Pretty Good Jewelry

Carnelian agate necklace + earrings

These carnelian agate beads look so juicy and luscious that I almost want to eat them up!  They are a deep cherry red, and measure 6mm in diameter.  Carnelian is usually heated to produce its rich coloration, but I did wash them to make certain they were not dyed.

I'm not sure if there's a difference between "carnelian" and "carnelian agate"--both carnelian and agate are forms of chalcedony, which is itself a form of quartz.  I've seen different vendors selling similar reddish material under both names, but to be on the safe side, I'd probably better stick to the label my vendor gave these beads.

I used Bali vermeil beadcaps to accent the carnelian agate beads.  The little gold beaded sections between the loops remind me of grapes (to continue the fruit theme).  I finished with a Bali vermeil hook & eye clasp.

I made earrings to match, hanging more carnelian agate beads from Bali vermeil drops.  The French hooks are gold-filled.

Now for the vital statistics.  The necklace is 17.25 inches long and weighs 0.8 oz.  The earrings are almost 2.25 inches long (not counting the French hook) and weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $65 (shipping is free)

SOLD

Pink agate necklace with detachable pendant + earrings

The beads that I used in this necklace are pink agate.  They are not dyed: the pink is a natural coloration.  The stone is beautifully translucent and seems to glow as light shines through it.

The round agate beads measure 4mm in diameter.  I set them off with small Bali silver spacers, and finished with a Bali silver hook & eye clasp.  The necklace is 17 inches long, and weighs 0.4 oz.

I bought the pendant to complete the necklace.  The stone is banded pink agate; the white and pink bands are opaque while the pink background is translucent.  The pendant measures almost 1.75 inches (from the top of the bail down to the bottom tip) with a weight of 0.3 oz.

I made matching chandelier earrings by hanging more pink agate beads from Bali silver drops.  The French hooks are also silver.  The earrings are 2.25 inches long (not counting the French hook) and weigh 0.1 oz.

Price: $49.90 (shipping is free)

SOLD

Black rainbow opal bead-link necklace

This stone is a common opal in various shades of creamy beige, browns, and black, meaning that the rainbow referred to in the name is sepia toned.  The little black ferny looking inclusions are dendrites.

These beads are flat ovals measuring 18x13mm.  I linked each with gold-filled wire, and finished with a Bali vermeil s-clasp.

This necklace is 22.75 inches long (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp as shown), and weighs 1.6 oz.

Price: $34.50 (shipping is free)

SOLD

Red silver leaf jasper bead-link necklace #2

This stone is splotchy, not stripy as the material in the previous necklace was, but it too is called "red silver leaf jasper".  The background is not as tan, but more white and gray.  I'm not sure where the batch of jasper in the previous necklace got its name, but if you take the reds away from this stone, you get something that looks like a jasper I've seen called "silver leaf jasper".

These beads are rounded rectangles measuring 18x13mm.  I linked each with silver wire, finishing with a Turkish silver hook & eye clasp.

This necklace is 23.5 inches long (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp as shown), with a weight of 2.4 oz.

Price: $31.70 (shipping is free)

SOLD

Red silver leaf jasper bead-link necklace #1

I bought two strands of rectangular shaped beads from two different vendors.  The strands are very different, yet both are labeled the same: red silver leaf jasper.  I have learned that stone names can be very very fluid.  Some names are fairly solid: rose quartz, for instance, means a variety of quartz that's colored pink, either naturally or dyed.  But zebra jasper, for instance, can mean stones that are black & white, green, brown, red or even pink.  (I've got a pink zebra jasper bead-link necklace in progress.)  So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that I've got two different red silver leaf jaspers.

(This also works in reverse, by the way.  There's a stone that was sold to me last year as variscite.  I've since seen it for sale as impression jasper, African blue opal, and lizardite.  Sheesh!)

So, anyway, this particular stone is tannish-gray streaked with brick red, tans, and grays.  It's been cut into pillow-shaped 18x13mm rectangles, puffy in the middle and thinner on the ends.  I linked each bead with silver wire, and finished with a silver hook & eye clasp from Turkey.

The necklace is 22.25 inches (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp as shown), with a weight of 2.9 oz.

Price: $27.70 (shipping is free)

SOLD

Faceted amethyst necklace with detachable amethyst cluster pendant + earrings

Isn't this pendant fabulous?  It's formed from a cluster of amethyst crystals set in sterling silver.  Wow!  Here's a close-up:

I chose 4mm round faceted amethyst beads with a variety of shades to make up the necklace, and finished with a fabulous silver hook & eye clasp:

I strung the 4mm amethysts with 3mm sterling silver beads as accents.  The necklace itself is 17.25 inches long, with a weight of 0.3 oz.  The pendant measures just over 2 inches from the top of the bail to the bottom edge of the pendant, with a weight of 1.1 oz.

 

I made little "wind chime" earrings to match, using 2 sterling silver beadcaps, silver headpins, and more 4mm faceted amethyst beads.  The French hooks are also silver.  Each earring measures about 2 inches from the bottom of the French hook to the end of the longest dangle.  The earrings' total weight is 0.1 oz.

Price: $64.90 (shipping is free)

SOLD

Green line jasper bead-link necklace + earrings

This is an interesting new jasper that I picked up last year--it's a nice soft green with cloudy patches and streaks of pale green, with an occasional black streak or patch.

The beads are formed into curved rectangles, measuring about 18x13mm.  For the necklace, I joined each bead with sterling silver wire, finishing with a silver hook & eye clasp.  For the earrings, I strung each dangle on sterling silver wire, forming a spiral at the bottom.  The French hooks are also silver.

The length of the necklace is 20.25 inches (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp as shown), with a weight of 2.0 oz.  The earrings measure about 1.25 inches from the top of the dangle to the lower end of the spiral, and they weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $27.60 (shipping is free)

SOLD

African green opal 20mm flat coin bead-link necklace

My supplier called these beads opal, but I've got to admit that they don't look like most common opals that I've seen.  They are coated with some kind of lacquer, but I don't know why (maybe to give them more shine?)

Anyway, they measure about 20mm in diameter, and I joined them with gold-filled wire.  I finished with a Bali vermeil s-clasp.

The length is 22 inches (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp as shown), with a weight of 2.1 oz.

Price: $29.90 (shipping is free)

SOLD

Poppy jasper 20mm flat coin bead-link necklace

Poppy jasper is usually colored a rich brick red, but the color of these beads looks closer to a warm chocolate brown to me.  These beads are guaranteed not to melt in your hands, though.  ;)

The beads are flat disks measuring about 20mm in diameter.  I joined them with gold-filled wire, finishing with a vermeil s-clasp from India.

The necklace is 20.5 inches long (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp as shown), with a weight of 2.6 oz.

Price: $26.50 (shipping is free)

SOLD