Monthly Archives: November 2013

Favorite Rhodochrosite and Jasper Jewelry

At our outdoor art shows shoppers generally look close up at several pieces before they make their selection. On the web it is a bit difficult to flip from page to page and remember sizes and features, so using our ability to look at several at a time, this blog will be about some of Bonnie’s favorites. I write mostly about jewelry from our Michigan stones, the Lake Superior Agates, Greenstone (chlorastrolite), Datolite, and Prehnite, so today I will focus on some other great stones.

Beautiful pink Rhodocrosite

Beautiful pink Rhodocrosite

Rhodochrosite is one of those stones that Bonnie gravitates to every time she sees it. In fact that is true about Turquoise, Variscite, and Sonoran Sunrise. These Rhodochrosite Jewelry choices have very pink color with banding, the favorites are Red Ridge and Banded Heart Rhodochrosite Pendants. They are both beautiful pinkish-red, though the colors in their photos look more orangish. If you love rhodo, you’ll love these.

Queensland Agate boasts the most beautiful pastels in the agate world.

Queensland Agate boasts the most beautiful pastels in the agate world.

Amazing variety in Queensland Agate,

Queensland Agate jewelry is lovely because of the candy colors that are available. A strand of beads Bonnie bought looks like a bunch of jelly beans. The Yellow Banded, Pink Banded and Orange Blossom Queensland Agate Pendants show the great variety of pastel colors that you can enjoy. Bonnie loves them all!A pair of Biggs Jasper (bottom), and Paintbrush Jasper (top)

A pair of Biggs Jasper (bottom), and Paintbrush Jasper (top)

Picture Jasper is a less colorful stone, but makes distinctive jewelry because of the one-of-a-kind pictures that you might get if you are lucky when you cut the stone. Mountain Valley Picture Jasper Pendant and Tree Lines Hills Picture Jasper Pendant are two great examples, both of them are Biggs picture jasper. Conjuring Image is a picture, but comes from Paint Brush Jasper. It looks like a pond edged by trees to me. Since there are so many jaspers, these are grouped together under Jasper.

Ocean Jasper in now extinct, but it is the amazing in both patterns and colors.

Ocean Jasper in now extinct, but it is the amazing in both patterns and colors.

So, Ocean Jasper could be on that page, but because there are so many of them, they got their own category. And because it has been more readily available than some other stones, they are some of the more economical jewelry pieces. A favorite (remember my wife is a flower gardener) is Ocean Jasper Flowers Pendant, The size is large enough to command attention, the colors are very neutral, with the obicular pattern is enhanced by flower petals! Eternal Pink Ocean Jasper Pendant and Ocean Jasper Arrowhead Pendant are a couple of the other good ones, and show the diversity of colors available in this stone.

owl

To finish today’s list of favorite stone jewelry, Bonnie picked “The Owl”, a cabochon of rhyolite that inspired me to play with the wire a bit. A good choice for someone who loves owls, or who lives life playfully!

Dinosaurs and an Official State Invertebrate Fossil

Miniature Museum

Miniature Museum

Cincinnati Museum Center.

Cincinnati Museum Center.

“Way better than the average museum!” This is how I describe the Cincinnati Museum Center which is located in the old Union Railroad Terminal. After the decline of railroad travel, the building was used for other random uses and in 1978 an attempt was made to convert the terminal into a shopping mall known as the Land of Oz. (Wikipedia) The mall opened in August of 1980 after two years of construction and then the recession hit and the mall took a hit. In 1982 the Cincinnati Museum of Health, Science and Industry opened in the terminal. The Oz project closed in 1984. The terminal was virtually empty for the next decade. In May of 1986 a bond levy was passed to save the terminal and transform it into the Museum Center. Former Cincinnati mayor Jerry Springer was one of the major proponents of saving the building and converting it to a museum. Amtrak still runs out of the terminal three times weekly. The conversion cost in excess of $40 million, funds provided by federal and state governments, local millage and donations.

