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Check out my photos from digging for gems this summer!
]]>Having found my website online, a client contacted me to make a unique eco-friendly engagement ring for his girlfriend. Once they were engaged, he had another special request: could I make him a wedding ring out of his grandfather's gold ring?
]]>My dreams came true this year when my hubby Jared and I bought a little cabin in the woods in New Hampshire. We spent a lot of time designing and crafting everything we could to make it our own cozy space...
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When making Beryllina jewelry I'm a total perfectionist. Having never made furniture before, I decided to approach it with a somewhat looser perspective - none of our furniture is perfect, and I don't try to make it that way! This freer way of making was a nice contrast to all of my jewelry making, where everything matters down to the half-millimeter. I'm glad to have this balance in my life.
This summer has been one filled with nature, hard work, and inspiration and included trips to mine for smokey quartz in New Hampshire, tourmaline in Maine, and Herkimer Diamond quartz in New York. Here are some highlights!
]]>We visited upstate New York in late July to dig for Herkimer Diamond Quartz crystals. Though we drove through a day of thunderstorms to get there, Jared and I were gifted with two days of beautiful weather for digging.
]]>We visited upstate New York in late July to dig for Herkimer Diamond Quartz crystals. Though we drove through a day of thunderstorms to get there, Jared and I were gifted with two days of beautiful weather for digging.
We hadn’t yet worked in the new extended area of the Boston Mineral Club (BMC) claim, so we were excited to see what was there. Here’s what the new part of the BMC claim looked like when we arrived:
We made a lot of progress in clearing the new part of the claim. We removed overgrown vegetation and rocks, and started a rock wall (as well as a place for sifted soil on the right side of the wall) along the boundary. We were joined by many mosquitos in this endeavor, despite our frequent application of DEET. We also used natural insect repellents - unfortunately we didn't have much success with any of them, natural or not! (As a side note, I always prefer to use natural products when possible, but with the number of insect-born diseases increasing in the Northeast and our location deep in the woods, we opted for adding DEET for this trip...unfortunately it didn't help much!) Here's a photo of the progress we made, despite being feasted on:
While some parts of the new claim area had no crystals when we sifted the topsoil, some other parts were productive and we found crystals at the same pace that we found them when first clearing the original BMC claim a few years ago. There is plenty of topsoil left to sift in this new area, and the ledge below likely has not been worked either, so we have many opportunities ahead!
Back in the original claim area, we were amazed at the progress that other mineral club members had made in the difficult work of removing the hard rock layer that hopefully sits atop the pocket layer. We spent some time with our hand tools breaking up the ledge a bit deeper still (though we didn’t get too far since we didn’t have power tools). We believe that we have now hit the water table, as the originally dry hole began to refill with water on its own as we got a bit deeper. We removed countless buckets of mud/clay/sand, but didn't find any crystals, other than two that were close to the surface.
As always, digging at Fonda is a lot of hard work but we really enjoyed ourselves. Some of us worked harder than others!
We’re looking forward to returning soon!
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The founder, William S. Haynes, started in his career as a jeweler. He learned about flute making and decided it was a lucrative business that he wanted to be a part of, and so founded his own workshop in Boston in 1888. Here's Haynes pictured with his protege Verne Q. Powell, who went on to found his own flute company that also became one of the world's premier flute-makers.
Here's a photo from the early workshop.
The company still has one of Hayne's early inventory books, listing their creations and repairs.
In today's workshop, an apprentice works to precisely machine flute parts.
This cabinet is filled with parts from the older models, so when a repair comes in for an older flute they have the parts handy.
This giant press is the original one that Hayne's used, and is over one hundred years old. It was used to stamp out particular flute keys.
Here are some keys that were stamped by the giant press!
There are over 131 parts in the making of a Haynes flute, and here they all are laid out individually.
The polishing room! I spy a Hoover & Strong box being reused as a place to store flute crowns (I reuse their boxes, too!).
These beauties have been polished and are waiting for their keys!
Beginning the assembly process...
and assembling the key mechanism at what looks a lot like a jeweler's workbench!
Flute and jewelry making aren't just similar - some of the tools we use are exactly the same! Check out these files, pliers, and torch - I use the same ones to make jewelry.
The keys are created in wax then cast in silver, gold, or platinum. Check out the key on the right, made of pink wax, and the silver version next to it.
I spy flux and pickle pot! Just like in jewelry-making.
Here are all the keys laid out, next to a polished flute body. The blue covering protects the finely polished metal from being scratched while the keys are attached.
Headjoints galore!
Here they are checking to make sure that the keys are aligned correctly and close tightly...
and shaping the head joint to slide smoothly into the body of the flute.
Stetson hat brims are used for the felt in the flute key mechanism!
Stetson doesn't sell just the plain felt, so Haynes stocked up on brims.
Final testing: Joy works to make sure the sound comes out pure and true, with impeccable playability. (Fyi, Joy is on Instagram with great pics @joymakesthings)
Last step: making final adjustments to the headjoint
After the tour, I got to play one of these gorgeous handmade flutes! The price of this flute was around $20,000. Having gone through the factory and seeing all of the precise work and talent that goes into making these, I can totally understand the price! Not to mention, they play absolutely beautifully.
Thanks for the tour, Haynes! I dream about someday being the owner of one of your gorgeous creations.
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We camped at our favorite spot in the area, Crystal Grove Campground. We even got our favorite site, right on the creek.
