Even though I am not the most massive tweeter on Twitter, I am on there! One of my twitter friends, Anne, admired this malachite ring that I had made for another of my lovely customers.
I happened to have a similarly lovely malachite cabochon in my gemstone collection, and I was happy to use it create this lovely ring for Anne.
I love the contrast and patterns in this stone, and I think it makes a stunning ring against the silver setting. Thanks for commissioning this ring, Anne!
One of my dear customers, Charmaine, asked me to create her this malachite ring for a special function she is attending.
She is such a sweetie to work with, and it was my pleasure!
I love this lighter malachite, it’s just gorgeous. Thanks, Charmaine!
The beautiful malachite gemstone cabochon shown here is 33mm long.
Malachite has a high copper content, which is what gives it that fabulous green colouring. It was given its name because of its resemblance to the leaves of the Mallow plant. Read more about Malachite here.
I used this cabochon to create this custom piece:
My dear friend Carmen asked me to create a malachite bracelet for her husband, Vaji.
Malachite is believed to assist with success in business.
Good luck, Vaji, and thank you, Carmen.
If you’re in the market for a new mortgage, let me know – Vaji is your man!
Maria, for whom I previously made this ring and this ring, asked me to make her a ring using a malachite cabochon I had in my gemstone stash.
I love this particular piece of malachite – it’s lighter than usual, and very striking!
I hope Maria enjoys wearing it as much as I enjoyed making it.
Thanks, Maria!
Malachite – gorgeous! I love the endless variations on that swirly green theme. Malachite has a high copper content, which is what gives it the fabulous green colouring. It often results from the weathering of copper ores.
It was given its name from the Greek , meaning ‘mallow-green stone’ because of its resemblance to the leaves of the Mallow plant.
Malachite was used as a mineral pigment in green paints from ancient times until about 1800, when a synthetic form of the colour widely replaced it. Large quantities are mined in the Urals in Russia, and Malachite is found worldwide, including here in Australia at Broken Hill, New South Wales. It is often found in the company of Azurite.
Malachite was popular with ancient civilizations in Egypt, Rome and Greece where it was used in jewelry as well as cosmetics.
Malachite is believed to be a protector of children. It is said to protect travellers, and to protect the wearer from accidents. Malachite has been used to aid success in business and protect against undesirable business associations. It is believed to be a stone of balance in relationships.
You can have a little piece of this fabulous stone to wear for your very own, set in a ring or pendant.
I have some pieces of malachite in my gemstone collection and I’m always happy to try to source something particular for you if you have a special dream in mind!
The unusual malachite gemstone cabochon shown here is 24mm long.
Malachite has a high copper content, which is what gives it that fabulous green colouring. It was given its name because of its resemblance to the leaves of the Mallow plant. Read more about Malachite here.
I used this cabochon to create this custom piece:
This gemstone is reserved for a lovely customer.
The lovely malachite gemstone cabochon shown here is 22mm diameter.
Malachite has a high copper content, which is what gives it that fabulous green colouring. It was given its name because of its resemblance to the leaves of the Mallow plant. Read more about Malachite here.
The lovely malachite gemstone cabochon shown here is 29mm long, and is available to be handcrafted into a custom made ring or pendant for you.
Malachite has a high copper content, which is what gives it that fabulous green colouring. It was given its name because of its resemblance to the leaves of the Mallow plant. Read more about Malachite here.
As part of the goldmithing course I did in 2012 I attended a weekend casting workshop. We did some lost wax casting (more on that later), and also some cuttlefish casting. Yes, really using cuttlefish! Or more correctly, their little (or not so little) cuttlebones. I hasten to add no actual cuttlefish were harmed in the making of this jewellery – their life expectancy is around one to two years, they die soon after mating, and you can quite often find their cuttlebones washed up on the beach.
The procedure for cuttlefish casting is to cut the ends off the cuttlebone and cut it in half. Grind down the two surfaces until they are flush. Carve a funnel in one end of the two halves, and carve your design just below that. Bind the sides together to form a mould, smelt your silver and pour it in!
I cuttlefish-cast the bottoms of these two pieces, then set bezels with bails attached into the cast pieces to create pendants. One is set with malachite, the other with paua shell.
I had to hand these pieces in as part of my final presentation, and then they were sold from my online shop.
Pharaoh Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are members of the cephalopod family, like ocotpus, squid and nautilus. They emit a brown ink to help them evade predators. This ink, known as sepia, was once prized as a dye. Cuttlefish have green blood, due to haemocyanin, which carries oxygen and contains copper, unlike humans who have iron-containing haemoglobin filled red blood. Cuttlefish have beaks. Cuttlefish have chromatophoric cells, which enable them to change the colour of their skin instantaneously. Aren’t they wonderful! And coincidentally in keeping with my (unplanned) marine themed year!!! Thanks, little guys!!
