Excited to be making Stefana now .... Plus, a wire wrap w/ 2 kinds of Gold

Stefana are a Greek Orthodox wedding tradition symbol showing the connection and unity between a newly married couple. They consist of two crown / tiara-like hoops connected by a ribbon. I recently was commissioned through Etsy by a couple to create their Stefana. What an honor! They wanted a organic looking greenish color scheme. After photographing my different gemstones in shades of green, i ran a few color combinations by them, but my first choice (and the only one i really wanted to do, really) was Emerald, Watermelon Tourmaline, Labradorite, and Peridot. They liked this best too! So I created the Stefana for them out of these stones, Sterling Silver, and Organza ribbon. . I've sent her photos and they really like them! I put on the finishing touches tonight, packed them up, and they're ready to go out in tomorrow's mail. It felt very special to be contributing to their ceremony and I really hope I get the opportunity to make Stefana again!

And, something else i have wanted to do for a while:
i made a wrap making extensive use of gold
Actually, I made a 5 metal / 5 stone wrap:
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=3790128

" This unusual wrap includes 5 different stones held by 5 different metals.

a 9.5 Carat Herkimer Diamond
a 5 Carat Moldavite
10.5 Carat Peridot
13 Carat Black Tourmaline
24 Carat Labradorite

in Rose Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver, Copper, and Bronze
All in a one of a kind formation

I'd like to note that the photos aren't really showing quite how nice the Herkimer Diamond or the Labradorite really are! "

This wrap also makes use of wrapping into the wrap a prong set stone ( this piece i actually did in my metalsmithing class but i could definately do this at home too) , another thing i've wanted to incorporate for a while

And, i made a Custom Grandmother's necklace, Sterling Silver, and heart shaped, incorporating Jasper, Garnet, Amethyst, Citrine, and Topaz

Well, I was doing well with the daily posting for a WHILE there....

Let's see.... what have i been up to?

The baby has stopped gaining weight, now he's losing weight. Scary. Supplementing as much as possible, and i have an appointment with a Lactation Consultant on Thursday. His pediatrician doesn't seem too concerned though. He's still in normal range for his age, too.

I finished the 4th anniversary Tree of Life sculpture. She really liked it, which is always so nice to hear... I love how there are so many subtlely hidden allusions in there! Without getting into any presonal details, it seems like a perfect symbol for their relationship.


And, I made a couple of Chunky necklaces which is something I haven't made before. I have a lot of really nice beads that I have purchased over the years and many of them don't really fit into what I am doing these days, artwise, but some of them came together in this necklace:

http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=3713249
This 17 1/2 inch necklace has big luscious beads on it in Blues, Greens , and Purples , and the Pendant is a Dichroic glass piece about 2 1/4 inches long that reminds me of a peacock feather. The other beads include glass beads, glass Lampwork beads, rectangular green Aventurine stone beads, round barrel shaped deep green Chrysocolla gemstone beads, and purple Fluorite and Green Fluorite crystal / stone beads.

And, while acquiring some Blue Topaz, I ran across some Peruvian Blue Opal that the same seller had, and it looked so beautiful, I just had to buy some, for no specific reason. I found just the right stones to go with it:

I really love this necklace. It was a pleasure to work with these lovely stones. It consists of spherical Turquoise beads from Tibet, about 3/8 inch in diameter (slightly smaller than a marble ) , lightly faceted Rondelle Peruvian Blue Opal beads, also about 3/8 inch in diameter but not spherical, more of a disk shape, and in the center, an Amazonite that is about 3/4 inch long and is rectangular overall but has some light faceting . Fastens with a clasp. The necklace is about 19 inches long and is very elegant and ethereal, and striking at the same time.











I decided to start putting it out there that I am willing to make custom Mother and Grandmother Tree of Life and/or Heart pendants for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, and I have had one sale. I really love how the piece came out - so vibrant and colorful! The familial relationships are hinted at because the necklace is for a grandmother, and the branches with birthstones for the grandchildren are coming off of the branch of their respective parents. The piece contains Jasper, Yellow Opal, Turquoise, Garnet, more Jasper, and Blue Topaz. This piece went to Spain, and I haven't had an International jewelry sale before that i can recall, so that was exciting!

I finished the Custom Elk teeth commissioned earrings, with hammered oval frames, Wire wrapped elk teeth, 2 types of faceted Amethysts hanging from chain. I met up with the person who ordered them, and he was so happy, he paid me more than my price, so that was nice of him. He said he wants me to make a necklace for him in the future.. Another satisfied customer...