We mined for Herkimer Diamond quartz crystals at our usual spot, and it was a little muddy from the previous day's downpour. Luckily, we were spoiled with perfect weather while we were there (not that rain would stop us)!
Here are a couple of the beautiful crystals we found! I look forward to adding these to my Herkimer Diamond jewelry collection.
In addition to crystals, we saw our fair share of bugs, including this crazy red one that looked like a strawberry with legs! Turns out it was a big clover mite. Hopefully it didn't hitch a ride home with us!
On our way to the claim on Day 2, we stopped by a nearby Amish farmstand that sells baked goods on Fridays and Saturdays, and crystals all week long! They find these crystals in their fields while plowing.
I couldn't resist their rock bottom (pun intended) prices, and picked up a giant Herk for my collection. It's not a perfect gemmy crystal by any means, but as Herks get larger they are more inclined to have inclusions, and I find these to be very interesting!
The next morning, Jared snapped this pic of one of my favorite camping traditions - having a cup of fair trade, organic coffee in the morning. Though I don't drink coffee at home, for some reason it really hits the spot at the campsite before a day of digging. Yum!
Though we always stay at Crystal Grove campground for its amazing tent spots and reasonable prices (and cool name, who are we kidding?!), we had never visited their mining area, so we decided to go for it. Here I am working on the ledge, trying to extract a Herkimer Diamond from a pocket.
In addition to finding a few lovely crystals I was thrilled to find these tadpoles in a vernal pool, which remind me of happy days growing up on my parents farm (which has a small pond).
And of course, we had our little rockhound Shakedown with us. He loved chillin' in his new pop up tent, which I picked up for exactly this purpose at our town's recent community swap day!
Thanks for reading about our trip! We hope to go back at least once more this summer, and we have a few other trips in the works, so I'll be sure to share more photos soon!
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As someone who doesn’t like tofu, but really likes Bridge Tofu (don’t worry, Bridge isn’t sponsoring me!), my visit to the company answered my question: “What makes this tofu so different than all other tofu?” The answer is in how the product is made: carefully, consistently, with minimal technology and maximum humanity.
Both jewelry and tofu can be mass-produced by machines or individually crafted by hand. If you rush, or rely on machinery to do the work for you, the lack of care results in a lesser quality, texture, and overall feel (some might even say energy) of the final product.
This isn’t to dismiss the role of technology in the creative process. Bridge has a soybean grinder and a big vat boiler; I have a whole workbench of tools and a big polishing machine. But for Bridge, the equipment is used as an aide to those who are creating - just like the way I make my jewelry.
This presents a challenge: many people have tried tofu and don’t like it, and so they wouldn’t try another brand of tofu, because all tofu is the same, right? Similarly, many people have expectations about the price and quality of jewelry (based on mass-production processes), and perhaps negative associations of environmental impact (based on large-scale metal and mineral mining). And so I felt a kinship with the folks making the tofu at bridge – we’re both selling a very recognizable product type, yet the difference lies in how we create and manufacture our work.
The tricky part, as small business owners, is that the production process is entirely hidden from the final product and thus from our customers. Bridge tofu doesn’t necessarily look “handmade,” and with my jewelry I make sure to hide the tracks of production with clean solder seams and snug bezels. Bridge sources their organic soybeans locally, as I do with all of my recycled precious metals and minerals. It's important to ensure that we both share our stories with our customers, so they understand the extraordinary care and effort that goes into making our products.
Though my jewelry (or Bridge's tofu) may look, feel, (and taste) "better" than other seemingly similar items available, it's always helpful to know why and how they end up that way. Through my blog, instagram, facebook, and craft shows, I am constantly working to convey what makes Beryllina jewelry special.
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The process began with my client, Courtney, telling me about what type of ring she was looking for. Some people have a very specific vision for their or their partner's ring, and some clients are not yet sure what they're looking for. Courtney knew she wanted a raw organic-looking stone set in 14K yellow gold, and she knew what her budget was.
We talked once over the phone, and continued the conversation over email during the duration of the project. She sent me a few photos of rings she had liked that featured raw gemstone crystals (both rough diamonds and rough sapphires). Since I only work with US-mined stones, rough diamonds were not an option I could offer her in good conscience, so we focused only on sapphires. (I can source repurposed diamond gemstones, but not rough diamonds.)
Before we began the design process, Courtney paid a $40 non-refundable deposit. Since the design and stone sourcing requires several hours of work, I ask for a deposit in good faith that the client will proceed with the order for the ring once I have already devoted much of my time to their project. The $40 was then be applied to the total cost when she decided to move forward with the ring.
She had been sized at two jewelry stores, but I also sent her a sizer in the mail just to confirm. Unfortunately there is no standard for jewelry sizers, so one store's 5 could be another store's 5.75. This is why I ask my clients to be sized at at least two different jewelry stores and try my mailable sizer as well. The size of the ring will effect the price quote I give you (because of the amount of precious metal that will be required), so it's important that you be sized early and often in the custom ring making process.
Back to the design, Courtney liked both bezel and prong settings. The ring pictured at the beginning of this post features six prongs, for a secure and unique look. Bezel settings, like the ones in the rings I made below, surround the stone with metal and can be an option for raw crystals (below, left) or faceted gems (below, right).
Since Courtney decided that she liked a look of natural sapphire crystals, I got in touch with my contact from Montana to see what he had recently mined. I was able to send Courtney photos of several sapphire options, in a range of sizes and colors. Here's an example of some of the choices:
She narrowed it down to two stones, so I sent her a few sketches based on what kind of rings she liked. Bezel settings can require a significant amount more precious metal than prong settings, especially for unique crystals. This can often be a consideration when it comes to staying within a budget.
