Snow Quartz Ave Maria

This piece features an AM monogram centerpiece (Ave Maria) and a dove link, both bronze recasts of antique medals.  I used 4mm and 6mm snow quartz beads, the smaller of which display a distinct frosty sparkle.  Unfortunately the camera neglected to observe the finer details.  All findings are Vintaj brass.  The necklace is 16" long, and comes with matching snow quartz earrings and bracelet.  Both necklace and bracelet come with extension chains.

UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WEAR:

"Snow quartz is just that: quartz that looks pure and fresh as snow. Its cloudy, opaque look comes from microscopic inclusions that were incased in the crystal when it first began growing. Quartz is the most common mineral on earth, and white is its second most common color. But there's nothing common about the beauty and versatility of snow quartz beads. Gold prospectors know of its value. When they go out prospecting for gold, they keep their eyes peeled for snow quartz, because the gold they want is so often attached to it."  (Fire Mountain Gems and Beads)

Hematite/Gunmetal St. Joan of Arc

I made this piece especially for me.  The medals are sterling silver, depicting St. Joan on horseback and the Lorraine Cross with thistles.  The beads are 6mm hematite with 4mm gunmetal accent beads on stainless steel eye pins with a platinum-plated lobster clasp.

UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WEAR:

St. Joan's hometown of Domrémy is located in the Lorraine region, hence the Lorraine Cross and the thistle, the official flower of the region.  "The Cross of Lorraine (French: Croix de Lorraine) is originally a heraldic cross. The two-barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. In the ancient version, both bars were of the same length. In 20th century use it is "graded" with the upper bar being the shorter. The Lorraine name has come to signify several cross variations, including the patriarchal cross with its bars near the top. . . . The Lorraine cross was carried to the Crusades by the original Knights Templar, granted to them for their use by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. . . . The Cross of Lorraine is part of the heraldic arms of Lorraine in eastern France. . . . During World War II, Capitaine de corvette Thierry d'Argenlieu suggested the Cross of Lorraine as the symbol of the Free French Forces led by Charles de Gaulle as an answer to the Nazi swastika.  The Cross was displayed on the flags of Free French warships, and the fuselages of Free French aircraft. The medal of the Order of Liberation bears the Cross of Lorraine. . . . French Jesuit missionaries and settlers to the New World carried the Cross of Lorraine c. 1750-1810. The symbol was said to have helped the missionaries to convert the native peoples they encountered, because the two armed cross resembled existing local imagery."  (Wikipedia)

"Hematite is a mineral, colored black to steel or silver-gray, brown to reddish brown, or red. It is mined as the main ore of iron. . . . While the forms of hematite vary, they all have a rust-red streak. Hematite is harder than pure iron, but much more brittle. . . . Huge deposits of hematite are found in banded iron formations. Gray hematite is typically found in places where there has been standing water or mineral hot springs, such as those in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. The mineral can precipitate out of water and collect in layers at the bottom of a lake, spring, or other standing water. Hematite can also occur without water, however, usually as the result of volcanic activity. . . . The name hematite is derived from the Greek word for blood αἷμα haima because hematite can be red, as in rouge, a powdered form of hematite. The color of hematite lends it well in use as a pigment. The English name of the stone is derived from Middle French: Hématite Pierre, which was imported from Latin: Lapis Hæmatites, which originated from Ancient Greek: αἱματίτης λίθος (haimatitēs lithos, “blood-red stone”). . . . Hematite's popularity in jewelry was at its highest in Europe during the Victorian era, and has since seen a strong resurgence in North America, especially in the western United States."  (Wikipedia)

Shell Choker

This was a casual piece I threw together.  The crosses are made of shell. separated by 4mm black glass beads and strung on nylon-coated stainless steel beading wire with a platinum-plated lobster clasp in the back.  The entire piece is only 15" long.

Feldspar/Pyrite Holy Eucharist

For your brown wardrobe, we have a lovely bronze image of the Holy Eucharist hanging from the Seven Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  The findings and wire are Vintaj brass, the beads gray feldspar and pyrite (also known as fool's gold).  The medals are recasts of original antique pieces.  The necklace is 16.5" long with the pendant adding an additional 2".