And, another commissioned pair of earrings, a lady contacted me a while back wanting a pair of earrings with Gold Danburite and Seraphinite. I told her no problem. Then i started looking into the prices for these stones. Wow! I had to charge her $75 and i actually lost money, but i have some materials left, so it was worth it (i suppose). These are highly valued Angelic stones, used in connection to a higher power for those who use crystals and stones in meditation.

I also made a Tree of Life pendant for which I have the highest price tag of anything I have made so far. Still, I hope it sells because it is so beautiful that its a shame its just sitting on one of my boards. I have to charge what I am because it took me a week to make it, a whole bunch of Sterling Silver, and some very nice stones went into it. Maybe it will take a while for it to find a home with the price tag of $200 but then again, people pay thousands all the time for pieces that are a lot less original than this...
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=3750673
One of a kind piece - there will never be another like it because these stones were sculpted over time by Mother Nature and are from all over the world, and now I bring them together in this original design

All wire in this piece is Sterling Silver. It is woven to create the frame. At the top, a Tree is created out of Sterling Silver and Czech glass leaf beads. The rest of the piece seems to be the roots of this tree. This reminds us that often what lies beneath the surface is as important as what meets the eye and is a hidden source of strength.
Nestled in these roots, in various shades of green, are Collector's Quality naturally formed Crystals, gemstones, and Minerals including:

-- a 38 Carat Green Kunzite aka Hiddenite
This stone is valued by healers that study the metaphysical properties of stones for its ability to promote feelings of unconditional love for self and others, to aid in releasing feelings of inferiority, and facilitating dealing with the past in order to move forward.

-- an 11 Carat Moldavite
A stone treasured by Royalty, this stone is purported to have the ability to participate in bringing dramatic change to one's life and to open up access to other realms of existence

-- a 9 Carat Green Kyanite
Kyanite aids in aligning the Chakras of an individual as well as helping energy to flow properly between other stones.

--a 4.5 Carat Green Apatite
When placed near the throat, facilitates feelings of peace and harmony. Also helps people relinquish influences in their life that are causing them harm.

-- 1 Carat Peridot
Traditional birthstone of August, stone of new beginnings and growth

-- 1 Carat Amazonite
Considered a sacred stone in Egypt. Associated with luck , self confidence, understanding of others, and reception of inspiration

-- 4.5 Carat raw Emerald
Traditional Birthstone for May, associated with Venus the Goddess of Love

-- 12 Carat Malachite
Removes blockages between ourself and a higher level of existence. Counteracts the tendency for self destructive behaviors in love, encouraging pure love instead. Cleansing of negative energies.


-- 2.5 Carat Green Tourmaline aka Indicolite
Green Tourmaline aids in Concentration and Stimultion of Creativity

I include this metaphysical information for the benefit of those who are interested ; Obviously this information is not necessary for an artistic appreciation of the piece :)

Overall, this piece is approximately 4 inches long. So it is substantial although not enormous! I will include a Sterling Silver plated 18 inch Figaro Chain or other chain if you wish, or a black leather cord with clasp if you prefer.

A lot of work went into this piece, and I hope it goes to a good home!



And, since February is coming up, I made an Amethyst tree of life.

Made a simple pearl necklace... http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=3761409

And I made a wire wrap that includes two of my favorite magical looking stones in one piece: Moonstone and Labradorite. Because of the shimmering unusual nature of these stones and my horrible photography skills, i never really did get a good picture but there are a couple at the link:
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=3761326
This necklace consists of a 20 carat luminous Labradorite with beautiful markings and brillliant blue flashing fire, and a 16 carat genuine Rainbow Moonstone glowing a lovely purple

They are elaborately and durably wrapped in all Sterling Silver
shown here on a Sterling Silver plated Figaro chain or we could work out some other chain or cord


I'm sure i've done a thing or two that i'm not recollecting right now..

Oh well.

Ordered a bunch of Silver and Gold wire from a couple of different sources, some new beads including Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Tanzanite, and more. Every time I make a dime, I spend it on new supplies! But i love doing this, so...

Keeping busy..

So i made the Shark Tooth custom necklace this morning... It's 3 shark teeth wire wrapped in Silver alloy, with glass beads and shells, on a Sterling Silver plated chain. Not bad for $15 including shipping and handling...

The Grandmother Birthstone heart necklace person still hasn't paid me or responded. She didn't have any feedback yet. I should have gotten payment up front... I have to be more patient though.

