IN THE SAFE
A designer is always collecting stones to incorporate into future projects. It’s almost like we can’t help ourselves when we find a source for stones or go to a show. We would rather deal with the problem of having too many stones to choose from for a design idea than not having that one we want when it’s needed. So, the perpetual pursuit for beautiful stones happily carries on….
I’m not sure what I have more of though: ideas in my head for jewelry pieces or stones in the safe for future jewelry pieces. Whatever the case may be, I wanted to showcase some projects in process and some fun stones that hopefully will soon be projects in process. Share your ideas if you get inspired by something you see.
OPAL SUITE
Opal is found all over the world – some of the most prevalent places being Ethiopia, Indonesia, Brazil, and in a few places in the United States. However, the opal found in Lightning Ridge, Australia is unrivaled in its beauty and stability/hardness, which makes it ideal for fine jewelry. Some of the most precious examples of Lightning Ridge opals show a play of color and patterns over a black body. This suite of Lightning Ridge black opals is an extraordinary example of rolling harlequin and mackerel patterns. Individually, each piece would make a glorious piece of jewelry, but to have them in a set and each one maintaining the same pattern and range of play of color will make a piece of jewelry fit for a queen.
COLOR CHANGE GARNET
Besides diamond, garnet may be one of the most plentiful gem stone variety in the world. However, the vast majority of garnets found are too dark or included to be used in fine jewelry. Only a miniscule percentage are of sufficient clarity and color to be fit for faceting. Garnets may have the widest range of color of any of the gem stone species. They can be anywhere from completely water clear, to candy-apple green, to bright orange, to raspberry red. Of the miniscule percentage of facetable garnets, an infinitesimal number of those have color-changing properties. Due to their chemical properties, color change garnets show different colors in different light. To find color-change garnet in large sizes is an anomaly.
This particular example of color-change garnet comes from Tanzania and shows a stark color change in an unusually large size. When sunlight shines on this stone it strikes me as ruby-like. When under incandescent light, this stone changes character to be like a violate sapphire. Besides Lightning Ridge opal, garnet is my favorite stone to cut. This stone is destined to become an extraordinary piece of jewelry for someone special.
Lightning Ridge
crystal opals
I envision these extraordinary Lightning Ridge crystal opals at the center of a stunning pair earrings. I love that they aren’t perfectly symmetrical, which is a characteristic I’m drawn to when I design. The play of color in this pair ranges from electric blue to deep purple. No single photograph can capture an opal’s change of character at any given moment; that’s a big reason why opals are so magical.
Zircon
I fell in love with heat-treated Zircon when I saw the intoxicating blue in a display case at the Carlsbad GIA campus. Some people will confuse zircon with man-made cubic zirconia, which has been used as a diamond substitute in jewelry. However, zircon is a natural gem stone that often comes out of the ground in a range of hues from brown-red to green. When properly heated without chemicals, they turn a brilliant blue like those pictured above. Zircon has a high refractive index which means that when faceted with the right angles they have a brilliance that rivals diamond. I am working on a suite of zircons that will work nicely with some sapphires and turquoise in a future piece.
purple garnet
I do love me some purple garnet from Tanzania. These are the beginning of a suite of graduated oval cuts destined for a necklace. Or, maybe they’ll turn into a couple sets of earrings if the wind blows a different direction. No matter, I love working with garnets because they are still relatively inexpensive, but pack a big bang for the buck. Also, they are a pleasure to facet compared to some other gem material. I believe gem quality garnets are the most under-rated gem stone. They are extremely bright stones (meaning they internally reflect light quite well), they come in just about every color imaginable, and when set with white diamonds or silver sapphires, the contrasting color is magnificent. There will be many garnet pieces coming in the near future. I have been fortunate enough to find some real beauties to facet for specific project specifications.
faceted Mexican
fire opal
I just can’t get enough Mexican fire opal. I buy it whenever I can get a good deal on it. Most people go for the play of color variety of this gem stone, but I like what is known as “jelly opal.” Basically, jelly opal just doesn’t have play of color. Paula Crevoshay’s magnificent jewelry pieces showed me that this material performs quite well in jewelry when it is faceted. I have been refining my faceting designs for it over time and when I find a quality piece of rough to facet, people can’t believe they are looking at an opal. They swear they are looking at a sapphire. There is no end in sight of the inspiration I get from working with this material.
Cabochon Mexican fire opal
For all the fun I have with faceted Mexican fire opal, it is the play of color cabochon that drew me in to this material from the beginning. I remember walking down Prospect Street in downtown La Jolla and seeing the most stunning cluster necklace in a jewelry store window containing dozens of play of color Mexican fire opal cabochons. It was the first time I thought of making jewelry for my wife. The greens and purples that flash over/inside of a body ranging in colors from deep cherry red to water clear are almost as magical as play of color Lightning Ridge black opal. I can’t wait to start incorporating these little cabochons into future designs.
Australian opal
While in Tucson for the 2019 gem show(s), I purchased a quantity of calibrated 8X6 Australian opal doublets. These doublets are comprised of two parts – solid play of color opal on top that is backed by the same natural host rock found in boulder opal from Queensland, Australia. The dark backing enhances the natural play of color in the opal. Usually, I only stick to solid natural gemstones, but I couldn’t get these flashy little stones out of my mind when I saw how bright and colorful they were. They are perfect for customers who are looking for less expensive jewelry pieces that pack the punch of a solid Lightning Ridge play of color opal.
moonstones
I am drawn to any gem stone that contains a phenomena, such as color-change garnets, cats-eye Alexandrites, star rubies and sapphires, play of color opals and adularescent moonstone. I love designing around stones that have a changing property to them because the phenomena causes the person wearing the piece to keep looking at their stones to see them change in different lighting. These moonstones have a cats-eye effect that will make a compelling jewelry piece when paired with some contrasting pink rubies and maybe some black diamond or tourmaline.
