James Foster just published a collection of videos from his ‘Introduction to GemStone’ presentation at Smalltalks 2009:

This year (my third) I presented an Introduction to GemStone and I was able to capture the session on video. I’ve made a series of six movies, each less than 10 minutes, and posted them to YouTube.

DalMare Jewelry

Faceted Smoky Quartz and Freshwater Pearl Necklace

Notes from the Artist:

This lovely necklace is made with a 15×20mm faceted Madagascan Smoky Quartz briolette gemstone, 6mm Smoky Quartz gemstones, 5mm cultured Freshwater Pearls, Bali .925 sterling silver and small glass beads. The necklace measures 16-3/4″ in length and closes with a sterling silver hook clasp.

BE ADorned Jewelry is carefully packaged in a gift box and shipped within two business days of receiving payment.

This post is long overdue as these items have been sitting in the queue for weeks now. It was entirely inspired by these fantastic earrings by FunkyLobez on Etsy.

Pumpkin Spice by FunkyLobez on etsy

Now what to put with them…

How about a pixiebell hat ( love pixiebell’s hats, variety of colors and styles)

either

cable beret in butterscotch by pixiebell on etsy

chunky cloche hat in butterscotch with amber buttons by pixiebell on etsy

Cabled Front Alpaca Leg Warmers in Rusty Orange by kraftlady20

which is on sale btw . I particularly adore coats and jackets. Well structured ones always tend to fit and look great.

For a necklace perhaps

firefly...fiery orange_gold_red sapphire gold filled arc necklace by bellajewelsll on etsy

fiery necklace by lindenoak on etsy

fiery infused glass and gold leaves bracelet by martimouse on etsy

pocket pal wallet in golden delicious by jennalou06 on etsy

and for a little fun, why not throw these in your pocket

and if you like larger carrying capacity why not try this bag

colors of fall hand felted bad by crafts2cherish on etsy

And for when you want to wear boots but you’re afraid it might get too warm…

gotta break up those warm colors with something.

Now certainly don’t go overboard and do it all at once, but if you’re fired up for Autumn and into sunrises, go take a closer look at some of these. (clicking the pictures with take you to more info on each item and the shop it came from )

Enjoy!

As always, if you have more to add, please post in comments!

I Don’t Know how to form a Perfect Person.

I do know, a perfect gemstone is formed by a Master Craftsman taking away… not adding more.

I am enjoying a peanut butter and cheese bread roll.

Split Barion Emerald Cut

Tanzanite (just a little something I cut a while back)

Perhaps I should mount on those Stainless Shoes I’d so much like to have you in?

It was just announced that the power to our Beaverton offices will be shutdown Friday afternoon for ‘emergency’ power maintence between 1pm PST and 6pm PST.

I am looking into alternative hosting, but with such short notice, it isn’t likely that we will be able to move GemSource and the rest of the services hosted on seaside.gemstone.com. If you were planning on downloading anything Friday afternoon, you’ll need to change your plans.

*Newsflash*…

Jamie Crowe has disappeared !!!   I know something has happened to him. But what? He hasn’t been in school all week.

What if something bad has happened? What if he was kidnapped? In the interest of safety, Sarah Buckley and I came up with a plan to find out what was going on. We asked Graham and Sam to help us … It’s about time we put Graham’s sneaky tricks to use

We figured that if Jamie Crowe wasn’t around – no-one would notice if we had a little snoop through his things…right? (Except for that inspector, she really seems to be keeping a close eye on us lately)

Sarah Buckley and I planned to get the key to Jamie Crowe’s locker. How did we get the key?Well, that story is for you, and you only, Secret Diary…

This is where my fab detective skills came in to play. See, there’s a master-key that can open any locker in the school. And it’s  kept in the top drawer of Mr.Rhatigan’s desk. We had to get that key! Soooo…we kinda got Graham to play a little trick on Rhats. Was it wrong? Maybe. Was it funny? Totally! Here’s what happened…

During class, Graham began to Riverdance on his desk. At first Rhats was annoyed, he started shouting for him to get down. But then Graham spun a story about how dancing was important to our education. Rhats fell for it, and decided to join in! So there we all were, laughing our heads off, doing “de Mike Flatley” as Rhatigan called it – and suddenly, Graham fell off the desk. But he didn’t just fall on the floor- HE FELL ON MR.RHATIGAN!!! crash! bang! wallop! I kid you not.

