Antique Finish on Sterling Silver

Here is another picture of the black stone pendant from post August 18, 2010, but with the antique finish on the silver wiring. It gives so much subtle play with the light that I like it much better than plain shiny. I realize that most people like shiny though, so I’ve taken out my pieces with the finish and polished them up. When there is more degrees of contrast they just get better.

3 Real Turquoises on a Sterling Bracelet

Turquoise was believed sacred by Native Americans who saw that it held the blue of the sky and the green of the earth. And it was often with inscrutable markings that were like messages from another world.

In Europe it used to be that only men wore turquoise. It’s considered good luck for endeavors requiring fortitude and perseverance. (Sounds like Bilbo, the Hobbit, should have worn some when he went adventuring.)

But since most endeavors nowadays need fortitude (strength of spirit) and perseverance (Don’t give up!) it must be an appropriate gift, as its considered better if someone gives it to you.

These three beads are old and genuine, not like some newer ones. The sterling silver is hand forged.

Patina for copper with vinegar and Renaissance Wax

I’ve been experimenting with chemicals. To get rid of that too-bright look, or directly-from-the-store look,  I left a roll of copper wire in vinegar for about a week. It turned it a lovely (to my eyes) mottled pattern. But then as I was using it, I noticed that the wire was sort of flaky, almost hairy.

My other chemical experiment is the Renaissance Wax that I just ordered. It comes in a little round tin (that’s British for can). It was developed for use by the British Museum to preserve and beautify the museum’s collection. I am so thrilled to have this little round tin that I have been rubbing it’s contents lovingly on almost everything.

 

Yes, the Renaissance Wax took off the loose bits from the copper wire, left the important mottles, and is preserving the lovely patina so it won’t come off, at least not easily. Ah, romance.

afghan jade for dreaming

I was at a gem fair and found the afghani gemstone seller. It is my contribution to peace to use stones from Afghanistan, besides their being naturally beautiful and from such an exotic land.

When he described these green stones as Afghan Jade I was a little suspicious that they weren’t “real” jade. Just like “German silver” is not silver at all. It turned out to be true  that  ”Afghan jade” is a variety of serpentine called bowenite, and sometimes called “sang-i-yashm”.

Bowenite is the official state mineral of Rhode Island. It is the stone of fidelity and the dream stone. They say that the stone helps you to release suppressed emotions through dreaming. It enhances the remembering of dreams and helps in discerning their meanings.
Place Bowenite under your pillow before going to bed to see if it gives you symbolic dreams in technicolor. Humm, do we really want that? Maybe just wear the beautiful earrings. The small rounds are nephrite jade. See them at http://www.connecttoheaven.etsy.com

Adornment follows Happiness

This is from an article in Greater Good Magazine–

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/1832/

Keep your friends close… Perhaps the dominant finding from this line of (happiness) research is that social connections are key to happiness. Studies show that happy people engage in more social activities. But some research indicates it’s the quality more than the quantity of our social interactions that really matter, suggesting that making time for those closest to us—people in whom we can confide and who’ll support us when we’re down—will bring us more happiness.

… and your enemies closer. Well, maybe not closer, but you might want to refrain from making enemies in the first place: Research suggests that holding grudges is a quick ticket to unhappiness. Groundbreaking studies show that when we forgive those who have wronged us, we feel better about ourselves, experience more positive emotions, and feel closer to others.

And something else Not Quite Relevant, but a photo I couldn’t resist… The website I borrowed it from didn’t have identification. Do you know who it is?

70's movie image, I think

Cleaning Silver and Giving it a Natural Patina

You can easily clean your silver jewelry with toothpaste. I have an old soft toothbrush for getting inside places. But rubbing with your fingers works just as well. You can also use baking soda, although some experts say that it scratches. I’ve never noticed, but I don’t go normally go for super shiny anyway.

I experimented with using egg yolk to take off the shine and add some antique looking patina. Boil a couple eggs and put the yolks in a closed container, glass or plastic. Put some tissue on top and the jewelry on top of the tissue so it doesn’t touch the egg. In a few hours or overnight, the silver will have a soft sheen. And the egg will smell bad.

Clean it lightly in places with toothpaste for added depth. This is a sardonyx stone pendant wrapped in sterling silver that would benefit from “antiqueing.”

citrine and seashells

I just posted new earrings on Etsy and they are of my favorite stones, well, one of my favorites — sunny citrine. And the seashells are amazing. I found a string of them, paired so the flat parts were together forming a wonderful shape. I looked for the name of the shells but couldn’t find them.

Because of the shells I wrote a bit about phi and the golden mean. I love the concept, I find it elegant and exciting. So that was fun to review a little about it. Here is what I wrote about the earriings….

Light yellow citrine is warmth and life energy. Its mood is light and pleasurable. Negativity is not possible in this crystal bringing joy, creativity and the generosity of sunshine.

The golden spiral growth of the sea shells show us a simple but beautiful example of “phi, the golden mean” – a principle of harmony that shows up in relationships and proportions throughout our universe.

You’ll love the way the pairs of shells fit together naturally.

Wear these to partake of high, bright and joyful energies.

proportion is everything

Wires are handcrafted, earrings are about an inch and quarter, or 3.5 cm, sterling silver.