizing Turquoise Collection I curated to go with this post.

Sagelight Image Editor

2011-04-16T21:52:00.000-04:00

I'm going to pause the gemstone blogs for a post to tell you about this great little gem of an image editor I saw mentioned in the ArtFire forums. It's called Sagelight . I have found this to be a great editor. It's super easy for me to use, and if it's easy for me, then it should be easy for everybody. It's really user friendly. It isn't one of the free editors like I blogged about at the end of last year, but right now, it's on sale for $39.95. That price is good until the end of May while the creator of this gem does some tweaking and upgrades with some of the functions.

I went to the above link and read about it, then downloaded the 30 day free trial. Before two weeks was up, I couldn't wait to get it. Here is a link that shows you some of the results you can get using Sagelight. I get very useful information from the blog, and these YouTube tutorials are a dream for somebody who is moderately technically challenged. You will see references to Lightroom which I have seen mentioned on photography forums. It's a Photoshop program that goes for $89. I have looked at it-didn't like what I knew would be a massive learning curve for me and let it go.

What is it about this program that has me sounding like an infomercial? The controls are easy to use-you can see them without searching for them. You can line up the shot you are editing with the original one so you can see what you are doing.

Not only do I need an editor for photographing my jewelry, but I also take a lot of outdoor shots in the woods around our house. I like being able to edit with the two shots side by side, so I can get a closer take on what my eye saw instead of how the camera thinks it should be. In this screen shot, you can see how the tools show up. No matter which function you choose, all of them have the slider controls. To sum up-I love Sagelight because it's easy to use, very little learning curve, user friendly controls, and good response time with customer service. It was also created by one guy and if you follow this blog, you know I am all about supporting small business.

This program is truly worth checking out. If nothing else, download the 30 day free trial and play with it. I doubt if you regret it and I would bet that you will seriously consider buying it. You won't go wrong if you do.

Lapis Lazuli is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-04-10T20:03:00.005-04:00

Lapis Lazuli is a deep blue gemstone that often has pyrite inclusions that sparkle like stars. It is a gemstone that has been prized for centuries. The legendary city if Ur, which was on the Euphrates River, is reported to have run a busy trade in lapis as early as 4000 B.C.. While researching lapis for this post, I came across two different meanings of the name. One said it is a combination of the Latin word “lapis” meaning stone and of the word “azul” which is Arabic for blue. The other source said it was Spanish for pencil since some cultures did use Lapis for writing.

Lapis is not a mineral, but a rock. It is composed of grains of several blue stones including sodalite and lazurite. It also has calcite and pyrite in it. If it only had one component, it would be considered a mineral. The deep, rich blue color is from sulphur in the lazurite. It is also flourescent. Lapis lazuli was created millions of years ago during a metamorphosis that turned chalk into marble. In spite of this, on the Moh scale, it has a hardness of 5-5.5, making it a fairly soft stone. It can be easily chipped and scratched, so care must be taken when wearing it. Clean it only with a soft cloth and never use harsh chemicals on it. Some lapis is treated by dyeing it. If you are offered deep blue lapis for a low price, be wary, as it is probably dyed. As will all treatments, this should be disclosed by the seller when purchasing.

Lapis is mined in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Canada, Siberia, South America, Chile, and the U.S.. Afghanistan has been a source for lapis for over 6000 years.

Lapis Lazuli was the traditional birthstone of December, but the American Association of Jewelers listed the offical Dec. birthstones as Turquoise and Blue Zircon as early as 1912.

Lapis is the source of the pigment ultramarine. In ancient times, the Egyptians ground it to make eye shadow, and for paint. It was also carved into seals, vases and small statues. In the Middle Ages, monks ground lapis, mixed it with beeswax, linseed and resin and used it in illuminated manuscripts. Lapis lazuli is one of the gemstones used in commesso, also called florentine mosaics. Commesso was developed in Florence in the late 16th century. It is the fashioning of pictures with brightly colored, thin, cut to shape pieces of semi precious gemstones. Commesso was mainly used for table tops and wall pictures.

Today, lapis is considered to be a stone of friendship and truth. It is believed to help with insomnia and stress. It is said that it aids in helping the aura absorb spiritual energy. Lapis is also said to increase psychic ability.

I am editing this to add that the Amazonite collecton I curated for last weeks' gemstone made it to the front page of Artfire.

Carnelian is the Gemstone for the Week

2011-04-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

Carnelian is reddish brown member of the chalcedony mineral family. It gets it's color from iron oxide. A lot of people call the fiery red orange carnelian, “true carnelian” and carnelian is naturally that color. The truth is that most of the fiery red carnelian is heat treated before reaching the gemstone cutting factories. This seems to have been a secret for thousands of years. Every source country of carnelian thought that other country's carnelian was naturally red but in fact, all of them were heat treating their stones. To tell the difference, hold a stone against the light. If the color is showing in stripes, it is heat treated. If the color shows as a cloudy distribution, it is natural. The name, carnelian is believed to come from the Latin word “carnis” for flesh in reference to the color.

This gemstone is very suitable for jewelry and on the Moh scale, has a hardness of 7. It has been a common stone for carving cameos for centuries. Carnelian is one of the birthstones listed in the ancient Hebrew, Arabic, Italian and Roman tables, and is a Zodiac birthstone for Leo and Virgo.

Carnelian is found in Australia, India, Brazil, Madagascar, Russian, the U.S., Uruguay and South Africa.

A lot of carnelian has been found in Egyptian tombs as the Egyptians believed that it would had great power in the afterlife by ensuring the soul's passage into the next world. Europeans wore the gemstone in the belief that it would protect them from evil and help in the continuation of hope and good luck.

Carnelian is also believed to help with emotional warmth, sociability, creativity, memory, harmony and courage.

The Gemstone of the Week is Amazonite

2011-03-31T19:14:00.000-04:00

The gemstone this week is Amazonite. This gemstone is a member of the microline feldspar family of minerals and ranges in shades from bluish green to yellowish green, with the bluish being the most common. It has a hardness on the Moh scale of 6, so is suitable for most jewelry. It is widely available, but not well known, so supply can meet demand and makes it a reasonably priced gemstone. It is associated as a birthstone for December.

There are a couple of theories on how Amazonite got its' name. One is that it was named after the women warriors of the Amazon tribe. Another theory is that it is named after the Amazon River even though no Amazonite is found near there, it's possible it was named for the rainforest.

Amazonite often has white lines mixed in with it and can have an uneven color distribution. If they are treated, it is with an impregnated wax or oil treatment to bring out the color and add to the shine.

Amazonite is found in Brazil, Russia, Zimbabwe, Australia, Namibia, Canada, India and in the United States in Colorado, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

It is believed that this stone will calm the emotions, and empower the wearer with courage. It is also credited with enhancing creativity and self-expression. It is associated with the throat chakra and is said to be effective at aligning the heart and solar plexus chakras.

This is a picture of an Amazonite Teardrop in a necklace of mine.

The Gemstone of the Week is Rhodonite

2011-03-27T21:16:00.002-04:00

The gemstone of the week this week is Rhodonite. This beautiful pink and sometimes red gemstone is well known among collectors. The red variety can often rival ruby in the intensity of color and is the most highly prized. This rare, classic type of Rhodonite was once found in Franklin, New Jersey. The name Rhodonite comes from the Greek word, rhodos, meaning “rose colored”. It is opaque and often called Pink Marble.

It is classed as a silicate mineral and is associated with black manganese minerals, pyrite and spessartine.

The chemical make up of Rhodonite is manganese iron magnesium calcium silicate.

Rhodonite often has impurities of black manganese veins running through it in crisscrossing lines. These are called dendrites. The black against the pink gives it a nice contrast. This is the most common kind used for beads and jewelry. It is a relatively inexpensive gemstone. Rhodonite is usually not enhanced in any way expect to sometimes wax it to bring out the shine. On the Moh scale it is 5.5-6 which makes it a rather soft stone to be used in rings and things that are easily knocked or banged up against things.

During the time of the Russian Czars, Rhodonite was used in many court decorations ranging from carved pillars, sculptures, tiles and bowls. It's fairly soft nature lends itself to carving.

Rhodnite has many sources of origin. The Ural Mountains in Russia, Japan, Australia, Italy,Madagascar, Peru, Brazil and Sweden are some. Two mines, one in New South Wales, Australia, and one in Brazil still produce fabulous blood red crystals. It used to be found in the western U. S., but most of those mines found in California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho are now closed.

Rhodonite is associated with the throat of fifth chakra and is sometimes called the Singer's Stone and is said to improve sound sensitivity. It is considered to be a feminine stone, like the iron fist in the velvet glove. It is also believed to help with the nervous system, and self esteem and to balance trauma.It is also thought to help achieve potential and to dispel worry.

This Rhodonite Zuni bear with Rhodonite chips, is a necklace I made.

Bloodstone is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-03-19T20:09:00.001-04:00

Bloodstone is the traditional birthstone for March and is the gemstone of the week. It is sometimes called Heliotrope which means “sun turning” in Greek. It has also been called the Martyr's Stone. It is a silicon dixoide member of the chalcedony family. The red spots are from deposits of iron oxide. The deep green color is from masses of chlorite. There are two groups of bloodstone-plasma and heliotrope. The plasma group has the dark green color with no red spots. The heliotrope group is more translucent.

On the Moh scale, it has a hardness rating of 6.5-7. Bloodstones that are used in jewelry are sometimes coated with a special polish, so it should not be exposed to harsh chemicals or strong detergents. It should also be protected from extreme temperatures and scratches.

India is the main source of Bloodstone, but it is also found in Brazil, Australia, China and Wyoming. It is a relatively inexpensive stone.

There are a lot of fake bloodstones stones on the market today. To tell a real stone from a fake, rub the stone against a piece of porcelain. If it leaves red streaks, it is real.

This stone was highly prized during the Middle Ages. It was believed that the red spots were the blood of Jesus Christ. It was often used in sculpting statues representing martyrdom. It was also believed that it could stop bleeding with the merest touch. The belief was also held that it strengthened blood purifying organs and improved circulation. It is still finely ground and used today in making traditional medicines in India.

The pictures contain some stones from my gemstone collection.

Aquamarine is the Gemstone of the Week

2011-03-10T18:06:00.001-05:00

Since Aquamarine is my birthstone and the birthstone of those born in March, that is the gemstone for this week.

Aquamarine gets it name from the Latin words for sea and water. The colors range from pale blue to a greenish blue to a deep blue. The deeper the blue, the more valuable the stone. It is an excellent stone for any type of jewelry. On the Moh scale, it is a 7.5-8.

This stone is a member of the beryl family, which is also the family of emerald, goshenite and heliotrope. Aquamarine is the most common member of this family. Beryl is a mineral made up of beryllium aluminum silicate, a commercial source of beryllium. Unlike emeralds, aquamarines are often flawless and ones with visible flaws are rarely seen. Often, the lighter blue aquamarines are mistaken for blue topaz which is not as expensive a stone. Blue zircon is another stone it can be confused with, although aquamarine is a lighter color blue.

The bluest and most valuable stones are mined in Brazil. It is also mined in Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Ural Mountains in Russia.

The most common enhancement for Aquamarines is heat treating. This is done to the paler and more teal colored stones to permanently give a deeper blue color.

Legend has it that sailors used to wear Aquamarine to keep them safe and to ward off seasickness. It is believed to give the wearer foresight, happiness and courage. In the middle ages, it was believed that this stone would reduce the effects of poisons. It is said that this stone will work on healing nerve pain, glandular problems, toothache and it will strengthen the liver and kidneys. It is also said that it will help with depression and grief.

The photos below are Aquamarines that I have. The ring belonged to my mom. Both she and I have March birthdays. The chips are some I picked up, but haven't done anything with yet. The chips are a much deepr blue than the beads, so it's safe tosay that they are heat treated and the beads are not. The ring is old enough to be a natural blue, but I'm not sure Here is also a link to some pictures of rough Aquamarine. It holds as much fascination for me as the cut stones do.

Marvelous Malachite is the gemstone of the week

2011-03-01T17:25:00.001-05:00

Malachite is that beautiful banded green stone that is very popular in jewelry and had been for centuries.

Malachite is a form of oxidized copper which is where the green color comes from. The prescence of water also affects the coloring of Malachite. More water in the copper makes it lighter and less makes it darker. The green patina found on outdoor copper objects is a form of Malachite. Malachite is the chemical twin of Azurite and can form Azurite as it oxidizes.

This is a fairly soft stone. On the Moh scale it is only a 3.5 to 4. It is easily scratched and care should be taken when cleaning it. Washing it with water will remove the protective the protective polish causing it to become dull. Never use a product with ammonia to clean it, either.

The Ural Mountains in Russia used to be ta major source of Malachite. Today, most Malachite comes from Zaire. It is also found in Germany, Zambia, Australia, Arizona and Chile. France and England also have deposits of the gemstone.

Nobody is sure where the name Malachite originated, but it seems to come down to two choices. One is the Greek word for" herb" or "green" which is "malache". The other is the Greek word "malakos" which translates as "soft" due to the softness of the stone.

This gemstone was popular with ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans for amulets and jewelry. They would also mix it with galena, grind it and make eyeshadow out of it. It was being mined in the Sinai peninsula around 4000 B.C.. It was also a popular ornamental stone in Czarist Russia where it was used to make the columns in St. Isacc's Cathedral in Leningrad.

