Dragons Vein Agate

At the beginnning of the year the postie delivered a strand of yellow Dragons Vein Agate gemstones.  I instantly liked them despite the fact that I would not really describe them as "yellow", I would say they were more of a green with a hint of yellow, but then one of the things about gemstones is their individual nature.   A black vein runs through the stone so I straight away had an accompanying colour.  The stone I used to highlight the Dragons Vein was Hematite - I find this stone invaluable! 

This is the strectchy braclet I made.....

One of the things I like about stretchies is that they are easier to wear - what I dislike is the knot!  This is where I hide mine and the charms I make are something that folks are attracted to!

It is said that:
"Dragons Vein Agate: Can heighten creative visualization. It strengthens the ability and will to manifest one’s life purpose on the earth plane. Promotes energy and strength, and will help one discover the truth in a matter and to aid in accepting ones fate." (Info taken from Crystals and Stones/ Mystic dreamz).

mmmmmm....I'm thinking there is something about this stone and me....I'm certainly more creative of late with more energy than I have had for a long time!!

 

January's Birthstone - Garnet

Hi, just thought I would share this comment  that I received from Cheryl following my post on birthstones .......

"I love that you provide useful info along with your beady inspiration, Ikki. My birthday is actually tomorrow (Jan. 27) so I am a garnet girl. I inherited a garnet necklace from my great grandmother because I was the first granddaughter to be born in January. I have now passed that necklace on to my only granddaughter born in January. It is such a treasure!"

Cheryl, what a lovely thoughtful gesture by your great grandmother, and how wonderful that you have had the opportunity to pass this on to your own grandaughter.  Thank you so much for sharing this with us and since today is 27th January - "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" - Hope you have a wonderful day!

Gizmo and wire work

Wire is an increasing trend in jewellery making and although I have always liked and used wire in my papercrafting, I have very little knowledge of the ins and outs of the techniques - but I'm learning!

 

For a start I ordered a stock of different wire gauges and a Gizmo.

 

 

 

The Gizmo (priced £6/7) is easy to use.  It is recommended that it is mounted on your desk with a clamp, but I've found that I can use the tool in my hand without any difficulty.   The gauges of wires that I have tried are 0.6 and 0.8mm.  Also 1mm but this being a thicker structure it needs more care when coiling. 

 

 

coiled wire lmm and 0.6mm

 

 

This is my first attempt at making a clasp......

 

 

 

 

Not sure if this is something that I will be doing, unless I can manage to make it smaller and neater, but I can see the advantage of using this method for easy of fastening.  Nothing more frustrating than not being able to do up a bracelet!

 

If you have any suggestions or have mastered this technique - please share with us - we would all love to see your work. 

 

I have collated wire information on a separate page for convenience.  You will find this page listed under my blog heading. 

 

Thanks for dropping by and a warm welcome to my new followers.  

 

 

 

 

Birthstones

JANUARY  BIRTHSTONE IS GARNET

Garnet  is associated with fire, passion and blood, and as well as January's birthstone is it also a recommended gift for both the 2nd and 6th Wedding Annivesaries.

Garnet is mainly thought of as a deep red colour, but natural colours include orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, black, pink and colourless.  The stone is steeped in history - it can be dated as far back as 3500BC when it was found in Egypt round the neck of a mummified body.

FEBRUARY - AMETHYST

MARCH - AQUAMARINE

APRIL -  DIAMOND

MAY - EMERALD

JUNE - ALEXANDRITE - MOONSTONE - PEARL

JULY - RUBY

AUGUST - PERIDOT

SEPTEMBER - SAPPHIRE

OCTOBER - OPAL - TOURMALINE

NOVEMBER - TOPAZ - CITRINE

DECEMBER - TURQUOISE - TANZANINTE - ZIRCON

NB:  Information used from Jewellery Maker and web

I hope to make the beady box a source of information in the same way as the cupboard.  It will take time to list the many things that are going round my head - but to make a start I thought I would start with Birthstones.  Just made January with a few interesting facts about Garnet!  Must get busy now checking out February.

Journey into beading

Today I'm opening the lid on my new beady box and hope you will enjoy sharing my hobby with me and other beaders out in blogland. Although this is my third blog, it has taken an age to set up. I seem to have forgotten how to do anything regarding blogging and have made mistake after mistake in creating a personal banner and just getting it uploaded was soooooo frustrating!! Anyway upwards and onwards as they say!  And so the box is open..........!
 
Today's delve into the box reveals that I use semi precious gemstones in my jewellery. I  love the tactile nature of stones - they are cold to touch, smooth to feel, exciting in colour, and make me feel good when I wear them.   I now have beads to match everything in my wardrobe!   Did I mentioned that this hobby is very addictive?

 

 

I made these pieces last year from beads purchased from Beads Direct and China.  From the close-up you will be able to see the individuality of the stones.   



Beads and findings used for this 7.3/4" bracelet: 

Bowenite: tablet 10 mm x 15 mm

                   three sided rice 10 mm x 20 mm

Golden Sandstone: 6mm rounds

Red Agate:  rice 10 mm x 30mm (in the necklace)

Beading wire, crimp beads, clasp,

 

Bowenite it is said: "can bring success to all pursuits or to make a clean break from past traumas/environments. This stone is a true symbol of love, friendship and thankfulness." from the web.  I just love the colours and marbling but if theres any truth in these words - I like them too because they fit the day and are shown in love, friendship and thankfulness for your support!
 
One of the things that I've found difficult to get my head round when I started beading were sizes - if you view them on the telly they look so big, but in reality much small than you thought!  There are also many shapes, so I thought it would be useful to give this info should you be tempted to have a go yourself.  I've made numerous mistakes in buying the wrong thickness/thinness of wire ,findings and tools which I will past on to you, and I would welcome your advice/experiences on any area that will help the box become as useful source of info as the cupboard.
 
I hope you will find the box full of interesting jewellery, colour and information - I will shortly open my Friday Followers Gallery, so didn't forget to contact me and we can get together and arrange to view your work. 
 
Thanks for dropping by - let's have some creative fun together.

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