On the backs of the medals are an image of the Sacred Heart and a French inscription which appeared on the original medal.

UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WEAR:

"The name "feldspar" derives from the German words Feld, "field", and Spath, "a rock that does not contain ore".  . . . Feldspar is a common raw material used in glassmaking, ceramics, and to some extent as a filler and extender in paint, plastics, and rubber. In glassmaking, alumina from feldspar improves product hardness, durability, and resistance to chemical corrosion.  . . . In earth sciences and archaeology, feldspars are used for K-Ar dating, argon-argon dating, thermoluminescence dating and optical dating.   In October 2012, the Mars Curiosity rover analyzed a rock that turned out to have a high feldspar content.  (Wikipedia)"

"The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. This mineral's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold because of its superficial resemblance to gold. The color has also led to the nicknames brass, brazzle and Brazil, primarily used to refer to pyrite found in coal. . . . Pyrite is the most common of the sulfide minerals. The name pyrite is derived from the Greek πυρίτης (puritēs), "of fire" or "in fire", in turn from πύρ (pur), "fire".  In ancient Roman times, this name was applied to several types of stone that would create sparks when struck against steel; Pliny the Elder described one of them as being brassy, almost certainly a reference to what we now call pyrite.  By Georgius Agricola's time, the term had become a generic term for all of the sulfide minerals. . . . Pyrite enjoyed brief popularity in the 16th and 17th centuries as a source of ignition in early firearms, most notably the wheellock, where the cock held a lump of pyrite against a circular file to strike the sparks needed to fire the gun. . . . Pyrite has been used since classical times to manufacture copperas, that is, iron(II) sulfate.  . . . Pyrite remains in commercial use for the production of sulfur dioxide, for use in such applications as the paper industry, and in the manufacture of sulfuric acid.  . . . Pyrite is used to make marcasite jewelry (incorrectly termed marcasite).  Marcasite jewelry, made from small faceted pieces of pyrite, often set in silver, was popular in the Victorian era."  (Wikipedia)

Pearl St. Therese

This piece was commissioned by my parents for their god-daughter.  It is 16" long, made of white cultured freshwater pearls on nylon-coated stainless steel beading wire.  The findings are platinum plated brass, and the St. Therese medal is sterling silver.  The back of the medal is blank.

Simple yet elegant, I think this is a great style for weddings.

UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WEAR:

"A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a clam, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls (baroque pearls) occur. The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries, and because of this, the word pearl has become a metaphor for something very rare, fine, admirable, and valuable.  The most valuable pearls occur spontaneously in the wild, but they are extremely rare. These wild pearls are referred to as natural pearls. Cultured or farmed pearls from pearl oysters and freshwater mussels make up the majority of those that are currently sold."  (Wikipedia)

Hematite Miraculous Medal

This was my first attempt at serious jewelry making.  The style (if not the technique) was so successful I made one for my sister as well.  The necklace is 17.5" long, made with alternating 4mm and 6mm gray hematite beads strung with black string and finished with platinum plated brass findings.  The Miraculous Medal is sterling silver.

UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WEAR:

"Hematite is a mineral, colored black to steel or silver-gray, brown to reddish brown, or red. It is mined as the main ore of iron. . . . While the forms of hematite vary, they all have a rust-red streak. Hematite is harder than pure iron, but much more brittle. . . . Huge deposits of hematite are found in banded iron formations. Gray hematite is typically found in places where there has been standing water or mineral hot springs, such as those in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. The mineral can precipitate out of water and collect in layers at the bottom of a lake, spring, or other standing water. Hematite can also occur without water, however, usually as the result of volcanic activity. . . . The name hematite is derived from the Greek word for blood αἷμα haima because hematite can be red, as in rouge, a powdered form of hematite. The color of hematite lends it well in use as a pigment. The English name of the stone is derived from Middle French: Hématite Pierre, which was imported from Latin: Lapis Hæmatites, which originated from Ancient Greek: αἱματίτης λίθος (haimatitēs lithos, “blood-red stone”). . . . Hematite's popularity in jewelry was at its highest in Europe during the Victorian era, and has since seen a strong resurgence in North America, especially in the western United States."  (Wikipedia)

Rethink Traditional

Feel free to express yourself.