I am here

Me and my broken tooth!! I'm hoping to get an emergency appointment tomorrow - if I'm lucky but if not I think I'm going to try another dentist - its driving me potty! Anyway enough boring you with my mouth issues. I have been busy making and creating so will have a few bits to show you this week. Off course I am a little addicted to my silverwork so really must create something with my beautiful lampwork beauties I collected over the past two months ready for the new year! The above necklace is with a fabulous Labradorite focal, rondelles and little Karen Hill Tribe charms. She's on a long 30" chain but it can be changed to a shorter one if necessary.

Of course I had to make matching earrings - these will go with the bracelet (Posted on Friday) or with the focal!! On more of my hammered rings. "E" and I also had fun playing with my disc cutter and we made our first bead - having "E" there beside me is great as he shows no fear when it comes to experimenting - the disc cutter and doming set is all so new I prefer really to just play with different ideas but of course being a man he likes to go the hole hog!!

It will be so nice to eventually use my own silver beads and I have so many ideas but not sure how soon that will be though. It great fun to experiment though :D

© Gemheaven 2008

Garnet: The January Birthstone

Although garnet is the January birthstone, it is a favorite with many, many people. It was a classic gemstone for Victorian and Edwardian jewelry and is still popular today. Perhaps it's because its colour makes it extremely versatile. What, red? Yes, although garnet is a red gemstone, most garnet is a very dark and deep red, almost a maroon or a bugundy. At night especially, it can look almost black. Because of its deep colour, it looks great with black clothing as well as all the neutrals - khaki, navy, white, cream, camel. Garnet necklaces and bracelets look fantastic when worn with light coloured summer clothing; the contrast between the darkness of the garnets and the pale clothing can be very dramatic.

But garnet is an ancient gemstone, mentioned several times in the Bible, usually by the name of carbuncle. Carbuncle, often used for any cabochon red stone in ancient times, particularly referred however to garnets. Supposedly there were carbuncles in Eden, and God even promises his followers that He will "...make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles...." The garnet also comes in almost every colour imaginable except blue. Grossular garnets come in grey, pink, shades of yellow and green although green is probably the best known. Uvarovite is a dark green; spessartine garnet is usally an orange or reddish-orange; pyrope garnet ranges from a dark red to a pinkish-red.Above are green (grossular) garnet earrings. Garnet bracelets, garnet earrings, and garnet necklaces can all be found on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website.

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Progress piece

I made today this pendant totally freeform. Hardly following any tutorial (just peeked at Remy's tute for the bail). Just went along with the wire where it took me. I see (of course) plenty of mistakes, but generally I think it's an improvement (?). Hubby said that this one's nice as well.
It just takes so long time to make one - this pendant took me almost the whole day and it's hardly called 'elaborate'...not by the standards of the rainbow wrappers anyway, lol...

New practice piece

This is what I've been working on last night. It took me about good 3 hours. Ton of mistakes in this one, the bail is too long, the actual frame is not nicely shaped (shaped it by hand, not with a tool), but I'm keeping at it. That's why it's a practice piece, not one to sell :)
Picture showing front and back.

Ouch!

So imagine me this morning - I played avoidance tactics until 10 am before I finally plucked up courage to phone the dentist - and guess what I have to wait 3 weeks!!!!! I mean anything could happen in 3 weeeks! Now in the UK we have NHS dentists and private ones - we are now private so you'd think the dentist could fit me in wouldn't you - so I'm now eating little bits - its taking me half an hour longer than normal to eat and cleaning my teeth arghhhh - am I going on, can you tell how cheesed off I am??? We had pizza for tea, every little crust felt like another tooth, well at least I will loose weight this way!

As promised more pieces to show you - silver and one gemstone piece - I love this bracelet - the labrodorite is quite chunky and the brushed silver discs give an added sparkle! The silver bangles or a Caboodle of bangles (lol!) are going to be sold in sets of threes but of course you can buy as many sets as you want - I love bangles when the weather get warmer and you hear the jingle jangle (Caroline of Crafted Gems and I had a conversation about it earlier) but I also love bangles with black - probably because I wear alot of it!!
And finally some more pebbles - aren't they shiney!!
© Gemheaven 2008

I'm so scared!

OK I'm a big baby I'm terrified - I can't open my mouth or eat because part of my tooth has broken!! Now I had two fillings at the age of 11 and apart from when I fell off a horse and knocked both of them out ( the fillings not the teeth!) so they had to be be refilled I've had no other work done - no considering thats 20 *cough plus years I think I've done really well - with regular check ups I promise. But now I'm going to have to face my worst nightmare and actually go see my dentist with a problem - and they have to hold me down to clean my teeth so imagine the stress lol mind you I might loose the Christmas lbs in the meantime ;)

At the moment my tumbler is full of silver pieces so hopefully tomorrow I'll get chance to photograph them - the earrings above are a new range - there will be more than one pair of these so not only can you buy yourself a pair but your friends and family too! Made out of scrap silver (a mixture of sterling and fine silver) melted down to create these little pebbles - on stud backs they are chic - I love mine and thats saying something as I normally wear danglies! Of course because they are handcrafted each pair are slightly different!

The middle bangle is a commission for a special friend - the rubies are fabulous!! The bottom earrings are a little play I had with my disc cutter - like little hourglasses hence the name!!

More tomorrow - me and my half tooth!!
© Gemheaven 2008

First Wire sculpture practice piece

So this is what I've been working on the last two days. I call it 'The Monster'. Coz it is.
I have Remy's wire sculpture pendant tutorial, and after drolling over the metalworkers.org pieces, I just had to try it. It turned out really ugly (as you can see), but boy did I learn a lot in the process, about coiling wire, wrapping, making a bezel, setting a non-drilled stone...
Now that is finished, I'll take it slowly, with less 'elaborate' pieces, not only to learn more, but to also find my own style.