So, while Graham was being dragged to the principal’s office for creaming a teacher  -Sarah Buckley and I had loads of time to get to the desk – and to the key we were looking for. Thanks Graham!:)

After all those fun and games…we had to get down to the  important business of our Jamie Crowe detective work. And we found all sorts of stuff in his locker. Here’s what we found !

1. A crow’s feather – Could it be from Jamie Crowe himself? Is he really just a crow? Like one of those “shapeshifters”? Maybe he’s not even human?

2. Pictures – one of a crow(a self-portrait maybe?) and a picture of an old woman(a really old woman – no joke, even the picture’s ancient!) Could Jamie Crowe have come all the way from the past? I remember he said before that he wasn’t 12years old…

3. A blue gemstone – I don’t even know where to start with this one!

4. Jamie Crowe’s phone! Sarah Buckley and I have been fighting over this one all day …should we keep it? I can’t decide whether to look through his texts or not? I mean… this is the clue we’ve been looking for all along. Urgh I CAN’T DECIDE!!! All this time waiting for a major clue to crop up and now I have to choose between right(putting the phone back in the locker) and wrong(taking it home and reading all of his messages!).

The screen saver on Jamie Crowe’s mobile was pretty weird-looking too… I looked up the symbol on the internet, turns out it’s Egyptian??? EYE-OF-HORUS

So…many…clues !!! I’m nearly hyperventilating from excitement !!! Where the heck did all this come from !!!

So i was watching Sam’s class Vlog today – I wonder if there’s any truth in this story? THE GHOST OF ST.FERDIA’S

So now I have Jamie Crowe’s mobile. Should I snoop through his texts?? My gut feeling is… um…heck yes!

It will be nice to have a place to post my rocks:

An extraordinary hand cut Arizona Fire Agate Cabochon!

I attached sterling silver link chains to sterling silver earwires.  Varying sizes, shapes and cuts of gemstones were wired into the chains and include Peruvian Opal, Garnet, Peridot, Aquamarine and Labradorite.  Faceted Green Onyx briolettes finish the dangles, and the contrast between the peridot and rich greens give it a kaleidescope quality. The earrings measure 1 and 3/4 inches from the point of the earwires to the tip of the briolettes.

This item is available on my website: www.gemmsdream.com or Artfire.

1. Choose your favourite Gemstone ‘base’ necklace.

2. Then personalise with your choice of charms (Swarovski, Silver & Gemstone).

3. Your bespoke jewellery is a truly thoughtful gift (and lovely to keep too!)

Belong brings together semi-precious gemstones, Swarovski crystals & Sterling Silver charms in their exclusive ‘Wish Upon a Charm’ Collection designed especially for you to create your own bespoke jewellery.

Wish your friend help in finding new love, to heal a broken heart or offer a protecting arm around them on their travels with a natural gemstone.  Or add a silver charm if you know someone who loves a good chat on the phone or perhaps likes to have her cake and eat it!

Whether you choose the natural gemstones for their healing properties or you just like the colours, show your friend you care with a personally chosen, bespoke necklace made especially for you.  Available on six chain lengths your bespoke necklace is boxed along with information on each stone chosen.

The prong settings also known as the claw setting is very common in a ring especially for the solitaire engagement rings. Most of us have already seen prong settings. The prong setting is the basket-like base in a ring that holds the ring’s gemstone. The end of the prongs will then be bent over to give the gemstone a snug fit. Prong’s ends can be rounded, oval, points, v-shapes, flat, or into decorative shapes. It can also be set tall, or short.

Now that you know what a prong setting is and how does it looks and set, it is now important for you to know the pros and cons of it before finally choose the ring prong settings.

The pros of prong settings include its ability to make your gemstone more visible as prongs are tiny enough. As compared to other intricate settings, prong setting are quicker to make and thus they are more likely less expensive, and those stones that are placed in prongs are easier to clean.

On the other side of the story, prong settings also have cons including its less protection to the stone as compared to other more enclosed settings. This is because, with prong settings, the girdle area of the gemstone is not covered. One more disadvantage of prong settings is its tendency to snag clothing or other items that the user may touches.

