Carved Gemstone Bears

Carved from gemstones of the world and these are from Madagascar.  They are just a few of the new items in collectable fossils, minerals and rocks that we will be carrying. They have a high glossy polish and feature some of the world's finished gemstones. They are all very lovely and a great addition to any collection.

Ocean Jasper Bear (to the right) – beautiful colors and several spots where some have formed crystallized; even the 'eye' appears to be crystallized.

Labradorite Bear (to the left) – very striking and stunning gemstone, this is some of the best labradorite I've seen in a long time.

Blue Calcite Bear (to the right) – shades of blue and the polish brings out all the shades and depths of color.

Visit our online store, Timeless Designs at Ruby Lane for a selection of minerals, fossils and rocks!

Amethyst, The Purple Beauty

A variety of vitreous quartz with purple, violet, or red-purple coloration, amethyst derives its name from the ancient Greek amethustos, meaning literally “not drunk” as if 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 hue.

Found in most countries where granite 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 twining or preferential absorption on the rhombehedral faces. Major commercial sources of amethyst are Brazil, where it occurs in geodes that are frequently human-sized; deep purple colors are found in Uruguay, and also Siberia and North America. Crystals from Brazilian and Uruguayan deposits are most often found as radiating masses, with individual crystals appearing as pyramids. Lower grade 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 ametrine is sometimes used.

Traditionally amethyst has along 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. Egyptian amethyst came principally from Nubia, once a province of Egypt.

In modern times, amethyst is both faceted and cut and it has a widespread use as a carving material. Its most valued shades are a deep, rich purple, and a deep purple with a reddish tinge.

Visit Timeless Designs online store to browse among jewelry designs featuring amethyst stones, raw wire wrapped pendants and amethyst collectibles.

32nd Annual Christmas Showcase - San Antonio

Get a jump start on your holiday gift giving and shopping.....

32^nd Annual Christmas Showcase

Freeman Coliseum – San Antonio, TX

Saturday, November 19 - Sunday, November 20

Hours: Sat - 9am-5pm & Sun – 10am-5pm

The booth is located in the Coliseum, main floor under the alcove!

Avoid the lines and traffic at the malls; come join us for the last "BIG" show of the season!!

We will have all new selections featuring.....

Raw Collectables Fossils, Minerals & Rocks

Southwest Flair; classic and modern styles in turquoise, coral, magnesite, and onyx  

Mystic Artisan; high-end elegance in agate, jasper, pearl, dichroic glass, Swarovski crystal, and more

Wiry Legend; funky wire techniques in links, swirls, wraps, cages, and use of other metals  

Rock Yard; old earth comes to life using fossils, minerals and raw rocks  

Pendant Sets & Single featuring wire work

Year End Close-out Holiday Sale Items

 

........and so much more!

 So grab your list, put on some comfy walking shoes and join the holiday shopping festivities with hundreds of booths to shop from featuring some of Texas's most talented artists!

Hand Wire Wrapped Sand Dollar Designs

This past summer the mineral company I work with came across another new fossil, the sand dollar or Holectypus Echinoid and these little beauties come from Majunga Basin, Madagascar. They challenged me to wire wrap this dome shape fossil into a pendant. At first it was a little more than complicated, but after trying and working through different techniques, I was able to get it locked into place and wired as a pendant.  Since then I've done several different designs (see past posts) with them as a focal, however they have since become very rare to find and the reason, the Madagascar government has put a restriction on the Holectypus Echinoid, Sand Dollar fossil. 

The few I have left are quickly being bought up as the designs are listed at our online shop.

The pendant set features the sand dollar fossil wired in copper non-tarnish wire and can be removed from the ribbon cord and worn on other chains, collars or cords. 

I included a light-weight pair of swing long dangle earrings in tiny triple hoops with glass orange and yellow lined seed beads for accents.

The necklace is a premier piece, the focal is the sand dollar fossil wire wrapped in antique copper non-tarnish wire. 

I've accented it with large fancy copper beads, marbled rondelle disks of yellow calicate and faceted dark purple amethyst rondelles that are capped in fancy copper bead caps. 

For a clasp I chose a large half twisted copper t-bar toggle and matching earrings in dangle hoops using the same stones as the necklace.

For more custom artisan jewelry, visit Timeless Designs online at Ruby Lane!

Spicy Shades of Red Sponge Coral

From time to time we design necklaces with just one color theme and in this case the center focal determined that red would be the color! 

The necklace features lovely and beautiful matching murano glass puffy hearts; a large pendant and smaller sized earrings. The colors are vivid mixes of marbled red, orange and gold set on a white background.

The pendants have been paired with sevearl different rondelle faceted crystals of light and medium autumn colors.  For a blend of natural stone, orange (dyed) magnesite disks and we chose red sponge coral in a fat disk shape for contrast and two sizes of daisy gold spacers to finish off the necklace.  It also has a chain extender for wearing at short or long lengths; depending on your own style. 

The matching earrings feature the same murano glass pendants in hearts and tons of hand twisted charmed crystals.  This is a lovely necklace set that can be worn really any time of year!  It is full of bling and hot red colors for a bold and chic look!

Check out our latest designs for the fall and winter seasons!

You can browse around through custom artisan jewelry; all hand-crafted with natural stones, real fossils and minerals, different metals, crystals, glass, and much more!

New Designs of Sparkle For Your Ears

For the holidays we've been creating some new earrings in long designs, as requested by our many customers! Some are full of crystals with tons of sparkle and bling in hoop dangles...while others are long light-weight tiny triple or double hoop dangles with dagger charms and glass bead accents.  

  

Check out our selection of artisan crafted designs at our online Timeless Designs shop!

Browse among hues of champagne, black, silver, golden, green, pink, black, and many other hues and shades of color.

Wired Agate Pendant Sets

Pendants are again coming back into style this season, many like either just the single pendant to wear with their own earrings and accessories; while others prefer to have a complete set with pendant and matching earrings. We've done just that, some of pendants have now been matched up with different earring designs, mostly in long dangle styles featuring tiny hoops and glass seed beads & pendants. Here's a look at just a few of our pendant sets.....

  

Autumn Wonder in Brazilian Agate slice hand wire wrapped in brass non-tarnish wire; the light clear to beige-orange colors are earthy and soft for any outfit. Matching earrings are in tiny double hoops with complimenting colored seed beads and honey colored faceted pendant.  Pendant comes on the beige silk cord.

Clear blue season in another Brazilian Agate slice hand wire wrapped in silver non-tarnish wire; this one pendant shows more of the clear with just a few streaks of blue running along the side. Matching earrings are in tiny double hoops with glass seed beads and dagger shaped pendant.  Pendant comes on the blue ribbon cord.

  

 

Beauty in Brazilian Oco Agate slice hand wire wrapped in silver & brass non-tarnish wire for a two-tone look. The pendant has soft delicate features and colors of tan, rust, white, and hints of blue. The matching earrings are tiny triple hoops with two coordinating soft colored glass seed beads.  Pendant comes on the beige silk cord.

For these and many other pendants in both sets and singles, visit our online store to browse and shop!