There is no rhyme or reason as to why I choose certain stones to cut and wire wrap. The recent selections were chosen simply because I was captivated by them. They were all somewhat unusual, but all spoke to me.
Gorgeous Black and White Dinosaur Bone, that I found deep in a bucket of random rocks.
My wife was in my shop last week, and discovered several slabs of various stones that she liked. I incorporated several of these in my recent creations. Bonnie will often put Gemstones in a dish and put a note in that dish that will say “Bonnie likes these”.
Natural Spiderweb Kingman Turquoise. When you cut Turquoise and do not smell the odor of any stabilizer, it’s a good thing.This was the most appealing Turkish Agate I’ve ever cut.Eyed Prehnite from the Keweenaw. It’s no wonder that Prehnite, like this, fooled many people into thinking that it was Thomsonite. In fact it is still referred to locally as “UP Thomsonite”.I was struck by the unusual mustard coloration of this piece of Dinosaur Bone. And ketchup too!I describe this Lake Superior Agate as a Candy Striped Banded Floater. It’s way more cool in person–it has a lot going on!Laker Superior Agates are really a surprise sometimes. This one is like a mixed-up soup containing many ingredients.An absolutely gorgeous Kentucky Agate sporting classic colors for the species. Usually a color dominates; this is especially nice with almost equal areas of yellow, red and black.
This has been a busy spring in my shop. I really haven’t had much time to take pictures, write blogs, or the normal things I do upon returning from suffering the winter in Florida. I suffered a mild heart attack in Florida, but I’m gearing up more every day.
None of these pendants have been put on our websites or in our show inventory. If you are interested any of the pendants in this blog, let us know.
Megalodon Teeth with a signature wrap. If you want to awe and impress; these are your ticket. The blue tooth is from the St Johns River, while the tooth with the petrified wood look, came from the Savannah River in Georgia.
I wanted to show you some of my latest creations. from the past couple weeks. Rough stones were selected and cut with designs in mind. My inspirations come from the gemstones. Pattern, color, and pleasing appearances, all are taken into account, in my wire wrapping; But the most important part of my creative thoughts is usually whimsy. If a pendant is not fun to look and and wear, what good is it?
Condor Agate, from Argentina, is considered one of the most colorful types of agate.Ammonite from British Columbia.This is the reverse side of the first Ammonite shown. I wrapped it so if it flips over, both sides show gorgeous, pearlescent colorations
The Ammonites are an fine example of out of the ordinary things that can be wire wrapped. These fossils are simple as compared to some things I’ve created for people.
Porcelain Jasper is a Ryolite from Idaho/Oregon. It’s supposed to instill a calming effect to the wearer. I think I may have to test the stone and see.A handsome pendant of Fordite, wrapped simply in silver. This pendant could be worn by anyone. Fordite is an industrial waste from many years ago, put to a good use.The rarest agates in the Great Lakes Region are the scarce and coveted Copper Agate, from the Kearsarge Lode near Calumet. Copper seeped in and replaced softer areas in the agate. They can vary from a very small amount of copper to lots of copper. They are typically not real big stones and often the copper is mostly on the outer areas.Lake Superior Agate. This one resembles a dust storm rolling across the desert. Or maybe you see a wild lake storm going on?A more typical Laker. with red and white banding (we call these “Candy Stripers”). This particular agate has some shadow effects caused by very close banding.Fairborn Agate from Teepee Canyon, in the Black Hills of South Dakota.I could not decide which side of this cabochon was the best, so I wrapped it as a “flipper”. You can wear it with either side out.Mexican Crazy Lace Agate. If you are lucky enough to find some old stock, the colors and banding can be amazing. This stone as rows of different colors, lined up like an artist might draw them.I decided to enhance this Petoskey Stone with a few Leland Blue Beads. You can find these treasured things on the beaches near Leland, Michigan The Petoskey Stone is Michigan’s Official State Stone, while Leland Blue in a slag Glass from an old foundry in Leland Michigan,A pair of nice Petoskey Stone Pendants; one dark and the other light. Darker Petoskey Stones were Calcified in water containing petroleum, while the light stones were calcified where little petroleum was present. These were also different species of Hexagonaria. This is ascertained by the size of the individual cell structures.Another wild Crazy Lace Agate. This stone is really a crazy, Crazy Lace Agate.Turkish Stick Agate is a pseudomorph (you have to look this word up, and use it every day in your conversations) from the Cubuk region of Turkey. The mineral inclusions line themselves up in unusual ways, making each stick agate piece a surprise. This seems like it’s perfect for the off-kilter kind of person. Like me.