Courtney opted for sketch #1. The prongs accentuate the natural hexagonal shape of the sapphire crystal, and also kept the ring within her budget. She preferred a thicker band than I sketched, so we decided on a 3mm wide hammered band. The width of the band can also greatly influence the price of the ring, because of the expense of the added precious metal (in her case, recycled 14K yellow gold). By choosing a wider band but opting for prongs, she was able to have a design she really loves AND she stayed within her budget. She paid the 50% non-refundable deposit based on the quote for the design she chose, and I began the ordering process for the materials.
Once I crafted her ring, I let Courtney know that it was finished, and sent an invoice for the remaining 50% plus the actual shipping cost. One thing to keep in mind is that shipping can add anywhere from $8 to $40 or more, depending on the value of the ring. I only charge you what the post office charges me to ship the ring to you, safe and sound with insurance and signature confirmation.
Shortly after Courtney received the ring, she wrote me these incredible words via email: "The ring came and it is STUNNING!!!! Thank you so very much!...[It's] SO pretty!...Thank you for creating a ring that is SO me! I am forever grateful."
And that is what makes me so happy!
Another beautiful, invigorating, peaceful, and successful trip to Herkimer! We had a wonderful trip, with gorgeous weather, and lots of amazing finds! Check out my photos from this past weekend's adventures.
So happy to have my two favorite mining partners with me.
Tarps are used to cover up parts of the claim, to keep water from collecting in the deeper spots. A little froggy friend was keeping us company!
We found that many crystals had collected in a bed where water had previously run, so I used my three-prong garden tool (that we call the "claw") to excavate the area.
Here's a crystal just waiting to be found, can you see it?
After clawing through the dirt we run it through the sieve, to catch any crystals we might have missed.
Shakedown even got in on the action! Having never once dug a hole since we adopted him in February, he decided to start digging. I investigated the area where he dug his first hole, and it turned out to be a sweet spot with many crystals in the area. The next time he dug, we really watched him closely, and to our surprise he dug out and sat on one of the best finds of the trip!
On our hikes to and from the claim we saw many beautiful things, including these flowering burdock plants! We kept Shakedown away from these, otherwise they would stick to his fur just like velcro (which by the way, was the inspiration for velcro in the first place!).
As you can see, I'm a very happy camper when I'm in the woods looking for Herkimers!
Speaking of happy campers, we absolutely love where we camp on our visits to the region, the Crystal Grove Campground. Here's a view from our tent.
One of the special treats about visiting this area is their sweet maple candies...
as well as the bucolic scenery, like this Amish one-room school house in a field of hand-gathered straw.
When we returned home we emptied our little satchels in anticipation of washing each crystal. What a collection!
Once you've wet the crystals, sometimes they are so clear and perfect that they are hard to see! Here's a stunning one that's still a little sudsy, mid-wash.
We're hoping to make it back again this year, but just in case we don't we treated this trip like our last 'til spring, even spending nine hours at the mine one day! Though mining for Herkimers is hard work, it is also incredibly rewarding and energizing. I can't wait to go back!
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There was a beautiful one-mile trip hike each way to and from the quartz-rich area.
When we first arrived, we got Shakedown settled in. Notice his reflective vest - safety first!
Here's an example of what we were looking for. We found gorgeous smoky quartz points "in matrix" (in their host rock, see below), and loose crystals as well.
The location was really lovely, and we were disappointed to only have two days there!
Most of the time, we just "surface-collected", or looked at the gravel lying on the surface, trying to find smokey quartz. Sometimes, we investigated holes that other people had dug in the past...not the most comfortable position to be in!
Shakedown: the crystal hunting dog!
In two instances, when I was getting Shakedown settled into a new area, I looked around the ground where he was sitting and found beautiful large crystals!
Back at the campsite, we cleaned and sorted our finds. The large crystal on the right is one I found next to Shakedown!
Here are a pair of post earrings, I call Grounding, that I crafted using small smoky quartz crystals we found on this trip, with recycled Argentium sterling silver.
Can't wait to go back again!
]]>Shakedown seems to have enjoyed his first mining trip!
The Boston Mineral Club claim, where we mine, is demarcated by a rope hung from trees.
Using a sieve and a small shovel, I carefully look through the soil for crystals.
Still looking...
Still looking...
Here's one! Sometimes we find the crystals in the sieve, and other times just right on the ground.
Here are the tools that we use.
It was a beautiful day at the mine.
A mink even came for a visit to the claim!
We preserved a beautiful trout lily on the claim, and its little bug friend.
Found a six-spotted tiger beetle.
Shakedown really loved being out in nature all day!
Back at home, we had to sort through all of our treasures!
Time to pick out the real keepers!
Next I decide which ones would be good to use in jewelry. I place them in small pots so they're ready to use when inspiration strikes!
So far I've made two necklaces and a pair of earrings using our new beautiful finds!
For more pretties, check out all of my Beryllina Herkimer jewelry!
]]>Though topaz is very hard when it comes to scratch resistance (an 8 on Moh's Hardness Scale), care must be taken by gem-cutters or jewelers working with the stone because of its perfect cleavage. Cleavage refers to the flat planes that can occur in the lattice of the crystal (the way the atoms are arranged and how cohesive they are). With perfect cleavage, a stone can easily break along a cleavage plane if too much pressure is applied. Diamonds are similar to topaz in this way: though they are the hardest substance known to humans (with regard to resistance to scratching), they have perfect cleavage like topaz and can easily split if hit in the "wrong" spot.