When it comes to the metaphysical aspects of Malachite, it is said to be a protective stone. In the Middle Ages, Malachite amulets were hung over cribs to protect infants from evil. Malachite is also believed to promote inner peace, success in business and hope. It also relaxes the nervous system and calms stormy emotions. It is said that Malachite can also bring harmony into your life.

The Malachite pictured here is from my collection. Be sure to check out the Marvelous Malachite Collection I created with handcrafted jewelry by the talented artisans of ArtFire.

Apache Tears is the gemstone of the week

2011-02-25T19:24:00.001-05:00

It was over 30 years ago when I saw my first Apache Tears stone and heard the legend of how it came to be called that. This stone has had a fascination for me ever since then.

Apache Tears is a type of obsidian which is a natural glass that forms from volcanic activity. It was first discovered in Ethiopia. Apache Tears are only one of eight types of obsidian. Obsidian is made from the same material as granite, but cools so quickly when exposed to air that the minerals don't have time to crystalize. It was highly prized during the Stone Age like flint, it could be fractured to make sharp arrowheads or blades. It has been used in surgical tools also. Well crafted surgical blades have a cutting edge many times sharper than high quality surgical steel scalpels.

Apache Tears are a deep, rich translucent brown color. The have a Moh scale rating of 5-5.5. Obsidian can be found in many places across the world, but Apache Tears comes only from Arizona. It is sometimes confused with Smokey Quartz because of the similarity of the color.

Obsidian is not a true mineral, although it is mineral-like. It is not crystalline and does not have a well defined chemical composition. It is usually at least 70% silicon dioxide.

The name, Apache Tears comes from an Apache legend. On what is now called Apache Leap Mountain, near Superior, Az., a small band of about 75 Apaches fought a large group of U.S. Calvary, in the 1870's. Rather than face defeat, the Apache warriors rode their horses off the mountain to their deaths. Their families cried when they heard the news and as their tears hit the ground, they turned into the gemstone, Apache Tears. The photo has some of the stones from my collection.

On the metaphysical side, it is believed that Apache Tears can help alleviate grief. It is also believed to help with muscle spasms and twitches.

Amethyst is the gemstone of the week

2011-02-15T09:36:00.001-05:00

Since Amethyst is the birthstone for February, I thought I would feature it as the stone of the week. In addition, it is also accepted as the gemstone for the sixth year of marriage. It is the most valuable variety of quartz. If it were not so widely found, it would be much more expensive. Amethyst is also seen in what are called Amethyst Cathedrals. These are huge geodes that have been cut in half to reveal Amethyst crystals. The pictures I found for them are copyrighted, so if you want to see some, just google them.

Amethyst comes in a wide range of shades from pale lavender to deep, almost black purple. Brazil is the largest producer of this gem. Amethyst from Uraguay produces a stone with a deep purplish blue color as does Amethyst found in Arizona. Siberian Amethyst which is still on the market, but no longer mined, has tints of red and blue. This type is hard to find and when you do find it, is very expensive. African Amethyst is a deep, rich purple. It is found all over Africa, but most commonly in Zambia. Smaller, deep purple Amethysts are also mined in Australia. On the Moh scale, it has a hardness of 7, so it is suitable for all types of jewelry. Some varities can fade is exposed to strong sunlight over a long period of time. This can be remedied by exposing it to X-ray radiation.

The name Amethyst comes from the Greek word “amethystos” which means “not drunken”. In this belief, many ancient wine goblets were carved from this gemstone. It has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs and graves in Anglo-Saxon England.

The most common enhancement for Amethyst is heat treating to deepen the color of the stone. If heated enough, it can produce Citrine and Prasiolite.

As far as the metaphysical properties are concerned, Amethyst is said to magnify right brain and psychic abilities, as well as strengthen immunities while energizing and purifying the blood. It is also believed that it can relieve headaches and improve blood sugar balance. Another belief is that if you place it under your pillow at night, it will give you a calm, peaceful sleep. It is considered a sacred stone in Tibet and rosaries are often made from it.

There are several legends surrounding Amethyst, but this is my favorite.

Dionysus was angered by an insult from a mere mortal, so he created fierce tigers to attack the next mortal who crossed his path. Along came a beautiful, unsuspecting maiden, Amethyst, who was on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. To protect her, Diana turned her into a statue of beautiful crystalline quartz. When he saw this beautiful statue, Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse, staining the statue purple and into the gemstone we know today.

Lovely, Luscious Labradorite

2011-02-10T21:42:00.000-05:00

This week's gemstone feature is Labradorite.

This is a stone that has as much flash and sparkle as an opal and won't ding as easily if it gets knocked against something. Labradorite has a deep, mossy green or a dark gray base color with flashes of gold, violet, green, orange, red and a deep sky blue. It looks different from every angle depending on the light. These flashes of color come from internal fractures in the mineral reflecting the light. The technical term for this is schiller or labradorescence. This is where the fascination with the stone comes in. No matter how you look at it, it's always different. It comes from the Canadian province of Labrador and it is also found in Madagascar, the Ukraine, Australia, Mexico, Norway and the US. It is a sodium rich variety of the feldspar family. There is a variety from Finland that is called Spectrolite. It has a redder base color and labradorescence.

On the Moh hardness scale it is a 6-6.5. This makes it suitable for all types of jewelry as it will be fairly sturdy. Labradorite is one of the stones that is seldom enhanced.

There is an Eskimo legend that it's the Northern Lights trapped inside that give this stone it's wonderful color.

On the metaphysical side, it is said that Labradorite will detoxify the body and slow the aging process. It is also believed to promote strength of will. Another belief is that Labraodrite will heal mental confusion and indecision.

I have included some photos of a piece of Labradorite that I have. As you can see, it looks different from every angle. The 1st and 5th pictures are the front. Pictures 2, 3, and 4 are the back. The 5th picture is me holding it under my photography light. It shows the translucence of the stone and also, the fractures where the light reflects.

I have also included a link to Lovely, Luscious Labradorite, a Collection I have created on Artfire .

Some gemstone basics

2011-02-10T17:47:00.000-05:00

I am going to be highlighting a different gemstone a week in my blog for the next several months, so I thought that before I make the first post, I would do kind of a breakdown on the basics of gemstones and some of the terms used. I know that not everybody who reads and follows my blog creates jewelry. To me, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so what may appear to be a mediocre looking stone to one person, is absolutely beautiful to another. I think it's all about the color and the pattern in each stone. As with all things created by Mother Nature, no two will ever look alike.

Stones are measured on the Moh scale of hardness. This is a scale that was developed in 1812 by mineralogist, Frederich Moh. In researching this series, I have seen his nationality listed as German, French and Austrian. It compares the hardness of one substance against another. It is the most commonly used measure today. Later, the sclerometer was invented and it measures absolute hardness. In the majority of stone listings, though, you will see the hardness as the Moh scale. In this scale, talc is a 1, and a diamond a 10. The hardness of a stone is an important consideration when designing or purchasing stones.

You need to be aware that the beautiful piece of coral in that ring is a 3-4 on the Moh scale, and to take care not to bang your hand up against something that could scratch or nick it.

Some of the most common mineral families of stones are beryl, feldspar, and quartz. There are a variety of colors among these families. These variations are caused by the different minerals that happen to be in the stone. For instance, the blue in turquoise is from copper.

Stones are treated in many different ways to enhance or stabilize them. For example, most turquoise on the market today is stabilized to give it more durability and improve the appearance. This is most commonly done with a resin of some sort and is often done with stones that are considered to be somewhat porous. Often stones are heat treated. There are many different way of doing this. It is done to bring out the depth of color. Some stones are irradiated, then heated to further deepen the color. Irradiation of gemstones in the US, is governed by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency to be sure the stones contain no residual radiation. A lot of gemstones are dyed to bring out or change the color, or to enhance the veining. Dyeing is usually followed by some sort of heat treatment to bond the dye with the stone so it won't wear off on the person wearing it. Black onyx is a prime example of dyeing because it does not exist in nature. More on that in another post. There's nothing wrong at all with stones that have been treated. Most sellers of stones or finished jewelry will state in their description that the stone is treated and how. Sometimes they don't know if a stone has been treated, so it's best to proceed on the assumption that it has, in some way, been enhanced.

There is a lot of glass being passed off as gemstones today. Among the most common of these are “opalite”. It's an opal looking glass. Fruity quartzes are another glass stone being passed off as a gemstone. Among these are blueberry and strawberry quartz. They all make lovely jewelry, but they aren't gemstones. If you see a stone or piece of finished jewelry you like, but aren't sure about the

stone, google it to be sure. The vast majority of handcrafted jewelry makers, including myself, want you to be knowledgeable about your purchase and we want to be knowledgeable about what we sell.

So, it's another year already

2011-01-22T19:48:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how fast last year flew by and how quickly the first month of this year has gone. I don't make too many resolutions for the new year-they are too hard to keep. I did make a couple, though.

One of them was not to blog about all the etsy fails. Little did I know when I made that resloution, how much material they would be giving me to blog about. LOL! The very horrible cards that even got attention from CNN, doing away with search in the middle of the holiday shopping season and now, screwing around with the forums and making it "team like". I'm not getting that one at all, but if you sell over there, you might want to go read. Most of the stuff is in the Ideas section-the place where topics go to die. That's all I'm going to say about that place.

Another one is to have more patience and not let the smaller things in life bother me. Before I get annoyed, I am going to ask myself "is this going to matter in 3 years time"? If the answer is no, and most things that annoy me fall into that answer, I will let it go. If the answer is yes, I will try and not get so annoyed that my blood pressure goes through the roof.

I am also (this is for you, Erin, if you are reading this), going to do more beaded loomwork. I'm not sure how much my muse is going to like that. She leans more toward a freestyle kind of work and feels loomwork is too structured. I'm also going to do some bead embroidery. Embroidery was my first crafting love, so why not combine it with my love of beading, too? I once wanted to own every color floss DMC made-came close too, but they kept on coming out with new colors. Now I have seed beads in nearly every floss color. LOL! I did a practice piece and really do like doing it, so you will be seeing some of that one of these days.

My arm is doing much better. Another steroid shot in the shoulder, along with more PT exercises and it will be as close to being as good as new as a shoulder can be at my age.

I also plan on trying to blog at least once a week. It may be just rambling, but it's a small goal I have set for myself.

I hope everybody has a good year.

A Handmade Christmas-Tree Ornaments

2010-11-18T17:57:00.000-05:00

These handmade Christmas tree ornaments are unbreakable. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I'm going to show these and explain in brief detail how I made them. They are all simple and reasonably fast to make. A lot of them are created from repurposed materials and some are from kits. Kits are handy since they can save you time tracking down materials and you don't end up with a lot of leftover odds and ends when you are finished.

About 22 years ago, we were at a large charity yard sale. There was a beautiful crystal chandelier there for only $5. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be wonderful to clean up, take apart and use the crystal beads and drops as tree ornaments. The beads that gracefully draped over the armature of the light were joined together with thin gauge craft wire. We had dug up a small cedar tree to use as a Christmas tree that year and along with the crystal drops and some painted wooden ornaments from a kit, I tied some red, narrow satin ribbon on the ends of some of the cedar branches and the tree had a very Victorian look to it.

At another yard sale, a few years later, I found a book of counted cross stitch ornaments and worked up some of those for the tree. That year, I also did some crocheted stockings that are reversible and some crochets snowflakes. They are pictured here along with one of the wooden kit ornaments I mentioned in the first paragraph.

These little angels, I call Asthma Angels. When my son was young, he had asthma. For years, I looked at the plastic inhaler container, trying to figure out a way to craft with them. I came up with the angel idea. First, I spray painted the bases gold. The heads are wooden balls, painted for the faces. Their wings are stiffened scraps of lace. Before gluing the wooden balls to the asthma container with hot glue, I glued a 5 inch piece of ribbon on the insides of the container to use as a hanger. After gluing the ball on, I added some polyester batting for hair, then glued a small circle made from a glitter pipe cleaner to the head for the halo.

These are kid friendly projects and were done with my sons Cub Scout pack one year. This picture has ornaments made from some of the notched craft sticks I used for the train village. A simple snowflake embellished with paint, glitter paint and odds and ends that range from acrylic jewels to large sequins. On the left side of this picture is a glitter pipe cleaner stem icicle that was cut to a 6 inch length, then wrapped around a pencil. The hanger is a strand of metallic DMC embroidery floss. We had some cedar limbs in the yard, my husband cut them into discs and the Scouts decorated them with glitter and a lot of odds and ends. Ribbon is hot glued to the sides of the disc for the hanger. If your kids are young, you should probably be the one in charge of the hot glue gun.

The clothespin reindeer was made by my son's preschool teacher. It's just 2 clothespins glued together, one turned upside down and glued to the others and some googley eyes and a ribbon added. The painted wooded heart was another Cub Scout project. The hearts were painted gold-or whatever color you want, with acrylic paints. When dry, they were embellished with glitter paints and whatever odds and end were on hand, including flat back, faceted, acrylic gemstones. Ribbon is glued to the sides of the heart for hangers. This beaded star is made from 6mm acrylic, faceted beads woven on craft wire.

At an after Christmas sale, I found a box of the satin thread ornaments for .25. I used scraps of lace, ribbon, glitter paint and the flat back gemstones for accents on them. Kids can do this project, too.

For these colorful ornaments, I used some Christmas fabric that I cut shapes out of. Then, I embroidered around some of the area with metallic DMC floss and lightly stuffed them with polyester

fiberfill. I whip stitched the edges together and sewed ribbons ends together on the back for the hanger.

