Vintage Elegance with Twist of Contemporary

This design is described by many of my customers as a vintage or antique design with a classic twist of contemporary. The elegance comes in with the wooden pendant, hand-painted by a Russian artist. She leaves no detail unturned, the fine lines and intercut shades in each flower petal is just breath-taking. The scene is so real, you almost want to reach out and caress each one of the flowers.

A perfect balance to this pendant is crystals and lots of them. I started at the base making a bail of hand twisted faceted crystals in coordinating colors to support the pendant. Next the necklace strands are crafted using more faceted crystal in deep olive, lively blush and light golden topaz.

A little antique design of a lovely pendant paired with the contemporary faceted crystals….makes for a very striking and stunning necklace design that is perfect for that night out on the town or special occasion.

 

Visit Timeless Designs online to browse around our collections to find your perfect match of vintage, contemporary, bold or earthy.

One’s Seashells Another’s Designs

Shells from the sea scatter the beachfronts and coasts in practically hundreds of varieties of shells. One type that is often sought is the volute shell. It is these shells that are most noted for variety and their distinctive color patterns, which make them valued by collectors and designers around the globe. Most are solid heavy shells but vary greatly in size and look.

 

Volutes are found in warm and temperate seas and are most common around Australian waters. All species have folds on the columella (central pillar of the gastropod shell (single shell) and visible within the aperture (opening at the gastropod shell front end). Most volutes burrow in sand and all are carnivorous (meat eaters).

This new design from our Southwest Flair Collection features square cut volute shell beads. The colored markings of dark against the soft shaded tan background are a perfect design companion with natural stone.

At the center focal I’ve used a lovely murano glass spoon pendant with soft tan, yellow and beige colors against a white background. Then I added in the shells, stacking them with the concave inward to create a more chic style; blue-green magnesite disks and bold colored cloisonné beads finish the necklace.

This style is a little flair of the southwest with a hint of the summer beach. Comb the collections of jewelry at our online Timeless Designs store at Ruby Lane! Never know what treasure you might find hidden to add to your jewelry box!

Fossilized Sand Dollars

Fossils come in many different shapes, sizes and varieties; one of the newest for us to work with in jewelry design is the Holectypus Echinoid, or sand dollar fossil. Holectypus, fossil echinoderm genus, of the extinct echinoids genus are much like the modern sea urchins and sand dollars.
 

This species are found as fossils exclusively in marine rocks of Jurassic to Cretaceous age (between 200 million and 65.5 million years ago).  The echinoids, having such an extremely long fossil record, are often used by scientist and paleontologist for dating rock strata and fossil locations.

The Holectypus was bun shaped with a flat bottom and arched back. The mouth of the echinoids is at the underside of the animal. These are rough looking fossil specimens as most have some cracking and chipping on the top of the shell, but the underside of the specimens are very well preserved. The echinoid has an exoskeleton or outer shell with no inner skeleton. This animal lived mostly in shallow seas and would have moved about on the sea floor by way of moving their long spines that stuck out from their shell; eating mostly algae. Today, many collections, both private and public, are comprised of many different species of fossil echinoids.

Our newest designs to our Rock Yard Collection feature the Holectypus Echinoid from the Cretacous Majunga Basin, Madagascar. Each one is unique and has been hand wire wrapped in non-tarnish wires. Each necklace design is unique......

....this one to the right reflects a Mediterranean or Egyptian design style with a mix of golden citrine nugget chips, faceted indian agate and amethyst crystals. 

  

...this set to the left a more chic tribal and ethnic design constructed with a couple of carved onyx stones with a matte finish, painted onyx, turquoise, and rare Arizona ivoryite.

Visit our online Timeless Designs store to browse and shop our collections, featuring uniquely artisan crafted jewelry!

Rawness in Golden Yellow Citrine

The name Citrine is derived from the Latin word Citrus, meaning “lemon”. Until the Middle Ages this name was used to designate a wide range of yellow stones. Citrine has been highly regarded as a gemstone and healing stone for almost six thousand years.

The soldiers in Caesar’s legions wore citrine on their chest because the stone was believed to have life-saving properties in battle. As befits its color, it is recognized as the stone of light, sun and life. (Did you know…..that the yellow amethyst and smoky quartz can be heated to artificially create citrine?)

Citrine is yellow to brownish quartz (silicon dioxide) and resembles yellow topaz. It is colorless by hydrous iron oxide, and is found in the same hexagonal crystals as the other varieties of crystalline quartz. Natural citrine is much less common than amethyst or smoky quartz, both of which can be heat treated to turn their color to of citrine.

