Enter The Brazilian Oco Agate

One of my most popular and requested wired pendant is the Oco Agate Slice.  These are also one of my many favorite pendants (yes I have many, but this one is in the top) to work.  Their unique colors is a mesmerizing explosion of deep dark rich earthy brown, black, navy, olive, and rust or the slightly more delicate shades of pink, purple, cream, white, and gray.  What sets them apart from any other agate is the crystalline centers, some even have very tiny crystal cylinders within the crystalline.

Agate geode halves which are found in the Ocos region of Brazil are small agate nodules with a crystalline interior. Agate is named after a river in Sicily called Achates, where it was found in the Fourth Century, B.C. In the center of the rock, where there is a cavity, crystals often form, thus the name geode.

The formation in which the geodes are found is 50 million years old and located in the country of Brazil. Farmers have gathered the oco’s for many years. After the crops have been harvested and the farmers are unable to work, the fields are tilled under allowing the oco’s to appear. They are then gathered and sold for cutting into the geode half.

These newest designs feature some dazzling color mixtures…from black to grey to pink to purple and everything in-between.

For these and many other unique artisan crafted jewelry, browse our collections at our Timeless Designs Ruby Lane shop!

Agate tones and strengthens body and mind, as well as imparting a sense of strength and courage. It enhances creativity and stimulates the intellect. Agate is calming and soothing, and can dispel feelings of jealousy.

Greek & Roman Luster of Bronzite

In striking shades of brown, with flecks of golden and silvery slivers, bronzite is a bronze-like sub-metallic luster variety of Enstatite. The bronzite variety of enstatite has a semi-metallic luster which is formed through weathering of the enstatite mineral. The gemstone consists of magnesium and magnesium iron silicates and has an orthorhombic crystal structure. These are considered to be the ferriferous variety of enstatite.

The purest bronzite comes from Brazil, but is also found in India, Western Australia, China, and South Africa. It can be found in meteorites, leading some to speculate this means that other worlds in our solar system must have a similar composition to that of the earth.

The ancient Romans used to grind bronzite into powder form to protect against mental illness and confusion and as an effective treatment to strengthen the nerves. They also wore the stone as a protective amulet. Bronzite was highly valued by the Greeks and Romans as a decorative stone because of its particular brilliance. 

 

This new design features several stones in an octagon cut and faceted rondelles with a high polish to bring out the golden flakes. It has been paired with matching metal pendant and earrings in red enamel; tons of hand twisted charm crystals, rare Arizona ivoryite and cloisonne beads.

A rich and classy necklace set, sure to capture attention!

    

Find your next rare gem among our collection of finely artisan crafted jewelry!

Research various books and websites; bronzite rough picture by R. Weller/Cochise College

Heavy Metals Designs

Trendy and chic, moving beyond the traditional designs with stone pendants…these new designs feature metal pendants and matching earrings! This is a new line of designs that I’m testing the market with and so far, they are quite popular and going fast at our online Timeless Designs Ruby Lane shop!

Metal is a great way to showcase any mixture of stones, crystals and pearls. The different textures, and sculpture done with metal brings to life the art created by the artisan. These new designs feature different pendants and matching earrings, offering a collection of bold, classy, sassy and still classical looks for any occasion.

This first design (to the left) reminds me of the waters in the Caribbean….crisp cool teal blues of the Caribbean are always a fantastic palette to use. The pendant is hammered on one side and the front is sectioned with two different colors of blue – royal and teal. I’ve added in a clustering of hand twisted charms in faceted crystals and large nuggets of teal druzy agates, colorful faceted agate rounds, more crystals and spacey silver pewter beads finishes off the necklace.

Next up (to the right) is a lovely and very fun set all about the green of spring sparkle…..at center focal is a shamrock pendant and matching earrings, tons of hand twisted charms of creamy glass pearls and faceted crystals, lovely flowery lampwork beads, more crystals and marbled ceramic barrels finished off the necklace.

Bold and classy (to the left) in a stately metal two-tone cross and matching earrings…..featuring more hand twisted charms of cultured freshwater pearls, faceted crystals, two large marquee shaped agates with pyrite, bold deep etched barrel beads and finished with black tourmaline.

For these and many other artisan crafted designs, visit our online shop to browse our latest custom collections!