The gorgeous chrysocolla gemstone cabochon shown here is 35mm long, and is available to be handcrafted into a custom made ring or pendant for you.
Malachite and chrysocolla both have a high copper content, which is what gives it that fabulous blue/green colouring. The name comes from the Greek chrysos, (gold), and kolla, (glue).
Chrysocolla and malachite commonly form together, and produce some fantastic gemstones!
It is believed to have a calming influence, and also to attract love. It is supposed to help heal burns, fever, and detoxify the liver.
The lovely soft green moss agate gemstone cabochon shown here is 35mm in diameter. It is available to be handcrafted into a custom made ring or pendant for you.
Moss agate is dendritic, meaning it has tree or fern-like inclusions (from the Greek dendron, meaning tree). The inclusions in this piece are chlorite.
Moss agate is known as the agate of warriors, and of gardeners and agriculture. Moss agate helps balance emotional energy. It helps the user to let go of anger and bitterness. It is believed to enhance concentration, persistence, endurance and success in one’s endeavors. It is thought to assist with sensitivities to weather and pollution. Midwives use it to assist in successful birthing.
Valentine was a third century Roman priest who got caught marrying Christian couples. Assisting Christians was a crime at the time, so they arrested and imprisoned him. The Emperor Claudius took a liking to his prisoner, until Valentine tried to convert him to Christianity. Claudius subsequently condemned the priest to death. A beating with clubs and stones failed to kill him, so they beheaded him. He was later martyred for his troubles. Poor old St Valentine!
It wasn’t until the fourteenth century that Valentine’s Day as we know it was born. The famous poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the poem ‘The Parliament of Foules’. This included the popular notion that birds paired off to mate on 14 February each year. Also referred to in this poem were some Valentine’s Day traditions such as sending anonymous love letters. Exchanging token gifts with your lover was also mentioned – my vote is for jewellery of course!
As well as love, young people and happy marriages, Valentine is also known as the patron saint of beekeeping and epilepsy.
I like to think that Valentine’s Day is now a celebration of not just romantic love, but love of any kind – including loving yourself. Love makes the world go round, so Happy Valentine’s Day!
I love all the cabochons I source, and it is a bit of an obsession with me! I’d love to keep them all, but that’s just silly – so one of the many joys of being a silversmith is sharing these gorgeous finds with nice people.
Once in a while, though, I come across a cabochon that I just can’t part with. This botroidal carnelian is one of those.
It’s a great ring to wear with earth tones, which I’ve been more drawn to lately.
If you’d like a custom made gemstone ring of your own, check out my gemstone collection, and let me know which one you’d like to wear!
My lovely mum came to visit me last year, and as we were looking through all the gemstones I have. I asked her to choose one she liked, and this was it!
I made it into a ring for her, and took it down when I went for a visit.
St Dunstan’s College in Catford, London, is a school attended by various members of my family since the early 1900s. Recently my Granny told me that St Dunstan was the patron saint of silversmiths. I hadn’t known that!
St. Dunstan was born 909 and died 19 May 988 AD. There is a full story about him on Wikipedia, which tells us that Dunstan became patron saint of English goldsmiths and silversmiths because he worked as a silversmith making church plate while he was living as a monk at Glastonbury Abbey, where he took holy orders in 943 AD. He is also the patron saint of blacksmiths, locksmiths and musicians.
His Feast Day is 19 May, which is why, before the restoration, the yearly span of London Assay Office hallmarks ran from 19 May one year to 18 May the next, not the calendar year. This was changed at the restoration of Charles II in 1660 so that the hallmarking year began on the King’s birthday, 29 May.
There is a story that Dunstan nailed a horseshoe to the Devil’s hoof when he was asked to re-shoe the Devil’s horse. This caused the Devil great pain, and Dunstan only agreed to remove the shoe and release the Devil after he promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is over the door. This is claimed as the origin of the lucky horseshoe.
Also, according to a late 11th-century legend, the Devil is said to have tempted Dunstan and to have been held by the face with Dunstan’s tongs; hence blacksmith’s tongs have become a symbol of St Dunstan.
Thanks to my little granny for bringing this interesting fact to my attention. I wonder what her dad (my great grandfather), who was a blacksmith, made of all that!
My gorgeous client Charmaine has a huge malachite ring I made for her, and she wanted some earrings to match. These malachite gemstones are in my gemstone collection, so I created this pair of earrings to give her.
This was the first time I attempted this particular style of bezel setting, and I’m pretty pleased with the way they turned out!
Charmaine, a gorgeous friend of mine, commissioned me to create this piece of dendritic opal from my gemstone collection into a fabulous new statement ring for her.
A person can never have too many Silver Forge rings!
It’s always a pleasure to make something special for someone nice. I feel very lucky to do what I do!