I finished the custom Tree sculpture yesterday and boy is it monumental!
Still have to write about it....
beyond the stones that are labeled, the leaves are Czech glass leaf beads, Peridot gemstone, Malachite, Serpentine Jade, Turquoise, Tiger's Eye, and more. She is getting a heck of a deal at $50 but I enjoyed making it... Lots of different stones...Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Peruvian Blue Opal, Topaz, Citrine, Garnet, Sapphire, and more. Yep, all genuine gemstones.
















I also made a metalsmithing piece today:

"One of a kind copper necklace created by art student .. Square pendant

This one of a kind piece was started a couple years ago in a Metalsmithing class. . The Copper Square has been fired by a torch, creating a bubble and other lunar-landscape textures on one side. The other side has been painstakingly textured with a planishing hammer and other implements. Now I finally completed it, 2 years later. It has been attached on opposite corners to a vintage unused copper chain, 30 inches long, that hangs to about the bust, easily slipping over the head with no annoying clasps to mess about with. You choose which side of the square to wear outwards..they both look completely different!"



All I sold today was a bracelet - a multicolored, multi stone bracelet on a stretchy cord. Very colorful


New idea today, courtesy of Mystery from Tooboard : Custom made Mother's necklaces with the Birthstones of their kids , as a tree of life

Making Progress - and - i HAVE to get organized!

This morning I went to work. When I was done, I met up with a lady who wanted a shark tooth necklace for her son. This was an interesting transaction because it was a birthday present for her son, and he was going to be with her when she picked it up. We arranged it over the phone, and I thought it would work out if i secured the necklace inside a little mail order catalog from a department store, and met at a predetermined time and place. She handed me the $20 bill in a handshake, and I handed her the catalog with the necklace in it, showing the piece to her, first. Fun.

While I was working, I checked email from my phone and learned that someone on Etsy ALchemy had accepted my bid to make a gem tree sculpture for her husband's birthday. She was looking for something with "fruit and flowers" - the traditional gift for a 4th anniversary. There were other elements she wanted included too, and other little symbols and allusions contained in the piece... some of which i can't give away without revealing their personal details.... But i will be making a tree with their birthstones, and their kids, other Green gemstone and glass beads, a polymer clay apple and apple blossoms, and I will be making a 4 in the trunk, semi hidden, as well as other numerological allusions. She and I have been carrying on some pretty good discussion and I hope she is very satisfied with the results.

I also made the base for her tree, as well as the other tree I am making. I started the rest of the sculpting for that first tree, too. And I found most of the stones I will need for it. I also began working on the Grandmother necklace. And, the girl with the shark tooth necklace finally wrote back expressing her preferences, so now i can start on that.

And, I spent about 2 hours looking for some nice Amethyst briolette tear drop shaped beads that I need for several projects, and of course they were in a box that i searched 9 times. In the meantime i had ordered some back up replacements. I guess I will be able to do work with them. But I really need to organize my craft stuff. At one point, I had it somewhat sorted out in storage containers and drawers but it is now all scrambled together and can be so difficult to find things sometimes. Not really sure when i'll get around to it though!

I guess this blog will help me keep track too

Can't wait to type out what's going on, just to keep it all straight...

Well, this morning I took a bunch of photos of beads, shells, etc for the girl with the Shark tooth necklace to match the earrings to choose from... She hasn't written back yet.

The fellow with the Elk Tooth earrings wrote and asked if i could do ovals instead. After clarifying which orientation of oval (egg standing on end, or egg laying down), I said "sure". Now he wants the hoops hammered instead of out of twisted Sterling Silver. Glad he does, because it would be harder to hold an oval shape with that twisted Sterling Silver.

Cropped and adjusted the photos for the custom Gem Tree sculpture that I am making as the gift for the Grandmother with the 5 grandkids. Put them in Photo charms. Wrote to the mother commissioning it:
"Tomorrow, I will make the base for the sculpture.

I will also begin the stone selection process.

My idea for including your generation, the parents of these children, is that I will have a naturalistic division of the Tree trunk, with you and your husband on one side and your offspring, and your sister in law and her spouse and kids on the other side. Just like a family tree diagram except more organic! Since you aren't including your generation's photos, I can still include branches with the corresponding birthstones for you and your husband, and your sister in law and her husband, and branching off your branches would be your kids' branches.

If you'd like, you could send me names and birthdates of all nine of you and I can print them on a Parchment paper along with descriptions of the stones, to go with the sculpture"

She loves this idea and sent some info already.

