Pretty Good Jewelry

Pearl, onyx, & silver necklace + earrings

Sometimes contrasts  make the best statement.  I started to make this necklace with just the white freshwater pearls (about 7.25 in diameter), but it looked kind of blah until I added the gleaming black onyx (about 8mm in diameter).  I separated them with sterling silver wave tubes,  which are about 18mm long & 1.5mm thick.

I've used pearls before (see here, here, and here), but these are the best I've handled.  They are nearly round, and they have a beautiful sheen.

I finished the necklace with a sterling silver lobster clasp.  The finished length is about 17.5 inches, with a weight of 0.4 oz.
I made matching earrings with little sterling silver saucer beads.  The headpins & French hooks are also sterling silver.  The dangles measure about 1 1/8 inches, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $35 (shipping is free)

SOLD

Smoky quartz twisted circle bead-link necklace + earrings

Here's some lovely, elegant smoky quartz!  These beads were a total impulse buy: I couldn't resist their unusual shape, and the way it reflected the light.  The shape is kind of a circular saddle, like a Pringles® chip.  The saddles/chips are drilled diagonally, so that the dips & peaks at the edges are off to the sides.

This closeup shows the shape a little better.

Anyway, the beads measure about 15mm from hole to hole.  I joined them with gold-filled wire, and finished with a vermeil s-clasp.  The finished length is 20.5 inches (you can wear it shorter by clasping the hook between two beads as shown), with a weight of 1.8 oz.

(I have other smoky quartz necklaces here and here.)

I made the matching earrings by suspending bead-links on gold-filled chain from gold-filled posts.  The earrings are about 1.5 inches long, with a total weight of 0.2 oz.

Price: $72 (shipping is free)

Citrine faceted rondelle necklace + earrings

Citrine fascinates me.  I resisted stringing these particular beads for the longest time, because I enjoying playing with them so much, moving the beads in the light and watching how they glowed and sparkled.  Almost hypnotizing!  They're like solidified sunshine.

The beads are cut into faceted rondelles, measuring about 5mm in diameter and about 2.5mm thick.  I strung them with 3.5mm Bali vermeil daisy spacers, finishing with a gold-filled lobster clasp.  (If you examine very very closely, you can see that I missed my pattern in two places....) The finished length is 18.75 inches, with a weight of 0.6 oz.

I used gold-filled headpins and French hooks to make the matching earrings.  The longest dangle is 1.75 inches.  The earrings weigh 0.1 oz.

Price: $48 (shipping is free)

Ruby zoisite necklace with detachable pendant + earrings

I bought this ruby zoisite pendant because the stone is so dramatic, with the jagged boundary between the ruby and zoisite patches.  The green material is the zoisite, and the red patch is made up of very low grade ruby crystals.  The combined material is usually referred to as "ruby zoisite" or "ruby in zoisite" (aka anyolite).

I made a necklace to match it with 3mm round ruby zoisite and 2mm round sterling silver beads, finishing with a sterling silver lobster clasp.  The necklace is just over 17 inches and weighs 0.3 oz, while the pendant measures about 2.75 inches long and weighs 0.9 oz.

I made chandelier earrings to match.  The chandelier components are sterling silver from Bali; the headpins and French hooks are also sterling silver.  The dangles are about 2.25 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.  (One of the center beads doesn't swing freely, by the way, but the movement of the rest makes up for it.)

Price: $57 (shipping is free)

SOLD

Rainbow fluorite carved rose bead-link necklace + earrings

The greens in this batch of rainbow fluorite really stand out!  The beads are carved roses on one side (the other side is dome shaped--in the left hand picture, the two beads by the clasp are turned to show the wrong side), and they measure about 18mm in diameter.  (I have other rainbow fluorite necklaces posted here, here, here, here, here, and here.)

I joined each bead with sterling silver wire, and finished with a Bali silver s-clasp.  The necklace is 21.25 inches long (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp as shown), with a weight of 2.7 oz.

I made matching earrings by connecting bead-links with sterling silver French hooks and sterling silver flower drops.  The bead-link dangles are about 1 3/8th inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $37 (shipping is free)

SOLD

Bloodstone twist bead-link necklace + earrings

These bloodstone beads are predominately dark green, with very few of the red flecks which gives the stone its name.  They are twists, measuring about 15mm long and 7-8mm thick.  I linked each bead with sterling silver wire, finishing with a Bali silver s-clasp.

The necklace is 20.75 inches long (you can wear it shorter by hooking the clasp as shown), and weighs 1.4 oz.

The silver drops on the
matching earrings are sterling silver, as are the French hooks.  The complete dangles are 1 1/4 inches long.  The earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $27 (shipping is free)

Fossilized wood jasper faceted square diamond bead-link necklace + earrings

I love these beads!  They're a beautiful chocolate brown, with darker streaks that look like wood grain.  (I have another fossilized wood jasper necklace here.)  Plus, I'm a sucker for the square diamond shape.

The beads measure about 16mm from corner to corner.  I joined each with gold filled wire, finishing with a vermeil hook & eye clasp from India.

The necklace is 19.25 inches long (you can shorten it by hooking the clasp as shown), with a weight of 1.6 oz.

I used gold filled French hooks for the matching earrings.  The dangles are about 1.25 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.1 oz.

Price: $43 (shipping is free)

Uruguay agate flat oval bead-link necklace

I don't know whether Uruguay is the country where my supplier got the agate from, or if it's the name of the particular variety, or if the beads were named randomly.  What I do know is that these beads are colorful--red and green and yellow and white--and semi-translucent.  Most of the ovals are 20x15mm, but there are a couple of smaller ones which I put on the end (the smallest is about 18x13mm).

I joined each oval with gold filled wire, finishing with a vermeil hook & eye clasp.  The necklace is 21.5 inches long, and weighs 2.4 oz.

Price: $45 (shipping is free)

Ruby fuchsite square diamond bead-link necklace

These beads are a new type of stone for me: ruby fuchsite.  Fuchsite is the green variety of muscovite, and the red splotches that you can see are grade Z ruby crystals.  (Muscovite is fascinating in its own right because it can be split into very thin translucent sheets.  It used be be known as Muscovy glass because the sheets were sometimes used for windows in Russia.  But I digress.)  What I love about these stones is the great sparkle it has.  Flashy!

I joined each bead with gold filled wire, finishing with a vermeil hook & eye clasp.  The beads measure about 20mm from corner to corner, and the finished length is 23.25 inches, with a weight of 2.0 oz.

Price: $51 (shipping is free)

Back again!

It's good to be back!  Mom's surgery went very well and she is recovering swiftly.

The trip home took a little longer than I expected, as my train was delayed almost 9 hours--a freight train broke down, blocking the tracks ahead of us.  But we finally arrived in Springfield last night, and a few of my fellow passengers cheered for my successful escape as I disembarked.  I hope there were no further delays in the train's journey to Chicago!