These are shoulder pad angels. This idea comes from Aileen-she used to have a craft show, magazine and lots of craft products on the market. She is the creator of Tacky Glue. These angels are probably about 16 or 17 years old. I got some blouses with shoulder pads at a yard sale. Cut them off the blouses and covered them with fabric. I added some satin balls with faces painted on them by using fabric glue and decorated with glitter paint. Their wings are stiffened ribbon and lace and the hanging ribbon is glued between the body and the wings.

These felt ornaments are among my favorites. The penguins are from a kit, but I loved making them so much, I got more felt and made patterns for the snowmen and the reindeer. The antler pattern is an applique pattern. I had a string of those little acrylic lightbulbs that I decided to add to them to the antlers. The snowmen are made from glitter felt. All are stuffed with polyester fiberfill. The reindeer eyes and snowman nose are embroidered on.

These icicle ornaments are made from a kit. One for the gold and one for the clear. They are acrylic snowflake beads and round acrylic beads on a chenille stem.

The clear tree in this picture is from a kit. It's 6mm acrylic beads woven on a thin gauge craft wire. I had some glass beads I wasn't going to use for anything, so I took the tree ornaments one step further and used those to make the tree ornaments with different color craft wire. I made an attempt to weave some snowflakes using acrylic beads but instead wound up with the freeform shape that is in this picture. I made a lot of those as it was a good way to use up leftover beads.

I hope these two blog posts about handmade decorations and ornaments have given you some ideas for this holiday season. Many of these are easy for kids to do, so what better way to have some good quality family time before Christmas and create some great holiday décor and some even better holiday memories.

If you would like to know more details about making any of these ornaments, just leave me a comment on my blog, along with your email address. All blog comments are moderated, so I will not publish your email address when I publish your comment.

A Handmade Christmas-Decorations

2010-11-15T08:27:00.002-05:00

In the next few blog posts, I am going to show you some Christmas decorations and ornaments I have made throughout the years. As I was editing the photographs, I noticed how many of them are showing their age. That's fine-they have nice memories with that age. Many of them are made from recycled items partly to save the budget, partly to be “green”, and partly because that's what I had on hand to create with. I call the style Victorian Folk Art Eclectic.

It's safe to say that 99% of our holiday decorations are handmade. I started doing the handmade Christmas stuff when our son was 18 months old. He was quite mobile and I didn't want him to break any decorations and hurt himself, so for years, our house and tree decorations were unbreakable. It also cut down on the “no, don't touch” factor. Once I started, I couldn't seem to stop. I was a holiday craft magazine junkie for many years. Many of the things you will see in these posts are from magazines I no longer have. If I did, I would certainly give credit for the inspiration where credit is due. I modified a lot of the ideas to suit what I had on hand or what I was seeing the final outcome look like in my head. I laid in a good supply of glitter and glitter paint because of the things I have always loved best about Christmas is the color and sparkle.

The first picture is of Glitter Village. This has gone on the top of many different TV's over the years and is certainly showing it's age. It's lasted 23 years. I used empty cereal and cracker boxes to make it from a scaled down pattern of a gingerbread house. The centerpiece is on a piece of foil covered cardboard with cotton balls glued all around. The trees have 4 inch long trunks that are folded about an inch down and glued to the foil. The individual ones either filled out the top of the TV or wherever there was an empty space.

Next we have Mr. and Mrs. Claus. They are made from the tubes from plastic wrap and foil. I think those are sturdier than paper towel tubes. The outfit Mrs. Claus is wearing is a strip of dark red velvet that is glued to the tube with spray glue. Her apron is cut from a piece of lace table cloth and tied on with a piece of ribbon. Parts of her apron is highlighted with white glitter fabric paint that has yellowed over time. Her hat is simply a round piece of velvet that I made a yoyo out of. Santa is wearing a red sticky back felt suit with a black sticky back felt belt. A gold glitter fabric paint belt buckle adds a bit of sparkle. His feet were supposed to be a large wooden heart, but since I didn't have one of those, I cut a large heart shape out of corrugated cardboard and painted it black. His hat and arms have thin gauge craft wire in the sleeves so he can hold his candy canes. Mrs. Claus also has wire in her arms so she can hold her bell bouquet. She has no feet because her apron supports her. The faces are the bases of those satin thread ornament balls you see in the dollar stores. They have a smoother surface than regular styrofoam does and it's easier to paint. They both have hair made from polyester batting. They are about 18 years old.

The little polar bears that are all dressed up are those little honey bottles you see in the grocery. Getting those cleaned out is the hardest part of this project and getting the label off completely. To paint the inside, pour a little bit of white acrylic paint inside and swirl it around, trying to coat the insides completely. It will take 2 or 3 coats to do this. Be sure and let each coat of paint dry completely before adding the next one. If necessary, you can touch up inside with a small paintbrush. The part where the label was is painted like a gift with real ribbon glued on the package. The hats are made from small childrens' socks that have had the foot cut off. They are glued to the lip of the bottle. The top is tied tight with embroidery floss and glitter pompoms glued to the top. Ribbon scarves help their little necks warm. They have been around for about 16 years.

In one magazine, I saw pecans painted to look like penguins and fell in love with that idea. I didn't want them to be tree ornaments, so I painted some and made a wreath. I glued the small grapevine

wreaths together with hot glue (plain on the back and glitter glue sticks on the front) and wove ribbon through them to give them a bit more strength. This wreath has been around 16 or 17 years.

One year we grew some bottle gourds for birdhouses. These 3 were the last of the harvest and not really large enough for birdhouses, so I made a snow person family out of them. Prepping the gourds was the biggest part of this project. They sat for a year to dry out. After sitting that long, they has some mold spots on them, so they got soaked in a mild bleach and water solution, then sanded. Then, they got a coat of Kiltz primer as an additive prevention against the mold spots poking through the paint. Then they got a couple of coats of white. They have polymer clay faces and arms and Mama Snowman has a crocheted hat and Papa Snowman has a felt hat. All their hats have white glitter on top of them. The silver buttons are silver glitter paint. They are probably about 15 years old.

The craft sick houses go under the tree. I used to set up a model train under it and one year, decided it needed a village. I forget where I got the craft sticks, but they are the ones with notches in them and the house directions were included-along with a lot of other projects. painted the insides white and with the back and sides open at the top, you can smush small lights in there. Painted with glitter paint of course. There are more of the houses, but these 3 were on top in the chest I keep the house decorations in.

Some of the house decorations I have made over the years have not survived. Like the star wreath I made out of drywall mud. It was a great idea-spreading the mud out on wax paper and then when it got semi-dry, I cut out stars with a cookie cutter and let the mud finish drying. Spray painted them gold, then did a light brushing of metallic red paint over them. What didn't work was using it as a front door wreath. I wasn't thinking about drywall mud not weathering well here in the humid south.

If you think I have made a lot of house decorations, just wait until you see the next post-coming on Thursday. It's got the Christmas tree ornaments I have made over the years in it. I still have to finish taking some of those pictures. I have a bunch.

If you would like more details on how to make what I have made, just let me know and send me your email address. My blog comments are moderated and I won't publish it.

Banned and muted from Etsy

2010-11-13T16:03:00.000-05:00

Today the email I have been expecting any day arrived. I am closed, banned and muted by Etsy. I am in an outstanding group of talented people who have had the same thing happen. The only reason they even noticed me was that yesterday, in the so-called "Coral Rebuttal" thread, a seller and I did not see eye to eye regarding the rebuttal. The thread was closed after my last reply and today came the email.

When I closed my shop this summer, I said in the announcemnt to just google me to find me. According to Etsy, that's in violation of their TOU's since I'm linking to another venue. HUH??? Google me andn you will find, probably in this order, my AF, this blog and then my neglected Zibbet studio.

After Etsy violated it's own TOU's in what turned out to be Coral Gate, I went in and directly said "you can find me on AF under the same name." So, according to today's email, that's why I am no longer welcome there. Awww!!! LOL! My first thought when I saw the email was "damn, it took you long enough". I will still read and follow the threads, though. Not many sellers frequent the forums and they need to be made aware of the changes Etsy is making that are going to negatively affect them. They are turning the place into a hip ebay-and ebay sure isn't about handmade. There has been a mass exodus of sellers there lately-well not really an exit. A lot of people are just expanding onto other venues. Getting the lifeboats ready for when the HSS Etsy goes down like the Titanic and since they have already hit the iceberg, they are slowly taking on water. I have a feeling the holiday shopping season over there is going to be disappointing to the sellers.

Irfanview Free Photo Editing Programs

2010-11-12T18:24:00.001-05:00

I have fiddled around with this program, Irfanview, a little bit, but not too much. Sometimes I just "don't get" something the first few times around. Being left handed and living in a right handed world, this is something I've gotten used to. I know it's a good editing program, because I've seen positive info about in different forums and nothing negative.

I do know a jewelry maker who uses it and thinks it's great. So, I emailed my friend Margaret of Bohowirewrapped (isn't her jewelry gorgeous?) and asked about Irfanview. Below is a copy and paste of the questions I had for her regarding this program. If you have more questions about the program, the Irfanview link will take you to the answers.

1. When you edit a photo, does Irf. Save the original photo as well as the modified copy?

Irfanview asks you where to save it and allows you to rename the file as a copy or save as the original.

2. Can you batch edit with it?

Irfanview has a really easy to use batch edit/resize/resample function

3. Is it easy for you to navigate around in?

It's like having a photo album where you can just flip through the pictures. You can also open the thumbnails in a separate window for easy comparisons.

4. Are there plug-ins you need to install to use the basic functions?

There are plug ins available for fanicier work but for simple editing it's all in the main program

5. Can you make a banner with it?

It can be used for banners but I've found that I use at least 3 programs when I make banners:

Irfanview

Corel PhotoHouse

The Gimp

6. What are your favorite features?

There is very little to dislike about Irfanview.

Irfanview is the easiest program I've used for simple editing.

So thanks, Margaret for anwering those questions. You are a sweetheart. I know the menus and things are laid out in an easy to find way, so I don't know what it is that's keeping me from getting the hang of this. I am bound and determined to be able to work with this program.

I've got a couple of more free photo editing programs to tell you about, but they are going to go on hold for a couple of weeks.

For a couple of years now, I've been wanting to blog about my Christmas decorations and ornaments. They are all handmade. I finally got into gear and decided this would be the year. I am in the process of photographing everything and getting blog posts written up about how I made them. Since our nest has been empty for a while, I stopped doing the whole house decorating thing a few years ago and just put up the tree. Getting these things out to photograph has been a wonderful trip down memory lane. Some of the stuff I made is over 20 years old. It's showing it's age a bit, but I've always liked a vintage look-especially when I look in the mirror. LOL!

Photoscape free photo editing program

2010-11-05T19:41:00.000-04:00

This is the second blog post about free photo editing programs you can find online.

Photoscape is another great free program.

This program is easy to use, easy to navigate, and has some fun things to play with added in. Among the special filters you can process your pictures with, you can also do animated GIF and combine photos. Photoscape also gives you the ability to batch edit your photos. You can also do screen shots with it.

This hydrangea photo

is one of the first ones I took when I got my DSLR. It needs some post processing (PP) to look like it did in real life. I went to the “Bright/Color” tab clicked it and then went to “brightness” and chose “middle”. Then I adjusted the backlight to +75%. I'm happy with the way the picture looks now. I cropped it

with the easy to use crop feature, then I saved it. Photoscape saves the modified photo and saves the original, too. It lets you select the quality of the JPEG that you save, also. These are just a few of the features this program has.

I wanted to show you some of the filters included in this program for PP, so I played with the same photo after I had edited it.

The Box. I haven't seen anything like this on any of the free programs. I think it's pretty neat.

Crystallized-which I think is pretty cool.

There are several other filters in this program that I like, but these two are my favorites.

If you are looking for free photo editing programs, why not download this versatile program and give it a try. If a techinically challenged person like me can get around in this program, anybody can use it.

Coralgate-another major etsy fail

2010-10-26T17:01:00.001-04:00

If you are of my generation, you will remember sit-ins to protest the Viet Nam war and other injustices of the 60's and early 70's. The war ended and sit-ins as a form of protest quietly faded into the sunset.

Flash forward to today and the sit-in on Etsy over a blog post about coral. Doesn't sound like a big deal, does it? It is and I will tell you why.

Etsy used to be about promoting the handmade movement and to me, the individuality that goes with it. Recently, that has changed profoundly. Featured in the latest Etsy blog post, the Storque, or the Dorque, as some are fond of calling it, was a jewelry designer named Temple St. Clair. Now, Ms. St.Claire makes no claims at all to making her jewelry-she out sources it somewhere. Included in the blog post was a "don't use coral-it's endangered" comment along with a link to a petition to sign to boycott people who use coral in making jewelry or whatever they handcraft. Now, there are a lot of wonderful jewelry makers on Etsy who use coral in their creations and they were a wee bit ticked off to put it mildly. Etsy is basically backing a petition that goes against something they legally sell and took money from people who listed items with coral in them. Once again, they have stabbed their customer base in the back. That's something Etsy has down to a fine art by now. Another thing they have down to a science is violating their own TOU's when and where they please. It happened often with this blog post.

Threads calling for the post to be removed were quickly closed and all the "troublemakers" were shunted to one thread to post in. I tried to start a different post about it, but it too, was quickly closed. If you want to talk about coral, the shameful lack of response from admin. and why everybody is really pissed off now, this is the thread to do it in. This thread is now nearly 1020 pages long and growing. It has become a sit in. Etsy sellers worldwide are participating in it and keeping it going. I'm sure we will all end up muted and closed down, but since a lot of sellers have closed up shop over this, I don't think it will be a problem. It's my belief that Ms. St. Clair is wanting people to boycott coral so they will feel good when they go to Target and buy her mass produced petroleum based resin new line of jewelry.

