Light-Weight Design of Jasper

This design is from our Southwest Flair Collection and features a beautiful red jasper pendant. The pendant is a nicely shaped triangle with a high polish and lovely light golden matrix veins running through it. I have hand bailed it using brass non-tarnish wire.

The necklace strands are crafted using wooden rondelle beads that have a soft texture feel to them. Next I added in golden rutilated quartz that has been faceted and shaped like hexagons; metal accents are in gold tone pewter daisys and round beads.

It is a light-weight necklace in a classical design with a little pop in the colors of red, golden yellow and browns.

Jasper is an opaque and fine grained variety of Chalcedony. It is found in all colors including: red, brown, pink, yellow, green, grey/white and shades of blue and purple.

It often contains organic material and mineral oxides which give it interesting patterns, bands and colors. Many of these patterns resemble landscapes with mountains and valleys, thus the name "picture" is part of the name of many well know jaspers.

Jasper was a favorite gem in ancient times and is referenced in Greek, Hebrew, Assyrian and Latin literature.  Found worldwide, a wide variety of named jaspers is found in the western areas of the Unites States; California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Washington.

Silicates Mineral – Rose Quartz

The Mineral Rock
The most important chemical group of minerals, silicates make up about 25% of all known minerals and 40% of the most common ones. As well as being a major mineral component of the Earth, they are also significant constituents of lunar samples and meteorites. Quartz, feldspar, and mica, the predominant competent of granite, are silicates.

With a color unique among gems, rose quartz is probably the most popular of the quartz varieties. Its pink hues have adorned ornaments and jewelry for centuries. Most rose quartz is found in the cores of pegmatites. It is nearly always found in massive or lump form, crystals are extremely rare. The translucent or transparent pink variety of crystalline quartz, known as rose quartz will seldom exceed ½” in length. The cause of rose quartz’s pink tine is thought to be due to tiny impurities of manganese, titanium or iron. Care must be taken, because it is heat sensitive and can fade to gray with prolonged exposure to air or sunlight.

Like other forms of quartz, rose quartz is also prone to inclusions. Rutile needles can create asterism, but most asterisms appear when light is shown on a stone, with rose quartz the asterism is only visible when light is viewed through the stone. Most rose quartz is too cloudy to be faceted and instead is cut as a cabochon, beads or carved into a wide range of ornaments. Transparent specimens who are as pale as to almost colorless are very rare and valuable.

The Legend & Traditions
According to legend, Eros brought rose quartz to the earth in the hope that its beautiful color would arouse love and desire among people. Rose quartz is said to have traditional properties to improve sleep, stimulate blood flow and circulation; psychologically, it is said to strengthen friendships, combat lovesickness and open the mind to beautiful things. It symbolizes trust, love, peace and happiness, gentleness, and aiding the affairs of the heart and healing emotional wounds. Rose quartz is linked with the sun sign of Taurus.

Browse our collection to find your next treasured wearable earth!

*Research from various mineral-crystal-rock books.

Ruby Red Quartz Elegance

All about the elegance of deep ruby red quartz rounds with open centers; for flare Gayle has added freshwater cultured pearls in both rounds and sticks; then hinted with textured silver beads and a very large toggle.

Pearl: Purity, faith, charity, innocence, integrity, focus, wisdom, spirituality, sincerity, fertility. Quartz: Love, peace, happiness, gentleness, healing emotional wounds.
Browse our collections for custom design uniquely handcrafted jewelry.

Smoky Quartz

Legend has it that in antiquity smoky quartz was used as a protective stone. It was said to warn fighting soldiers of danger by turning darker. Ancient Romans considered it a stone of mourning that helped overcome grief because of the stone’s dark color.


The most beautiful smoky quartz comes from Brazil, the United States, Australia, and the Alps.

Smoky Quartz is a translucent smoky-brown to black rock crystal. Crystals that are almost completely black are known as morion quartz. It is a silicon oxide trigonal crystal usually formed in geodes; the color is caused by aluminum, lithium and radioactive radiation.

Smoky Quartz is said to be the stone that strengthens the supporting and connective tissues as well as the muscles. It is said to bring inner calm to the person who possesses or wears it. It should be held in each hand in stressful situations. Its magical properties stand for facing life, giving strength and motivation to meet new challenges.

It is the Star Sign linked to the Libra and should be discharged once a month under warm running water and charged overnight among rock crystals.

Traditional gemstone properties of Smoky Quartz: Dissolving emotional blockage, clearing the mind, cooperation, personal pride, joy in living, attentiveness to the moment, protection.

Visit Timeless Designs for designs in Smoky Quartz and many other unique natural gemstones.

Dichroic Pendant Pearls Quartz Crystals

Sail into spring with this lovely little number; wear it as a casual accent topping of that adventure or to dress up that spring attire for a day or evening on the town.

Streaming in shades of yellow and brassy gold; set off by a focal pendant of dichroic glass in dramatic shades of gold, greens and blues; pulling the colors of the Caribbean waters in Swarovski crystals of blue, cantaloupe (which changes colors with the refraction of light) and light yellow jonquil. Nestled between teardrops of freshwater cultured pearls in light and dark yellowish gold, butterscotch Quartz nugget gemstones and handcrafted links and toggle in non-tarnish brass wire. Top it all off with a set of dangle hoop earrings in matching pearls and crystals.

Another Timeless Designs uniquely handcrafted jewelry piece!

Goldstone: Old World Folklore Stone

Goldstone is an unusual gemstone in that it is manmade from a type of glass with copper or copper salts in the presence of a reducing flame. Under the right oxidative conditions, the copper ions meld into the silica to produce the transparent bluish-green or red-brown colors. When the goldstone cools, the copper remains in an atomic isolation and becomes small crystalline clusters.
The most common form of goldstone gives the illusion of being reddish-brown, although in fact that color comes from the copper crystals and the glass itself is colorless. Some goldstone variants have an intensely-colored glass matrix, usually blue or violet, more rarely green, and a more silvery appearance to the suspended crystals, whose color may be partially masked by the glass or which may be based on different metals than copper like cobalt, manganese or chromium.

Old World Folklore
Goldstone has been around for centuries and was presumed discovered by accident in the 17th century Venice by the Miotti family. Old World folklore attributes the discovery of Goldstone from an old monastery where monks were trying to make gold out of other materials, specifically alchemy. Molten copper was tipped by accident into a crucible of molten glass and crystallized out in tiny bright triangular crystals and forming a melt from which objects with golden light could be formed. It has an alternate or folklore name of ‘Monk’s Gold’ or ‘Monkstone’ from this discover before it was named Goldstone due to the starry internal reflections of the stone.
Properties
Though Goldstone doesn’t have any associated birthstone or anniversary, it does however have some associated properties. Goldstone is associated with vitality, energy and the uplifting of a persons spirits. It is known to help to reduce tension and believed to be helpful in securing love, protection, riches and inspired diplomacy. It is found in the United States, India and Russia. Has a symbolic meaning for Ambition and Drive.
Blue Goldstone is a stone for wisdom and science
Red/Brownish Goldstone is a stone for physical stimulation

I came across some Goldstone recently that the dealer called “Bad Goldstone” because there are darker striations within the beads and not totally clear starry inclusions. Looking at these beads, I felt they were unique and would make great additions to a jewelry design. Though a very beautiful stone, I have partnered it with Peach Jasper, Cherry Quartz, and gold caged lampwork beads in black-pink-cream colors. It is available for purchase on my website along with many other unique and original natural gemstone jewelry designs.