Now that you already know the pros and cons of a prong setting, it is now time to evaluate before deciding.                                

• When buying for a ring with a prong setting, one must see to it that the gemstone has a perfect fit with the prongs, and that the stones must not shake around.
• One must check and make sure that the prongs are formed to let the stone sit in the right, safe, and even height and not the other way around.
• If you choose the have a ring with a very thin prongs, you must be aware that you gemstone is at risk on this kind of prong settings as it will tear or wear away.
• One must also take note that hooked prongs will open up in due time. Hooked prongs are the ones that has the prong end has an open loop before it touches the gemstone.
• Short prongs on the other hand may have the tendency to snag clothing and other items, and short prongs are short enough to offer enough contact with the gemstone making your gemstone to be less safe.
• Do not let your gemstone to be overpowered by its super large prongs as it may turn out to be unattractive.

Now that you already know what a prong is, how does it look like, its pros and cons, and how to evaluate it, you must also take note that tall, and narrow settings  of prongs can be harsh to your baby’s delicate skin with just one single mistake of your hand moves, if you are planning to have one.

The art of lapidary is to place the color properly to make the same tone of the cut stone. The distribution of the color in a cut stone is observed by immersing it in water held in a container and colourless. Corundum Corundum is composed of pure alumina ; its colouring is by reason of metallic oxide traces or encompassments. Gems are usually found in sediment, but come either from basaltic slag, or from metamorphosed limestone. Tourmaline coloured tourmalines relevant to sodolithic pegmatite.
Dream Fantasy Swarovski Crystal Bracelet
One distinguishes 2 principal kinds of tourmalines : the hexagonal type and the triangular one. The Mine of Anjanabonoina, located in the high plateaus, produced rubellites, green tourmalines, and a variety of rare stones. Garnet The Besafotra stream carry the spessartites on many kilometers from their source, possibly a sodolitic pegmatite.

This discovery remains phenomenal by the quality of its product and also by the proven fact that it was actually the second deposit in the world to deliver this type of Malaya garnet. All the geometrical operations which bring about a repetition of the pattern are called operations of symmetry. Cutting Styles Table, Crown, Girdle, Pavilion, Culet. Fancy Styles Back to Top Shield Cut, Trillant Cut. Swarovski Goddess’ Gift Crystal Earrings

The microscope is of first significance in the detection of counterfeits.

Madagascar gem safari At the time of the great dryness in the south, sapphire samples are found on the ground, several centuries after their first discovery. In actual fact one of the most pretty quality in the world is just leaving ground. Rare Stones Safari The Yellow orthoclase from Itrongay, was discovered in eluvium, but comes out of a pegmatite with diopside of a particularly special type, which presents the single characteristic to be made from transparent minerals only . About Ilakak It is in the entrancees of the downwards brook named Ilakaka that the 1st sapphires were discovered in 1998.

Red Cherry Crytsal Drop Earrings

The excavations follow the gravel deposits which the Madagascans call lalam’ bato, ( the way of stones. Sakalama This sapphire of natural color, thus untreated was found in alluvium in the sandstones. This is the reason why it doesn’t have any more its initial shape. The 1st deposits consist of conglomerates, gravels and sands, One finds there elements of rocks and minerals : quartz, feldspars, micas, zircons, tourmalines, ilmenites, magnetite, monazite, rutile, chrysoberyls, corundum. Andranondambo Area The occurrences of the Andranondambo area were industrially exploited since 1993 and have been almost deserted few years on.

actually , it is very tough to exploit sapphire direct in the mother rock, as the corundum isn’t concentrated enough. This sapphire was sold as a Kashmir Sapphire by some dealers on the world market. Pakistan Gem Safari The north areas hides treasures, such of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, aquamarines, topazes, tourmalines etc . This is at the occasion of one of our trips in the valley, that some kids tolled us that they discovered some fragments of emerald in the Swat river.
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The art of jewelry is to place the color correctly to make the equal tone of the cut stone. The distribution of the color in a cut stone is observed simply by immersing it in water held in a limpid container and dull. Gems are typically found in sediment, but come either from basaltic slag, or from metamorphosed limestone. Tourmaline colored tourmalines relevant to sodolithic pegmatite.
Chocolate Heart Crystal Pave Bracelet
One distinguishes 2 principal sorts of tourmalines : the hexagonal type and the triangular one. The Mine of Anjanabonoina, found in the high plateaus, produced rubellites, green tourmalines, and a variety of rare stones.
Malaya Garnet Discovery This excellent chromium-spessartite garnet from Madagascar was found in its footing in 1996.
Crystalline Systems seven systems of crystallization : There are 32 probabilities of mixtures of the components of symmetry. All the geometrical operations which bring about a repetition of the pattern are called operations of symmetry. Cutting Styles Table, Crown, Girdle, Pavilion, Culet. Fancy Styles Back to Top Shield Cut, Trillant Cut.
Swarovski Six-color Flower Crystal Pendant