In a nutshell, this is what the problem is:
1. sellers are upset because the storque article:
a. gives unclear and even false information about a material commonly used on etsy, and
b. urges readers to boycott this material, while
c. directing readers to an off-etsy website (which violates the terms of use) for self promotion.

2. sellers feel betrayed because they've paid their fees to list these items in good faith, and feel that etsy took & is taking their money while promoting this suggested boycott by leaving the storque article up.

3. many people are angered by the lack of discussion, answers, prompt attention, total disregard for the terms of use that we must abide by, and apologies that focus on small issues but miss the bigger picture.

4. many people are also angered by the complete glossing over of the fact that this is NOT about coral, and the fact that anytime someone mentioned this fact they were closed down.

Here is the thread I started titled "Etsy Dearest" that was quickly closed. (If you want to see more of the closed threads on this topic, go to the EB blog-you will find a link on the right of this post and then go to Closed Threads.)
This is titled after the movie Mommie Dearest in case you don't get that and it's an open letter to Admin.. I was going to put this in a blog post and still might, but I wanted to be sure admin. saw it. I know, I'm asking for my shop to be shut down by being a loud, dissenting voice here, but I closed my shop here months ago over the lack of respect etsy has for it's sellers-the ones who pay the bills.

You have shown time and time again that you have nothing but contempt for the people who have made etsy what it used to be-an e-commerce site for handmade items. Coral gate is the last straw-it's like spitting in the face of all those who have supported you the last 3 or 4 years. That's despicable behavior. If it wasn't for the wonderful people who created the handmade items you used to sell here, you would be nowhere. Instead, you have become almost a joke. Allowing people who sell mass produced stuff in sweatshops in here to sell disguised as collectives. Now, you allow a "guest commentator" or whatever you called her in that so called apology, to come in and post links to her off site sales when she doesn't even make the jewelry is selling. She designs mass produced stuff using petrolieum products. For crying out loud-remember the Gulf Oil Spill???

You are the most hypocritical bunch of people I have run across in ages. You have been hiding behind the curtain like the Wizard of Oz, but now, that curtain is being pulled back, and you are being exposed for the frauds you are. IMHO, you are slowly killing what you built by your constant thoughtlessness in your lack of response to sellers, your bland, robotic responses to sellers and all the other ways that you denigrate them. But that's right, you have the money and don't care. What do you expect from a guy who conned his way into NYU or wherever it was. I have to go dig out last Dec.'s Readers Digest. It's not a site I care to be associated with. I bet you will find in the coming weeks that I'm not the only one who feels that way. Don't worry, we will keep the starry eyed newbies up to date on how you are.

So now, click the sit in link and join us, if you would like to. We have marshmallows. If you are interested about coral and how it is farmed, just google "farming coral or bamboo coral". You will get some very informative links that will take you to other informative links.

Free Photo Editing Software-Photo Pos Pro

2010-10-19T21:22:00.001-04:00

I have spent some time looking at free photo editing programs that I have found online. I was looking for something simple and easy to use, besides Picasa, without the learning curve that the Photoshop programs seem to have. I have found a few programs that I like for different reasons and have decided to blog about them because I know I am not the only person looking for these. I am somewhat technically challenged so ease of use in any program is a priority for me. I am not a professional photographer. I consider myself to be an advanced hobbyist. I don't need a ton of bells, whistles and special effect stuff to do my editing.

The camera I have is a Pentax K-X. It's a great digital camera, but I am kind of new to the world of DSLR photography, so I have a lot of test pictures I have taken to get used to the camera and it gives me a lot of material to practice editing with.

The first program I am going to tell you about is Photo Pos Pro . This program has a lot of hints and tips for editing and I like that. It's an easy program to get around, too.

I used the program to make a banner for my destash studio. I have never made a banner before though I have tried to make one several times. Using Photo Pos Pro, it was easy to do. It took me a couple of hours to create this. I'm happy with it-especially for a first try.

It is also a breeze to use for editing photos. This is one of the test pictures I took to see how the different colors would work with the camera settings I was using and how the lights I was trying in the light box were colored.

You just open the file in the program, go to Colors, and adjust. Cropping and other edits are just as easy to handle with this program.

Photo Pos Pro has a built in Help manual and Tutorials section included with the download. If you are looking for a fairly versatile free editing program, I recommend this one. I like it.

This is just the first of a few programs I have downloaded and will be reviewing. I am not an expert at editing photographs. I will be mostly be giving you my opinions on ease of use, what kinds of bells and whistles they have and what kind of plug ins, if any, are available. I'm hoping it will also help me make up my mind which ones I want to keep. I just can't decide.

Hey Etsy....

2010-09-22T16:38:00.003-04:00

Do you know you have serious morale problems with your sellers who happen to be YOUR customers? If you don't, and your reading comprehension is better than your customer service skill are, you just might realize it if you finish reading this. Hope your attention span is that long.

You Yankees up there in Brooklyn need to wake the hell up. Not only are you putting your sellers at risk, like the treasury fiasco that had the real names of people on them instead of their shop names. I know it may not be a big deal to you, but to the sellers on their who have been terrified by stalkers-take time to read the threads-it is a huge deal for them. What do you do? You take the yellow brick road and close the shop of a vocal, yet very sales productive, seller. Guess you did not want to hear the truth that she-and many others spoke. I won't name her here, but those who read this should be able to get the hint. Here's the link to the first thread in the forums calling admin.'s short attention span to it. Next time, it might be credit card numbers-what does etsy care?

Closing shops and muting sellers in the forums seems to be standard for you guys. Time out adult style. That's business like-NOT!

You lure people in with the bait about how easy it is to sell online-and free, too. Free to set up a shop-that's about it. There's the 3.5% FVF (final value fee) to you, the .20 per item to list for 4 months which seems reasonable until people realize that in order to be seen on that messed up search of yours, they have to keep renewing items on a nearly daily basis.

People ask for selling tools, you give them idiotic, cutesy plush phone booths. Probably paid for with the money you got from all those dimes you got when people relisted.

You roll out unasked for changes-a new shiney-to calm things down. Instead, it stirs things up because you aren't bloody bright enough to test the changes before rolling them out. (Again, think treasury fiasco for one-there are many more.)

You messed with feedback. Here's the link for that. You botched up the sales tax roll out-go to the 7th post down if you click this link.

I could go on, but I will stop for now. I would never, ever recommend this site for anybody to sell on. You aren't out for the sellers in any way at all. -you are out for etsy. You will always be able to drag more novice sellers in and get them to eat a few cupcakes and have a few glasses of Kool-Aid, so you will continue to make money when they give you their relisting dimes. The best thing that could happen to etsy is that when etsy goes public-if it does after all these fubars, Fred Ward and the Board, will take a huge broom to the place and get some people in there who know what customer service is, who know how to run a business and decide to run etsy like one. Not have some yuppie goof who scammed NYU to get in, like Kalin, did running the show. I would be a little concerned if I had a multi million dollar company to have somebody like that at the helm. Doesn't exactly inspire a feeling of confidence in the place, ya know.

Things I forgot to mention about ArtFire

2010-09-17T06:17:00.001-04:00

I had been sitting on the previous blog post until I was about to burst, so I published it in a hurry. I am an ArtFire Maven and had advance knowledge of this announcement. The ArtFire Mavens are a group of sellers who get to play with all the new toys first. Before anything is rolled out to the site, we get to put it through its paces and find any bugs or kinks. We also brainstorm ideas with Admin. on what something should look like or how it should be worded. They are great at listening to and implenting our feedback.

Anyhow, I wanted to mention some more things about why I prefer ArtFire over Etsy.
1. The flat fee. There is no final value fee when something sells, except for whatever percentage the payment processor takes. I like the multiple payment options, too.
2. Admin. there is responsive to problems and bugs. They respond in the forums and one of them, Tony, has even started a thread called Photography Q&A that has grown to many pages. All to help the sellers.
3. Admin, is good about letting you know when and why if the site has to go down for some reason. I think there has been once in the last year that it went down unexpectedly and that was due to severe weather impacting the servers.
4. I like the seller categories. Besides the usual Handmade, Supplies and Vintage, there is a Design category. An example of what goes there is, say, I designed purses, but had 3 of my neighbors making them for me. Still handmade, but not by me, so they go in design.
5. The Collections are similar to etsy treasuries, but a lot different. They will be rotated on the FP of ArtFire, and, if somebody is in a Collection that has made the FP today, if they are in another Collection, it won't be eligble to be on the front page for X (as yet to be determined) number of days. It won't be the same people with the same stuff showing up time after time, day after day.
6. You can promote yourself in the Collections. It's ok. Some people have made Collections with just their work and that's allowed. Collections are a promotion tool. Google likes them. It is nice to create them with other studios' items. I've found some wonderful shops that way.
7. Pro studios have a gallery where you can show off custom work or work that has sold.
8. ArtFire gives Pro studios a blog that is indexed by google.
9. The flagging system at ArtFire actually works. If somebody is selling something and calling it vintage and it's not, four different studios can flag the item and the item will be removed until admin. checks it out. The sellers is not removed-only the item. If a seller feels items are flagged in error, they can appeal and explain to admin..
10. Last, in this post, but not least, by a long shot. I like the way the site looks. It's getting better every day. I'm not a chrome and glass, owl and cowl kind of person. I'm more English countryside and shabby chic. Barefeet or mocassins over stillettos any day.

If you haven't seen ArtFire yet, click the link at the top of the page. It's worth looking at and who knows, you might decide that for $5.95 a month, its a great deal.

If you sell online you might be interested in...

2010-09-14T20:06:00.000-04:00

a HUGE announcement from Artfire. If 20,000 sellers sign up, the fee to have a Pro Studio will be 5.95 a month-locked in. That breaks down to .20 a day-as much as it costs to list one item on Etsy where you have to constanly renew and relist to be seen. It's one of the many ways ArtFire plans to celebrate coming out of beta. If 20,00 sellers DO NOT get in on this, THIS DEAL IS NOT HAPPENING.

I'm going to tell you 10 things about Artfire that make me prefer AF over etsy-or would make me prefer it if my etsy shop was not on permanent vacation.

1. Items are automatically pushed to google shopping with its' 25-30 million monthly shoppers and to TheFind.com with its' 20-25 million monthly shoppers. So while people may say that etsy has more traffic, Artfire has more potential shoppers.
2.Artfire has rapidcart which is a remote widget (similar to etsy mini), so people can shop from it right off your blog or your FB kiosk.
3. Artfire has no account check out. People don't have to set up an account to purchase from you. They can just go through the checkout steps in whichever payment option you accept. ArtFire is set up to take google checkoout, amazon payments, and REM as well as paypal.
4.Artfire search is not done by what was just listed or renewed. It's based on the search query-like google or yahoo.
5. Pro Studios can customize their studios with categories, custom colors, widgets and more.
6. Help guides for all the things you need to know to sell on Artfire-including extensive guides to SEO.
7. A contact phone number for Pro sellers if you need to contact admin.. Real people in a real office setting answer your questions.
8. Artfire has coupons, batch editing and over 30 other seller tools to help you sell.
9.It doesn't matter to Artfire is you sell elsewhere and include links to the other places. They want you to be successful.
10.Artfire lets you have 10 pictures in your listings.

So what are you waiting for?? Hurry on over to Artfire and check out the details on this super group deal.

New destash studio on Artfire

2010-09-11T08:12:00.001-04:00

I have opened a destash studio on Artfire -DWDdestash-to sell off the excess Lake Superior Agates I have. I may add other stones or beads to it. I haven't decided yet.

I designed my banner and avatar for the studio-my second version. The first version was too light once I got the studio set up. It was fun doing that and I learned a lot from it.

Stop by the new studio and say hi.

Arfire Stimulus Sale Ending Soon

2010-08-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

This great sale will be ending on Aug. 31.. If you haven't shopped for those unique handmade gifts yet, now is the time to get shopping.

There are all kinds of sales going on in the Artfire studios right now. My DancingWindDesigns studio has a BOGO on beaded earrings and ornament drapes. Other studios have deep discounts, free shipping and much more.

Start your Christmas shopping early with this sale and save some money. Nothing is better than a cool, one of a kind gift to stand out from the crowd.

Handmade Photography Light Box

2010-08-24T20:28:00.002-04:00

With the help of my husband, I now have a handmade light box designed for shooting jewelry. Since there are tons of tutorials on the internet for doing this, I combined a couple that I liked to get mine. I thought I would share the" how to" aspect of it. It doesn't cost much, either.

Here is what was used for this one:
plastic box clear or frosted-(size of your choosing)
tri-fold display board-like the kids use for Science fairs (got mine at Walmart for less than $4-it's an Elmer's brand)
sheet of poster board
3/16" eye bolts, nuts and washers-this one has 6 (home supply-about .30 ea.)
White Rustoleum paint (if you aren't in the US, that's a spray paint specifically for metal)
2 clamp on lights with daylight or full spectrum light bulbs
drill
chisel or other flat object for opening eyes in eye bolts

Here are shots of the eye bolts before opening and after. Open them however much you think you need to so your necklaces/bracelets will fit on them. Before you start the other stuff, go ahead and get a coat of paint on them, so it can be drying. You will probably ding the metal in the eye bolts when you open them, but that's ok-the paint should cover it. Give them two or three coats. You don't need to paint the threads of the eye bolts.

Here's the plastic box with the tri fold mat under it.

