Pretty Good Jewelry

Larvikite flat rectangle bead-link necklace + earrings

I had the hardest time finding out information about this stone until I found out that I had the name wrong: it's larvikite (named after Larvik, Norway, one of the places where it can be found, as the Wikipedia article says).  I was calling it larkivite, and from the websearch I did, I am not the only one.

Anyway.  I first encountered this under the name "Canadian blue pearl", but it's not a pearl, & although it has blue flashes, it's more of a gray.  Whatever it is, I like it very much!

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

The necklace is 20.75 inches long (you can wear it shorter by hooking the clasp between two beads as shown), and weighs 1.9 oz.

I made earrings to match.  The French hooks and headpins are sterling silver; the silver beads on top of the larvikite are Thai silver (from the Karen Hill Tribe) & thus 99% pure silver.  The dangles are about 1 1/8 inches, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $40 (shipping is free)

Natural catseye 8mm rondelle necklace + earrings

These beads are natural catseye and are a variety of quartz.  The cat's  eye effect is called chatoyancy (from the French words for "cat's eye") and is due to the material's internal fibrous structure.  You can see my other natural catseye necklace here.

(Man-made catseye is much more common, by the way.  It's formed out of fiberoptic glass.)

The catseye rondelles are smooth and measure 8x5mm.  I used more of my 99% pure silver beads from Thailand; the silver origami boxes are about 8 to 9mm long.  I finished with a Bali (sterling) silver hook & eye clasp.

The necklace is about 17.5 inches long, and weighs 1.4 oz.

The French hooks and headpins I used for the matching earrings are sterling silver.  The dangles are about 1.25 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $59.50 (shipping is free)

Hematite cabochon earrings

Hematite is another iron compound, iron oxide.  When polished, it has a beautiful silvery gray sheen.  These cabochons are 7x5mm, and I set them in sterling silver.
Price: $12.60 (shipping is free)

Labradorite pear cabochon earrings

The base color of these labradorite cabochons is an unassuming gray, but they flash with blue fire!  The stones weigh about 0.94 carats each, and measure about 8x5mm.  I set them in sterling silver.

Price: $17.20 (shipping is free)

Labradorite earrings

More adventures in gemstones!  The stones are labradorite, set in sterling silver.  The stones are .98 carats each, trillion/trillian cut, and measure 7mm per side.  The first picture was taken in direct sunlight.

Price: $18 (shipping is free)

Botswana agate flat square bead-link necklace

There's something delightfully exotic about Botswana agate.  Its subdued coloring contrasts wonderfully with its wild patterns!

These square beads are 14x14mm (except for the center bead, which is 15x15mm).  I linked them with sterling silver wire, and finished with my favorite Turkish silver hook & eye clasp.

The length is 25.25 inches, with a weight of 2.4 oz.

Price: $28.10 (shipping is free)

Gray banded agate 8mm necklace

Here's a nice neutral necklace for you!  The beads were sold to me as "white lace agate", but since they're more gray than white, I thought that name was a bit misleading.  Anyway, they measure 8mm in diameter, and are gray banded with white.  The silver beads & the silver S-clasp are from Bali.

The length of the necklace is 20.5 inches, with a weight of 1.8 oz.

Price: $24.90 (shipping is free)

Natural catseye bead-link necklace #2

Natural catseye is a form of quartz, with an internal linear grain that gives it chatoyancy.  These beads aren't highly chatoyant, but the gray structure gives the appearance of silk caught under glass.  Each bead measures about 18x13mm.

(Man-made catseye is much more common, by the way.  It's formed out of fiberoptic glass.)

I linked each bead with tarnish-resistant silver-plated wire.  The hook & eye clasp is also silver-plated.

The length is 23 inches (can be worn shorter), and the weight is 2.0 oz.

Price: $20.70 (shipping is free)

Agate flat square bead-link necklace

I don't know what type of agate this is except for "fairly gray".  Anyway, each bead measures 12x12mm, & is linked with tarnish resistant silver-plated wire.  The clasp is a silver-plated hook & eye.
The length is 25.75 inches (can be worn shorter by hooking the hook between two beads)and the weight is 2.1 oz.

Price: $17.70 (shipping is free)