However, if a jeweler can successfully set topaz, they make a fabulous stone for jewelry. Because of its hardness, topaz even makes a great stone for rings! That's what I have planned for the lovely light blue topaz above.
Using the brown topaz from Stoneham, Maine and a violet Yogo Montana sapphire, I created this special custom necklace for a client. She wanted to give her sister a necklace that featured both of their birthstones. Her sister was born in November, and she was born in September.
An alternative November birthstone is the less expensive citrine, the yellow-orange variety of quartz. Topaz and citrine have historically been confused for one another because of their appearance, but they have very different working properties. Citrine is just slightly softer, a 7 on Moh's Hardness Scale, but has NO cleavage! This makes it a very different stone to work with. I love both topaz and citrine, as long as they are their natural colors and were mined in the United States!
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When I decided to make jewelry making my career, I knew that in order to be happy I would have to create my business in alignment with my personal values. Creating jewelry that is eco-friendly was my top priority. Thankfully a company I was introduced to through...
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Precious metal mining is an extremely destructive process. According to the New York Times, to retrieve just one ounce of gold from the earth, 30 tons of rock is removed and processed with toxic cyanide (yuck!), which separates the gold from the host rock. And unfortunately, this statistic is only going up as gold and other precious metals become more and more rare, requiring more host rock to be processed to retrieve only small amounts of metals. Beyond environmental impact, I'm also concerned about human rights abuses that may be happening where mining is prevalent.
Thankfully, a company I was introduced to through my education at North Bennet Street School allows me to make my dream of socially-conscious eco-friendly jewelry a reality.
Hoover & Strong is a refinery in Virginia that provides recycled sterling and fine silver, gold, and platinum with their Harmony Metals line. They have gone through an extensive certification process to prove all of their precious Harmony Metals are indeed recycled. Hoover & Strong have made a great video on YouTube about their Harmony Metals if you'd like to learn more.
I purchase ALL of my raw metals from Hoover & Strong's Harmony Metals line, which includes many different sizes of wire and sheet that I use to hand fabricate all Beryllina jewelry.
If I am making a necklace that requires a chain thinner than the chain I make by hand, there are four thin Harmony Metals machine-made chains that Hoover & Strong carries. I select from these four options and disregard the non-Harmony options, as I want to ensure that my work is made with only recycled metals. This necklace called "Crimson", featuring a raw garnet crystal mined in New Hampshire, has a Harmony Metals machine-made chain.
You may have noticed that all of my necklaces have a handmade hook and eye clasp, rather than a typical "lobster claw" or "spring ring" clasp. This was actually was born out of necessity! Though Hoover & Strong do supply the typical clasps I've mentioned, they are not part of their Harmony Metals line, and therefore are not certified recycled. Because of this, I was inspired to make my own clasps, which I now adore and are a signature part of my work! I make them in two sizes, a smaller one for the machine-made chain (like in the photo above) and a larger one for the chain I hand weave, which you can see on this necklace called "Swell" featuring Gary Green Jasper from Nevada:
I am so grateful for Hoover & Strong's Harmony Metals...without them, I would not be able to make jewelry that aligns with my personal values of environmentalism and living sustainably. If you want to learn more about the efforts I make to create sustainable eco-friendly jewelry, check out my BeryGREENa page!
Is living sustainably important to you? What steps do you take to align your career with your personal environmental values?
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Here's a photo of a gold Sicilian necklace dating from 2nd-century BC, featuring the same style of chain (photo from the book "7000 Years of Jewelry" by Hugh Tait):
We did a short unit on chain making in the Jewelry Making program at the North Bennet Street School, but I actually taught myself how to make this particular chain, the Loop in Loop, out of a book called "Classical Loop-in-Loop Chains" by Jean Stark.
First, I start with a single wire, made of 100% recycled fine silver. Fine silver is 99.9+% pure silver. It is customary to use fine silver as opposed to sterling silver (92.5% pure silver) because fine silver is softer and better for intricate weaving.
I coil my fine silver wire around a dowel, with the help my of trusty "jump-ringer" tool set. This tool set isn't required, but it helps me to make the links a little more quickly than I otherwise could. The right tool for the right job!
Next I remove the coil of silver from the dowel. I wax the top of the coil (as lubricant to keep the saw blade sharp), and tightly secure the coil in the "jump-ringer" cutting jig. This keeps the coil in one place and allows me to saw through the coil all at once, creating dozens of ring instantly.
I attach the rotary saw blade and guide to my flex-shaft (a must-have tool for jewelers), and carefully align the blade to saw through the coil. Once I'm sure everything is lined up and my fingers are out of the way, I use the foot pedal to start motor that powers the saw blade, and off I go!
And tada, here are my links!
Next, I start the process of closing each link. Because the links were cut from a coil, when you look at an individual link, one side is higher than the other (pictured below on left). These need to be brought into perfect alignment with no gap in between the sides (pictured below on right), in order to be fused together.
Once I've closed the links I can load them onto my small kiln, which I use to evenly preheat the links prior to fusing.
After preheating the links for a few minutes they are ready to be fused. I take my torch and heat each link around the joint so that the silver fuses together. This is the trickiest part of the whole process - a millisecond too long and you've melted the link making it unusable, a millisecond too short and you haven't fused it which means it will come right apart when you try to shape it.