Find the center of the side and mark it. Measuring out from, decide how far apart you want the eye bolts to be. From the center, this one is 1 1/2" on each side for a space that's 3" wide. The holes next to it are 2" from the neighboring hole. Drill those out. There is also a hole centered in the end of the box for the really long necklaces that I make sometimes. Here's a picture of the drilled holes

In order to get the light to reflect, you need to cut the tri fold board down somewhat, so it forms a three sided cover for the plastic box. Just measure and cut according to the size of the plastic box you are using. The top of this one folds over to the edge of the plastic box and the sides come out to the edges. This plastic box has a rim along the top, so when the box is turned sideways, the edges of the tri fold board will catch and hold in the rim.
Now, it's time to add the lights.

Since I was trying to do this on a budget of little to nothing, I only bought one work light-the silver reflector one. I already had the gooseneck light. Besides, the store only had one of the reflector lights left.
Here is the shot of two of the hooks attached to the top of the box. I moved the piece of poster board down so you could see the white part of the hooks. After you get the eye bolts through the plastic, it's important to use the washers between the plastic box and the nuts. It will help keep the nuts more secure than the would be against just the plastic.

The poster board was cut to fit the inside of the box, also. It has a small portion that overhangs the edge of the box. It was getting humid, hot and very overcast when I got done taking these pictures, so I just hurried and snapped a necklace shot to show how it works. One of the advantages, for me, of a light box like this is that when I am finished, the hooks and lights and any props I use, will store inside the box and the tri fold board and poster board will store flat underneath it.

I should have taken more time to set up the lights and get my tripod, but this will give you a general idea of how it works.
The overall cost of this was probably less than $12. I already had the plastic box, one light, the light bulbs, the washers and the Rustoleum. The tri fold board was about $5, the poster board maybe $1, the reflector light $5, and the eye bolts .60. Even if you started from scratchand bought everything, you could probbly do it for about $20.00.

Jury Duty called and I answered

2010-08-14T16:59:00.001-04:00

This was an interesting and trying week. I was called for jury duty and ended up sitting on a jury. This blog post will explain what jury duty is like in my little corner of Georgia. It all started with a summons that arrived in the mail telling me to report on Aug. 9. Even though all of this is now a matter of public record, I'm not going to use real names when I talk about the victim and the defendant.

On Mon., all the people summoned were seated in a large meeting room. The Clerk of Courts called the roll, then divided us into two groups-Panel 1 and Panel 2. We were told that this would be the seating order and to remember who we were sitting next to. I was in Panel 1. After a few minutes, Panel 2 was called to go into a courtroom where a civil suit was being heard. Some time passed before Panel 1 was called into the criminal courtroom. We walked single file into the courtroom and I wasn't sure if I felt like a sheep being herded or if I was back in elementary school. The front 14 people filed into the jury box and the rest of us sat in the courtroom seats.

The judge addressed us by telling us what the young man at the defense table was charged with. Then the District Attorney and the Defense Attorney asked us several questions-did we know any of the attorneys, did we know the defendant or the victim and things like that. The attorneys conferred among themselves, then chose 14 people-12 jurors and and 2 alternates-and the rest of us went back to the original meeting room. All of this had taken about 2 ½ hours, so the Clerk of Courts told us we could break for lunch and to be back in 90 minutes.

After the lunch break, we all returned to the meeting room where we sat for abut 45 minutes. Then we we called back to the criminal courtroom where the same procedure was repeated. The judge told us what the defendant was charged with and the attorneys asked us questions. One new question included this time was asking us if we had children. We went by rows and stood and stated how many children we had and their ages. You see, this defendant was charged with child molestation. The attorneys then conferred with the attorneys at their respective tables and then names were called for the jury. I heard my name. After the people who were not chosen had been let go, we were given instructions to report back to court on Wednesday morning and to not discuss this case with each other or anybody else.

What this case was is this: A girl had gone out of town on a family emergency-her father had had a massive heart attack. She left her 3 ½ year old son with her 23 year old live in boyfriend. She was gone for 5 days. After she returned, the little boy, Josh, told his mom, “that Papa Bill put his weenie in my mouth and dirty water came out and went all over the blue blanket”.

Wednesday morning, I reported to court-dreading it the whole time. In the jury room, we were given notepads and pencils and told to write our names on the top page, but to use the pages under that for our notes. We were also told that from that point on, except for lunch, we would be escorted everywhere by a bailiff. So, we went into the courtroom and were sworn in. The District Attorney made her opening statement and the Defense Attorney made his. Then, the District Attorney presented their case. We heard from the first person to interview Josh and saw the video of that interview. Then we heard testimony from the police Lt. who interviewed Bill and saw the video of that interview. Bill denied several times that he had done it, then said that he had been at a neighbors smoking pot. When he got home, he put Josh to bed and started watching some porn. He said he didn't hear Josh get up until Josh tripped over a pair of shoes and fell so his mouth landed exactly where it did to bring these charges. Of course the detective did not believe this outrageous story, so Bill changed his story 2 more times before finally saying he did it. After that video interview, we heard testimony from a forensic interviewer who specializes in interviewing child victims of sexual abuse. We heard from her and saw the video of her interview with Josh. That took about an hour. Through it all, the little boy stayed consistent with his side of the story. Some of the things he did in his interview with the forensic interviewer were also good indicators of abuse. When the interview pointed to the mouth on the drawing of the little boy, Josh would not name the mouth but his words were “I didn't do that. Bill did”. Then we heard from Josh himself. After he took the stand, the DA was careful to ask him a couple of questions about his ability to know the difference between telling the truth and telling a lie. He repeated what Bill had done. Then, we heard from his mom. She stated that after she had confronted Bill about what he had done, she took Josh and went and stayed with friends. Bill packed up his belongings, including the blue blanket, and vacated the apartment. The District Attorney then rested her case. The judge then recessed us for lunch with the caution about not talking to anybody about the case. We got 90 minutes for lunch. I ate, but while I was eating I kept going over in my mind what I had heard that morning. Not in a looking at the evidence kind of way, but wondering what leads people to make some of the horrible choices they make sometimes.

After the lunch break, the Defense put Bill on the stand. I, along with most of the jury, had been watching him throughout the morning. He showed no emotion during anything. Bill testified to the fact that he had been smoking pot and eating Xanax before going home, and putting Josh to bed and everything else. He also mentioned that there were others who could have done this to Josh. Suddenly, there are other suspects in this case. Don't think so. He went on to say that he dropped out of school halfway through 10th grade and that his dad and stepdad had beaten him. Happens to thousands of others and they don't go out and sexually abuse kids. He also stated that he confessed because he was intimidated by the police Lt., but his body language didn't show that at all. There was supposed to be another witness for the defense that afternoon, but since he couldn't be located, we were released for the day and told to report back the next morning. The next morning, the witness who could not be located had been located. He was a character witness for the defense. He got on the stand, stated his name, and when asked if he knew the reputation Bill had in the community he said that he did. When asked if that reputation was good or bad, he replied good. When the District Attorney was asked if she had any questions for the witness, she did not. I was left with the feeling of “who was this masked man?”

We then heard closing arguments from both sides and got instructions from the judge before retuning to the jury room for deliberations. We had to wait to start deliberating until we got Bill's signed confession, the paper he signed where he waived his Miranda rights and the written jury instructions. While we were waiting, we chose a foreperson. Once we got the paperwork,, it didn't take long to find him guilty on one count of aggravated child molestation and one count of child molestation. When Bill heard the first guilty verdict, he kind of sagged on his feet, but his face again showed nothing. In Ga., the sentence for aggravated child molestation is a mandatory 25 years with no possibility of parole. He will serve everyday of that 25 years. He got 20 years for the child molestation charge. The sentences are to run consecutively. That means he will probably still have time to serve after doing the 25 years-if a person like that even survives prison. Even if he gets out, he will be a registered sex offender, and be on probation for the rest of his life.

Do I think that this guy is a threat to any kid walking home from school past his house? No, I don't. He didn't seem to be that ambitious. Do I think this guy is a threat to any kid in his home? Yes, I sure do. If he had been found not guilty, I bet he would have found another girlfriend with a small child and done the same thing. It's just the vibe I got while watching him for a couple of days. He's a pedophile, but too lazy to hunt for victims.

After it was over, I was home, I had a deep melancholy feeling descend on me. I'm not sure why. After all, this guy wasn't going to hurt any more kids. Maybe it was the fact that he had changed so many lives by his actions. Hopefully, Josh is young enough, he can get past this without much of a memory. The lives of Josh's loved ones are all changed because of Bill's actions and Bill's life is surely changed.

I know that having this small glimpse inside of a pedophile has changed me. I'm not sure I will feel clean again for a very long time.

Introducing my neighbors

2010-08-12T08:14:00.001-04:00

I would like to introduce you to some of my neighbors. They are pretty good neighbors-no loud parties at all hours, no cars racing around the neighborhood. Some of them even help us keep the yard in shape by keeping the grass trimmed and they don't let the pears spoil on the ground when they fall. They also help with mosquito control.
Without further ado....
This neighbor has recently moved. I had to evict her when I decided to reclaim the front porch swing. She's a gold silk spider. They are called that because the webbing they have is a wonderful gold color. It's incredibly strong, too. I once read an article that said slaves used to weaqve baskets from the webs. It was something in National Geographic, so I'm pretty sure that it's true. I can believe it. They catch so many mosquitoes in their webs, don't bite and never try and come in the house. I like having them around.

Next is George V. He is decended from one of the first gopher tortise we met when we moved in. My son named him after my dad. We have a bunch of these on the property-probably at least 8 out front and several in the power line pass through. I love having them around, too. They are an endangered species and I am very protective of them. Just ask the electric guys who came out a couple of years ago to trim the trees away from the power lines. They almost ran over a turtle hole and I gave them hell about it, too.

Next we have Spot and his mom, Goofy. Goofy is a doe-we figure about 15 years old. We named her Goofy several years ago because her left ear doesn't stand up right and she looks goofy. She can do semaphore with that ear. However goofy she looks, she is pretty much the matriarch of the does in the area. I think most of them are are daughters, anyhow. Spot is a huge fawn now which is why we think he is a he. This picture was taken about a month ago. He was still kind of small then. I haven't been able to catch a new one of him. He's grown a lot, but for some strange reason, still has spots. None of the other fawns do. I hope he loses them one day, or he will make an easy target for the hunters. Look to the left of the shot-you can see him in the grass while Goofy munches pears.

Last, but not least is one of the few fox that reamin in the area-at least around our house. There were so many of them that between the fox and the coyotes, they wiped out the rabbit population in about three years and pretty much everything else that lives on the ground including quail and whip-or-wills. Then, there were so many fox, they ran the coyotes off. This guy is old and limps, so I feel kind of sorry for him. He's right in the center of the shot-posing nicely for me. You might have to look hard to see him.

I hope you enjoyed meeting my neighbors.

Another innovation from Artfire

2010-08-11T07:56:00.001-04:00

Artfire has rolled out live another innovative, fabulous new feature-the Curated Collections. These are similar to the treasuries that etsy has, but better becauses they are much easier to create. There is no copying and pasting involved at all. The hardest part is choosing from all the wonderful goodies what to add to your collection. Pro studios can create an unlimited number of collections, basic studios, one per day.

All you have to do, is open the collections tab in "My Collections", then as you look for things to add, there is an "Add to collection" button on the items. All you have to do is click that button and viola', the item has been added.

Here is a link to the main page of the Curated Collections . Scroll through and see all the lovlies.

Organic Dog Shampoo

2010-08-02T08:23:00.000-04:00

It's been hot and dry here in south Ga. for a long time. The fleas are flourishing and driving our poor little bichon, Sparky, crazy. I really don't like using chemical stuff on animals. It gets absorbed into their skin and system and I know that isn't good.
I tried a bunch of different organic stuff on sparky-everything from two pounds of food grade diatomaceous earth-recommended by Mother Earth News, to other organic shampoo. None of it worked. Finally, one day in the Artfire forums, a seller who rescues Italian Greyhounds, started a thread about some shampoo she had purchased from a seller whose studio name is Essensu, http://www.artfire.com/users/essensu and how wonderful it was on fleas. Best thing, it was organic. I contacted the buyer of the shampoo and asked her all kinds of questions. Then I contacted Tami, of Essensu. About 10 day later I had Sparky's shampoo.

I am really happy with this shampoo for Sparky. It is lavender scented, and it does keep the fleas at bay. Sparky haqs gone from getting bathed every other day, to a bath about every 4 days. He is a much happier little dog for two reasons. He isn't that fond of having a bath, so this new schedule is working out great for him, and he isn't being tormented by fleas too much in between baths. I also got some lavender oil to put on his collar. I "charge" his collar up every day with a few drops. After all, could so many of our Grandmothers have been wrong about bugs not lliking lavender?

Essensu also sends out free samples with all her orders. I got a wonderful sample of Orange Blossom and Honey facial scrub. I love it. It smells yummy and after using it, my skin isn't as dry as when I was using my other facial scrub. This was a win win situation all around.

As for the two pounds of diatomaceous earth-it's going to go in the yard. I do believe it works, just not on the animal itself.

Resellers

2010-07-29T19:39:00.003-04:00

Resellers are a hot topic around handmade swelling venues lately. They compete with handmade sellers and often have inferior goods for a lesser price. In the case of a seller on Etsy, she was going to have a spread in a magazine about her items. One of the magazine staff bought a purse on Etsy-from a reseller-and was so disappointed in the quality of what she thought and what should have been handmade, that the magazine cancelled the spread. The Etsy lost and ultimately, so did the rest of the sellers on Etsy.

