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Patina is not always something that we love. Blackened silver flatware or jewelry, green copper and more that we have to clean don't have many fans if any at all, and of course patina is not only found on metals, either.
Often, however, a nice patina adds to the beauty of a piece, no matter if it developed on purpose or not. Oxidizing and colorful patinas are a part of jewelry making as the selection from this week's Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge is about to show us - and don't forget, there is more to see if you click through!
1 and 5 MC Stoneworks
2 and 8 Cat's Wire
3 and 7 Jewelry Art by Dawn
4 and 6 RioRita
9 Violetmoon's Corner
When you found out what your birthstone was, did you like it?
As a child I was quite disappointed about the pearl. A pearl wasn't even a stone. It didn't sparkle. Little old ladies with purple hair wore pearls. Pearls belonged to coffee or tea parties and crumbly cake in the afternoon. We were happy if we got a faceted "gemstone" ring from the gum machine. A pearl wouldn't have been the same.
Luckily I grew up and grew out of those prejudices. Today I am thinking differently, and then there is of course the moonstone for us June babies, too ;-)
It is nice that the members who participated in this week's Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge don't share the same birthstones because that means you'll get to see even more variety. Not always is it the real thing, but if it isn't, at least the color is right, and it doesn't take away from the beauty of the pieces.
Enjoy all the colors of our personal birthstones!
1 and 5 Cat's Wire
2 and 9 RioRita
3 and 8 Violetmoon's Corner
4 and 6 MC Stoneworks
7 Jewelry Art by Dawn
Don't expect a physical explanation from me why the sky looks blue or grey. There was a time when I almost had to comfort my physics teacher because of a bad test (I had mostly been average at physics, but this test, oh my), so I'm definitely not qualified. The web is full of scientific information both for adults and children about it.
There's no doubt we are fascinated by the sky if it is light blue with fluffy looking white clouds on a spring day, if it looks almost black on a stormy autumn day, or if it seems to be a deep midnight blue with twinkling stars during a crispy cold winter's night.
Sky colors are this week's theme for the Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge. Enjoy - and don't forget to click the link for even more pictures!
1 Violetmoon's Corner
2 Jewelry Art by Dawn
3 MC Stoneworks
4 RioRita
5 Cat's Wire
We all know coins. We have our favorites, maybe we collect foreign ones from our trips, or we throw them all into a big glass and forget about them.
When I was a teenager, one of my pen pals lived in Australia. Once she sent me an Australian penny, drilled so I could wear it as a pendant which I did for a long time until the chain broke. Then I set it aside and now it has to be in one of those safe places you put such things. As soon as I find it, I'll turn it into a pendant!
Today's post, however, is almost a spotlight for one of our long time members. Every time Irith shows us one of her coins set in a pendant or ring, we are fascinated which has not only to do with the craftsmanship, but also the coins she uses - they are antique. I wish I could tell you something about the coins in her entries for this week's Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge, but I can't. You can see even more of them if you click through to the challenge thread via the link above.
I mustn't forget the entry that Dawn made just in time. In fact her earrings triggered the memory of my Australian penny.
Let a question end this post - can you find out which coin is not a real one? ;-)
1/4/7 Cat's Wire
2/5/6/8/9 RioRita
3 Jewelry Art by Dawn
Welcome to this week's Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge. It is all about cabochons or cabs how they are often called, too.
Cabochon comes from the French and means a gemstone that is usually flat on the back and smoothly polished on top, not faceted.
I remember when I started crocheting with wire. Beads were so much easier to handle for me as a beginner because I could attach them safely with wire. The bezels for cabs had to be just right which was (and sometimes is) even more difficult on free form stones.
Faceted stones were a completely different story because of their faceted backs which don't necessarily work with all of my bezels and you don't want to a pendant to sit crooked all the time or a ring whose focal keeps digging into your finger.
Just imagine there was a time when I looked down on cabochons because they didn't sparkle. Or on opaque stones. Or on opaque cabs! ;-)
Now it's time to stop talking and begin showing some of the entries for this week.
Enjoy.
1 RioRita
2 Cat's Wire
3 Jewelry Art by Dawn
4 MC Stoneworks
5 Violetmoon's Corner
Have you ever been to a market where they sell unpacked spices? I haven't, but every time I see one on TV or in a picture, I think that it must be fascinating and rich, but all those different scents mingling may be also quite overwhelming.
Being single, I don't cook that much, therefore it doesn't make much sense to buy a lot of different spices. They would only go to waste, and that would be a shame.
One time I got a small idea of what it's like was when my ex and I had some people over, and two of his Indian colleagues spent hours in our small kitchen to prepare a fabulous feast for our little group. Excuse me while I'm getting lost in memories for a bit and possibly start drooling a bit.
Spices are not only fragrant and tasty, though, they can also be very pretty in their variety of colors.
Today's Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge is all about spice colors which is a new way to look at jewelry colors that you maybe haven't thought about yet.
I hope we can make you a little hungry ;-)
1 and 6 RioRita
2 and 7 Jewelry Art by Dawn
3 and 5 MC Stoneworks
4 and 9 Violetmoon's Corner
8 and 10 Cat's Wire
What did you see?
I see pepper in all colors, cinnamon, curry, paprika, turmeric ... mmmm. Now excuse me again, please, there's a jam toast waiting for me - strawberry and rhubarb with green pepper, a gift from my wonderful neighbors and so yummy.
