of the earth ~ shop update

When I was a little girl, my mother was a gem supplier, and, having been born a magpie, I think this only increased my love of precious stones. I remember she used to bring home those sleek black cases and she would allow me to carefully unwrap the delicate tissue papers to find the treasures within. Sometimes I would just stare and stare at all of those sparkling jewels and somehow, I must have made a sub conscious decision to someday work with these materials (even though, at that time, I was convinced I would be a pop star).

As many of you already know, I work primarily with crystal and glass-simulated to look like the real thing, but not. However, recently I dug out my old metalsmithing tools from college and started to relearn the craft. It's been literally decades since I have worked in this capacity, so it's been a pretty big learning curve, but I remember now why I once loved it so much. Unfortunately, the cost of materials has been such that I realized I could no longer make this strictly a hobby; I am going to have to sell some of my creations in order fund my continued learning!

Like many, I have lately become quite obsessed with druzy (sometimes spelled, drusy) which is basically crystals that have formed on the surface of another stone. It takes millions of years for this process to occur (by water depositing minerals inside the air pockets of the host stones) and I love that each one us unique--a real treasure.

Yesterday I completed the following rings constructed of sterling and fine silver, and druzy cabochons. The top two of them will be listed for sale in my shop today, September 6, 2010 if anyone is interested in owning a piece of Earth's history and supporting my habit!

Handmade Sterling and Druzy Ring, Vanilla Cream

Handmade Sterling and Druzy Ring, Sanguine