Our Best Year in Turquoise

Working with Turquoise is one of my favorite stones, the verisitly it has and the many different looks that can be designed; casual, dressy, and classy; Turquoise sets a trend no matter how you look at it and will always be a staple in any collection. Since I do a lot of designs in Turquoise, this was a hard collection to narrow down, they are all so beautiful!

(To the left) Turquoise and Amber



Turquoise Landscape Jasper Onyx (To the right)

Turquoise Onyx Dichroic Pendant (To the right)

Turquoise Landscape Jasper PendantWired Brass (To the left)

Some of the Years Best In Fossils

With the Holidays near, we will be spending time with friends and family, getting re-energized, re-focused and re-generated for next year! But until then as always, we’ll recap some of our favorites from the past year’s collection….though I’d like to say that everything is a favorite, some are more than others!

I got the opportunity to challenge myself more in the area of wire working; these fossils and agates are some of my favorites…..

Orthoceras from Morocco (to the left)

Ammonite from Madagascar (to the right)

Goniatite from Morocco (to the right)

Ocos Agate from Brazil (to the left)






As we pause for the Holidays and New Year, we will begin creating new unique custom natural stone designs after the first of the year; so check back often here at the blog or on the website.

Heard of Polyhedral Agate

My father-in-law at Jewelry by CnC researches and collects some of the most unusual, unique and awesome mineral and rock specimens. Here is one that he found at Tucson a few years back and is now hitting the market at incredible prices, due mostly in part because it difficult to get and also for its unusual form and uniqueness.

A very unusual form of Agate comes from Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is known as a Polyhedral Agate and is formed by silica replacing the normal calcite resulting in a highly angular form within the rocks instead of the usual sub-spherical forms as normally seen.

These polyhedral quartz pseudomorphs without calcite were mined during the 1970’s and have since then become increasingly uncommon in today's market, with most examples appearing as thin slabs, normally polished front and back to show off the natural beauty of the agate. It's sharp polyhedral form is entirely natural in origin.

Many of the beautiful Agates coming from Minas Gerais today, like the one seen here to the right, will have some slightly pointed sections to their designs, indicating that there is still some silica within the calcite in the Agate itself.

Collectors scramble to obtain samples of a Polyhedral Agate, especially one that still is made up of most of the rock as in this example to the right from an upcoming Australian mineral auction.


Thanks to Lee at Jewelry by CnC for the research and pictures.

Beads Pendants Cabochons - Oh My!

Looking for beads, cabochons or unmounted pendants? Then search no further, check out our stock of beads to make necklaces, bracelets or earrings, cabochons for wiring as pendants.

Timeless Designs will be adding more beads, cabochons and pendants as we clear out stock to make room for the Tucson Trip!

Here’s one of my best kept secrets for unmounted pendants……in the market for unmounted pendants in the most unusual cuts and stones, check out my in-laws wide selection at Jewelry by CnC.

Jewelry Industry Pricing Controversy

This is a written editorial on the controversy surrounding pricing within the jewelry industry.

There are several new groups emerging on the scene in the Jewelry Industry who are trying to regulate the whole jewelry industry, including how you as a business price your products. I believe in the structure and foundation of sound business models, however, I don't believe in forced business practices. Be aware that these groups are stating they are ‘speaking for the whole industry of jewelry businesses’.

The groups voices are demanding that jewelry people immediately terminate discount and sales pricing of jewelry. Their message is that every business, craftsman, artesian, or hobbyist needs to stop lowering their prices as it causes distrust, non-confidence and confusion to the customers, translating into poor quality and inferior products, and that doing so is ‘trashing the gem and jewelry industry, especially at Gem and Jewelry Shows and worst case scenario, these types of concerns cause customers to never recommend you to their friends and family and will only come back to you if no other alternative exists.’

The groups contend, that when someone lowers their prices it is done so without asking the customer to give up something in return. Which in and of itself is very confusing, because if the products have never changed and is of the same quality it was at 600% profit margin, then why would the product be less valuable or demining in quality if it is sold at a discounted/sale price with only say a 50-60% profit margin; which is a little secret the jewelry, especially the precious gemstone jewelers, don’t want known of the very significant profit margin. Marketing and Business Degrees will teach that that is not only a ludicrous statement but is also a factless statement; the only thing that changed is the profit margin and the market pricing structure; which is what keeps the green flowing among any industry and mostly into the deep pockets of people who have enjoyed such large profit margins. Unless the business has changed the materials, quality and structure of the sales/discounted items, then nothing has changed other than the pricing structure.

The strict policy that many are trying to impose is if you want loyal customers and referrals, make sure you never adjust your prices and set pricing levels that supports the customer’s experience and their desires; hinging entirely on customer loyalty of paying inflated prices with exorbitant profit margins. Yet this thinking claims that customers need to feel good about their purchases and feeling confident about their informed choices and decisions. While the businesses marketing/sales messages and prices reflect that of a united jewelry industry standard. More over the groups are encouraging customers to stay away from businesses that have sales/discount pricing and those that supposedly undercut the competition; any business must, to stay within the industry and according to any of the new groups, keep your wholesale pricing at 2-3 times cost and never sell anything retail less than 6 times the cost. Doing so is causing a tremendous black eye upon the gem and jewelry industry and hurts those who maintain their quality and higher pricing.

Bottom line, these types of people have endured many years of huge profits and luxury lifestyles; hinging on every customer blindly continuing to pay sky-high prices for the same product that can be obtained from another quality source at lower prices. Any business is in it for money, but also should be for customer service and satisfaction; if they are so concerned about undercutting pricing, it’s time they got out of the game, because that is what it is all about in business. Business is cut-throat and it’s time that we as small business owners, hobbyist, artesian and the like stand against these types of groups. Should they continue their belligerence it will only lead to the next big down fall of this country; behind Enron, WorldCom, Wall Street, and Real Estate and Mortgage.

If it's good enough for Macys, Dillards, JCPenny's, Barns & Noble, grocery store chains and the like, then should be good enough for anyone...why do you think these companies do such huge sales?