71x29mm green MOONSTONE w/ blue flash 240ct BEAD (sunstone & opal too!)

Hey Folks! I'm really plunging back into "phenomenal gems" (optical phenomena that is) with THIS piece. This is the first piece I've done with any inlay in it in a very long time....

I hand cut this wonderful, freeform, oval teardrop shaped bead out of moonstone rough from Tanzania! The base of the moonstone is a minty green grey that shows a tremendous silvery blue flash that is very well oriented on both sides. It measures 71x29mm and is 14mm thick with a 3mm drill hole. Low rounded faces and edges. It has a really nice polish and great orientation in it's adularescence. One face is inlaid with a domed, 7mm round cabochon of CATS EYE SUNSTONE, also from Tanzania. A small, pink flash, 3mm Australian opal is inlaid on the other side. This is one of the nicest pieces of moonstone I've ever cut! You won't see another one like this! Internal fractures are completely healed inclusions and do NOT mar the surface of the stone or it's glow nor do they threaten the structural integrity of the stone.

This pendant showcases "phenomenal stones" which are gemstones which exhibit optical phenomena. In the big blue shimmmer is a kind of Adularescence which is a glowing effect as seen in moonstones; on the sides one sees some examples of Aventurescence which is a sparkling, more glitter like, effect caused by metal or glassy looking inclusions in the stone; In the sunstone there is both of the above effects AND Chatoyance (from the French "Chat Oeil", or "cat eye") which is a gleaming effect all over or in a distinct cat's-eye; Schiller which is a directional sheen or shimmer can also be decerned; the little Australian opal one sees Opalescence (opals) a milky to rainbow play of color caused by large spheroid structures of silica in the stone; and finally in one or two of the healed fractures of the moonstone, one can see Irridescence or Iris effect which is a play of color of rainbow colors often caused by a fracturing within the stone.

I've copied the wiki definition of moonstone below for your information. That is followed with a bit of info on the metaphysics of the stone.

"Moonstone is typically a potassium aluminium silicate, with the chemical formula KAlSi3O8."

"The most common moonstone is of the mineral adularia. The plagioclase feldspar oligoclase also produces moonstone specimens. Its name is derived from a visual effect, or sheen, caused by light reflecting internally in the moonstone from layer inclusion of different feldspars."

"Moonstone's delicate beauty and its long heritage make it perhaps the most familiar gem quality member of the feldspar group. Moonstone is composed of two feldspar species, orthoclase and albite. The two species are intermingled. Then, as the newly formed mineral cools, the intergrowth of orthoclase and albite separates into stacked, alternating layers. When light falls between these thin, flat layers, it scatters in many directions producing the phenomenon called adularescence."

"Deposits of moonstone are found in many countries and places: the European Alps; Brazil; India; Mexico; Myanmar; Madagascar; Sri Lanka; the USA, specifically Pennsylvania and Virginia; and Tanzania. However, it is Sri Lanka that produces the highest quality moonstones."

and from a different source is the following information... "Mystic Lore: Intuitive sources say that Moonstone is a stone of emotional harmony and wellbeing. It has been revered for centuries in India as a stone which can bring harmony and good fortune to marriages and love relationships. Moonstone is said to help one relax and enjoy life, and to help one fully love & appreciate others."

Thanks for letting me share my work on this forum and have a great day!

Kyanite, Bloodshot Iolite, Tanzanite, continued

My pieces are completely natural and on this teardrop shaped kyanite I left one side of the bead with the natural face of the crystal which shows the natural surface and sparkles

Here is a piece of the "bloodshot iolite" which is a Tanzanian iolite that has spangles of Aventurescence that make it have a bit of a sunstone effect. This is one of the very last pieces I have of this really rare material.