Gemology Microscopes : the binocular one, i.e. The microscope is of first importance in the detection of counterfeits. Indeed, the study of inclusions which the stone can contain is a functional means to spot the gems while explaining to a certain scope the conditions under which they were formed in nature.
Size & Weight Back to Top Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald. Madagascar gem safari At the time of the great dryness in the south, sapphire samples are found on the ground, several centuries after their first discovery. In fact one of the most pretty quality in the world is just leaving ground. About Ilakak It is in the entryes of the downwards brook named Ilakaka that the first sapphires were found in 1998.

The excavations follow the gravel deposits which the Madagascans call lalam’ bato, ( the way of stones. Sakalama This sapphire of natural color, so untreated was found in sediment in the sandstones. This is the reason why it does not have any more its initial shape. The 1st deposits consist of conglomerates, gravels and sands, One unearths there parts of rocks and minerals : quartz, feldspars, micas, zircons, tourmalines, ilmenites, magnetite, monazite, rutile, chrysoberyls, corundum. Andranondambo Area The occurrences of the Andranondambo area were industrially exploited since 1993 and have been nearly deserted few years on.

actually , it is very hard to exploit sapphire direct in the mum rock, as the corundum is not concentrated enough. This sapphire was sold as a Kashmir Sapphire by some dealers on the global market. This is at the occasion of one of our visits in the valley, that some youngsters tolled us that they found some bits of emerald in the Swat river.
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JASPER a quartz as clear as crystal 

JASPER

THE FIRST FOUNDATION OF THE NEW CITY-SCENE VII

Personal Note:

Please note that the information listed is derived from many sources and research regarding the stones is ongoing.  It is difficult to use information of our current times when in biblical times that information may have been different (note the post regarding Emeralds when it is posted).

Obtaining the stones for the New City was my first endeavor when initiating supplies needed for the painting.  I focused on the “bible” names and nothing more.  When I began soliciting for and collecting stones from all over the world, I took their literal “bible” meaning.  Jasper is an excellent example of the confusion and controversy I began to face.

Jasper is noted to be mainly reds and browns most commonly.  There are banded and spotted in nearly all colors.  I imagined the stone used was red, perhaps banded with browns, blacks and yellow/whites as it was the most commonly seen stone with research.  There were blues (ocean jasper) which were magnificent but rare.  I wondered if the blue was the correct stone to use in order to illuminate the heavenly blue colors of God’s New City.

It was not until several years later I realized my error!  I had been collecting the wrong color all along.  I had read Revelation so many times and missed what I now understand jasper to be.  I began to research the stones from ancient times, scientifically, geologically, metaphysically and any way to develop a true understanding of exactly what each stone signifies. 

As I have previously stated: “I am not religious but I am learning”, and in that growth I tried to walk a mile in another “man’s” shoes to find out exactly what was on God’s mind when he mastered the architecture of his New City.  I imagine the plan was to mark HIS New City with HIS glory which SHINES like the sun.  What a better stone to use to crown HIS glory!

Referring to God and The New City from various biblical text:

• Rev. 4:3 And he that sat was to the sight like the jasper and sardine stone
• Rev. 4:6 …and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal…
• Rev. 21:11 Having the glory of God, and the light thereof was like to a precious stone, as to the jasper stone, even as crystal… (SECOND TRANSLATION: …having the glory of God.  … brilliance was like a very costly stone of crystal-clear jasper.)
• Rev. 21:23 And the city hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon to shine in it.  For the glory of God hath enlightened it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.