Here’s your Dessert
I cut these Greenstones from old stock material from Isle Royale. All these are spoken for, and will make excellent rings.
I have a big backlog of cutting at my home shop, and am hopeful I will find some lost treasures to work with. I was restricted by the rocks and cabochons I could take to Florida. but I have loads of treasures I can work with as I return to my workshop. Time to get creative now!
Great Rough makes great pendants.Small is often wonderful. A dime sized Candy Striper will make someone happy.
My Favorite Gemstone
Those that know me and/or follow my Snob Blog, know that my Favorite Jewelry Stones are Lake Superior Agates. I love the variety of types, and the amazing natural designs and colors.
The different banded patterns of Lakers is amazing.The deep Maroon red and bright whites makes this Candy Striper “Classy”.
Refined Pendants
My self-isolating and social distancing has provided time and inclination to make the perfect piece of jewelry. Even if most people cannot readily discern any difference in my pendants, I can tell I’m using new techniques and liking the results. My designs are becoming often more complex and intricate, and I’ve been experimenting more. My recent pendants have reflected these refinements.
Pinks were the colors I tied together in this free-swinging triple-stoned pendant. The top is a Delaware Datolite with the pink that that location is famous for. The middle gemstone is, of course, a pinkish banded Laker, and the bottom is a grouping of Isle Royale Greenstone beads with pink Thomsonite inclusions.I love the unusual! There is a lot going on in this stone, including a bit of Smokey Quartz.One of the most eye-appealing Lakers ever. Unusual coloration with lovely Shadow-effect banding. The transparency is amazing also.Banding and designer shapes flow perfectly together in this remarkable Lake Superior Agate treasure.Small and simple, requiring nothing but neat wire wrapping. The stone is definitely the star here.
Since “Lakers” are my favorites, they have been imbued with some extra special thought and development as of late. Many of my recent Lakers have been combined with other gemstones in diverse ways.
Lake Superior Agates are a Great Investment
Why do we sell so many Lake Superior Agates? Several factors are involved. I look for the very best rough material, perfect agates; mostly fracture free, with spectacular colors and banding. These qualities are difficult to obtain, and I’m never really sure how an agate looks until I cut it. I reject the majority of the Lake Superior Agates I look at Our customers appreciate quality. I refuse to compromise when it comes to jewelry.
I try to match the shaping and finishing to the particular agate. Many of our pendants are wrapped in more than one precious metal. This makes buying easier if you are not certain what a special person might wear regarding metal. I try to match the metal to the stone pendant I am making.
The best Quality Control Available
My wife, Bonnie, serves as quality control. She is brutally honest with me. I appreciate her opinions, and make any adjustments she recommends (sometimes). I can trust her to match any pendant with the correct chain.
Our jewelry always looks better in person; this delights our customer base. Many of our customers become old friends as they purchase jewelry repeatedly from our inventory. We also produce jewelry for our customers stones.
Some meticulous wire artistry enhanced beautiful Keweenaw treasures.
2020 brought many challenges to all of us. For me, self-isolation brought the opportunity to focus on my craft; with more time to create some special pendants. Jewelry making takes my mind off these trying times. I always try to improve my work, even though, people say, I’m a fairly skillful and competent wire artist.
Recently a “major” pendant was created from a combination of inspiration, a dream, and the need for a challenge. If a piece of jewelry takes me several hours of total focus (with coffee breaks), over three days, that’s a “Major” pendant.
Can I pull this off? Until a multi-piece pendant is created, the answer is “Maybe”. When the project turns out as you envision it, or better in this case, I feel satisfied and worthy. I know all the mind-challenging work was worth the effort. Bonnie knows when I am in “the zone” I am so totally focused, everything except the piece of art is blacked out. The Zone was active on this work of art, for sure. She does not come near me when I’m in “the Zone”, but she knows something good will result.