and finally, a piece of genuine tanzanite, also from Tanzania (naturally!). Iolite is often mistaken for Tanzanite and it can be very challenging for the average bead buyer to be able to tell the difference between blue Brazilian kyanite, iolites, and tanzanites. The best way to know for sure is to buy from a reputable dealer and to learn by comparing verifiable samples next to each other. This particular Tanzanite bead is obviously NOT a gem grade sample, it's specimen grade, but it IS a real gemstone and one doesn't often find a 72 carat genuine Tanzanite. For folks who are interested in the metaphysical properties of the stone, this is a great deal and the healed fractures create little sparkles that create Irridescence or Iris effect witihin the stone.... and here is a picture of the 192 carat rough piece of Tanzanite that I made this shield shaped bead from

SO a 192 carat piece of rough yield only one 72 carat stone! That's over 60% waste, which is one of the reasons I don't like to spend a lot of money on rare and exotic rough gemstones!

Thanks for letting me share. Everything l post is also in my DVHdesigns eBay store and I regularly have 99 cent, no reserve auctions, and other specials.

Kyanite, Bloodshot Iolite, Tanzanite, & optical phenomena

Howdy Folks, lately I've been on YET ANOTHER bit of a spree with phenomenal stones. These are those stones with properties that cause optical phenomena to occur within the stone. The major categories are Asterism in star stones (ruby, sapphire, etc) which is caused by fiber like inclusions in the crystal; Opalescence (opals) a milky to rainbow play of color caused by large spheroid structures of silica in the stone; Labradorescence (labradorites & many feldspars) which is broad multicolor flashing surfaces; Adularescence which is a glowing effect as seen in moonstones; Aventurescence which is a sparkling, more glitter like, effect caused by metal or glassy looking inclusions in the stone; Chatoyance (from the French "Chat Oeil", or "cat eye") which is a gleaming effect all over or in a distinct cat's-eye; Schiller which is a directional sheen or shimmer; and finally Irridescence or Iris effect which is a play of color of rainbow colors often caused by a fracturing within the stone.

I got quite an interesting assortment of Tanzanian phenomenal gemstones when I was in Tucson the last two years. My favorite has been the kyanite, and to a lesser degree (because of lesser quality mostly), some bloodshot iolite and tanzanite.

I still have a decent supply of Tanzania Kyanite from which I cut these....

Cutting Kyanite is a real challenge! But since I found a good deal on good quality crystals, I bought some rough and am quite happy with the spectacular results! Well worth the challenge. Here's what the Goddess of Lapidary Journal, the famous June Culp Zeitner says about Kyanite in her book, Gem and Lapidary Materials, (the Bible for the lapidary!) in the chapter on Rare, Little-Known, and Unusual Gem Materials, (emphasis mine) "Blue gems are among the most popular, but unfortunately kyanite, although possessed of a wonderful true blue color, is seldom cut. Crystals are thin, splinterry, and brittle, and cleavage is prounounced....A Chrome green kyanite comes from Tanzania. Pink, gray, yellow, and brown crystal are also known. Not many stones are over 10 carats....It is transparent to translucent and often color zoned. A major fault as a lapidary material is that the faces of the crystal have extreme variations in hardness....Occasionally kyanite is chatoyant, so small cats eye cabochons can be cut, but cutting the cat's-eye is as difficult as faceting, so cut kyanite stones are not at all common. Avoiding the cleavage planes is critical in cutting." (emphasis mine)

For those interested in the metaphysics of gemstones, in her book Love Is In The Earth, New Age author Melody says (underlined emphasis hers, bold mine) "...one of the minerals in the mineral kingdom that never needs cleaning or clearing. It will not accumulate or retain negative energy or vibrations. The energy of kyanite is unlimited in application, making it one of the very best attunement stones." She goes on to say, "Kyanite aligns all chakras automatically and immediately, with no conscious direction. If directed with the consciousness of the user, it can also open the chakras...brings tranquility and calming effect to the whole being...stimulates communication and psychic awareness on all levels..dispels anger and frustration...provides a stimulating energy and supports one in the continuation of projects...." and she goes on and on about the wonders of kyanite. Then she says, and I quote with the emphasis and capitalization of the author, "Kyanite Facilitates Meditation! Whenever there is a problem with respect to 'getting into' meditation, the calming, clearing effect of kyanite can be useful....also when accessing the astral plane and when connecting with ones guides....provides for balancing of the yin-yang energies, bringing an orderly growth to the intellect, emotions and physical body." And there's more, but I'll leave it at that and suffice it to say that Kyanite is evidently a VERY POWERFUL METAPHYSICAL GEMSTONE!

