Pendants & Charms Coming Together

One of the new designs that I did this year is with many different kinds of pendants and charming. The charming technique takes quite some time to create, but the affect is most appealing. Using different pendants gave each one a unique look while using accents in stones, swarovski crystals, dichroic glass, freshwater cultured pearls, and some of my free form spiral or double coiled wire work.  The neat idea behind this is that each design is stationary on the silk cord, so the designs will not be lost and each comes with a matching pair of earrings!

In this design I used a puffy heart pendant in lapis lazuli and the charms include freshwater cultured pearls, swarovski crystals and black agate. Wire work is done in non-tarnish silver wire.

 

Turquoise is one of my favorite stones of nature to work with; here I’ve paired the blue teardrop pendant with a fold-over wavy bail and charms of swarovski crystals, white magnesite and black agate. Wire work is done in non-tarnish peacock blue and black wire.

Fossils are fast becoming one of my more favorites to work with in wire as they are so individually unique; here I’ve used an orthoceras fossil pendant with charms of swarovski crystals, freshwater cultured pearls and two cloisonné beads. All wire work is done in silver non-tarnish wire.

  

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A Heat Treatment of Turquoise

When you think of turquoise visions of the southwest and indian designs come to mind; the beautiful colors range from the robin eggs blue, sky blue, deep shades of blue to lime green and deep shades of green, all with matrix veining of black to brown and in-between. Turquoise is too soft by nature and must be stabilized or treated to keep that beauty. Another problem of untreated turquoise is that the color and sheen fade over time. Though initially, the natural stone may be a brilliant sky blue or blue-green, colors will fade to duller greens or blues eventually.

One of the processes is called heating to achieve the more desirable colors; though this does not change the character of the stone and it is usually considered an acceptable standard process in the lapidary and jewelry industry.

These turquoise stones have been heat treated to achieve the brown color from deep to medium and bring out the matrix veining. Each design has been created with a different flavor…..

First, a twist of traditional turquoise, Arizona ivoryite and a splash of Swarovski faceted rondelle blush crystals and a focal pendant in Brazilian Oco; hand wire wrapped in non-tarnish rose colored wire.

Second, a more traditional turquoise design with southwestern lampwork beads, Swarovski faceted bicone turquoise crystals and faceted rectangular yellow citrine stones.

Different designs but still using the natural stone of turquoise that has been heat treated; in this case to bring out a natural soft brown color.

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