Sky Blue Aqua Terra Jasper

These are so pretty!

At the behest of Divine Ms. C, I photographed the remainder of my stash of these aqua terra jasper wedges, which are really a lovely shade of blue. I'd almost call it Gaelic blue, as it reminds me of that chilly, wintery blue one sees in Scottish skies or in the far North of England, even in the summer. Living now near Seattle, in the beautiful State of Washington, where as the song goes, "The bluest skies you'll ever see are in Seattle" (which is perfectly true, except when they're completely obscured by dense gloom, like today), I really do know the difference!

Perhaps the best way to describe the color, if you're a gemophile, is as an intense shade of opaque amazonite.

(Pardon the photos, they're a wee bit gloomy, too, an accurate reflection of this Northwest autumn day.)

These are perfect earring sets, especially done in my Celtic/Druid wrap with a little knot, or perhaps a lightning bolt (something simple that won't obscure the pretty markings).

Please visit my shop, http://www.suzyrocksdesigns.etsy.com/ for more little treats!

-Suzy

Tiger Iron, Red Picasso

A lovely customer contacted me about a superb pair of picasso jasper stones, made into these earrings, that are currently viewable in my shop:

This particular pair had already been reserved, so she wondered if I had any more. This was, however, much to my great horror, the last colorful pair of these great picasso jaspers in the ever-popular teardrop style, which allows me to get just the look I like in this style of dangle earring.

I do have a few other red jasper-like items left in my stash that might be of interest, however:

Gorgeous smooth ovals, in almost the same red/brown/black colors.

They would look great in a simple wrap.

Picasso jasper ovals, very red, with grey/black predominant in one stone; the other is almost totally red.

This is a new stone for me, Tiger Iron, which is a naturally-occurring amalgamation of hematite, tiger eye and jasper. Fascinating!

Enjoy browsing, and don't forget to visit my Etsy shop, www.suzyrocksdesigns.etsy.com!

-Suzy

Lovely Carnelian

Six pretty carnelian wands, waiting for creativity to strike...

An earring design appears on my Etsy shop's website, http://www.suzyrocksdesigns.etsy.com/, that uses gorgeous smooth elongated-teardrop carnelian wands. I have named them Madame d'Arcy, and have been asked by my fabulous customer Ms. C to make her a pair of her own. Here's what they look like:

The stones are all a little different, and I make them to order, so I'm putting up this series of images representative of the available stones; Ms. C can then pick out her favorites and will receive that exact pair for her earrings.

Now, don't be shy: if you see some you like, I'll make you a pair, too! Please visit my Etsy shop and convo me, or simply enjoy looking (please forgive the grainy quality of the images - still suffering from the deep gloom out here in the NW).

The photo above is a group-hug image of all six pairs; here they come, in individual pairs, shown generally from left to right (above):

Very traditional, deep and rich rust-orange, few inclusions, just what one expects of carnelian.

Similar color as above, with more areas of light orange, some opacity.
Quite interesting.

Yummy orange to rust to dark brown, with white/cream seams. Delightful, more contrasty.

So darling, so different! I love these so much I had to show both photos (how self-indulgent can one get?).

These are quite light, with soft grey tones, some pinkish zones, and great rusty-orange seams. Beautiful!

Slightly opaque creamy-orange and lovely traditional orange.

Interesting horizontal seams.

Back to the traditional, though these have quite a range of colors,

and are a bit more opaque than some.

Please visit my shop at http://www.suzyrocksdesigns.etsy.com/ for a look at my other designs!

-Suzy

A Family of 'Hugs

Because I always shoot photos of my jewelry in natural light, and live in the Pacific Northwest, I spend a fair amount of time griping about gloom. If you follow my shop, www.suzyrocksdesigns.etsy.com, you know this unhappy fact about me! Today brought a bit of luck, though: sun shining, clear skies, perfect conditions - before the sun was too glaring, which brings its own set of problems - and lo and behold, I came upon this family of EarHugs, happily lazing on a windowsill in nearly perfect light!