I'll post pics of the iolite and the tanzanite tomorrow. I'm pretty spent from a long day at the studio, all of it at the computer and NONE of it at the wheels. Tomorrow I'll have to treat myself to cutting some new stones. Thanks for letting me share!

Woolly Mammoth Ivory Beads & Amulets by DVHdesigns

Hey all! I just finished up this batch of beads and amulets using the very last bits of my woolly mammoth ivory! I used to cut a LOT of mammoth ivory and sold a lot on eBay, but a few years ago eBay ended ALL ivory sales, whether it was LEGAL mammoth ivory or not! I got a great deal on some nice loose little chunks of mammoth ivory when I was in Tucson last February so I decided to do another batch. I CAN sell them in my DVHdesignsBEADS Etsy store and they're all listed there now. Here's a group image of all of them....and here are some close ups of several of the pieces.... this really long piece has the natural outside "bark" of the tusk on it, and two large holes, one at either end, for creative beading!

while this piece shows some bark with the rest of it polished smooth. The buckskin coloring is from the mineral content of the permafrost that the ivory was buried in for thousands of years. Here is a piece of mammoth ivory that is NOT discolored and looks as if it came off a mammoth very recently, not over 10,000 years ago!

This material is collected by Inuits and other native peoples in Alaska, Canada, and Siberia and can only be gathered for a few months every summer during the thaw. Of course that's changing with all the permafrost melting due to climate change, so more Mammoth ivory is being exposed in Arctic regions. The coloration depends on how well it is preserved and what minerals might have been present where it was found. It is anywhere from 10,000 to several million years old. Mammoths and Mastodons died out over 10,000 years ago and using this organic gemstone does not threaten any endangered species. This is sometimes referred to as "fossil ivory" however it has not turned to stone, it is still and organic gemstone and not a rock or mineral.

While this material works and cuts like contemporary elephant ivory, it does NOT harm elephants. I continue to support the worldwide ban on elephant ivory trade. According to wikipedia, "Trade in the ivory from the tusks of dead mammoths has occurred for 300 years and continues to be legal. Mammoth ivory is used today to make handcrafted knives and similar implements. Mammoth ivory is rare and costly, because mammoths have been extinct for millennia and scientists loathe to sell museum-worthy specimens in pieces, but this trade does not threaten any living species." Most mammoth ivory that is found is NOT museum quality pieces but rather broken chunks and this is the majority of the material that is brought to the lapidary market from the Canadian, American, and Siberian mammoth ivory dealers.

People often ask what the difference is between mammoths and mastodons. The main difference is their teeth and their diet! Mammoths had slightly larger, more curved tusks, and they were grazers, eating mostly grasses. Mastodon means "nipple teeth" and they were browsers that mainly ate leaves, tree shoots, and fruits. One can not tell the difference in species from looking at just the ivory of the beast. One would have to see the surface of a molar or more of the skeleton to determine the species.

I have heard said that metaphysically mammoth ivory helps one communicate with the ancestor spirits. According to Melody, in her book, Love Is in the Earth, "Ivory represents purity and promotes vitality directed towards rightness in purpose and direction. It assists in expelling restlessness, anxiety, moodiness and derision, while stimulating initiative, dignity, and serenity. It also helps to eliminate obstructive forces in the physical world, providing for a clear pathway for incoming transactions and resources. It can be used in the treatment of bone disorders and in the regeneration activities required to ameliorate these disorders. It can also be quite useful in diminishing problems associated with soreness and stiffness of joints, flexibility of the limbs," and more!