FACTS REGARDING JASPER:

• Quartz is divided into two types:
• Macrocrystalline-Crystals are visible with the unaided eye.
• Cryptocrystalline-A microscope is required to see the individual crystals.
• Jasper is quartz of the cryptocrystalline type that can be of two distinct types; micro granular and fibrous.
• Quartz makes up 12% of the earth’s crust. (ODDLY ABUNDANT-REMEMBER THAT WHEN READING ABOUT THE STONES IN VARIOUS BLOGS.  A MYSTERY OF REVELATION WILL BE REVEALED IN THE BLOG SHORTLY BEFORE THE PAINTING IS UNVEILED 12/2010 WHICH WILL CHANGE HISTORY~!)
• As the most abundant mineral on earth, quartz and jasper are found all over the world.
• Jasper is often multicolored, banded or spotted and is commonly found in reds and browns.
• Has long been used as tools for hardness; spears and axes.
• Helps cure liver, intestinal ailments, stomach, gynecological, and cleanse the body of toxins.
• The stone was once believed to cure insanity with God’s help, and heal demon possessed.
• Egyptians placed amulets on the deceased as jasper was believed to create a safe passage in death.
• Protective, calming, offers stability, and balances the emotional and intellectual.
• Known as “the great rain bearer” in the fourth century.
• Origin of the name Jasper is Greek: iaspis.
• Brings happiness, aids in sleep, protective properties.

Major sources of Jasper include:

Venezuela, Germany, North Africa, Brazil, Canada, United States, Madagascar, Russia, Ural Mountains, India, Sicily, France, Egypt, Uruguay, Australia, Kazakhstan 

 
More information and addendums will be added as discovery occurs.

Rubies have for a bit been thought to have remedialeffects in deal withing both the blood and matters of the heart.

Yes that is theEfficacyand the wonderful thing about a ruby! The deep rich color of the ruby goes from fiery orange red to deep purple red. For centuries it has been used to heal and protect. Squaddies wore the ruby into battle due to its safeguarding qualities. The crown of Charles IV of Luxembourg from the 1300s held a gem quality ruby that was a large 250 carats. The Smithsonian is hometown to a 137 carat cabochon star ruby.

Don’t go for size go for quality. Rubies are treated with heat to improve their color.

The more clear purple the less the cost. When buying your ruby look for a clear stone with few inclusions. The cut of the ruby Artless Handmade Swarovski Silver Chainis critical. Check the stone under good lighting to promise there are no chips or scratches.
Burma is the most vital source of rubies today. Thailand is mythical for dark red to brownish rubies. Ceylon [Sri Lanka] is mythical for medium to light rubies. The ruby is drenched in history. It’s history is recorded as far back as the Bible and conventional Sanskrit papers. It is the sister to the sapphire from the corundum family which is a crystal fabric composed from aluminum oxide. Ruby is the most costly member of the corundum family. Rubies are also being producen in a lab and are becoming feasible in the market in limited quantities. These grown rubies are of matching composition, toughness, and brilliance to natural rubies. Synthetic rubies are also available for a tiny fraction of the cost. So for those among us with more limited pocket books we may have to take a look at getting a synthetic or lab grown ruby.

nobody can match the charm and puzzle of the striking ruby gem stone!
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CHALCEDONY

THE THIRD FOUNDATION IN THE NEW CITY SCENE VII

Chalcedony is a quartz, specifically a microcrystalline (the crystals are too small to be seen by any other means other than high magnification) quartz.  Named after the ancient seaport of Chalcedon in Turkey or Greece (I will research more into the origin and edit appropriately).  It is usually sold as Chalcedony if translucency is visible and of a single color.  Other microcrystalline sold under various names which do not meet the before stated criteria.  Visually Chalcedony is the finer specimen.  An example stone not meeting the criteria is Jasper; a close relative, (please see the blog on Quartz).

 Chalcedony comes in a variety of colors and is most known for its sky blue.  Initially a far better stone in the 12 foundations to illuminate the heavenly blue skies I imagined.  Upon soliciting stones from all over the world, it was the blue which I requested unknowing then, it was the wrong color.  My collection of carat weight Chalcedony in rough and faceted form is vast in the blue colors.

I only found within the last year that it was the red I needed for accuracy in the mystery I have uncovered about the foundation stones which have been missed throughout all time!  Translucent red chalcedony; otherwise known as Carnelian, owes its red to color to hematite (iron oxide).