Made a shark tooth necklace for a mother who wants to give it to her son.

Placed this bid for someone wanting a necklace for her mother incorporating her Grandkids' birthstones and won the contract
Description: I would make a heart out of hammered Sterling silver. Then would be another Sterling Silver heart inside that heart, hanging from which there would be two teardrop shaped faceted Amethyst gemstone beads, a spherical Garnet bead, a little cluster of Peridot beads, and a little cluster of Blue Topaz beads. It would be about 1 1/2 to 2 inches across. I would include a Sterling Silver snake chain. Any beads that I would use would be submitted for your approval first

Completion Date: 1/15/2009

Price: $25.00
Terms of payment: negotiable

Estimated cost of shipping: $6.00
Shipping method: Priority mail

Placed and lost a few other bids...

An interesting fellow saw my ad around Christmas time, for a Necklace incorporating a gorgeous Green Tourmaline and Two Topaz Points... (my husband and i refer to him as the guy who thought i was a sorceress -- long story) ...he said he was strapped for cash but to get back to him around January 6th.. he's no longer interested in that but asked me for recommendations for a Scorpio and also for a Taurus.... after getting a long email from me about that, he said he's leaning towards Tourmaline.. here's the lowdown I gave him on the Tourmalines I have around right now... (although I have a few more pieces too)

As far as Tourmaline goes, I could do a single Black Tourmaline about 2 inches long in a simple Sterling Silver wrap on a black leather cord or a Sterling Silver plated chain for $25. $20 for a slightly smaller one.

My website overall is at http://www.mandalarain.com
Here are some links to items that are made with Tourmaline:

http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2723639
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=3646718
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=3036968
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2709359
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2321415 (This one I'd be willing to reduce to $30)
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2195987 (Would reduce to $45)
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=1893613 (would reduce to $50)
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=1877842 (would also reduce to $50)
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=678237 (would take $50 for this one too)
http://mandala.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2829925

These are SOME of the pieces I have already made up, containing Tourmaline. I do have various Watermelon Tourmalines, Green TOurmalines, Ruby (deep pink)Tourmalines, Black Tourmalines, and Champagne (maroon) Tourmalines just waiting for a home. I even have a gorgeous Green Tourmaline that has Purple Lepidolite Crystals growing all over it and also another Green Tourmaline that was broken in nature and rehealed itself, both that I will be making into jewelry eventually.


Also made these two pieces:

A Citrine Crystal wire wrapped in Sterling Silver and also a Black Tourmaline Crystal wire wrapped in Sterling

Descriptions:
This piece consists of a Citrine Crystal hand wire wrapped in STerling Silver. The Crystal has little crystal points around the main point and chevron formations. You can have it on a 18 inch medium Curb chain Sterling Silver plated or a black leather cord with lobster clasp, or a black necklace cord that you can cut to the length that you want and tie, your choice.

Mystical Properties:
In ancient times, citrine was carried as a protection against snake venom and evil thoughts. Citrine is known as a "success" stone because it is told in folklore to promote success and abundance, especially in business and commerce.

Citrine is one of the only stones that dissipates negative energy and never requires cleansing or clearing. It emits a warm energy that promotes optimism. It attracts abundance and is known as "a merchant's stone" to be placed in a cash register or where one conducts business, to not only acquire positive wealth but to maintain it as well. It enhances the body's healing energy and opens the conscious mind to intuition. It helps one adjust and adapt to process changes, feeling confident and secure. Citrine's magnetic radiating energy can aid in voice projection, making this the perfect stone for actors and public speakers.

Assists in acquiring wealth and to maintain the state of wealth. Citrine is helpful for directing creative energy into the physical body. Some find it helpful in building self-esteem. This crystal is an invaluable aid to the digestion of all emotions, place it on the solar plexus in crystal healing layouts. I find that Citrine is useful in combating decisiveness allowing me to make important decisions on a regular basis.

Healing Properties:
Physically, citrine can aid digestion, increase visual ability, and to balance the thyroid. It is beneficial to the endocrine and digestive system - cleansing, purifying and eliminating poisons that have built up. Citrine has the power to calm and soothe distressed conditions. It reduces ulcer flare-ups and is good for detoxifying all the bodies.

Magical Properties:
Energy: Projective
Element: Fire
Powers: Anti-nightmare, protection, psychic power

Citrine is worn at night to eliminate fear, to prevent nightmares and to ensure a good night's sleep.

Citrine may eliminate self-destructive behaviors or tendencies, and raise self-esteem. This stone should be used to align with the higher self and to protect your aura.

