A Lonely Little Guy

When I did my last batch of pendants, I missed one.

This pretty little agate had a bezel that was a bit too high.  When they’re too high they crimple when you bend them around the stone, especially on sharp corners like those on the ends of this stone.

I found him sitting on the back of my soldering-shelf and finished him off.  I lowered the bezel significantly on both ends, lowered it a hair on the long sides, and popped in this lovely little agate cabochon.  Pretty, isn’t he?

Pop by tomorrow.  If we’re both lucky the Rose-Quartz-Swirly-Mega-Heart should be finished.  How’s that for a handful of a name?

Are We There Yet?

The good news is YES.  New Jan Mac Jewelry will be in-store this week.  Finally.  Between getting it made, getting the logo and packaging ready, and just getting it there, this has been a long process, but it’s been worth it.  The first batch will be in by the end of the week and I plan on building pretty steadily for the next 3 weeks.  I’ll show and tell as things are finished.

So check out the display in the Cara Luna Jewelry section of the Cresteramics storefront, between Mawson’s Sports and Morris Flowers.  Hopefully you’ll find something that will simply delight you.

Happy Accident

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving weekend.  Mine was more productive than I expected it to be, mostly by accident.  Cutting out the back of the reversible necklace went well, including using drill-bits for the little circles.  After removing the paper, I popped the piece into the tumbler to let it work its magic.

My apologies for the fuzzy pictures…I’m still learning how to deal with this whole close-up finicky-lighting deal.  I’ll buy a tripod and a light-box soon, I promise!

While the piece was tumbling I had some time on my hands so I started playing with some wire.  Swirlies, curlies, twists and turnsies.  Different sizes of wire, different types of solder.  Mostly just practicing soldering as I’ve been away from it for a while.  At the end of the day I had a complete pendant, constructed completely in the gaps created by waiting for the other piece to be workable again.  I love it when stuff like that happens.

This is a massive Red Moss Agate cabochon with a Carnelian cabochon floating above for a bit of contrast.  The entire piece is approximately 3 1/2″ long.  Big, bold, and sassy.  Can’t do much better than that.

Jasper and Agate and Bloodstone, Oh My!

Nothing, absolutely nothing, is more likely to spur me into building jewelry than a bunch of new cabochon stones.  Don’t get me wrong…I like a nice faceted stone as much as the next girl….sparkly is always good.  But cabochons, with their smooth tops and curvy edges, are so touchable, so silky-smooth, so….so….buttery. They are just pure inspiration.

I actually hadn’t planned on buying these.  I had gone into Beadazzled to check and see if my new polishing machine was in.  It wasn’t, but these were.  We’re so lucky to have a store like this in such a small town.  I think specialty stores, especially artsy specialty stores, keep communities healthy.  They provide places where you can go for inspiration, maybe take a class (as you can at Beadazzled), and ask the questions that have always sat unanswered.  They’re places you can go and get what you need when you need it so you aren’t stymied in your artistic endeavors by the lack of a critical tool or supply.

So these amazing stones will be what occupy my free time for the next little bit.  I’m liking big and chunky right now…bold stones in striking settings.  Pieces that make you sit up and take notice…that make you go “What is that??”

Won’t you look smart when you say “Oh, it’s Snowflake Obsidian. Isn’t it just 7 kinds of WOW?”