Pretty Good Jewelry

Black line jasper oval bead-link necklace + earrings

One of my suppliers calls this particular stone "black water jasper", another, "picasso jasper", and a third, "black line jasper".  About all they seem to agree on is that it's jasper!

These particular beads are flat ovals measuring 18x13mm.  I linked each with sterling silver, and finished with a Bali sterling silver clasp.

The necklace is 21.5 inches long (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp between two beads as shown), and weighs 1.7 oz.

I made matching earrings with these adorable Bali (sterling) silver French hooks.  The dangles are about 7/8 inches, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $28 (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)

Pearl, onyx, & gold necklace + earrings

I loved this necklace so much when I did it in silver that I had to make it again in gold.  I used the same 7.25mm freshwater pearls and 8mm black onyx as I did before, but this time I used vermeil wave tubes instead of sterling silver.

I finished the necklace with a gold-filled lobster clasp.  The finished length is about 17 inches, with a weight of 0.4 oz.

I made matching earrings with little gold-filled saucer beads.  The headpins & French hooks are also gold-filled.  The dangles measure about 1 1/4 inches, and the earrings weigh 0.1 oz.

Price: $47 (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)

Rainbow obsidian flat disk and gold-filled chain necklace + earrings

More obsidian!  This particular variety is rainbow obsidian: when the light shines on the beads at the correct angle, you can see a rainbow-like effect.

Here's a closeup that shows a bit of the rainbow effect:

Okay, on to the details.  The rainbow obsidian beads are flat disks, measuring about 12mm in diameter.  I made five obsidian and gold-filled wire links, and then connected them with my favorite figure 8 gold-filled chain.  I finished with a gold-filled lobster clasp.  The necklace is about 17.75 inches long, and weighs 0.2 oz.

The matching earrings are made with gold-filled headpins and post earrings.  The dangles are about an inch long, and the earrings weigh 0.1 oz.

Price: $30 (shipping is free)

Black banded agate rectangle bead-link necklace

These agate beads have been permanently dyed black.  (I washed them to make certain that the color wouldn't come off.)  I bought them because of their beautiful banding: on some the banding is very faint, but it is present.  (I have more black agate necklaces here, here, here, and here.)

The beads are pillow shaped rectangles, measuring about 20x12mm.  I linked each bead with sterling silver wire and then finished with a Bali sterling silver s-clasp.

The finished length is 21.75 inches (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp between two beads as shown), with a weight of 1.6 oz.

Price: $40 (shipping is free)

Biotite flat oval bead-link necklace + earrings

I love stones which have something going on in their depths, which is why I bought these biotite beads.  The surface color is black, but underneath there's a golden brown glitter!

The beads are flat ovals, measuring 18x13mm.  I joined each with gold-filled wire, finishing with a vermeil hook & eye clasp.  The necklace is 20.75 inches long, with a weight of 1.6 oz.

The matching earrings are made with gold-filled French hooks & headpins, with little vermeil spaces on the ends.  The earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $37 (shipping is free)

Snowflake obsidian flat oval bead-link necklace + earrings

Obsidian is naturally occurring glass, and the snowflake variety is named for the gray blotches, which are cristobalite, formed in the high temperatures of the lava flow.  (You can see my other snowflake obsidian necklaces here, here and here.)

These particular beads are flat ovals measuring 18x13mm.  I linked each with sterling silver wire, finishing with a Bali silver s-clasp.

The finished length is 19.75 inches (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp between two beads as shown), with a weight of 1.4 oz.

I made earrings to match, using sterling silver parts.  The wire bead is sterling silver and is imported from Bali.  The dangle is about 1 3/8 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $38

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, 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)