Six organizations now have their homes here: The Cincinnati History Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, Robert D Lindner Family Omnimax Theater (a five story domed movie house), the Cincinnati Historical Society Library, Duke Energy Children’s Museum, and the Cincinnati Railroad Club. We were most interest in the science part which was featuring dinosaurs, while the Omnimax Theater showed a movie, Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants of Gondwana (Patagonia).t-rex1

The dinosaur exhibit featured fossils, skeletons, and 20 full scale casts of assorted dinosaurs. The Omnimax movie was projected on a five story dome which allowed for a full surround picture and digital sound. Watching this movie that appeared to be three dimensional, but you didn’t need 3-D glasses is so realistic that it freaks some people out. Dinosaurs are layered over natural habitat for a completely realistic experience. The movie featured the discovery of the first super-big giganotosaurus which is possible the largest land predator that every lived. It measured 45 feet in length and weighed six tons, slightly surpassing the T-Rex in size. We followed Fr Rodolofo Coria a renowned Argentinian paleontologist who has discovered several new dinosaurs in Patagonia. This was one of the most amazing movies we’ve ever seen, with supersized dinosaurs walking right over your head.

Dinosaur Bone.

Dinosaur Bone.

A closeup or some Dinosaur Bone reveals they are made up of a multitude of individual agates.

A closeup or some Dinosaur Bone reveals they are made up of a multitude of individual agates.

The museum featured a series of diaramas starting at the beginning of geologic time. Wonderful displays of rocks, minerals and fossils–I wished I owned the beautiful red and black Kentucky agate that I saw. I specialize in great agate jewelry.

Also featured was the official invertebrate fossil of Ohio, the trilobite (isotelus). This was a 12-13″ specimen, not your friendly little pendant sized ones I make into jewelry! Now as far as I know, Ohio is the only state with an Official Invertebrate Fossil(Ordovician), which leaves open the opportunity to name any number of other types of fossils as official. Naming other Official Fossils would be a good activity when state legislatures have nothing else important to do in the future. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of this official fossil, but picture one the size of your biggest dinner plate! Pennsylvania also sports the phacops rana (Devonian) that is also a trilobite as their official state fossil. Does this make it more or less important than an official invertebrate fossil? This will give you something to ponder today: which is more important Official State Fossil or Official State Invertebrate Fossil?! I just hope Ohio is not still upset over trading Michigan a small strip of land for the entire Upper Peninsula.

Mastodon teeth look fairly ugly from the outside, but reveal magnificent patterns on the inside.  The issue with them is most often they are too soft for lapidary work.

Mastodon teeth look fairly ugly from the outside, but can reveal magnificent patterns on the inside. The issue with them is most often they are too soft for lapidary work.

There were a number of mastadon fossils on display from Ohio, including several sets of teeth, which of course reminded me of the jewelry I made from them! Seriously, they were black and kind of boring looking color-wise. Notice that the pendant I made from a mastadon tooth had interesting mineral replacement giving it earthy blues and browns.

The main museum entrance.  You enter a fantastic domed huge open space that sued to be the main train terminal.

The main museum entrance. You enter a fantastic domed huge open space that used to be the main train terminal.

Murals, that at first seem painted, turned out to be made up of small colored tiles.

Murals, that at first seem painted, turned out to be made up of small colored tiles.

Across the huge lobby from the entrance to the Science museum is the History Museum. As we entered the museum we were met with a friendly volunteer that pointed out their scale model of Cincinnati as it may have looked beginning in the 1930’s. The detail and accuracy of this model is jaw-dropping especially as Cincinnati goes from daylight to darkness, and the lights come on. Miniature people, streetcars, trains, automobiles and animated action are all part of the scene. The history of Cincinnati is throughly detailed, including a neat 2/3 scale steamboat and small historic town on the lower level.

The old entrance to the trains is now the entrance to the 5 story OMNIMAX theater.

The old entrance to the trains is now the entrance to the 5 story OMNIMAX theater.

If you are ever in Cincinnati, do take a day to visit the Museum Center.