A member of the quartz family, citrine can be used is most the same fashion as crystal/clear quartz. The benefit being that it's golden yellow color adds Sun energy to the work. When worn, it's vibrant shades help to lift the spirits if one is feeling down or perhaps dealing with mild depression.

Citrine is a good stone for scrying into matter pertaining to money and other forms of prosperity.

hakra Classification:
Citrine is generally to be called upon when there is a creativity block, an inability to solve problems, repressed anger, sleeplessness, nightmares, problems with the stomach and digestion, obesity and other physical problems regarding circulation and vision.

Citrine is used to heal and balance the 2nd, Sacral or Navel Chakra.




and



Black Tourmaline Crystal wire wrapped in Sterling Silver, on your choice of free size black necklace cord , 18 inch leather cord with clasp, or Sterling Silver plated chain.

I guess the second description is a big shorter!

Made a Thai Chicken Curry with Water Chestnuts and Baby Corn for dinner..
A Chocolate Pudding Pie for dessert..

Well, I felt like i got nothing done today, since the baby was having a bit of a rough day, crying a lot more than usual and whatnot, but I guess I did get a few things done!

New Supplies: Shark Teeth, Spirit Amethyst, Azurite, and more

Yesterday I went to the Nederland Rock Gem and Mineral shop and bought some new pieces
Picked up a couple beautiful Spirit Amethysts, and I already made a pendant out of one of them, this evening. Wrapped it in Sterling Silver and put it on a Sterling Silver plated Curb Chain. I took a photo differently than I have before, with a Stilibite Cluster for the background, and I like how it came out. I may do this more in the future.

I still have another Purple Spirit Amethyst to work with, and I also picked up one that is a bright yellow color due to the presence of iron. It is really pretty and opalescent.

Also picked up a couple of Shark teeth from 15 million years ago. They are about an inch and a half long. Last night I made a pendant out of one, with twisted Sterling Silver wire, and it already sold to someone who seemed to really like it... his email address included the Ancient Mariner in it, and I remember reading that epic poem with my dad as a kid. He lives in Maine. I It sold about an hour ago, and I immediately packaged it up to go out tomorrow morning. I still have one other tooth to wrap.




Picked up 4 pieces I may try to use as Gem Tree / Tree of Life sculpture bases : a big piece of Green Calcite, a sliced purple Agate coaster, a piece of Lepidolite, and a large piece of gorgeous Labradorite (although i might have a hard time parting with that one!) I also finally received today, way late, a strand of Labradorite chip beads that I bought on ebay a long time ago. I might use those to make a Gem Tree on that Labradorite piece, in conjunction with some faceted tear drop shaped Labradorites I picked up at a Denver Gem and Jewelry show.

Also picked up a couple sparkly pieces of Azurite / Malachite to make into pendants. Found a couple of really nice pieces.

While I was there, I asked the lady working there for items out of the case twice. She seemed very nice. She was very conspicuous about finding a spot in a draw for a piece of Amazonite, mined in Colorado, and when i asked her for access to the Spirit Amethysts, she placed it on the counter in my view. I took the bait. It is a rich turquoise color and a very nice size and shape for wrapping, with even a termination on one end. I'm pretty sure she was trying to get me to buy it and she gave me a good deal on it.

Finally, I picked up a Citrine point with some Chevrons and other little points around the main point.

Today, I went to meet someone who came all the way from Parker, over an hour away, to meet with me about making some earrings out of Elk Teeth. I met up with him in Boulder, at a Mexican restaurant, which was easy to give directions to. I gave him the best directions ever! Anyhow, at the appointed time, he was there finishing up having lunch there, which he enjoyed. I used to live in that neighborhood and ate there occasionally. Good stuff. He was wearing a Harley Sturgis shirt though. I mentioned not having seen his bike outside -- He was supposed to have rode his motorcycle there but the high winds scared him off. I agreed - it was brutal out there. There is even right now a wildfire in Boulder that caused the evacuation of 1000 homes complicated by the wind. I sat and chatted with him about what he wanted. He has these small Elk Calf teeth that he grabbed off a roadkill while with a lady friend, and he wanted me to make them into earrings for her. I wasn't sure what he wanted at first, but after some discussion, we agreed that I would make medium sized hoop earrings out of twisted Sterling Silver wire, on Surgical Steel ear hooks, with the Elk Teeth and some faceted Amethyst Briolette beads hanging inside, a big assymmetrically. He had drawings and everything. He seemed shocked when I quoted him $18 (he was expecting at least $40) . I won't make much after cost, but then again, he wants to see what I come up with and maybe have me make a matching necklace. He had a little tooth collection - he used to hunt and also some that he found.