I take each link off the kiln using tweezers and immerse it in water to quench (cool) it. Now it's time to bend the links! Using my round nose pliers, I pull each link into a long oval shape.
Then I use the pliers to pinch the link in to middle, forming a figure eight.
Next I squeeze together one side of the figure eight using the pliers. This will allow me to feed this side through a small hole later on when I am weaving the links together. I do this for every link except for one, which will be my starting link.
Then I curve the link around the pliers giving it a nice round shape.
The steps above of shaping the link are all done in sequence, in a quick rhythm, for each and every link. Next, I take all of my shaped links and put them back on the kiln to "anneal" them. Annealing is a process of heating to allow the "work hardened" metal to soften again. Fine silver is very soft when annealed, but after bending and shaping it, the molecules compress and it becomes quite hard. I anneal the links in preparation for the next step.
Once annealed, I quench each link in water to cool it down. And now the real fun begins: weaving the chain! I take my starting link, and feed the second link into it. Once this second link is in, I use an "awl" (a sharp metal tool) to open up the side that I had squeezed together.
Then I repeat this process, 102 times for a 16" chain, and 116 times for an 18" chain.
Once I have my desired length (which takes into account the length the clasp will add), I anneal the whole chain on the kiln.
Now that the chain has been annealed and the links are more malleable again, I "true" it on my awl, which I've carefully placed pokey side up in my vise. To "true" the chain, I put each link on the awl and gently apply pressure to pull it down on the awl, trying to pull it to the same place every time. By doing this on all four sides of each and every link, I am evening out the links and making the chain look beautifully consistent.
Because the truing process hardens the metal, I again anneal the chain on my kiln.
The next step is taking the trued chain and pulling it through a drawplate (a tool with graduated, narrowing holes which you can use to pull something larger down to a smaller size), another step to give the chain a smooth and consistent look. You'll notice I am using a plastic drawplate, not metal - this is to ensure that the chain is not marred in any way.
Time to reanneal the chain, and then the last step is to true each link again. By truing the chain one last time, it helps loosen the links a bit to give the chain that fabulous feel it has. If you haven't gotten the chance to check out one of my chains in person, I highly recommend it! I just love how they feel.
Once I've completed all the steps for making the chain, I add one of my handmade hook and eye clasps, and there you have it! Here are a couple photos of completed chains.
Congratulations if you've made it all the way through this post! :) I've been told that I must have a lot of patience to do something so "tedious". Is there anything that you love to do that might seem tedious to others? What makes you love doing it so much?
Handmaking Loop in Loop Chain from Laurie Lynn Berezin on Vimeo.
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Elbaite - green tourmaline
Rubellite - pink tourmaline
Indicolite - blue tourmaline
Schorl - black tourmaline
Watermelon tourmaline - tourmaline crystals with a pink center and green outer later
One of my favorite things to do is go mining for tourmaline in Maine. Here's one necklace I've made with a fabulous "elbaite" crystal that is terminated (has a natural point) that I mined there.
Another interesting fact is that tourmaline can be "pleochroic", meaning it can be different colors when looking at the stone from different directions (for example looking from the side versus through the end of the crystal). This means that a gemcutter has to be mindful to intentionally cut the stone in the direction to display the color he/she wants to showcase. Here's an example of pleochroism in one tourmaline crystal that my husband Jared and I mined in Maine this summer:
Pretty cool, huh?
Opals are beautiful stones too, and are also found in several varieties. What makes some opals unique are their "play of color" (enhanced by their high water content), though this stunning rainbow of colors is not found in every variety of opal. Australia is most well known for their abundance of fiery opals, but they can also be found in the US in Idaho and Nevada. One variety without the rainbow flashes is named Fire Opal (rich red, orange, and yellow), and this can be found in Oregon and Washington. Here are a few samples of Washington Fire Opal that I have yet to set into jewelry:
Like I said, October babies have some fabulous options for birthstones! Which do you prefer, opal or tourmaline?
]]>Sapphire gems can be gorgeous in jewelry, and are durable as well! Because sapphires are number nine on Moh's hardness scale (second only to number ten, diamond, the hardest known mineral), they make great gems for engagement and wedding rings. An excellent alternative for someone who doesn't like what a diamonds represent, or even for someone who just wants to wear a little color. I just finished making a custom engagement ring using a teardrop Montana sapphire that was mined in the 1940s and eco-friendly recycled rose gold.
I LOVE Montana sapphires. I use only Montana sapphires that haven't been heat-treated, dyed, or otherwise altered from their natural state, other than being cut (unlinke the majority of gemstones in jewelry today which are heat- or otherwise-treated to enhance their appearance). Though more rare, untreated Montana sapphires come such a beautiful array of colors naturally! I used three natural colored Montana sapphires for my engagement ring, and set them in recycled platinum.
In honor of my new niece Evie, I created a new sapphire ring this month. Featuring a tiny blue or purple Yogo sapphire from Montana, I love how sweet these rings are. Even at a diminutive 2mm, the color in these sapphires really pop, even more so than in the photo! Yogo sapphires are mined in only one area of Montana called Yogo Gulch, and are famous for their brilliant blue and purple hues.
My husband Jared and I are planning a trip out to Montana next summer to go mining for sapphires...we are so excited! I am hoping to come back with lots of beautiful sapphires to make into jewelry.
October's birthstones are up next...and I promise to write about them before the month is over!