These are all-dressed-up Hugs-In-Progress, suggestions created especially for Ms. ML to view; but please, you take a peek, too - you might like them! (Descriptions of multiples: read left to right.)

Turquoise chips, and a jaunty coral hat!

Lapis & ruby; turquoise chips & aquamarine; jade & peridot

Lapis & faceted pink garnet; turquoise chips & smooth labradorite nugget;

light jade oval & faceted carnelian

Lapis & smooth lab nugget; chrysoprase & carnelian; chrysoprase & faceted garnet; lapis & ruby

Garnet & watermelon tourmaline chip

Garnet & smooth lab nugget

Garnet & faceted garnet

Garnet & teeny garnet

Chrysoprase & black/green tourmaline chip; jade & unakite; lapis & copper bead

(to pick up the gold flecks in the lapis)

This goes to show the endless combinations and versatility of darling little EarHugs, don't you think? Of course, now they're just showing off ...

Any of the combinations shown above, or similar, are $10, except for those including rubies, which would be a bit more. Please contact me at www.suzyrocksdesigns.etsy.com for more info.

Cheers!

EarHugs: Fun or Elegant? Or What?!

Who can really say? You can wear them for work, play, or glamor, so I like to think that they're pretty much the perfect earring. Perfect small-scale earring, anyway. And the price is always right (generally between $10 and $18, depending on the stones). PLUS I offer a discount for purchases of three or more pairs.

This is a quick peek at a gallery of EarHugs, some of which I'm getting ready to revamp and/or relist in my Etsy shop (http://www.suzyrocksdesigns.etsy.com/), along with a yummy little pair of ruby EarHugs (July's birthstone), and its very dainty matching necklace (they'll be listed in my shop this afternoon). Hopefully I'll have time later today to post images here on the blog of some new, in-progress EarHugs (I'm waiting for just the right light to take photos; I always shoot in natural light, a bit of a trial, occaisonally, here in the gloomy NW - but it's gorgeous and bright today, so I have high hopes!).

Info: These can be made with gold-filled wire (a wee bit pricier) or sterling silver.

The wires tend to be round in shape (some of the earliest were a bit more square; I don't do it that way anymore).

Round and rondelle stones work best for this style. Ovals and teardrops seem to like a bit more play and dangle, like dropped from an ear wire, though I do occasionally try them in EarHugs.

I may or may not have some of these stones, so Yes, this is a TEASE! But I hope it is inspirational, earring-wise.

Some of the photos are ancient and a little rustic; forgive me!

Enjoy!

Carnelian, with carnelian "keepers". Carnelian with amber and peridot (very special)

Hematite and labradorite.

Various incarnations of labradorite (my fave!). Top left has a ruby "keeper" bead

Jade & carnelian / Jade and tiny peridot / Aventurine, silver, clear quartz.

Green jade, howlite (dyed lime green), tiny peridot "keeper"

Faceted garnet rondelles; pink swarovski crystal / Garnet rounds / smoky quartz, champagne swarovski crystal

Amber, citrine "keeper" / Moonstone, aquamarine "keeper"

Freshwater Pearls: peach oval; white oval; pale yellow, citrine "keeper"; black (so sophisticated)

Shell pearls: blue-grey (yummy); green-gold. I have other colors, too.

More freshwater pearls: pale yellow with green teenies and tiny peridot "keeper"; gold; double white.

Even more freshwaters: double pale yellow; white with aquamarine "keeper"; lilac with amethyst "keeper"

Sponge coral with carnelian "keeper" / stick coral / lava rock

A popular combo...

Turquoise 5-stack / Sodalite, labradorite "keeper" / Kiwi quartz, apatite "keeper

Any ideas? Let me know, I'd be happy to make them up for you if I have the right stones.

Don't forget to visit www.suzyrocksdesigns.etsy.com!

Be back soon...