What is a reseller? This definition varies depending on who you ask. Since this is my blog, you get my version.
To me, a reseller is somebody who goes to the website of mass produced items, say purses, and then buys 5 bags in style A, 10 bags in style B, and so on. Then, once they get the items, they either take a picture of it or use the picture from the website, find a place to sell them, and list them. The problem I have with them is when they list these items on a handmade venue and pass them off as handmade. This is a an outright lie. It is not handmade. Handmade cannot compete with mass produced price wise, either which is another sore point in the handmade community. A lot of people say that supply sellers and vintage sellers fall into this category. I don't think so. Everybody who makes handmade items needs supplies and as long as the seller is not passing their supplies off as handmade, more power to them. The same with vintage. I love vintage stuff and have some vintage books and my vintage glass. As long as they call their stuff what it is, I don't have a problem with it. Just don't try passing off that little red glass vase you bought at the dollar store off as a vintage Cranberry Glass vase.

What are the handmade venues doing about this?
Well, Etsy does not appear to be doing a whole lot about-except changing how they define the subject. They have yet to settle on a fixed definition. It's why my shop is on vacation in Etsyland. It will stay on vacation until the last item expires.
See, on Etsy, you pay .20 per listing, plus a percentage of the sale price as a commission to them-don't forget to add in the paypa fee, either. All costs to be figured in the price of your product and passed along to the consumer. Now if you make handmade purses, you pay Etsy their .20 to list your wonderful creation. If you are lucky, you will be on the front page of E with this new listing for maybe 20 or 30 seconds. If you aren't lucky, you will be buried by a reseller who has just listed 20 or 30 "handmade" purses which will push your honestly listed handmade bag to the back of the bus. All the while Etsy admin. are saying that they are working on coming up with a solution. They are going to allow resellers there-they haven't come right out and stated that yet, but it's obvious. They bring in too much money for Etsy to not allow them. As usual, Etsy does not have a plan.

Artfire has started to deal with the reseller issue by vetting their handmade artisans. I have copied and pasted the application that has to be filled out to be considered for the Certified Handmade Artifact.

Artisans must meet the following pre-requisites before an application for the Certified Handmade Artifact will be accepted:

1. Artisan must be a PRO member of ArtFire for at least 60 days.

2. Artisan must be in good standing with ArtFire.com including

a. No outstanding cases concerning non-delivery of product.

b. No outstanding cases concerning mis-representation of products for sale

c. No outstanding cases concerning other violations of the ArtFire TOU

3. 100% of the items in the Applicants studio must be listed in Handmade or Fine Art. Studios with commercially produced supplies and destash are not eligible. There are two exceptions that can be made. You may list Handmade supplies in the "Supplies >> Handmade Supplies" categories. You are also allowed to have gift certificates to YOUR studio listed in "Media >> Gift Certificates".

4. Artisan studio must be complete and contain sufficient information including:

a. An avatar

b. A banner

c. Complete Studio Policies

d. A Bio with photo

5. Product photographs must be in-focus and of a reasonably sufficient size.

If you feel you meet the above requirements and you would like to submit an application to receive the Certified Handmade Artifact, please answer the following questions in full and send your complete application and photos to handmade@artfire.com

1.

What is your ArtFire User name?

2.

What is your main handmade craft, including the Main Category you list your craft in? (I.E. You make hand knit scarves so you list in the “Knitting” main category.) :

3.

Do you list in main categories other than your main craft?

4.

If yes to the above, what other handmade crafts do you create and list on ArtFire? Include the Main Category you list in as well.

5.

Please explain in brief but concise detail your handmade process for each main category craft you list on ArtFire. (I.E.if you make Quilts AND Knitting work. Please explain each of your creative processes separately.)

You must include at least two pictures with your email showing your handmade process. You will need to provide:

• At least one picture of your workspace

• At least one picture of a “work in progress”. (I.E. a scarf that has been half knit but not completed).

You may submit more than two pictures. However we must see at least the two pictures detailed above to be considered for the Certified Handmade Artifact.

I have one-you can see my new widget on the side of my blog. I'm proud of it. I did have to move the Lake Superior Agate Nuggets out of this studio.

Will this cut out the resellers? Probably not. It will let customers know who is handmade and who is not and that's a start. After all, giving the customers a good feeling that they are buying what the seller says they are selling can lead to good customer satisfaction. Not all handmade sellers will have this artifact, though. Some of them want to leave their supplies they are selling off in their studios. Artfire has a monthly fee. There are no listing or final value fees (percentage of sale), so there is no real financial gain for them to have resellers on site listing 100 mass produced purses in one whack. It's a venue for handmade, supplies and cool vintage stuff.
If you want mass produced, go hit a big box store like Wal or K Mart. Be careful what you buy there, though-some of that stuff has cadmium and other dangerous stuff in it.

Have a clean Christmas

2010-07-15T07:06:00.000-04:00

Yep, it's another blog post about the Twelve Days of Christmas in July Sale going on at Artfire. This post is about all the handmade soaps, bath stuff and lotions for sale on Artfire.

Like anything else that is handmade, soap is extra special when it's handmade. You have a bar of great scented stuff that will get you clean without a lot of harsh chemicals that the mass produced stuff has. To make it even better, it's way prettier than the mass produced soap, too.

These aren't in any kind of order, just as I found them on Artfire using the search term "TODCIJ soap".

From the description and the picture, I think this Italian Orange Ginger Soap by http://www.artfire.com/users/HartleySoapCompany would be divine.

Bonnie Bartley, aka soapsmith http://www.artfire.com/users/soapsmith makes some really cool and unusual soap. Like this beautiful Ruby Rock soap. I would probably buy it, and love looking at it so much I would never use it. LOL!

If you need a great joke gift for a coworker or neighbor, this Lump Of Coal soap would be perfect.
This beautiful, soothing Lavender Soap comes from http://www.artfire.com/users/YourTime . I love the scent of lavender.

Some of my favorites

2010-07-13T13:07:00.003-04:00

I thought I would show you a few of my favorite things from the Twelve Days of Christmas in July sale on Artfire that's going on now. Remember, I said a few. There are so many things available and so many different types of sales from BOGO to discounts to free shipping. You should really try and beat the heat by getting a little bit of Christmas spirit early.
Here's a beautiful necklace by my friend Emily of Exqusite Studios. http://www.artfire.com/users/ExquisiteStudios

This toddler purse is the perfect gift for the little miss in your life. It's perfect for the little girl who wants to take her posessions with her. It's designed and created by VaBchQuilter.http://www.artfire.com/users/vabeachquilter

The final, but by no means least favorite in this list are these cool glow in the dark Christmas ornaments by BAKidagain. this is only one of 1000 ornament designs available, including many different designs honoring our military men and women. http://www.artfire.com/users/BAKidagain

Twelve Days of Christmas in July on ArtFire

2010-07-12T07:10:00.000-04:00

Starting tomorrow is the Twelve Days of Christmas in July sale on Artfire. There are so many sellers participating this year, it's going to be super!

For all of you crafters, there are supplies on sale. All kinds of supplies from scrapbooking supplies to jewelry making supplies. For you early bird shoppers, there are gifts galore on special. For those of you wantinghandmade Christmas ornaments and decorations, they are there, too.

It's easy to find the sellers who are participating-all you have to do is put TDOCIJ in the ArtFire searchbox and the products will show up. You will be pleasantly surprised at all the goodies.

Life can really catch up to you

2010-07-08T07:26:00.000-04:00

It's been ages since I have blogged. I will give you the cliff note version.

First of all, I managed to tear a muscle in my upper left arm. Being left handed, this has not been a picnic. I didn't realize what I had done-thought I could just "walk off" a little strain or something. Couldn't have been more wrong. I'm trying my best to doctor it myself with the help of webmd and google. We don't really have the mega bucks it would take for me to go see a doctor. I've set my beading aside because I know that pulling 20 feet of thread through a bead a ton of times would not be helping my arm get better.

So, how have I been passing the non-beading time you ask.
I have come into new ownership of a wonderful Pentax K-X dslr. I love it. I used to have a Pentax K1000 (back in the days when cameras used film) and the lenses I still have will fit my new camera. So I have been spending non beading time learning to work my new camera. I have re-taken the Lake Superior Agate nugget pictures and a bunch of other pictures topractice. The world of digital photography is a lot different than the 35mm world in a lot of respects. A lot of things are still the same, just different technology and different ways to acheive the same goal-good pictures.

I've also been seriously considering kissing Etsy goodbye. I am so fed up with no views, resellers, others who flagrantly violate the TOU's and the way Etsy treats their sellers. If you sell a ton of stuff there, violate their TOU's to your hearts content. If you don't, or voice your opinion about how admin. there does things, they are randomly likely to shut your shop down. It's gone on long enough and I've had enough. I think Artfire and Zibbet will be giving Etsy a good run for their money and soon. Artfire is a little closer to doing that than zibbet is right now.

That's pretty much the cliff note version of the last month. I left out how outraged and devastated I am over what is happening in the Gulf. Me and a few million others. I will not be this long in blogging again. I got sidetracked with a new camera forum http://www.pentaxforums.com/index.php I am learning a lot there, but am kind of caught up now and it's easy to keep up with it at this point.

Protecting our children

2010-05-26T16:47:00.004-04:00

This is a blog post about a little girl I never knew, but whose story has affected me profoundly. I can't pinpoint the exact reason it has, I think it's a combination of several things.

This post, in part, is Somer's story. This post, in part, is an angry cry for justice for all murdered children everywhere.
One gorgeous last Oct. day, little 7 year old Somer Thompson was walking home from school with her twin brother and her older sister. It was reported in the news that there was a spat of some sort between the siblings and Somer ran off from the group. The others continued home. It was the last time little Somer was seen alive. Somehow, a predator got his hands on her in the few short blocks between where she left her siblings and her home. For two days the people of Orange Park, Fl. searched, prayed and held vigils for Somer. Her small body was found in a landfill about 25 miles from where I live. She had been abused and then thrown away. What kind of twisted person can do that?
There is a man who was picked up on child pornography charges that has been charged with Somer's murder. The police and investigators seemed to take their time to build the case, so maybe he is the guilty one and will pay for what he has done.
A few years ago, little 5 year old Christopher Barrios was going through the mobile home park where he lived and had been about a block from home visiting his grandmother. He was returning home when a family-a family mind you-dad, son and mom-of convicted sex offenders grabbed him. According to the news reports, he was tortured before he was killed. They put him in a trash bag and dumped him alongside the road where he was found several days later. The mom of the twisted family has gotten life without possibility of parole, while the other two have gotten the death penalty for their part in Christopher's death.
I am all for the death penalty in cases like this. If you do something like this to a defenseless child you should pay the ultimate price. Does it bring closure for the families? I doubt it. They can know that these monsters won't hurt anymore children ever again, but it won't replace the huge, gaping hole they will carry in their hearts forever.
We have to put a stop to this kind of crime against our children and we have to do it before there are more adorable faces on the news whose lives have been cut short way too soon. You can start by clicking on the link below and signing the petition for Somer's Law. This law is an amendment to Megan's Law. It will further increase the distance that convicted predators and child molesters can live in regards to schools and parks. (I will say that the man accused of Somer's murder had not ever been convicted of a crime related to a child.) Somer's Law will also change the issuing of an Amber Alert so it will take place within 30 mins. of a child going missing.
We need to lobby legislators for much tougher sentencing for people convicted of crimes against children. Personally, I resent my tax dollars being used to house these people and give them medical treatment that I can't afford, for the rest of their lives. I feel that if you abuse and kill a child under the age of 16, it should be an automatic death penalty. It's harsh, I know, and some will consider it cruel and unusual punishment, but what happens to our children when they are in the hands of these predators is also very cruel.
In closing this rather long winded post, I will tell you one of the reasons I am so passionate about this. In 1984, my 16 year old step daughter was murdered. Her body was found three weeks later in woods about a mile from where she was living with her mom. She and her mom had had an argument the night she disappeared, so the police considered her a runaway. Unless Karma has caught up with whoever killed her, that person is still walking the streets.
The killing of children has got to stop and it's up to us to stop it. If we don't protect our children, who will?
Please take a moment and sign the petition of Somer's Law.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Somers-Law
If you are worried about getting spammed by this site, you won't. I signed this petition about a week ago and the only thing Ihave gotten from them is an email acknowledging my sign up.

Lake Superior Agate Destash now happening

2010-05-15T20:54:00.003-04:00

I'm getting rid of some of those Lake Superior Agates that were in the three pounds I recently acquired. I'm doing that in my Artfire Studio which you can find here http://www.artfire.com/users/DancingWindDesigns

If I was born as a 5 year old master beader who didn't have to go to school ever, I might be able to bead all these nuggets by the time I hit 70. since that isn't happening, I'm getting rid of some of them. They are perfect for wire wrapping or setting in bezels.

Here are just a few pictures of some of the different lots I am destashing. If you are interested, keep checking back becaused I probably have at least a pound to sort and photograph and list. What is listed now is probably 1/4 of what I have.

Jewelry by Sherry is the AFlessthan(10)sales guild

2010-05-12T19:44:00.003-04:00

featured studio this week. http://www.artfire.com/users/jewelrybysherry is the link for this beautiful studio. Sherry is a retired military wife who started crafting while her husband was in the Canadian Navy. Sherry is located in Ontario, Canada.

