My Latest Wired Challenge Piece

One of my favorite things is to go over to the mineral company and see what new ‘goodies’ they have gotten. This can sometimes be a dangerous trip; it becomes like Christmas and I act like a kid in a candy store, but I have fun when I’m there!

I knew that they had just received a brand new shipment of Amethyst this week, so I was excited to see what the smaller pieces would be like; especially since he told me they were a very deep dark purple, more than they have had before and quite high quality. To my surprise when I arrived and we started going through the shipment, he handed me this delicate little piece and said “I new this was one that would be perfect for you to wire wrap”.

 This new little piece is so delicate and small; it will be an excellent specimen to wire; however the challenge will be working the wire in and around the frail delicate crystals and hopefully not breaking anything in the process. There is no outer ridge to work with like normal, just lots of tiny crystals; this is what makes this piece such an excellent specimen, at least in my optioning. I’m up for a challenge and this one definitely will be just that, so stay tuned, when I get it finished I’ll be posting the finished product! I’m not sure what I’ll do with it once it’s been wired; rather I’ll put it into a necklace piece or let it stand alone as a single pendant, which it most definitely can do!

A variety of vitreous quartz with purple, violet, or red-purple colorations, amethyst derives its name from the ancient Greek amethustos, meaning literally “not drunk’ as it was believed to guard against drunkenness. Traditionally associated with purity and piety, amethyst has also always been favored by royalty as purple is considered a regal blue. 

Found in most countried where grantic rocks are exposed, amethyst occurs in alluvial deposits and geodes. Its coloration is principally due to traces of iron, and it is sometimes color-zoned due to twinning or preferential absorption on the rhombohedral faces. Major commercial sources of amethyst are Brazil, where it occurs in geodes that are frequently human-sized; but it is also found in Uruguay, Siberia and North America. Crystals from Brazilian and Uruguayan deposits are most often found as radiating masses, with individual crystals appearing as pyramids. Lower grad Brazilian and Uruguayan amethyst is frequently turned into citrine by heat treatment, which changes its color. Where both amethyst and citrine occur naturally in the same stone, the name is ametrine.

Amethyst has a long history as a gemstone. In the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, amethyst was highly valued and was used to create cylinder seals, engraved with a religious design and the owner’s name. The engraving was transferred to legal documents in the form of clay tablets by rolling the cylinder over the tablets. The ancient Egyptians also valued amethyst, using it in much of their jewelry. The Greeks wore an amethyst for protection against magic, homesickness, evil thoughts, and drunkenness. This is why wine was preferably served in amethyst beakers. In antiquity amethysts were also known as “stones of Bacchus”, because out of jealousy the goddess Diana had changed a nymph with whom Bacchus had fallen in love into an amethyst. It is said that the traditional properties of amethyst will alleviate migraines and improves concentration. It is said to attract justice and protection against burglars and thieves. It also wards of danger and violent death. It is the stone of Pisces, brings clarity to the conscious and unconscious minds and the birthstone for February.

Several pieces of amethyst have been wired and are available in our online shop as pendants; this beautiful piece to the left never made it to the website, it was sold right away!

The focal is a beautiful amethyst chunk, surrounded by faceted deep purple amethyst crystals and chunky turquoise nuggets.

The Mineraloid Amber

Mineraloids are a few solid substances that occur naturally in the Earth, but do not quite conform to the basic properties of minerals. They fit into none of the chemical families, rarely form crystals and are typically organic in origin, evolving from fossilized or compacted living matter. One of these mineraloids is Amber, which is fossilized pine tree resin.

Amber is often regarded as a gem, but is not a mineral, but a solid organic material. It is a form of tree resin that was exuded to protect the tree against disease and insect infestation. This then hardened and was persevered for millions of years. Amber slowly oxidizes and degrades when exposed to oxygen, so it survives only under special conditions.

It is almost always found in dense, wet sediments, such as clay or sand formed in ancient lagoon or river delta beds. It is typically found embedded in shale or washed up on beaches. Most amber deposits contain only fragments of amber, but a few contain enough to make it worth mining, such as those found along the shores of the Baltic seas where amber formed in sands 40-60 million years ago, and those from the Dominican Republic.