Citrine occurs principally in localities that produce amethyst, and it is sometimes found as a zone of citrine in amethyst, when it is known as ametrine. Gem-quality citrine is found in a few places around the world such as on the Isle of Arran, Scotland; in the Ural Mountains of Russia; near Hyderabad, India; in Dauphine, France; and in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

This new specimen just arrived from the mineral company today and is huge (at least to me it is!); measuring about 18"x 16" in diameter in an irregular shape and 3"-4" thick in some places (and is quite heavy).

The large chunk is still in its raw form; jagged crystal cylinders, rough edges…the stories it could tell. This piece of citrine is from Artigas, Uruguay; rich in colors of the golden yellow sun with the light bands of white around the edges and bottom of gray ground.

The chunks of each crystal cylinder are gorgeous; defiantly add this one to your collection of minerals or just to ‘showcase’ in your den or study.

Summer In Dichroic

This new summer piece features triangular dichroic glass in matching pendant and earrings! At the focal I’ve used a lovely dichroic glass pendant in wild colors of pink, copper, green and some gold and touch a red....the bail is hand wire wrapped in brass non-tarnish wire and left with swirling coils.

The pendant is then accented with tons of charms…all twisted by hand onto brass colored headpins in faceted crystals of green, yellow, peach and pink and all strung onto a light olive colored silk cord! The matching earrings dangle with same cluster of crystals and tiny dichroic pendants.

Visit our online Timeless Designs store at Ruby Lane to browse and purchase our artisan crafted designs!

Caring For Your Gemstone Jewelry

You have bought or received as a gift the most incredible piece of gemstone jewelry, now how to keep it that way. Caring for your gemstone jewelry is an essential necessity for any jewelry owner, as gemstones are a durable material, and they do require care, so that when handed down as heirlooms in the years to come, they are just as brilliantly remarkable as they are to you now, to be cherished forever.

Most transparent and hard gemstones can endure being cared for by simply cleaning the jewelry with mild nonabrasive hand detergent and a soft bristled toothbrush; then dried with a soft clean cloth. It is wise to place a soft washcloth in the sink covering the drain, as doing so will aid in preventing any gemstones from becoming chipped or falling down the drain while you are cleaning your jewelry.

Some would suggest using ultrasonic cleaners, while this may be the fastest method for cleaning your jewelry; it is also the quickest way to damage your gemstones. Be very careful when using an ultrasonic cleaner, make sure that your gemstones can withstand such cleaning before using this type of method.

Here are some suggestions for cleaning and caring for your gemstone jewelry.

•Use 2 cleaning bowls. One that has warm water plus the cleaning liquid and one that has only warm water to rinse.

Note: If you are using sinks, place a soft washcloth over the drains, this will help to keep stones from going down the drains and also help to prevent possible chipping.

•Use lukewarm water, never use hot water.

•Use a mild dishwashing liquid or mild jewelry cleaning solution. One that is safe for your specific jewelry gemstones and metals.

•Several soft, clean, dry cloths (1-for cleaning and 1-drying)

•Small, unused soft bristled toothbrush

The process is simple, fill your sink with warm water, add a little drop of mild dishwashing liquid and swish around to make bubbles. Carefully, place a few pieces at a time in the sink allowing them to soak a few minutes (don’t overload the sink as this may cause jewelry to hit against each other causing chips, cracks and/or damage). Then take each piece out and carefully clean with the soft bristled toothbrush.

Caution, you only need to use a toothbrush if you have a piece of jewelry that has tiny cracks, holes, and small places where dust and dirt can get in; otherwise, there is really no need to use a toothbrush. Rinse in a separate sink that only contains warm water. Place the jewelry on a soft cloth and carefully dry your jewelry pieces. As a side note, allow an hour or so for your jewelry to 'air dry' to make sure that all water is gone before placing back into their jewelry box or containers.

Cleaning your jewelry doesn’t have to be done often, but several times a year to protect your gemstones. As a rule of thumb and if in doubt, clean your gemstone jewelry with warm, soapy water. Avoid harsh chemicals or high heat which can cause gemstones to fade or crack. And try to store your gemstone jewelry in a clean jewelry case out of the reach of harsh light or sun to prevent fading and possible damage to your gemstones.

As a last note, it is also wise to have a jeweler check any gemstones that have been put in settings at least once a year. This is to make sure that the prongs are secure and your gems are safe. When in doubt, ask a professional jeweler about the care and cleaning of your new gemstone jewelry.

Hot Hoop Dangles For Summer

 

New style of hoop earrings that dangle for the summer! 

These earrings are light and breezy and feature coral colored chips, lapis and turquoise…see these and other styles just added to our online store!

 

Browse and shop our custom crafted jewelry collections at our Timeless Designs store on Ruby Lane!