New Gemstones and Pearls

One of my favorite parts of any conference, and SNAG (Society of North American Goldsmiths) was no exception, is the vendor area. I found some great new sources for gemstones and pearls to accent my upcoming work.

azurite geode pair

First off, Gangi Gems sucked me in with tables filled with wondrous colors and items I'd never seen before, such as this azurite geode pair. I don't have any idea yet how I will mount these, prongs probably, but I visualize them dangling in earrings.

larimar pears, dendritic agate triangle, cherry creek jasper oval pair

These pear-shaped larimar cabs are destined for focal pieces in necklaces or brooches. The dendritic agate looks perfect to pair with oxidized and bright silver. I love the many colors of cherry creek jasper, so this matched cab pair will also get an original earring design.

pearls

Next, the perfectly named King's Ransom enticed me with pearls in every color and shape. Not the common cheap pearls, but high quality (expensive!) pearls, such as matched half-drilled ivory teardrops and the black rounds. These champagne silver pearl beads are destined to be earring drops on my oxidized silver Moonflower earrings.

moonstone and aquamarines

Atlas Gemstones was a busy booth, with boxes full of gems in labeled plastic bags to peruse, as well as amazing carved stones, beads, cabochons and faceted stones of every size and color. I think I looked at every bag in those boxes, but the stones that called me back were aquamarines and a really nice oval moonstone. There were some amazing labaradorites that may haunt me.

faceted pear-shaped citrine

Finally, in the last minutes of the show, an elongated pear faceted citrine with color changing along its length called my name from the Jewellery Jamboree Gems booth. I'm thinking some 18k gold accents will look lovely with it on blackened silver.

Auditioning Stones

Stones are everywhere in jewelry nowadays, and I find myself also drawn to them even more than usual. As I've started anew in the studio this year, I've been pulling out the stash and exploring what I can do with the stones I've collected over time. Of course, I want to shop for new stones (more on that soon), but I need to utilize what I already own.

So I whipped up some 6mm bezel cup studs to hang flower drops from. It's time to set stones and I'm trying to decide which direction to go. It seems lately that most of what I've made is in the aqua family, like these gorgeous rainbow topazes, but there are plenty of other choices. I purchased several sets of rose cut stones last summer, including these amethysts.

There are more contrasty options available, like salmon coral, shown here (the color is too intense on my monitor; it's paler in real life) with another plain light blue topaz.

Or perhaps a neutral would be better, like moonstone? Then again, green is the color of the year (and my personal favorite), so perhaps the best combo is these rose cut peridots.

What do you think?