The blue sodalite gemstone cabochons shown here are 12mm wide. They are available to be handcrafted into a custom made piece for you.
Tag Archives: custom made
Mookaite Triangle Cabochons
The beautiful mookaite gemstone cabochons shown here are 18mm long, and are available to be handcrafted into a custom made piece for you.
Mookaite is silicified porcelanite, which forms in silt-stone from the lower Cretaceous period that is found over much of the Carnarvon Basin in Western Australia. The name Mookaite is derived from Mooka Creek, where the rock is mined. According to locals, the Aboriginal word “mooka” means “running waters”.
Mookaite is believed to be a healing stone that bestows strength. It is said to shield the wearer from difficult situations and to connect us to loved ones who have passed away. It is thought to assist with assessing problems and making decisions. Mookaite is used to treat glandular or stomach disorders, hernias, ruptures and water retention.
Round Rose Quartz Cabochon
The rose quartz gemstone cabochon shown here is 20mm in diameter, and is available to be handcrafted into a custom piece for you.
Fossilized Apple Coral Triangle Cabochon
The amazing apple coral cabochon shown here is 22mm long. It is available to be handcrafted into a custom made ring or pendant for you.
Hammer Finish Sterling Silver Ring
I created this ring for a client who is getting married.
He is into metallurgy and smithing, so a sterling silver ring with a hammered finish was the way to go!
Simple, timeless and elegant – what a nice wedding ring!
Tuareg Style Sterling Silver Ring
A client’s husband had lost his fulani wedding ring from Mali, so I created this custom made ring for him in the same tuareg style.
I was so pleased to hear that they both think it’s perfect! I love making my clients happy (and receiving such lovely feedback is a bonus, too!)
Style – Rings
In part one of a series of tips about the basics of jewellery wearing I looked at necklaces. Today I’m going to talk about my favourite pieces of jewellery – rings.
A ring is traditionally a circular, decorative or symbolic ornament worn on fingers, toes, arm or neck – however today’s understood meaning of the word ‘ring’ is one that is worn on the finger. Rings can be made of many materials, but are commonly made from metal. They can be plain, or ornate; simple, or set with many stones. They are made in many different styles, but I’ll be focusing on bezel set gemstone rings as that is what I make!
First, let’s identify some of the basic parts of a ring. It’s good to know these terms, so that when discussing your ring, we’re on the same page:
Next, sizing. When you’re trying to determine the right ring size for you, it is best to have your finger measured professionally by a jeweller. If all else fails, you can use my guide to ring sizing.
When deciding what material your ring should be made from, sterling silver is a good choice – as well as being beautiful, it is usually hypoallergenic, so you avoid allergic reactions and green skin (problems usually brought about by the nickel in inferior quality metal).
Check out this good Wiki article on ring styles which shows many different kinds of rings – I’d never heard of some of these, so I found it very interesting!
Although I am happy to make any size ring, my preference is for large statement pieces. Sometimes people say to me that they can’t wear big rings because they have small hands – I say not so! I’m only 5’2″, and have little hands, and I love wearing a big rock! I don’t find large rings impede my hand, either – as fingers only bend inwards, the ring sits on top of the hand and allows you to do most things as usual. Ring size is really a matter of comfort and personal preference of course. Tell me, what’s your favourite ring?
As always, I am happy to create you a made to measure silver ring from any of the gemstones in my collection. If you’re interested, you can contact me about that here! Meanwhile, enjoy a browse through my custom gallery.
Carnelian and Sterling Silver Pendant
Some of the gorgeous ladies from Alderley Post Office commissioned me to create this pendant for their lovely boss Maria for a significant birthday.
I happen to know that Maria loves orange, so this carnelian gemstone was just the thing! Happy birthday again, Maria!
Sterling Silver Gundam Pendant
This custom piece I made is a depiction of a character named Haro from the Japanese animation series ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’.
There is a romantic story behind this pendant – a guy commissioned me to make it for his girlfriend because they randomly first met one another due to of a shared love of this character; then randomly met again because of these animations and fell in love with each other. So sweet!
Gemstone of the Month – Carnelian
Carnelian is a brownish red to orange, translucent to opaque variety of chalcedony. Carnelian is probably named after the the kornel cherry because of its colour. It is sometimes known as cornelian.
Carnelian has been used for decorative purposes by humans for thousands of years. Wikipedia tells us: “The bow drill was used to drill holes into carnelian in Mehrgarh between 4th-5th millennium BC. Carnelian was recovered from Bronze Age Minoan layers at Knossos on Crete in a form that demonstrated its use in decorative arts; this use dates to approximately 1800 BC. Carnelian was used widely during Roman times to make engraved gems for signet or seal rings for imprinting a seal with wax on correspondence or other important documents. Hot wax does not stick to carnelian. Sard was used for Assyrian cylinder seals, Egyptian and Phoenician scarabs, and early Greek and Etruscan gems. The Hebrew odem (translated sardius), the first stone in the High Priest’s breastplate, was a red stone, probably sard but perhaps red jasper.”
Carnelian is thought to aid with concentration, and by keeping one focused on the here and now and not on past experiences. Carnelian is believed to be calming and grounding, and encourages initiative and determination.
Carnelian is understood to improve circulation, aid with problems of the liver, bladder, kidneys and spleen and with male impotency, and to increase appetite. It is believed to help with PMS as well as sexual anxiety.
Carnelian is thought to prevent accidents, and to protect the home from theft, fire and storm damage.
Carnelian is beautiful – the range of colour from reddish brown through to almost yellow is so vibrant!
I have some gorgeous carnelian available in my gemstone collection. If you find a stone that appeals to you and you’d like to have it set in a ring or a pendant, let me know – I’d love to create something beautiful for you.
