Pretty Good Jewelry

Rainbow obsidian square-diamond bead-link necklace + earrings

Here's some gorgeous rainbow obsidian for you.  This is a really good batch: just look at that rainbow effect when the sun hits the beads!

I'm a sucker for that square diamond shape.  The diamonds measure between 20 and 21mm from corner to corner.  I joined each with gold-filled wire, and finished with a vermeil s-clasp from India.

The finished length is 21.75 inches, but you can wear it shorter by clasping the hook between two beads as shown.  The necklace weighs 2.5 oz.

I made matching earrings with gold-filled French hooks and vermeil charms.  The dangles are about 1.5 inches, and the earrings weigh 0.3 oz.

Price: $58 (shipping is free)

Copper full persian chain maille necklace

This weave is the "full persian 6-in-1", otherwise known as the foxtail weave.  It's an airy looking weave and it turned out fairly well, except for one mistake which I feel compelled to point out.  You can see it at the bottom curve of the 2nd picture.
Here's a closeup: (click on the picture to get a better view).
It isn't hugely apparent, though.

Okay, down to vital statistics.  The rings for the weave are copper and so is the hook & eye clasp.  The necklace is about 20 inches long and 6-7mm thick, with a weight of 1.3 oz.

Price: $40 (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)

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)

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 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)

Hypersthene 7mm necklace + earrings

These hypersthene beads are a very deep brown, almost black.  Their highly polished glassy surfaces have chatoyant depths.  Gorgeous!  (I have another hypersthene necklace here.)

I strung the beads with Bali vermeil spacers, and finished with a vermeil s-clasp.  The finished length is 18 3/8 inches, with a weight of 1.3 oz.

I made matching earrings with gold-filled headpins and French hooks.
The dangles are 1 1/4 inches long, and the earrings weigh 0.2 oz.

Price: $47 (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)

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)

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)