Lightning Ridge
crystal opal DROP
The stone in this picture came from a parcel of smaller-sized Lightning Ridge crystal opals that I recently purchased directly from a Lightning Ridge miner. I am experimenting with drilling straight into the opal to make holes for loops to be used in different jewelry applications. I wouldn’t try this procedure with any opal outside of Lightning Ridge opal. The hardness and stability of Lightning Ridge opal gives me the confidence to try this without worrying whether the opal will break. People’s responses have been quite positive when they see these bright little free-form organic-shaped gems standing alone as small pendants, but they could just as easily be made into earrings. I foresee many more designs using these little treasures in the near future. Please contact me about the pieces I have left in inventory.
IN THE SAFE
A designer is always collecting stones to incorporate into future projects. It’s almost like we can’t help ourselves when we find a source for stones or go to a show. We would rather deal with the problem of having too many stones to choose from for a design idea than not having that one we want when it’s needed. So, the perpetual pursuit for beautiful stones happily carries on….
I’m not sure what I have more of though: ideas in my head for jewelry pieces or stones in the safe for future jewelry pieces. Whatever the case may be, I wanted to showcase some projects in process and some fun stones that hopefully will soon be projects in process. Share your ideas if you get inspired by something you see.
OPAL SUITE
Opal is found all over the world – some of the most prevalent places being Ethiopia, Indonesia, Brazil, and in a few places in the United States. However, the opal found in Lightning Ridge, Australia is unrivaled in its beauty and stability/hardness, which makes it ideal for fine jewelry. Some of the most precious examples of Lightning Ridge opals show a play of color and patterns over a black body. This suite of Lightning Ridge black opals is an extraordinary example of rolling harlequin and mackerel patterns. Individually, each piece would make a glorious piece of jewelry, but to have them in a set and each one maintaining the same pattern and range of play of color will make a piece of jewelry fit for a queen.
COLOR CHANGE GARNET
Besides diamond, garnet may be one of the most plentiful gem stone variety in the world. However, the vast majority of garnets found are too dark or included to be used in fine jewelry. Only a miniscule percentage are of sufficient clarity and color to be fit for faceting. Garnets may have the widest range of color of any of the gem stone species. They can be anywhere from completely water clear, to candy-apple green, to bright orange, to raspberry red. Of the miniscule percentage of facetable garnets, an infinitesimal number of those have color-changing properties. Due to their chemical properties, color change garnets show different colors in different light. To find color-change garnet in large sizes is an anomaly.This particular example of color-change garnet comes from Tanzania and shows a stark color change in an unusually large size. When sunlight shines on this stone it strikes me as ruby-like. When under incandescent light, this stone changes character to be like a violate sapphire. Besides Lightning Ridge opal, garnet is my favorite stone to cut. This stone is destined to become an extraordinary piece of jewelry for someone special.
Lightning Ridge
crystal opals
I envision these extraordinary Lightning Ridge crystal opals at the center of a stunning pair earrings. I love that they aren’t perfectly symmetrical, which is a characteristic I’m drawn to when I design. The play of color in this pair ranges from electric blue to deep purple. No single photograph can capture an opal’s change of character at any given moment; that’s a big reason why opals are so magical.
ZIRCON
PURPLE GARNET
FACETED MEXICAN
FIRE OPAL
Cabochon Mexican fire opal
For all the fun I have with faceted Mexican fire opal, it is the play of color cabochon that drew me in to this material from the beginning. I remember walking down Prospect Street in downtown La Jolla and seeing the most stunning cluster necklace in a jewelry store window containing dozens of play of color Mexican fire opal cabochons. It was the first time I thought of making jewelry for my wife. The greens and purples that flash over/inside of a body ranging in colors from deep cherry red to water clear are almost as magical as play of color Lightning Ridge black opal. I can’t wait to start incorporating these little cabochons into future designs.
AUSTRALIAN OPAL
While in Tucson for the 2019 gem show(s), I purchased a quantity of calibrated 8X6 Australian opal doublets. These doublets are comprised of two parts – solid play of color opal on top that is backed by the same natural host rock found in boulder opal from Queensland, Australia. The dark backing enhances the natural play of color in the opal. Usually, I only stick to solid natural gemstones, but I couldn’t get these flashy little stones out of my mind when I saw how bright and colorful they were. They are perfect for customers who are looking for less expensive jewelry pieces that pack the punch of a solid Lightning Ridge play of color opal.
MOONSTONES
I am drawn to any gem stone that contains a phenomena, such as color-change garnets, cats-eye Alexandrites, star rubies and sapphires, play of color opals and adularescent moonstone. I love designing around stones that have a changing property to them because the phenomena causes the person wearing the piece to keep looking at their stones to see them change in different lighting. These moonstones have a cats-eye effect that will make a compelling jewelry piece when paired with some contrasting pink rubies and maybe some black diamond or tourmaline.
LIGHTNING RIDGE
CRYSTAL OPAL DROP
The stone in this picture came from a parcel of smaller-sized Lightning Ridge crystal opals that I recently purchased directly from a Lightning Ridge miner. I am experimenting with drilling straight into the opal to make holes for loops to be used in different jewelry applications. I wouldn’t try this procedure with any opal outside of Lightning Ridge opal. The hardness and stability of Lightning Ridge opal gives me the confidence to try this without worrying whether the opal will break. People’s responses have been quite positive when they see these bright little free-form organic-shaped gems standing alone as small pendants, but they could just as easily be made into earrings. I foresee many more designs using these little treasures in the near future. Please contact me about the pieces I have left in inventory.