I also had someone contact me yesterday about making a necklace for his friend out of some faceted Moldavites. He wanted to meet up today but he has a cold and wasn't feeling up to it, so he may either mail them to me, or we might meet up next week. (Actually I just checked my email and he just wrote that he did send them in the mail today).

And, I hit up the craft store today, picked up a couple funky chains on clearance, some black hemp, ribbon, and some pin backings because i'd like to try making a couple of brooches. Made myself put back a bead organizer that even with 40% off woulda ran me $9. Oh well. Sometimes you just gotta draw the line. ;)

I must be nuts

..... because I took on an Alchemy custom request to make matching hemp bracelets for a girl from Belgium (its already taken up several hours, and i'm only going to make about $12 on it in the end):

"please, only post a bid when you have toroughly read my request, to avoid wasting both our times, thanks :)

Reposting this, as I am still looking for it, and I guess because of the christmas commotion, it got a bit lost.. :

a set of bracelets!
there would be one for me and one for my boyfriend.. something like friendship bracelets.

what I was thinking of is something with maybe black (perhaps hemp?) cord, and with black beads and such, may also be some silver in, we both like dark things, we like skulls, butterflies, spikes, question marks, and filigree things.. also, I would like both to have (preferably black) beads with our initials (in silver preferably, or vice versa: silver beads with black letters) and a heart in between (can be black or silver heart) and maybe a few other beads in black and/or silver.

I'd love to hear about possibilities and such :)

this would be for valentine, so you'd have quite the time to get them made ;)

(postage would be for belgium!) "

her ideal price was $5. Um, no. But i was bored so i quoted her $15, which i immediately changed to $18 plus $7 shipping and handling.
Immediately she was on me asking why I changed my bid (it was because i added a couple of exmpensive beads to the quote) and why so much for shipping (it will cost about $5.40, plus cost of mailer, plus for international shipping i have to go to the post office and fill out forms)
So after a few false starts , a bunch of suggestions, i finally realized I was going to have to make all her beads for her out of polymer clay, except some silver accent beads (plus i have to buy some black hemp - thought i had it but i don't)

I spent a big portion of the day making polymer clay beads... Well, a lot of it i spent making beads to make a different project, because i made her a rough draft black skull and while i was waiting for her to ok the concept, i started making these little white skulls, with black in the eye sockets and nose, very realistic although the photo doesn't really show it. I put little roses on the sides, and i am going to make them into earrings, maybe with some white lace tulle and/or ribbon, plus maybe some Garnets. Sort of a Lost love , corpse bride, rock and roll , gothic , theme... Not my usual thing but that is why i love the Alchemy section -- i come up with ideas and challenges i might not otherwise conceive of. It's sort of like being an art college student all over again. They were coming out great.... except i kept holding them too hard and finding that i had squeezed the skull out of shape by the end, and then ruining the detail work when i tried to fix it. The first one came out ok pretty quickly but then the second one, i must have remade at least a dozen times. Finally I took a break and a step back, came back to it later, and was finally able to break the cycle!

The black beads i made for her, also a crappy photo. I hope she likes them. I haven't baked them yet.

Today i sold my Abalone Quartz Kyanite Lepidolite pendant to a girl from Ebay who also recently won an auction for a really nice piece of Kyanite made into a pendant, too. These pieces were both ones I liked a lot, and she is very sweet and complimentary. I'm sending her a few little nice extras in the package, like a free Floating Pearl single strand necklace with a Bali Silver toggle clasp, a Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Chocolate, and a couple other litttle things, plus i gave her a really nice Figaro chain and combined her shipping. The Kyanite is cool because it is two blades together which i have never crossed paths with before. The other piece I really like because it started off as a square piece and then all of a sudden, i just sort of scrapped what i was doing and made it into what it is now, and it's unlike anything I've made before.

Someone found some of my pieces on boulder craigslist and wants to meet me about possibly making some earrings out of Elk Teeth. He's going to ride his motorcycle all the way from Parker in the cold to meet with me about it on Wednesday. This should be interesting... I think he may also be interested in my Green Amethyst / Praisolite piece, since he asked if i still had it... I'm waiting for a reply to a clarifying email...

Well, the baby is awake now and i have to feed him and get to bed. Gotta work tomorrow...