Pretty Good Jewelry

Madagascar rose quartz faceted 8mm necklace + earrings

I don't know if this rose quartz actually came from Madagascar or if it's just called that because of its fineness.  What I do know is that Madagascar rose quartz is know for its exceptional color and clarity.  Most rose quartz is opaque, but these beads are translucent, with just a faint cloudiness keeping them from transparency.  They are faceted rounds, measuring 8mm in diameter.  (You can see my other rose quartz necklaces here, here, and here.)

The little silver beads are faceted twists from Thailand and are 99% pure silver (sterling silver is 92.5% silver).  The s-clasp is sterling silver, from Bali.  The finished length is 19 inches, with a weight of 1.3 oz.

I made matching earrings with sterling silver French hooks & headpins.  The dangles are 1 inch long, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $57 (shipping is free)

Blue lace agate faceted 8mm necklace + earrings

Blue lace agate is a pastel blue and white banded agate.  These particular beads are faceted and are 8mm in diameter.  I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with them until I bought these fabulous Thai silver wire-wrap beads!  I finished with a Bali silver s-clasp, giving the necklace a final length of 17.75 inches with a weight of 1.4 oz.  (You can see my other blue lace agate necklace here.)

I made matching earrings with sterling silver French hooks and headpins.  The dangles are about 1.5 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $83 (shipping is free)

Black obsidian carved rose bead-link necklace + earrings

These beads are plain ol' black obsidian, but they have been carved into roses.  (They're only roses on one side, with the other being dome-shaped.  I turned over the bead closest to the hook in the first picture so that you could see its back.)  They measure roughly 18mm from side to side.  I linked each with gold-filled wire, finishing with a vermeil hook & eye clasp.

The necklace is about 21.75 inches long (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp between two beads as shown), with a weight of 2.1 oz.

I made matching earrings with gold-filled French hooks and heart-shaped vermeil dangles.  The bead-links plus dangles are about 1.25 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $51 (shipping is free)

Golden sheen obsidian flat diamond bead-link necklace + earrings

I'm fascinated by these beads.  Its lovely golden sheen comes from gas bubbles in the lava flow that produced the obsidian.  (I have another golden sheen obsidian necklace here.)

The beads are square flat diamonds measuring about 17mm from corner to corner.  I linked each with gold-filled wire, finishing with a vermeil s-clasp.
The finished length is 19.5 inches (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp between two beads as shown), with a weight of 1.3 oz.

I made earrings to match with gold-filled French hooks, hanging little vermeil dangles on the ends.  The bead-links plus dangles are about 1.5 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.1 oz.

Price: $52 (shipping is free)

Black onyx 8mm necklace + earrings

These beads are permanently dyed black onyx (I washed them to make sure that no dye would come off).  The big sterling silver beads are about 9mm in diameter, and they are imported from Bali.  The little saucer beads are about 4mm in diameter, and they are also Bali sterling silver.

I finished with this beautiful sterling silver hook & eye clasp.  The finished length is about 17 5/8 inches long, with a weight of 1.4 oz.

The matching earrings are made with sterling silver headpins and French hooks.  The dangles are about 1.5 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.3 oz.

Price: $52 (shipping is free)

White howlite 4mm necklace with detachable pendant + earrings

Howlite is one of my favorite stones (one of many, I know), so when I saw this fabulous pendant, I knew I had to purchase it & create a necklace for it.  (I have another howlite necklace listed here.)

The pendant is set in sterling silver, and weighs 0.5 oz.  It measures about 1.75 inches from the top of the bail to the bottom edge.  It even looks fabulous from the back!

I made the matching necklace with 4mm round howlite beads and 3.5mm Bali silver saucer beads, finishing with a sterling silver lobster clasp.  The necklace is 17 inches long and weighs 0.4 oz.
I made hoop earrings to match.  The hoops are sterling silver (as are the little silver beads on the end), about 1 inch in diameter.  They weigh about 0.1 oz.

Price: $58 (shipping is free)

Pink chalcedony 8mm necklace + earrings

I've been keeping my eye out for pink chalcedony beads (pronounced kal-sid'-ney).  The color in these is very pale, barely there, but look at that lovely glow!  (I have blue chalcedony necklaces listed here, here, and here, and a green chalcedony necklace here.)

The beads are round, 8mm in diameter.  I strung them with sterling silver star-shaped beadcaps, and finished with a fabulous sterling silver hook & eye clasp:

The finished length is 17.25 inches long, with a weight of 1.3 oz.

The dangles on the matching earrings are about 1.25 inches long.  The French hooks & headpins are also sterling silver.  The earrings weigh about 0.2 oz.

Price: $54 (shipping is free)

Golden rutilated quartz 8mm necklace + earrings

Here's more lovely golden rutilated quartz (named for the golden-colored needle-like rutiles inside the quartz).  These beads are round, about 8mm in diameter.  I strung them with vermeil rondelles, finishing with a vermeil s-clasp.  The finished length is 16.5 inches, with a weight of 1.2 oz.

I made matching earrings using gold-filled French hooks and headpins.  The dangles are almost 1.75 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $76 (shipping is free)

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, 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)

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)