ABOUT THE GEMSTONES
The beads are sourced from reliable online wholesale companies and gemstone dealers, many of whom I know from my contacts in the jewellery trade. The beads are already polished, shaped, drilled and sold in 16” lengths. This is the job of a skilled lapidarist, as they have to know how best to cut the raw materials. The gemstones are very hard, so they have to be cut with diamond tipped tools using running water to cool the drill or grinding stone.
I love all the colours and natural patterns of Gemstones. It’s so hard to choose when I go to a Rock and Gem Fair. I’m like a child going into a sweetie shop! After looking for good quality, I’m mainly guided by price when I buy, to keep the price of the finished article affordable. Under the listing of each piece on my website, I state the stones used.
The vast majority of my beads are from the Quartz family as it’s a large group. It includes the more rustic colours of Jasper, such as Dalmation Jasper (Spotty on beige body colour), Picasso Jasper (looks like scribbles on greyish colour), Landscape Jasper (wonderful brown/beige/grey patterns). The amazing layers and stripes of Agate which take a high polish, Crazy Lace, Blue Lace, Botswana Agate (striped grey, white, pinks and browns) Orange and Red Cornelian, Moss Agate, Onyx. Then there are all the familiar stones, Rose Quartz, Smokey Quartz, Amethyst, Citrine, Rock Crystal.
STONES
Other stones used, depend on what I see at the time. Many can’t be sourced again, keeping my pieces unique.
Here a few of the others:
Amazonite
Amazonite is an aqua blue stone that has become more reasonable after finding a source in China. Originally it only came from the banks of the Amazon.
