Jasper and Ivoryite

One of our new designs from the finds of Tucson! Jasper, Wild Horse Jasper coming out of the mines of California with rich colors in red, burgandy and a slight cream; the cut of the bead is unusual with a minor twist to it. Here it’s been mixed between sterling silver open beads and rare Invoryite gemstones.

Jaspers: Protection, nurturing, joy, awareness; balancing of physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual energies.

See this and many other gemstones finds on our website!

Color Designs & Emotions

Jewelry is an express and extension of the person. We’ve discussed in other posts that what we wear reflects who we are or want to be; rather it is professional and classy, sassy and casual or even flirty and wild. Designing jewelry is like being on the cutting edge of a ‘finished look’ to someone’s outfit. But it is more than that, it also an expansion of the designer and artist that created the jewelry; created from their imagination relaying on skill and experience to shape gemstones, wire, chain, silver, gold, copper, glass and crystals and anything else that they can get their hands on into something unique – an expansion of the artist or designer personality connecting with their clients and customers.

Which leads me to an interesting article I found online at the Sessions Online School of Design; I’m reprinting excerpts because of the value of the information and the use of yet another tool for everyone to use.

Using Colors to Connect with Your Audience

“Color creates audience responses by stimulating emotions and communicating on levels other than reason and intellect. It can excite, impress, entertain and persuade, but color can also create instant negative associations. It’s a good idea to be aware of how the majority of people respond to color and use this information in your choice of colors. Use the guidelines in the chart below to help you choose the colors that are most appropriate for the message you want to get across in work.

Color Chart (suggested meanings) The chart below represents several meaning for color. Each color may represent another emotion to you. Use your best judgment when dealing with color and make sure to get feedback on the colors you use.

Red
Aggressive, strong & heavy
Blue
Comfort, loyalty & security
Yellow
Caution, Spring & brightness
Green
Money, health, food & nature
Brown
Nature, aged, & eccentric
Orange
Warmth, excitement, & energy
Pink
Soft, healthy, childlike & feminine
Purple
Royalty, sophistication & religion
Black
Dramatic, classy & serious
Gray
Business, cold & distinctive
White
Clean, pure & simple

Most colors go well together with members of the same "family". Warm colors for instant, such as red, brown, orange and yellow look better together in combination warm colors; cool colors like blue, green, gray and white with cool colored families. Using color families generally makes for a more appealing presentation and makes the presentation come across as ‘complete’ rather than ‘mixed’.

Contrast is fun and can be used effectively to accent and draw attention to such things as pendants or focal beads. In general, keep the contrast low. Too much contrast makes your work look obscure and uneven, avoid the extremes.”

All good advice when designing at any level or anything, not just jewelry. Try mixing some of the colors together to get an eye for what ‘emotions’ your jewelry pieces might be saying. This is just another tool one can use in order to reach out to their audience, clients and customers.

Excerpts from Sessions Online School of Design

Design Color Inspiration

What inspires someone to create in certain colors? Where did they come up with the color combinations? Did they see them on TV inspired by a personality or movie star? Or maybe they see something in a magazine or just in nature or on adventurous exploration trips. As an artist or designer color combinations can be quite the challenge because of the wide ranges to choose from.

Where ever a designer or artists gets their inspiration, it is their own and is really reflected in the art they create. I recently read a great article in the new Beading 101 & Beyond by Bead Style; “How to Mix Colors”. “Color choices are very subjective. Three great places to start when combining colors and building your color confidence; the color wheel, fashion trends and color forecasts, and ‘snapshots’ from your everyday life.”

Color wheels can be found anywhere on the Internet and are an easy way to show complimentary color combinations; you can choose from primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors. It helps to create a broader look at several colors rather than just a few.

Fashion trends and color forecasts are predicted months in advance of the seasons by the expert fashion industry. To find out the latest in ‘hot or in’ colors, browse thru your local mall or favorite mail-order clothes catalog. I also will browse thru the weekly Sunday paper sales ads and some of the women’s magazines just to see what people are wearing. I keep color charts that are published from year to year; this gives me an idea of what comes and goes and what stays as a ‘staple’….my advice, never throw out anything!

Snapshots of nature, sunsets, and those vacations can bring a lot of inspiration to your designing world. There is no better palette to draw from than that of nature itself.

Sometimes you may see a very striking jewelry piece that really accents the individual; often what we wear is a reflection of who we are; our personality or what we want to become. Jewelry can be a staple for most or an accent to finish off the best dressed or it can predict the personality of the individual. For a moment, wonder through your own jewelry collection and see what you might have…..do you wear a lot of sterling silver, gold, maybe a combination of the two or do you wear a lot of copper or maybe a little bit of everything.