Her shop is full of wonderful handmade jewelry. One of my favorites is this Turquoise and cloisonne necklace. It is beautiful!!!!!!!!!! The turquoise beads highlight the blue in the cloisonne perfectly.

I also love this copper Swarovski pearl and gold plated bead necklace. It has such a warm and inviting look to it.

The featured AF Shops With Less Than (10) Sales

2010-05-06T18:45:00.004-04:00

this week is Kaotic Krafter http://www.artfire.com/users/kaotickrafter .
Tina is the creator of the wonderful, upcycled goodies in this shop. She recycles old clothes as much as possible for her creations. Among the many creations you will find in her studio are crocheted hats, bags and purses, fabric and felted flowers, notebooks, journals and date books, cards and a section for Emma's Creatures. Emma's Creatures are designed by Tina's 4 year old daughter and are made and stuffed with recyled clothes and yarn. (They take custom orders for them, too.) Emma designs them and helps cut them out, then Tina sews them. Emma gets all the money from her creature sales.
Be sure and stop by and visit this "chaotic" studio. You will see some wonderful handmade items that you won't find any where else. To prove that, I will show you a couple of pictures.

Craftbabyhope is the featured studio this week

2010-04-28T07:53:00.000-04:00

from the Artfire Less Than (10) Sales guild. You can find this talented studio here http://www.artfire.com/users/craftybabyhope Jennifer, from Tuscon, Az. is the creator of the wonderful goodies in this shop. Not only does she create wire jewelry, she also works in polymer clay. Here are a coupleof examples of her work. After you see those, I know you will want to click her studio link to go see her creations for yourself.

This weeks featured AF studio is

2010-04-20T21:54:00.003-04:00

href="http://www.artfire.com/users/swirljewels">http://www.artfire.com/users/swirljewels Trish, the creator behind swirljewels hails from down under, in South Austrailia. Her work is unique and beautiful. She has some wonderful jewelry for both women and men. I know it's kind of hard to find handmade jewelry for a guy.

I'm going to show you a couple of pieces that I really like from her studio, then you can click on the link and go see for yourself. Remember, Mothers Day and Fathers Day will be here before you know it.

swirljewels

A simple dream come true for me

2010-04-20T21:51:00.001-04:00

A year or so ago, I saw a program on the Travel Channel about finding treasure. Not the Mel Fisher/Atochia kind of treasure, but different places you can go and dig your own emeralds in N. Carolina and things like that. One of the treasures featured were Lake Superior agates. I had never seen them before and instantly fell in love with them. A few days later I went looking online and found some. They were rather large, pricey and not suitable for jewelry making. They were beautifully colored, though and a prime example of Mother Nature's handiwork. Agates have always held a fascination for me for some reason. I guess it the gradiation of color, no two are ever the same kind of thing.

I could have treated myself to one, but I am getting tired of collecting things that gather dust. I have a lot of glass and crystal that I have collected over the years-some of it valuable, some of it sentimental and some of it I got just because it appealed to me. Since our son, future daughter in law and year old grandson came to live with us, my glass and crystal collection has been packed up. I would rather remove temptation from the baby than hear him constantly being told no. It also gave me a good reason to give it all a through cleaning and to pack it away.

A while back, I was wandering around feebay and came across a seller who had Lake Superior agates for sale. Again, the large collectable kind. Since I have gotten some color ideas from pictures of these agates, I signed up for the store newletter. Well, last week, in that newletter, was news of an auction for 3 pounds of small, polished,ously happy camper. They arrived today and I am glad I decided to bid on them. They are glorious. Some of them even have some druzy in them. I can't wait to work with them and see where my muse leads me. I'm a simple person (and sometimes simple minded), but little things like that just make my day.

BoutiqueKarma is this weeks featured studio

2010-04-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

You can find this unique studio by clicking this link http://www.artfire.com/users/boutiquekarma . This shop has handmade coffee sleeves for those early morning to go cups of coffee. It also has mug huggers that fit around your coffee or tea mug. It has a layer of thermolan batting between the fabric layers to help keep your beverage warmer longer. both the sleeves and the mug warmers come in a variety of beautiful fabric.
There are also herbal eye pillows for those times that headache makes you have to lay down and mellow out for a while. They have lentils and flaxseed and can be used dold or hot.
The cutest and most unique thing that I think is in this studio is the Bobo Pack. It's for when the little ones take a tumble and get an owie that needs ice applied to it. It also has a bit of lavender scent to help them calm down after their tumble. It also comes in a variety of adorable fabrics.
So here are a couple of pictures, then you go see this studio for yourself. The first is the Bobo Pack and the next one and Eye Pillow.
By the way, check out our guild blog link on the left and see what we are giving away.

This weeks featured guild studio

2010-04-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

is jYOUlry http://www.artfire.com/users/jYoulry a studio that makes personalized photo jewelry pieces. They are so cool!! I just might have to get something that has my adorable little grandsons picture on it. This would be a great idea for mom or grandma. You could do a charm bracelet with all the kids or grandkids-or one that showed a child growing up over the years. You are limited only by your imagination.Besides that, there is a clearance coupon you can use for some of her jewelry.
jYOUlry was started by a work at home mom, Lisa, who had to close her firm when her family relocated to Panama. She still needed to create and she wanted to creat something unique and affordable in this economy. It didn't take to long for her line of custom designed photo jewelry to come into being.
So, with Mothers Day drawing close, check out her shop and I bet you will find a cool gift.

Madmoravian is the featured studio this week

2010-04-01T18:12:00.002-04:00

Madmoravian is the shopswithlessthan(10)sales guild's featured studio this week. http://www.artfire.com/users/madmoravian It's a cool studio with everything from chainmaille to woodworking pieces to stained glass.
Scott has been working with wood for about 20 years and his experince shows in his attention to detail. Here's a picture of one of his beautiful wood bottle stoppers. He also makes really cool wood pens, to, but you have to click the shop link to see those.

One of the things that I think is the coolest and most unique in his shop is this chainmaille hat band for a cowboy hat. since Scott is from Texas, it makes perfect sense to me that he would create something like that.

There is a lot of cool chanimaille jewelry for guys in Scott's studio, so if that special guy in your life has a birthday or something coming up, you should really stop by this studio. Besides, Scott has a special sale going on whild he is the featured studio. If you use the coupon code GUILDFEATURED, you will get 20% off your purchase. So, what are you waiting for?

Thank you Artfirelessthan(10) guild

2010-03-27T09:27:00.000-04:00

I wanted to thank everybody for all the promoting they have done for DancingWindDesigns this week. It's been fun to see all the incoming links and things from your tweets and blogs. It's been fun being on this end of the promotion, but I enjoy being on the other end, too. So thanks again everybody, especially to Kim, aka VaBeachQuilter who is the guild master and the one who set all this up and is the one who keeps it organized so we know who we are promoting from week to week. THANKS EVERYBODY!!!!!!

At the end of my rambling

2010-03-27T07:39:00.000-04:00

I love looking at the organized pictures in these posts. I know they won't look like this for long. Then in 4 or 5 months, I won't be able to stand the dis-order anymore and will organize yet again. By then, I should have at least 100 more of the plastic baby food containers. I have found out that those containers will hold 1/4 pound of bugle beads. WoooHooo!!!
Sometimes I will pull beads together for a creation, then, once I start it, I won't like a color and will go search for another one. Then, once I find a new color, I won't like another color with it, so I will go get another color that will go with the new one and the rest of the colors. And so it goes-sometimes I end up with only one color remaining out of the original ones I had chosen. This process tends to leave the bead drawers in a confused mess. I try and be neat, but it doesn't always work.
My next beading goal, after I get 100 items listed in my Artfire studio, is to do some bead embroidery. I have tried it in a sample piece and I can do it. My mom taught me how to embroider when I was 7 and laid up recovering from an appendix that literally burst in the surgeon's hand. Back then, there weren't 100 channels on TV and I was tired of reading, so I learned embroidery. It's the first time I realized how much color there was in the world. My mom embroidered to relax and she had tons of DMC floss. I realized that there could be multiple shades of a color and my lifelong color addiction began.
Today is my birthday, so like many of my posts, this one is scheduled and hopefully, I am somewhere around the edge of a bass pond. It's supposed to be kind of windy Sat., so I'm not sure about the fishing. I wish we could go to the lake area that's in my banner picture, but I doubt if the home owners that are now there would appreciate us schlepping through their yards to get to the lake. Oh well, that's progress, I guess.
I've seen a lot of "progress" in the last few decades that I don't really consider to be progress at all-more of a paving over of nature. It makes me sad.
So, if you haven't seen this on Facebook or twitter yet, I am going to give you a cool present. It's a link to a live web cam of a barn owl who is in the process of having a family. three of her eggs have hatched, and she has owlets, and there are 2 more to hatch. If you have heard of Molly the Barn Owl, she's the one. http://www.sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Live_Owl_Nest_Box_Cam.html If you check out that link, be sure to check out the ther animal cam links on that page.

Artfire Merchandizer is now live!!

2010-03-26T20:57:00.003-04:00

The Artfire Merchandizer is now live in all pro Artfire studios. This handy, dandy little tool gives you the ability to re-arrange your shop by category or move the entire shop around. It's incredibly easy to use, too. You can skip pages, save and not publish or you can go live with your listing.
The re-arrange categories are done just like the studio only they have a drop down menu so you can select which category you want to work in.
I'm on the Artfire Maven team. We get to test things like this before it rolls out to the site. Several Mavens made suggestions or a wish list and the Artfire technical team did their best to add that stuff to this exciting new feature. All other online venues will wish they had this feature. It makes the rearrange at etsy look.... clunky to say the least.
With the Artfire tool, you have an offline screen to make your changes on and you can preview your changes before saving them. When you mouse over an item, it asks what page you want to move it to. There is a drag and drop feature when you are working on one page. The possibilites for this are endless. Want all one color on a page, no problem. Want to move an older listing up to the front-again no problem.
Congrats and thanks to the Artfire Tech and Marketing team for giving their sellers yet another reason to think this seliing venue rocks!!

2010-03-25T08:12:00.000-04:00

This might end up being 5 segments. I'm scheduling these posts today (Sun.) and I'm hoping my Miyuki and Delica beads will arrive tomorrow, so I can include them. I want to get some of those previosuly mentioned projects going and get them in my studio. I will just write another post with those if they don't arrive tomorrow.

On today's tour, first we have bugle beads. I have quite the selection of bugles. I have some that are incredibly long-sent to me by a friend who thought she wanted to weave beads, but found out she like silversmithing much better. She sent me some of her stash, including those incredibly long ones. Besides those, I have your basic twisted bugles, and the straight ones, both in a wild assortment of colors.

The next stop is the DynaMite drawer. They come in these nifty little containers, (you might have noticed some reused one in other pics)that stack nicely in these deep drawers. I know-I said I didn't like bead containers stacked on each other, but in this case, the drawer is deep enough and I have enough DynaMites to be able to stack like colors and finishes with like. For example, the transparent cobalt can stack on top of each other.

The last stop on the tour today is what I consider to be my "misc." drawer. It has all the beads that don't fit in any other category. It has the acrylic accent beads I use on my ornament drapes. I prefer acrylic drops rather than glass on some cases because of the weight factor-glass weighing more than acrylic. It also has my box of business cards, my earrings cards and a small stuffed penguin I picked up someplace for some reason. Not sure he shows in the picture.

My creating and storing with seed beads-pt.3

2010-03-24T08:12:00.001-04:00

The tour today will start with the second storage cart. I'm not sure what those things are "officially" called-rolling carts with drawers, I guess. It didn't take me long to find out that those carts don't roll too well when the drawers have pounds of beads in them. LOL!

This is a picture of Matsuno seed beads. Matsuno is the 3rd largest of the Japanese bead manufacturers, with Miyuki and TOHO in front of them. I like them because they are quality beads, come in an incredible range of colors and finishes and are reasonably priced. FireMountainGems sells them under the name DynaMite.

The open spaces are for beads that are going to be used in a couple of projects this week. One of the things my muse did while "we" were organizing is come up with things to create. Since I knew it would be a few days before I got to working on those projects, I set the beads-and everything else-for those 3 projects aside. Yep, 3 projects-sometimes I think my muse thinks I can bead at the speed of light. Notice the first drawer.I don't like beads stacked up like that because it makes it hard for me to open the drawers and "cruise for color" when I want to do something. See, I told you it will soon be time for another cart.

The last drawer today has crystals and bi-cones-all pretty and sparkly. I love the facets on these and how they reflect the light. I always try to catch that when I am photographing a finished piece, but it isn't easy.

Thanks for hanging in there with me and a HUGE thanks to the AFlessthan(10) guild.

Creating and stash showing-pt.2

2010-03-23T07:43:00.002-04:00

On today's tour, we will see how the things in the first 3 drawers of the cabinet the small organizer sits on, live and are stored. I organize my beads by size, brand and when I can, color. Every beader I know organizes their beads according to how it works for them and we all have different ways of doing it.

This first drawer has all my Czech beads in it. They are Ornela Czech beads. Ornela has been making beads for many decades, if not longer, and they make great beads. The colors are really intense and rich. For the pinks and reds, they use gold in the color-just like in ruby glass-which is another of my glass loves.

The second drawer holds the wonderful beads of TOHO. This Japanese bead company has been in business forever. They make wonderful seed beads-in all sizes and finishes and have an outstanding reputation in the beading world. The different containers are because different suppliers package their the way they want. The small rectangular-tictac-containers-I have gotten from a couple of different places. They are a handy size for many types of beads.

The last drawer opening on today's tour is my gemstones, agates and other rocks. LOL! If you peek toward the middle back of the drawer, you will see those baby food containers I mentioned yesterday.

