Monthly Archives: June 2016

Dinosaur Gembone Jewelry of the Pink Variety

When the dinosaurs died they probably didn’t know that years later their bones would be prized for fine jewelry making!

You can easily see the bone cell structure in fine Gem-grade Dinosaur Bone.

You can easily see the bone cell structure in fine Gem-grade Dinosaur Bone.

I acquired a slab of delicious pink/black/gray Gembone this year in Tucson. It took some slight prying and good money, but I’ve never seen quite this color in D-Bone, and when held up to the sun, you could see right through it in spots.

Dinosaur Bone is like Petrified Wood, in that the cells and patterns are replaced by varied colors of silica, making each cell a tiny agate. Some colors, like gem reds are more coveted that other unusual colors both in D-Bone and Petrified Wood. This piece has a great combination of white, gray, black with hints of pink making it very unusual.

The original slab (picture taken in natural sunlight). You can see why I wanted this one.

The original slab (picture taken in natural sunlight). You can see why I wanted this one.

It is really an amazing gemstone. My pink slab was large enough for several cabochons. I am now working on several pendants of D-Bone (Not just this one slab, but many including some red).

Snob Appeal JewelrypinkdboneHere is the first of my pendants Made from the pink bone. This Pendant was gold and silver and is about 3″ tall. it has a free swinging bottom, of a design engineered by me. This pendant was a real challenge and took several hours, but I think the effort was worth it. It is going to the Agate Expo with us to sell. Other dinosaur bone pendants and coprolite jewelry are for sale on our Dinosaur Jewelry page.

 

Agate Expo

Dnosaur Bone Trio-soon to be jewelry.

Dnosaur Bone Trio-soon to be jewelry.

Many of you know that we are invited to be jewelry vendors at the Agate Expo in Cedarburg, Wisconsin next month. If you haven’t made plans to be there, you might want to!

Just the list of exhibits alone is astonishing, with 111 exhibitors listed. You will certainly see agates and jaspers you have never before heard of or imagined. A symposium will be held on July 7 with 12 agate experts speaking about their research. July 8-10 the show floor and exhibits will be open. You can see great agates, and that’s where you elect your favorite Snob Appeal Jewelry! On July 9 a banquet will feature Brad Cross as a speaker, plus a Live Auction and dance. Brad has “written the book” about Mexican Agates.

 

Lake Superior Agate with floating agate.

Lake Superior Agate with floating agate.

Madagascar Ammonite looks like falling leaves.

Madagascar Ammonite looks like falling leaves.

An unusual Laker

An unusual Laker

A coveted black & Red Kentucky Agate

A coveted black & Red Kentucky Agate

This is the third International Agate Show we have participated in. In 2008 the Wonderful World of Agates was held in Wisconsin. (It was before I started blogging, if you can believe that, so the link will send you to David Von Bargen’s entertaining report on the event. He barely mentions agate jewelry though. Some Agate Lovers hate that anyone would cut and wear these treasures.) You can see some of our pictures from the Celebration of Agates in our Snob Blog July 2012.

If you love agates like we do, this show should be a must see trip. All the leading experts on agates from around the world will be speaking at the show, signing their books, and making themselves available for any questions you might have.

A laguna Suite

A Laguna Agate Pendant and Earring Set

Here are some of the jewelry pieces we intend to display and sell at the show. We are known for our fine agate Jewelry which earned us a spot as vendors. Our specialty is Lake Superior Agate jewelry but we also create jewelry made from rare and beautiful agates from around the world. We, or course will have our Michigan Greenstones with us, but most of our jewelry will be top notch agate pendants from many different agates. Visit us and count how many different kinds you recognize!

Boulder Opal

Boulder Opal

A fine Kentucky

A fine Kentucky Agate pendant

 

 

Quartz crystal in a Quartz (Lodelite)

Quartz crystal in a Quartz (Lodelite)