Prehnite, Gemstone Profile

Prehnite is a stone I had never heard of up until about 4 months ago. I did a little research on it, liked what I saw and bought a few pendants to try out. 

Prehnite are the fan and heart shaped pendants in "B" and "C", pictured below.

AKA "Cape Emerald", thanks to original discovery and substantial deposits in the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.Discovered in the mid-18th century in Jurassic-aged rock, it has been considered rare until recent deposits were discovered in Australia and China.

Prehnite is about peace and calm, especially during chaotic, difficult or transitional times. It can inspire inner knowing and increased intuition. Great for those who want to relax or improve meditation.

Item "B" in the above picture is for sale on Etsy.

Gemstone Jewelry Parties

I have space for 2 jewelry parties 1 jewelry party in the Tampa Bay area in the month of December.

If you're interested in hosting a party, you will receive:

• A free gift (valued up to $12)
• 15% credit for all sales  

Just invite your friends and family over for a day of browsing and trying on unique gemstone jewelry. It's a fun and convenient way to shop for the holidays with a selection of bracelets, earrings and other goodies made of high-quality gemstones, at prices ranging from $7 - $30.

Contact me for more details via your favorite method: 

• 813-322-5308
• rockweargems "at" gmail dot com

Petrified Forest

When I was in about 4th or 5th grade, I lived in Jackson, MS and my class took a trip to the Petrified Forest in Flora, MS, a fabulous and little known National Landmark. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my young life, hiking through the woods and stopping at checkpoints of huge chunks of petrified wood.

In the gift shop they had all kinds of little specimen stones and fossils, and I bought a tiny little piece of tigereye, which I still have, and which I will scan and post when I find it. It was the beginning of my connection with rocks, minerals and fossils and my collection has grown over the years. Making jewelry allows me to gather some favorite gemstones together without having to display them somewhere. I generally work with gemstones that I am most attracted to.

If you ever find yourself in Flora, MS, enjoy a visit to the Petrified Forest!

Gem Shows

Yesterday I attended a gem and jewelry show in Orlando. I got some great new items to make into necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more! It was fabulous to pick up some new bead strands, but I particularly enjoyed visiting vendors who had specimen stones, like this company, Raiders of the Lost Art. I had to really hold myself back from buying gemstone spheres, eggs and natural formations, knowing that my focus this day was to buy jewelry supplies. You can't hang an amethyst cathedral from a pendant; well, you could, but it would be mighty heavy.

Here are a few of the cool strands I picked up yesterday:

From the left, as follows:

Green Java glass: Java has a big glass industry; these remind me of sea glass.

Various glass beads: faceted blue & clear glass

Labradorite, large chips

Unidentified black stone: small cube; mostly black with a very few white flecks. It's a softer stone, because there is powder between the stones, where the thread has rubbed inside the bead hole.

Pyrite, flat squares: these are heavy, but awesome!

Quartz ovals and hearts

Tigereye

Iolite

Rhodonite

Sodalite, puffed squares

Lapis lazuli, puffed coins

Bone fish & tubes

Paua shell

Black lip shell

It was great and I'm ready to incorporate these into some new designs and to go back to the next show in January! 

Interested in gem shows in your area? Check out this blog with monthly updates around the U.S.

Moonstone & Labradorite

I love the look of moonstone and labradorite together, so here they are in a pair of earrings. Both stones are closely related and have an iridescent optical effect that produces blues and greens at certain angles. The lighter colored moonstone also picks up the color of whatever you are wearing, so they match absolutely everything. Interspersed with Bali-style sterling silver mini-flower spacers. 

These feel really great on; nice weight and very uplifting to wear!

Labradorite is thought to increase wisdom and intuition, bring personal strengths to the forefront and inspire creativity. Can improve patience and focus, enhance dream recall and is excellent when concentration is needed.

Moonstone is a powerful stone associated with nature and women. It can help one get in touch with feelings, find balance and connect with nature. Offers protection for travelers and is considered a "gardening stone". Like Moss Agate and Malachite, it can be helpful in botanical pursuits.

You can buy them now and they will ship out tomorrow!

Choose silverplate clips or sterling silver wires

Sterling Silver $31.00 Silverplated Clips $29.00

Rock Wear Gems Intro

Hi people:

This year I decided to start selling gemstone jewelry. I've always loved gemstones and fossils and love working with them, and it's a fabulous creative outlet for me; a natural progression that I'm curious as to why it didn't happen sooner. But this is the way these things go.

I enjoy the physical properties and metaphysical properties (ancient healing lore) of gemstones and will share these with you here, along with related ideas. 

I offer top quality customer service with strong attention to your satisfaction. Support entrepreneurs and small businesses to promote American self-reliance! 

Thank you for reading and for your support! 

Diane 

Like Rock Wear Gems on Facebook

Visit my Etsy store! 

Clockwise from Top:

1. Howlite and Sterling Silver: Custom piece

2. Labradorite and Glass Bookmark: This is not finished yet - adding another dangle with more labradorite

3. Natural hematite chips (not manmade), lava, howlite & lampwork glass skull