I'm the featured studio this week

2010-03-22T07:59:00.000-04:00

and since all the other guild folks will be promoting me and my Artfire studio, I thought I would take some time and blog about my creative process and show you my newly organized, ever growing bead/gemstone stash. So that's what I will be blogging about this week. I also hope that you will learn a little more about how the items in my shop came into being and that way, get to know me a little better.

I have been on an organizing binge the last few days. I had to. I recently recieved 2.5 pounds of seed beads in the mail (and I'm expecting approx. another pound in the next couple of days) and they were in zip lock bags. Seed beads and zip lock bags usually equal bags coming open and seed beads in the drawers, so I needed to re-do my beads. My son and his family moved in with us a couple of months ago. His family includes our year old grandson. One day, I noticed that my grandson was having some fruit out of this really cool little rectangular plastic box-with a resealable lid. I asked that those little Gerber fruit and veggie containers be saved for Grandma. I wasn't sure what I would do with them, but I knew I would find something-and I did. They now hold my gemstones, sorted by type. The containers that were holding part of my gemstone collection-the chips-are now holding a large part of the 2.5 pounds of beads.

This first picture is the overall view of my storage set up. One of these days, I'm going to have to get another one of those carts. LOL!

The tour will start with the 3 drawers in the small cabinet. the stuff sitting on the top of the carts is pieces that are finished, pieces the need to be cut up and re-used, and a couple of projects I stopped in the middle of because I needed to think about a little more. those will probably end up in the cut and reuse stack.
Anyhow... the first drawer contains the small beeds-the 15's and the 13 cut charlottes. I love charlottes. It amazes me that they can actually put a facet on a bead that small. They sparkle so pretty.

In the next drawer are the containers that used to house my gemstone chips-now holding size 6 and 8 seed beads.

Last on today's little tour is the drawer that houses the square beads, the dagger beads, the fringe beads and other shapes of glass beads that I don't have enough of yet for them to have their own drawer. Notice I said yet. A big thank you to the AFlessthan(10)guild.

Newest Artfire feature coming to a studio near you

2010-03-20T22:52:00.003-04:00

Artfire has had the Maven team testing the new studio rearrange feature the last few days before they roll it out to all pro sellers. It is soooooooooooo cool. I love being able to rearrange my studio however I want. They are currently working out some bugs that seem to be occuring, but when it's ready, they will get it out there. It's something a lot of ellers have been asking for since last year, but I guess it's quite a major deal to creat a program like that. Oh, well. I have faith in Artfire that they will get it taken care of. So, if you are considering a studio on AF, here's one more reason why they rock.

This week's featured seller

2010-03-16T17:45:00.002-04:00

from the AFshopswithlessthan(10) guild is LiquidAmbar http://www.artfire.com/users/liquidambar This is a husband and wife team and in their studio bio, they say sometimes the kids, all working together. It's so good to see kids taking an interest in creating handmade things. That way, traditions won't be lost to the compter age. Their creations are totally cool and unique. Jewelry made from clay and glass-I love that-and fused glass-love that, too. They also have some beautiful pottery. As with most handmade items, these are all one of a kind.

Located in gorgeous NC, they have a wealth of inspiration from nature and it shows, especially in their pottery which is coiled or slab built.

Here are a couple of pictures of things that I love in their studio. It really would be worth your time to click the link and visit their studio.

Is it April 5th yet?

2010-03-15T20:06:00.000-04:00

It's the time of year when my thoughts turn to the opening day of baseball season. I am so jonesing for baseball that I even watched a Spring Trainging game yesterday between the Yankees and the Pirates. I figured that the Yankees would stomp the Pirates-turned out to be the other way around. YAY!!! I am soooooooooo not a Yankee fan-or a Mets fan either. I am a fan of whoever they play.

I am a Braves fan-a second generation Braves fan. My son is a 3rd generation fan and this season, I will be making sure my year old grandson is the 4th generation of Braves fans. This year will be a special year for the Braves-it's Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones last year with them. I can't imagine the Braves without Bobby-or Chipper, but mostly Bobby. He has been "the Braves" for as long as I can remember.

Both my parents were baseball fans, so I grew up with it. I remember being outside on summer days and if my dad was out working in the yard, the radio was on and it was baseball. I can still "hear" a home run better than I can see one on TV. Just something about the sound of that bat hitting that ball and you know it's going "outta there" or it will be so close to being out of the park that an outfielder will be going up on the mat to get it and have to stretch to catch it. I love seeing good plays made-even if it deprives my team of a run.

So, until the 5th, I guess I"ll be watching more Spring training games. It will help me through until opening day.

The featured shop from the Artfirelessthan(10)sales guild

2010-03-09T10:39:00.000-05:00

is our guildmaster/mistress herself, VaBeachQuilter.http://www.artfire.com/users/vabeachquilter

I am in awe of anybody who has a talent for sewing-and sewing this beautifully. That is something that, for some reason, is beyond me. Been there, tried it numerous times and faced the fact that I will never be a seamstress of any kind. That's ok-I would be a fabric addict instead of a bead addict and fabric would take up so much more room than my beads do.

Kim is Va Beach Quilter-guess where she is from. LOL! She has been a machine quilter for about 10 years now. Besides making quilts, she also makes bags, backbaqcks and ishappy to take custom orders. She has done a custom back back for the mom of a Tamp Bay Ray baseball player that I think is fantastic! (Of course I would-Opening Day can't get here quick enough for me.)

Here are a couple of things I love from her Artfire studio.

My blog has new clothes-more or less

2010-03-04T09:40:00.001-05:00

I have a new banner for my blog and my Artfire studio and etsy shop. I also have a new avatar for the shops, too.
The wonderful Yini, of Red Ruby on Fire http://www.artfire.com/users/RROFGraphics who has an Artfire studio designed it for me. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of her February blog giveaway and the new banner and avatar are my winnings.

Yini is really easy to work with. If you need a new banner, by all means, contact her. We chatted back and forth by email and I sent her the picture I wanted to use and the above banner is what she created. It's perfect-just what I wanted it to be and so is the avatar. I highly recommend her design work.

Of course, there is a story behind the picture I wanted in my banner. It's a decent sized pond, about 50 yard off of Interstate 95, a few miles north of where we live, but you would never know the highway was that close. The bass that lived in that pond were huge- fun to catch and delicious, too. My husband and I used to go fishing there often. We would see all kinds of wildlife there-hawks, eagles, gators, once a Florida panther even crossed our path. That was cool and a magical moment. We don't fish much in the winter when it's cold-especially in ponds. Don't have much luck with the fish in deepr water. So, several months went by and one nice spring day, we hopped in the car and went up there. We were saddened by what we found. Like so many natural, wonderful areas these days, this mini paradise had been turned into a housing developement. Sadly, we turned around and went home. I wonder what happened to the wildlife. I'm sure the panther was long gone. It had been well over a year since we had seen it-and since seeing it the first time, we would look for tracks when we went fishing.
So that's the story of my new banner picture.

This week the featured Shopswithlessthan(10)sales guild is

2010-03-03T10:02:00.000-05:00

Krystallized. You can find their studio here http://www.artfire.com/users/Krystallized

This is another husband and wife team from Toronto, On. and realtively new to Artfire, having just joined a couple of months ago.

They make beautiful jewelry with Swarovski crystals. This Spiral Rose Necklace is beautiful. I love the way it flows.

c.artfire.com/admin/product_images/thumbs/58687_product_1530996252thumb_large.jpg" /> Who doesn't love pearls? This Stacked Pearl Necklace set is very elegant and chic.

So if you love crystal jewelry, click on the studio link and see waht Krysatllized has to offer.

The featured studio this week

2010-02-25T19:17:00.004-05:00

from the Artfire ShopswithLessthan10(sales) Guild is On Pens and Needles http://www.artfire.com/users/onpensandneedles This is a truly wonderful studio with many surprising things in it and each and every one is handmade.

Jan and Don are a married, retired couple. Jan is a retired nurse and Don is retired from the Navy. Now they are free to spend time on their hobbies. Don makes pens and things from wood and other things-like Corian-and Jan creates wonderful embroidered baby blankets.

I am deeply impressed that Don received the 1st Place Blue Ribbon and Judges Award of Merit at the 2009 Los Angeles County Fair for his entry of the Rose window of Notre Dame scrolled (that's done with a saw) out of Corian the countertop stuff. Now that's artistry for sure!!

Here's a picture of it . Isn't that GRAND?!

Don creates the wooden pens and toys they sell.

Jan creates one of a kind, custom baby blankets that are adorable and other one of a kind things.
I love this little Hooded Bath Towel with the yellow duck ribbon trim. How much cuter can you get for bathtime than yellow ducks?

So click on their studio link and go see their studio on Artfire. It will be worth it.

Have you ever seen a magenta sock moneky?

2010-02-23T11:08:00.000-05:00

If you haven't you should-they are cool. You can see one on the Artfire ShopswithLessthan10sales guild featured studio this week. It's CuriosityPiqued http://www.artfire.com/users/CuriositysPiqued .

Lori is the owner and creator of the fun items in this studio. She has an incredible variety of stuff-like a magenta sock monkey-and a lavender one, too. I love sock monkeys especially when they are marching to the beat of their own drummer.

Lori also has some other neat stuff in her studio. Among those things is a belt I just love. She has had a life long love of creating things in the fiber art category and it shows. Her work is wonderful.

So here are a couple of pictures, then you really should go see the magenta sock monkey-I mean her studio-for yourself.

The featured guild studio this week is

2010-02-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

PositivelyCharmingThings. You can find this studio here http://www.artfire.com/users/PositivelyCharmingThings

Nikki, from Phoenix is the creator, curator and owner of this great studio. She works with a lot of polymer clay and does it very well, too. (I tried it once and it isn't as easy as it looks.) She love to create-anything and is always working on something besides holding down what I call a "paycheck" job. One day, she hopes to be able to make a living off of her creations. (I know that feeling.). As wonderful as her creations are, I just wouldn't be surprised if she does just that.

My absolute favorite piece in her studio is this Pink and White Swirly Heart Necklace on an organza ribbon. It's so delicate, feminine, and wonderful-perfect if you have a girly-girl on any kind of gift list. The rivoli crystal in the center is going to reflect the light and add lots of dazzle.

Ok, I"ll stop gushing and post the picture now.

I know it isn't close to Christmas right now, even though the weather across the country seems to disagree, but I wanted to post this picture so you can see just how talented Nikki is with polymer clay sculpting.

The featured guild shop this week is

2010-02-13T21:00:00.000-05:00

Spotlight on Va Beach Quilter

2010-02-10T20:59:00.003-05:00

The Spotlight studio this week is Va Beach Quilter. You can find her here. http://www.artfire.com/users/vabeachquilter

Several relatives on my mom's side of the family were quilters, so I appreciate the art of quilting and it is an art. Kim's work is no exception to this statement. Not only does she have quilts, but a wonderful mix of quilted items from totes and backbacks to table runners and place mats. In fact, when I have the money, she's going to do a custom quilt for me.

I love the colors and style of these placemats.

As a reformed (trying to reform, anyhow) purse collector, I am in love with the selection of quilted purses she has in her studio. Loving the color blue and flowers, of course this is my favorite purse from her studio.

Tali's Creations

2010-02-10T17:25:00.003-05:00

Tali's Creations is the Artfire Guild with Less Than 10 Sales studio of the week. This wonderful jewelry studio can be found here http://www.artfire.com/users/talicreations .

There are many beautiful pieces of jewelry in Tali's studio, but my favorites are the pieces she has designed for Breast Cancer Awarness in honor of her sister who lost her battle with this all too common form of cancer.

Tali also has some lovely necklace sets in her studio. These sets consist of earrings, a bracelet and a neckace. You don't often see this anymore and it's nice to get matching pieces in one set.

Here are a couple of pictures of her jewelry, then you can click the link and see her studio and maybe find a nice gift. After all, Mother's Day is coming up soon.

Ruth Nichols aka Hillside Gradens Art Studio

2010-02-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ruth is another talented lampworker who was falsely accused on the fraud blog of being a tax evader, among other things. Let me assure you, she is not.

Ruth is a “Jill of all trades” in the glass field-at least in my opinion. When you are done reading this post, you will understand why I say that.

Ruth's dad was an artist and teacher and she found herself following in his footsteps and becoming an artist in her own right. After spending time creating with oils, acrylics, charcoal, acrylics and more, she discovered the world of polymer clay. She began making small things, like buttons and sculptures with poly clay. Then, “I soon started creating on a larger scale, making 18 inch to life size Santa's and old world inspired father Christmas's, angels, elves, political figures & fantasy figures. I found that creating almost all of the items that went with each Santa or Father Christmas was worth it in the time spent. Her polymer clay obsession lasted 18 years. Then, she discovered glass.

Glass was able to feed her addiction to color and being able to blend and fuse colors like she could with the polyclay. There was just one small hitch-she wasn't really happy with the tools available for shaping and working with glass. So, while she was torching, she was thinking about tools and what would work. After searching online and not being able to find what she was looking for, Ruth made a drawing and asked her husband to make it for her. Well, since it was made from graphite, it created a bit of a mess, so they decided to contact somebody who had experience with graphite. They found Leon Good at Weaver Industries and soon, The Perfect Tool system was born with Ruth doing the tool designing.

So, now you know why I called Ruth 'a Jill of all trades in the glass field”. If you look at her website, which can be found here, you will see just how talented this lady is http://www.hillsidegardensartstudio.com/