]]>I've always wanted a banner for my booth at craft shows, which would ideally describe my work to passersby while enhancing the look of my booth. At a craft show earlier this year, I had the pleasure of having my booth next to fellow craftsperson, Leanne Tremblay of Loomination, who had recently made her own sign for her booth. In addition to being inspired by Leanne's work, I was pleased by the idea that I could have an eco-friendly sign (unlike most banners that are vinyl - very UNeco-friendly), that would also fit the overall vibe of my booth, which includes unbleached cotton tablecloths, dark wood cases, a tree earring display, and purple accents! Though it took a few days to make the banner, I am so glad that I did it.
Here are the materials I used:
As we celebrate the remaining days of summer by enjoying the great outdoors, I want to tell you a bit about August's birthstone, peridot. Peridot is unique in that it only comes in one color: green! How perfect to remind us of the beauty of August. Click through to read more about August's birthstone peridot!
]]>In the United States, peridot can be found in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. Peridot is another name for gem-quality olivine. What's most fascinating to me is that olivine can be found in meteorites that have come to Earth from space!! Check out this photo of a meteorite that I took at the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College, which by the way is a fabulous museum with a nice mineral collection and an incredible collection of dinosaur footprints and fossils that are beautifully displayed.
And here's a closeup of a meteorite with olivine from another museum:
Pretty incredible, huh?! There are even people who cut beautiful faceted stones for jewelry out of this extraterrestrial peridot. Amazing! Back to earthly pursuits, I was just hoping to find some U.S. peridot so I can make a piece of jewelry for my sister in honor of her new baby (due this month!). Just last week our landlord came across some stones from her travels long ago and offered them to us. And guess what she had! Peridot that she collected in Utah! Aah, serendipity. It's a wonderful thing. Here's a photo of the stones, which I may use in their rough form or perhaps have cut into cabochons or even faceted gems:
I can't wait for the arrival of my new little niece or nephew! I am so excited for his/her arrival. If he or she decides to come late, perhaps a Montana sapphire will be in my sister's future! More on September's birthstone (sapphire) next month.
]]>The first location we visited in Greenwood was absolutely gorgeous. It is an area that is mined actively by the most famous rockhound in Maine, but he allows the public to visit the site to collect as well.
Unfortunately, we didn't have much luck at this site. It was also buggy and very very hot, so we ended up cutting our visit kind of short. When you're not finding much it makes it a lot less fun! Back at the campsite we inspected our finds. Here's a specimen of bubblegum-pink Montmorillonite...
and a tiny quartz scepter!
At our campsite, we recovered from our hard day of mining in the sun and enjoyed a game of horseshoes. Check out my double-ringer...my second of the game!! I'm as shocked as you are. :)
The next day we arrived at our new location, an active crushed stone quarry in Casco.
Neither Jared nor I love mining at quarries, as we don't enjoy seeing this large scale disruption of the natural Earth. But during this visit, we realized that we are glad to have been there, to rescue these perfect little crystals created by the Earth from being crushed for gravel. Here's a picture of a perfect garnet, exactly how I found it. Isn't that color and shape incredible?!
Garnets were our primary find at this quarry, though we did find a few other minerals too, like pyrite, chalcopyrite, chamosite, and schorl. We found some of the garnets already loose in the smaller pieces of stone, and others were still in their host rock. Jared found a large rock with many garnets in it, which he carefully removed with a chisel and small sledge hammer. Here you can see the steps of this process:
Hardhats were required at this location. I know I'm quite the fashionista here, but I'm so glad I could fit my sunhat underneath my hardhat...it was sunny and hot! Notice that we still wear long sleeves and heavy pants no matter the temperature. This helps protect us from any brushes with sharp stones.
Overall, it was a wonderful weekend! Jared and I both love being outdoors, mining and camping. This was our idea of a perfect getaway - and a working holiday!
]]>Wow, what a weekend! We just returned from a four-day mining and camping trip in Herkimer County, New York. Herkimer is home to famous Herkimer Diamonds, which are beautifully clear, naturally faceted, double-terminated quartz crystals...
Click to read more and see lots of pics from our mining trip to Herkimer!
]]>Here's a closeup of two crystals, so you can see how remarkable they really are.
It started off a very rainy weekend, but we were happy to be there. We had a really beautiful campsite in the woods where we thankfully came prepared for rain.
We stayed dry at our campsite, but it was a different story at the mine. We were mining at the Boston Mineral Club's new claim (a small parcel of property to which you own the mineral rights). The claim is in Fonda, New York, and was acquired last year. This was our first trip to the new claim, though we had visited this location on our honeymoon in 2011. Back then, we could only mine where it was open to the public, a small hill on the 15-acre property. Having access to the private claim is certainly a benefit to being a member of the BMC. Though we had hoped for nice weather, on Friday afternoon and Saturday it just poured the whole time...you can see how muddy it (and I) was! The mud makes it trickier to see the Herks, but we still had some luck.
I decided to dig down deep for awhile, to try to get below the first layer of rock, called Barren Rock, trying to get deeper to layers that contain more Herkimer Diamond crystals.
Back at the campsite, we were completely covered in mud from the mine, and we tried not to get it on all of our camping gear! Btw, always wear steel-toed boots while mining to protect your tootsies from falling rocks.
The next day, the weather was absolutely gorgeous and we were very thankful. The sun really makes a difference in finding Herkimers in the dirt and especially the mud, since it causes the Herks to glint, which always catches your eye. My favorite mining partner Jared started off the day with this big find in the picture below.
