Pretty Good Jewelry

Peruvian pink opal wire-wrapped pendant

The first picture is in direct sunlight; the others are in indirect sunlit.

So anyway, this is the stone that started my experimentation with loose stones: when I saw it for sale, I had to buy it, even though I had only worked with beads before.  It's a 65.90 carat untreated Peruvian opal, cut into a 30x21mm oval cabochon.

I purchased several settings, but none worked, as the stone is over half an inch thick.  I knew I would have to wire-wrap it.

I used sterling silver wire in my own design.  The finished pendant is under 1.75 inches long, and weighs 0.6 oz.  I am not including a chain, but if you need one let me know & I can add one for about $14.

Price:  $60 (shipping is free)

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 necklace 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)

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)

Rhodochrosite twist bead-link necklace + earrings

I have been told that the best rhodocrosite has a rich color with little to no banding.  These beads are cut so that the lighter bands tend to lie on one surface of the twists, & the body of the bead is a rich pink color.

The twists measure about 16x7mm.  I linked each with sterling silver wire, finishing with a Bali sterling silver s-clasp.

The necklace is 21 7/8 inches long (can be worn shorter by hooking the clasp between two beads as shown), with a weight of 1.5 oz.

I made earrings to match.  The French hooks, headpins, and daisy spacers on the ends are all sterling silver.  The dangles are about 3/4 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $120 (shipping is free)

Rose quartz rondelle necklace + earrings

This rose quartz is a lovely, subtle shade of pink, perfect for the new silver beads I bought from Thailand.  These beads are 99% pure silver (sterling silver is 92.5% silver), and they look fabulous!  They are flat pleated disks, with a bumpy beaded edge.  The silver and the rose quartz beads are 8mm in diameter.

I finished with a Bali (sterling) silver heart hook & eye clasp.  The necklace is 18.75 inches long, and weighs 1.8 oz.
I made matching earrings with Bali sterling silver chandelier drops.  The dangles are about 1.5 inches long, and weigh about 0.2 oz.

Price: $72 (shipping is free)

6mm ruby earrings

Here are some pink rubies to go along with the pink sapphires I posted earlier.  The first two pictures of these were taken outdoors in direct sunlight, and the third indoors with a flash.  The stones measure 6mm in diameter, and weigh about 1.11 carats each.  I set them in sterling silver.

Price: $28.70 (shipping is free)

Rhodonite faceted 6mm necklace + earrings

Here's some lovely raspberry pink rhodonite!  (I have another rhodonite necklace here, by the way.)  Rhodonite is often found with black streaks and spots, but these beads are a pretty uniform pink.  They are cut into faceted rounds, 6mmm in diameter.  I strung them with Bali sterling silver twisted coil beads, and finished with a sterling silver lobster clasp.  The finished length is 18.5 inches, with a weight of 1.2 oz.

I made matching earrings by hanging the beads from Bali sterling silver dangles.  (The headpins and French hooks used are also sterling silver.)  The total bead dangle length is about 2 inches.  The earrings weigh 0.3 oz.

Price: $51

Pink tourmaline 6x4 oval faceted earrings

Tourmaline comes in several different colors besides pink, including black, blue, green, yellow, and red.  In fact, a single crystal can exhibit more than one color.  These particular gems are a very strong magenta pink.  They weight about 0.48 carats each, and I set them in sterling silver.

Price: $24.90 (shipping is free)

Rose quartz pear cabochon earrings

This pair of pear-shaped cabochons are rose quartz, measuring 7x5mm and weighing about 0.84 carats each.  I set them in sterling silver.  The total weight of the earrings is less than 0.1 oz.

Price: $12.40 (shipping is free)

Pink shell necklace + earrings

I don't know anything about these shell beads except that they're pink, and very pretty.  They're cut into little rondelles, about 4mm in diameter and about 2.5mm thick.  I strung them with 3.5mm Bali silver saucer beads, and finished with a silver lobster clasp.

The necklace is 17.75 inches long, and weighs 0.4 oz.

I made matching earrings by stringing more pink shell rondelles onto silver 0.75 inch hoops.  The earrings are very light, less than 0.1 oz.

Price: $37.90 (shipping is free)