Amber can form nodules, rods and droplets in various shades of orange, yellow, red or cognac, deep green, and brown. Milky-white varieties are called bone amber. Modern analysis techniques are beginning to indentify the detailed composition of ambers and link them to modern resin-making trees. Mexican amber, for instance is linked to the Hymenea tree. Up to 3,000 different inclusions have been found in amber objects. These range from beetles and flies to spiders and water drops attached to the resin in primeval times and then petrified with it.

It is said that for 7,000 years amber has been used to stimulate the metabolism and treat skin ailments caused by metabolic imbalance. It is also said to have soothing, calming, and cleaning powers. Because of its warmth it is also used in the treatment of asthma, allergic respiratory problems, and is good for treating rheumatism and strengthening the heart muscles.

Mystically, gold-colored amber symbolizes success; it is the Star sign of Geminis, Leos and Virgos. Amber should be cleansed under lukewarm running water and never leave amber in the sun, this will make it brittle.

Visit us at Timeless Designs on Ruby Lane to browse and shop our custom artisan crafted jewelry collections!

Earthy Fossil Gets Classy

One of my favorite fossils to work with is the natural Orthoceras fossilized squid from Morocco. Orthoceras are a famous and very large fossil deposit of animals that can be found in Morocco, North Africa. Ancestors to ammonites, Orthoceras are extinct sea creatures, and depending on what source you refer to, they date from the lower Ordovician to Triassic ages (500 to 190 million years ago). As they died, their shells accumulated in great numbers on the sea floor where they were aligned by currents, buried by sediments, and transformed over the ages preserved in black limestone. Today, this prehistoric sea floor is ironically, found in the dramatic Atlas Mountain Range in southern Morocco at the northern fringe of the Sahara Desert.

The term 'straight' cephalopods is used in this case to describe fossil examples of straight ammonoids called Baculites, straight nautiloids called Orthoceras and Belemnites. Their bodies were predominantly elongate with conical shells. Some of these creatures evolved into semi-coiled forms eventually giving rise to coiled cephalopods like ammonites and nautili. Another branch of straight-shelled cephalopods continued to coexist with the coiled forms on into the Pennsylvanian Period. These straight forms were much less diverse and abundant than the coiled cephalopods, as a whole.

Straight cephalopods were among the most advanced invertebrates of their time having eyes, jaws, and a sophisticated nervous system. These creatures were predators that swam freely using a jet propulsion system by squirting water from their bodies. They had tentacles and ink sacs also much like the present-day squid.

Except for belemnites, cephalopods had external shells with hollow internal chambers separated by walls called septa. A tube called the siphuncle, connected the body with the chambers allowing the animal to fill them with water or air, changing its buoyancy in order to rise or drop in the ocean. Only the last and largest chamber was occupied by the living animal. Belemnites were different in that they had internal shells called 'guards' which were covered with the soft, muscular tissues of their bodies. These shells were also chambered but much less complex than the straight varieties of nautiloids and ammonoids.

Straight cephalopods probably lived for one to six years, with the majority living two to four years. They fed on plankton (tiny free-floating organisms), sea lilies, and smaller orthoceras. Although many fed off the ocean floor, others may have caught plankton while floating or swimming via jet propulsion, expelling water through a funnel-like opening to propel them in the opposite direction. Because straight cephalopods lived exclusively in marine environments, their presence also indicates the location of prehistoric seas.

Healing Stones

As a healing stone, fossils are believed to increase life span, reduce toxins, anxiety, stress, balance the emotions, and make one more confident. Containing supernatural and physical healing powers, they promote a sense of pride and successes in business, leading on to be open to change and new ideas. Healers use fossils to enhance telepathy and stimulate the mind. Traditionally, fossils have been used to aid in reducing tiredness, fatigues, digestive disorders, and rheumatism.

Visit our online store, Timeless Designs at Ruby Lane to see many different designs featuring the orthoceras and other fossils!