Summer Colors of Chrysocolla, Turquoise, Variscite, oh my!
Have you ever been in the mood for a color; red when it’s cold outside, blue when it’s warm, or some other satisfying hue for your mood? This summer came on with an intense desire for the varying colors of the sky, the ocean, blooming plants presenting themselves in the stones.
Variscite rough material from Nevada
Can you imagine the thrill of cutting the rough stone and finding the incredible colors and mineral inclusions in the slabs. They sometimes display lovely landscapes; an arctic ice field, green rolling hills of grass, or perhaps is it the forest perched on cliffs above the ocean? The next challenge is to select exactly where to cut to create a cabochon that embraces all of the material’s finest attributes.
Hummingbird Mine, NV material in slabbed rough and polished free form cabochon.
It can be as easy as cutting and then polishing a gorgeous piece, like the one above. Other times, because these materials like Chrysocolla and Turquoise have varying kinds of matrix and hardness, it might be necessary to ‘back’ the stone before making the cabochon. This doesn’t change anything about the stone, like it’s color or formation, it just makes sure it makes it into your beautiful jewelry.
Chrysocola and Turquoise finished cabochons that were ‘backed’ for safe polishing.
These sweet greens and blues go so nicely with other gem colors, that it’s irresistible pairing these with other gemstones. Mixed metals, such as copper and silver, are a no brainer since they even get to play a hand in creating some of these stones.
Ring made with the little Chrysocolla from the picture above (bottom left)
The summer collection is on the workbench right now; a playful adventure through these wonderful summer inspired stones and the metals that embrace their exciting energy. New rings, bracelets, and necklaces will be emerging through the next few months, check the STORE for available pieces.
Chrysocolla with Apetite, White Topaz, Fine Silver and Sterling Silver.