Herkimer Diamonds can be found lying in the dirt, but they can also be found in little pockets in rocks. Jared cracked open the rock below in which there was a pocket, about an inch across, containing an absolutely perfect little double terminated Herkimer Diamond crystal.
It had been growing there for at least 500 million years, and we were the first to set eyes upon the crystal. So amazing. By growing in that pocket, the crystal was perfectly protected and had no damage to any of the facet junctions from being pushed around under the soil. Here's a closeup of the crystal in the pocket. It's so perfect and clear that it's hard to see in the photograph, since you can see right through it like glass!
Right before we were leaving on the last day of the trip, we found an open space underneath a thick layer of rock, so I just had to investigate! With the aid of my headlamp, I was actually able to look underneath. Unfortunately, it wasn't a pocket filled with Herks, but we did find a few little ones while digging in that area. It was fun to look under this huge layer of rock!
I love looking for crystals...it is a really special experience and I am always so happy to be there. I'm so thankful for these opportunities. Soon, I will use some of the Herkimer Diamonds we mined in some new pieces of jewelry paired with recycled precious metals. I'm glad that I can share the beautiful gifts of the Earth with others and hopefully they will inspire a more respectful relationship with the Earth.
As our last day of mining drew to a close, Jared wheeled our wagon filled with tools out of the claim deep in the woods. Of course, we were sad to leave. But it's wonderful to know that we can return at any time!
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As COO, Kacie Gonzalez scours the USA looking for entrepreneurs whose American-made products who will positively contribute to Orange Harp's mission. She recently invited me on board, and I am thrilled to have my eco-friendly handmade jewelry featured in their app. I had the opportunity to learn more about the inspiration behind Orange Harp and Kacie herself in the interview below.
Laurie Lynn: What inspired Orange Harp’s creation?
Kacie: We created Orange Harp to solve the time-consuming and often frustrating experience of searching for conscious products. Whole Foods has done an incredible job bringing more awareness to local and organic foods, and we wanted to build something that did the same for fashion, personal care, and accessories. We believe that what goes on our bodies is just as important as what goes in them. After all, we live our life in them!
What’s been the best part of co-founding a socially-responsible and eco-friendly company?
There are many exciting things, but I’d have to say the most exciting for me has been knowing that we are building a product that is providing an outlet for brands changing the world to showcase their work. In turn, we have the potential to change the world through them.
What’s been the most difficult part of starting your own company?
Lack of resources. When you are a scrappy startup like we are, you need to quickly learn a lot of skills you never thought you’d have to learn. Bigger companies have so many resources and employees to facilitate growth, but at the same time it’s a great learning experience. If you want something done you not only need to do it yourself, you need to learn it!
Why did you decide to make Orange Harp an app-based shopping experience, instead of web-based?
My co-founder Anbu is a mobile engineering genius so that helps. She built the beautiful product you see. Mobile first was always our strategy from the beginning. More and more consumers are feeling comfortable enough to shop on their phones, and we always look to be ahead of the curve. Mobile clearly isn’t going away, and we wanted to be at its forefront.
Is there any particular type of product that you’ve wanted to include in your app but have had trouble finding an ethical and eco-friendly version?
It’s been very difficult finding well-crafted, stylish, and ethical shoes.
What is your favorite purchase so far from Orange Harp?
Oh, that is such a tough question. I love all my purchases! I’m a Southern girl living in California, so my Texas Home-T gets a lot of wear. I love dressing it down with my burnt orange Mitscoots socks and sneakers, or pairing it with skinny jeans, a black blazer, and heels.
Thanks so much to Kacie for this interview, and Orange Harp for inviting Beryllina to join them. Here's to a long and fruitful partnership!!
Download the Orange Harp app in the iTunes App store to check out Beryllina jewelry and other American-made socially-conscious products!
May is my favorite month of the year...spring really comes into full bloom, the ground has thawed and we can start mining again, I can break out the kayak, and it just so happens that my birthday is in May too! Emerald is the traditional birthstone of May and can be very beautiful...
Click on "Continue Reading" to learn more about emeralds and agates!
]]>Emerald is the traditional birthstone of May. Emeralds can be very beautiful striking green stones, but also brittle and riddled with fractures. For this reason, most emeralds on the market are highly treated with oils and polymers to disguise the fractures, a practice that has been going on for centuries. For that reason, along with their primarily international origins, I haven't had much opportunity to work with this beautiful gemstone.
Though rare, there are emeralds found in the USA, mostly in North Carolina. Jared and I are hoping to do a little searching for emeralds ourselves this August, when we make the trek to Charlotte to visit our new baby niece or nephew (we'll find out which when he/she is born!).
Emeralds are a type of beryl which are given their green color by the element chromium. Interestingly, there are also green beryls colored by the element vanadium, but the gem and mineral community is at odds over whether this should be classified as emerald as well, or only those crystals colored by vanadium. Other types of beryl which are colored by other elements include blue aquamarine, pink morganite, and yellow heliodor.
I haven't been lucky enough yet to source an untreated North Carolina emerald for my jewelry, but I can share with you two necklaces I've made with May's alternative birthstone, agate. Beautiful varying agates are found all across the USA, and range in color and design as much as you could possibly imagine. Agates are really incredible in that way.
Here's a necklace with Plume agate, which comes from Custer County in Idaho. This is a really special sparkly piece that was cut by a lapidary artist in Maine. I paired it with a rose quartz gem from Maine and a topaz gem that was mined in Utah. I love the peaceful colors in this piece.