Deciding on Color and Shape
Let us talk about the procedure end result, shall we? Four totally different Keweenaw rocks and Minerals were chosen for their coloration. PINK was my choice; so every piece was associated with the color pink. In my mind was projected a three-piece pendant with amazing colors, textures, and shapes; eligant in detail.
The top stone selected was a banded Lake Superior Agate, with beautiful pink waves of banding, some shadow effect. In some Lakers the banding is very fine and the bands are close together. When you move these agates in the sun or in bright light, the shadow of one band is cast on the adjacent band. Since there are many bands casting their shadows on their adjacent bands, you get a shadow effect. The agate in the pendant has some “Shadow” for sure. Lake Superior Agates, as many of you know, are my favorite Gemstones. I cut a lot of “Lakers”, but not often one with so much rich class. It just screamed for attention, and made the top tier.
The middle of the pendant is Firebrick. Firebrick formed from the Copper smelting operations in the Keweenaw. The smelters were made from brick when they were built. Over the years Copper vapors and molten copper permiated into the brick walls of the smelter and replaced all the material in the bricks except the Quartz/Silica. That is why you see small white specks in the Firebrick; the Quart resisted permeation.
The bottom stone is a stunning pink-hued Datolite from the Mesnard mine on the Quincy Hill in Handcock. The small Mesnard Datolite needed to step up in order to fight the bigger cabochons in the top. I added a pair of Isle Royale Greenstons with pink Thomsonite inclusions, making the Datolite more than equal to the other two cabochons up above it. My personal opinion (shared by others) is that there are only two true precious gemstones in Michigan, Isle Royale Greenston (Michigan’s Official State Gemstone), and Datolite.
The Michigan Quarter allows you to see the finisned size. I was very happy with my work.
The stones being selected instigated the shapes required. Datolite, Greenstone, and Lake Superior Agates can all be polished to a glass finish, but the Firebrick required a proprietary industrial Epoxy coating. This coating protcts the Firebrick from tarnishing, and adds a glass finish like the other two stones in the pendant.
Engineering the Pendant
Each of the three major parts of the pendant “swing” individually from the others. If all three were wrapped as one piece, they become very stiff and just don’t have that pizzazz required. The pendant will move with the wearer.
The top and the bottom stones are elegantly wrapped in double 14kt gold fill, while the Firebrick is enhanced by a double gold fill Pink Gold. The pink gold brings out the Copper in the Firebrick. Who says a piece of jewelry has to be one single type of precious metal?
Happy Results
YES
Now, several hours later, the results made me smile; Bonnie approved, and this Major art work was complete. I named this pendant KEWEENAW SPLENDOR
I’m hopeful some lucky person will find this one in their stocking.
I just can’t stop cutting Lake Superior Agates; Making
jewelry from them, or digging through my buckets, looking for that perfect jewelry stone.
Recently I’ve cut some unusual pieces. One was a very rare Lake Superior Moss Agate. It resembled a Montana Moss Agate, but had banded eyes. I had to play with my photo studio lighting so you can see this detail. Another couple featured red Islands floating in seas of clear Quartz.
Lake Superior Agate Pendants are my passion. Enjoy these few additional pieces of eye candy.
Mesnard Datolite with Isle Royale Greenstone.
A few cabochons of Datolite from the Mesnard Mine in Hancock have been sitting on my workbench for a few weeks. I look at gemstones for a while sometimes, and eventually they speak to me and tell me what they want me to do with them! This was the case with the Mesnard Datolite. Sometimes I put off wrapping these because my idea was a bit complicated and I need to be in the right frame of mind to work on them. I’m sure you will love the results, especially with the pair of Greenstone Beads I added to this free-swinging creation. The Mesnard is known for its’ bright pastel colors, but as with most of the old mines, material is scarce and getting harder to find each year.
This is a busy time at Snob Appeal Jewelry. We have taken some time off to make jewelry. In August, we have shows in Eagle Harbor, Copper Harbor, and doing demos at Copper World in Calumet (AKA the best gift store anywhere around Lake Superior). See you there.