One of my favorite quotes is by Thomas Merton "The imagination should be allowed a certain amount of time to browse around." The more you keep things ‘fresh’ and browse around letting your imagination create, will lead to some of the best creations of our talents. Don’t be afraid to walk on the wild side and try things you have never done before; you just never know what might work and what won’t until you try!

Should An Artist Share

There is much to be said for putting your work on the Internet; rather it is as a gallery for people to view and admire, for businesses to connect with their customers/clients, for others to sell their work online as a business, job, or hobbyist as a way to support themselves and their families, while still others put it out there for everyone to share and use. Putting one’s work on the internet no matter what type; poets, business people, writers, or artists is in some ways like hanging out the ‘come and get it’ sign. This opens the door for anyone to take what is not rightfully their own; for whatever reason, without permission. Many people when providing information or techniques do so in order to pass on their knowledge, skill and experiences to others; gladly sharing and providing further if asked, rather than taken. And when doing so, they will give credit for their sources and continue to share with their audience for their benefit.

While I enjoy competitive and entrepreneurial spirit, I’ve asked myself some questions lately…… at what point does one stop sharing their skills, experiences and knowledge with their audience? At what costs does one say ‘enough is enough, I will not share any further?’ So why is it that people find the need to take, rather than seek and ask? Has our society become one of such disregard that before we know it there is no one with skill, information or experience to draw on in order to move forward?

Just some food for thought……

Red Hot Coral

Coral has been around for thousands of years; it is not a mineral but a skeleton of sea creatures, making coral an organic in origin. Developed over many thousands of years, it consists almost entirely of calcium.








Looking at history and legend; the ancient Egyptians placed pieces of coral in tombs as a protection against evil spirits because they believed that each piece contained a drop of divine blood. According to Greek mythology, when Perseus chopped off the head of Gorgon Medusa, some drops of blood splashed into the sea and there solidified into coral.

The healing properties say coral protects against negative energy while also preventing loss of energy, diplomacy, quieting emotions, and visualization.

Its magical properties symbolize joy and happiness, it enables the wearer to enjoy life; according to legend it consists of divine blood as we have already learned. Red coral is associated with Scorpio, black coral with Capricorn, and pink coral with Tarsus.

It is found in the reefs of warm seas, particularly east of Australia, around Japan, Africa, Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. It comes in several colors such as pink, salmon pink, red and also white and black.

Visit Timeless Designs for Coral and other gemstones designs.

Twist on Turquoise

Although often mistaken by fakes such as Howlite, Chrysocolla, and Magnesite (which are all natural gemstones in their own rights), Turquoise is generally very distinctive with its vivid blue-green color and smooth, waxy appearance. One of the most beautifully colored of all stones; turquoise is a phosphate that combines copper and aluminum. The copper causes the exquisite blue-green, but the color varies from green to yellowish gray. Pale sky blue, such as the most sought after Sleeping Beauty, is the most cherish gem color; especially when infused with fine veins of impurities that show it is natural and not artificial.

For thousands of year, the best Turquoise came from the deserts of Persia and was known as Persian Turquoise. In the late 1800’s, deposits of Turquoise were discovered in the American southwest, and this is now the world’s prime source of high-quality ‘Persian’ Turquoise.

Southwest turquoise mines cover Nevada (where the majority of turquoise deposits are found), Arizona, and parts of New Mexico, Colorado; with one lone mine in California.
Nevada hosts the majority of the turquoise mines such as Valley Blue, #8, Montezuma, Zuni, Lone Mountain, Red Mountain, and Godber just to name a few. Arizona of course has the famed Kingman and Sleeping Beauty mines along and Colorado has Cripple Creek, Kind’s Manassa and Leadville. And of course the lone mine of San Bernardino in California rounds out the southwestern turquoise mines.

Of course, the American Southwest is not the only place to find Turquoise. Excellent mine finds have come out of China, Mexico and parts of Africa.

This piece highlighted here is a twist on the old Turquoise favorite matched with Picture Jasper. I’ve highlighted some of the Picture Jasper stones with non-tarnish brass wire swirls. Dangle hoops complete this causal yet classy look in the same turquoise and picture jasper gemstones.







Traditional Gemstone Properties
Turquoise: Spiritual attunement, cleansing, healing, protection, valor, soothing, peace of mind, guidance through the unknown, romantic spontaneity.

Unusual Gemstone Combination

Blue Peruvian Opal and Citrine gemstones; Dichroic Pendant and Swarovski Crystals
Visit Timeless Designs for more details.

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