Here's another example of agate that shows what diversity there is in this beautiful family of stones! This purple stone is called Sowbelly amethyst agate and was mined at the Last Chance mine in Creed Creek, Colorado, and cut by the same lapidary artist in Maine. I paired it with a grey/white/lilac Montana sapphire.
I'm looking forward to heading down to NC in August and will be sure to post about any finds we have (and of course pics of the new baby I'm sure!). Hope that you have some excitement in your summer as well. :)
]]>In getting ready for my first show this spring, I realized that I wanted to have a new ring display for my new line of "Elemental" minimalist geometric rings. So I made one! Using all materials that I had on hand, I got to work and came up with this ring display...
Click on "Continue Reading" for step-by-step instructions on making your own handmade upcycled ring holder!
]]>Materials:
Step by Step Instructions:
First, I marked each dowel just under the width of the box, and used my jeweler's saw to cut the dowel. I cut them slightly shorter than the width of the box so I would have room to tuck the ends of the fabric in. One was already cut a little short and I had a nubbin left over, so I joined them with some purple duct tape and voila, another dowel of the perfect length!
Next, I lined the bottom of the box but just cutting a rectangle of fabric and laying it in.
Then, I wrapped each dowel in fleece and cut it so fleece would wrap around exactly once, without overlapping. You'll notice I was kind of willy-nilly about this. No measuring, just eye-balling it. Very unlike my jewelry making! Sometimes you just need to let loose a little bit, I guess. :)
The next step was to wrap each fleecy-dowel in purple fabric, which will give it the final look. I wrapped the fabric around each dowel a few times, partly to add girth and softness to the dowel, but also to keep it all wrapped up snug and secure since I didn't use glue or anything to fasten the fabric.
As I finished adding the purple fabric to each dowel, I put them in place in the box. The fabric I lined the bottom with is not crucial, but it is nice to have to keep the white box from showing through cracks between the dowels.
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Though April is almost over, I wanted to be sure to write a post about April's traditional birthstone, diamond! As you may have noticed, I do not use any diamonds in my jewelry, other than heirloom diamonds that a few clients have asked for me to create special homes for. The diamond industry is ugly...
Click on Continue Reading for the rest of this post!
]]>As far as April birthstone jewelry goes, quartz makes a great alternative to diamond. Especially "Herkimer Diamonds", which are found only in the Herkimer County region of New York state, where my husband and I spent our honeymoon looking for these beautiful stones. Check out these photos from our trip, and the ring I made with one of the beautiful crystals that we found:
Quartz is found in many places across the US, including Maine, Arkansas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and California.
Interestingly, there are a small number of diamonds found in the US, at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas! Just recently, a 6.19 carat diamond was found there. This place is certainly on my list of places to visit someday. But since US diamonds are very rare and not widely available, I highly recommend considering the more eco-friendly and socially-responsible alternatives for your jewelry needs.
]]>Click "Continue Reading" to read more....
]]>Hope you had a happy Earth Day and will continue to do your part to make the planet a better place!
]]>In the fabulous book 7000 Years of Jewelry, which chronicles the British Museum's collection of ancient jewelry, author Hugh Tait calls attention to this beautiful Egyptian bangle from the First Intermediate Period, 2181-2040 BC...
Click "Continue Reading" to read more....
]]>In the fabulous book 7000 Years of Jewelry, which chronicles the British Museum's collection of ancient jewelry, author Hugh Tait calls attention to this beautiful Egyptian bangle from the First Intermediate Period, 2181-2040 BC (pictured above). When I first saw this ancient bracelet I was immediately inspired to try to replicate this beautifully simple yet lovely design.
My Reef Knot cuff from 2012 (above) is a close replica to the original, and I was so pleased with how it turned out. When I visited the British Museum shortly thereafter I was hoping to see the original in person, but unfortunately it was not on display. I was told though, that with advance notice, I could receive a private viewing of this incredible piece of history! I am certainly looking forward to the day when I can return to London for this opportunity. In the mean time, I have again been inspired by this beautiful design.
Today I created the Twist Reef Knot cuff bracelet (above). Though I've never seen one with twists, perhaps the Egyptians also made a version like this too...you can often see twists in their incredible metalwork.
Ancient jewelry is so inspiring! It's absolutely amazing what people were able to create with limited technologies, as far back as 5000 years ago. Since I was a kid, I have always been fascinated by the lives and artifacts of ancient Egyptians, as well as Romans that lived in England. Now, I am particularly fascinated by their jewelry and metalwork! What era most interests you in history?
]]>Aquamarine is March's birthstone. Aquamarine is a type of beryl that is blue, and naturally comes in shades from pale blue to deep aqua. Other types of beryl include emerald, morganite, and golden beryl.
Click "Continue Reading" to read more....
]]>In the United States, aquamarine is found in places such as Connecticut, Colorado, and Wyoming. Maine is a hub for American aquamarine, as it is for tourmaline, since beryl and tourmaline both grow in a class of igneous rocks called "pegmatites". I made the necklace above, "Pura", using a large piece of opaque to translucent Maine aquamarine. I just love the shape of this stone, and the peaceful pleasing color. I handmade the setting using eco-friendly recycled sterling silver and a small accent of recycled 18K green gold.
Songo Pond Quarry in Bethel, Maine has produced some very beautiful aquamarine of which I am lucky enough to have a few pieces. Sadly, the owner of the mine passed away last year and I don't think the mine is operating any longer. These are very special, irreplaceable gems and I am looking forward to designing for them. Their color is so lovely - calming and uplifting at the same time. Like a breath of spring!
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