The mammoth ivory and some other items I've made are in my Etsy store, however I still put almost all of my inventory in my DVHdesigns eBay store. Check it out for more cool one of a kind, custom cut, gemstone beads and genuine jet mourning jewelry!

Thanks for letting me share my work here in this forum.

Purple Lavender Jadeite Jade bead pendants I made...

Hey Folks! I just finished these three bead-pendants out of some of the very last of the genuine lavender purple jadeite jade rough that I have! These two beads were made from the very last of a high quality chunk I got about 15 years ago....

and I made this large shield bead out of a random chunk that I found for sale at the Quartzite gem show in February of 2010....I really like the patterning in this piece although it's not as purple as the stuff I had before.

The majority of the nearly 2,000 items listed on eBay and labeled as "lavender jade" are neither lavender, nor jade! The same goes for the nearly 5,000 items listed as "purple jade". Maybe 5% of the nearly 5,000 listings are jade that is lavender or purple in color and is actual jade. This is one of the RAREST GEMSTONES I CUT. There wont' be many more. I heard that the mine in Turkey has stopped producing and the rough wasn't making it to the U.S. anyway, it all went to China. Here's what my last piece of rough looks like and it's the rough I used to make the big shield bead....

When in Tucson this last February I saw two dealers, out of thousands, who had strands of genuine lavender jade and a few cut pieces, but NO rough! Very rare stuff!

I went to a gem show about 15 years ago and found some of this great material from which I cut the teardrop and the smaller shield with the better color. This one dealer at the show had about 40 kilos of this marvelous lavender Jadeite. It turns out that his synthetic opal supplier in Hong Kong is the only importer and primary buyer for this rare material. I was told that he has a contract with the mine in Turkey for 5 tons monthly to be shipped to Hong Kong for the bead and carving industry. Evidently that is pretty much the mine's maximum production and thus cutting rough rarely shows up in North America. Because of this dealer's contacts he was able to get 50 kilos of rough. I high graded through the 40 kilos left and picked out a wonderful one kilo piece, which I've slowly been cutting down over the years and those two beads above are from the very LAST of that chunk. Didn't see ANY rough in Tucson the last three years although this year in 2010 I DID get the one small chunk of the more gray colored material in Quartzite that was just sitting there, orphaned in a rock pile (see image above)! The only other major location for lavender jadeite is in Burma (now Myanmar and politically unstable under a Military Dictatorship). Other locations for different colors of jadeite are in Guatemala (source of Olmec, Aztec, and Mayan jadeite) and in California.

Here is some of what June Culp Zeitner of Lapidary Journal has to say about Jadeite in her book, Gem and Lapidary Materials, "There are two minerals correctly called Jade: jadeite and nephrite. Of the two, jadeite is harder than nephrite and the color range is brighter and more varied.... A tough member of the pyroxene group, good jadeite is as scarce as it is desirable. It has a crystalline structure, a granular texture, and a vitreous lustre. Jadeite is found in highly metamorphosed serpentines in masses and veins, and as alluvial boulders.... When pure, jadeite is white; however, the colors include tints and shades of green, mauve, lavender, red, blue, brown, orange, and yellow.... Aztecs considered jade a material more precious than gold.... Jadeite is selected for color, grain, and translucency. It is one of the best carving materials and is also used extensively for high-fashion jewelry, especially the more intense greens and mauves. Much of the imperial jade, and other superb colors of translucent jade, is cut in Hong Kong, or marketed through Hong Kong.... Good jadeite has become so expensive that rough material once used for remarkable carvings, like the Smithsonian's 22 inch lavender jade vase, is now being cut into cabochons. "

In Chinese tradition, jade symbolized the five virtues of humanity: wisdom, compassion, justice, modesty and courage. Symbols of these virtues were often carved into jade.

If you are interested in the mystical properties of jade, here is some info I found on the Shimmerlings website "Jade is a gemstone of much history, it has been part of Asian philosophy for centuries. It is often called the "dream stone" for its ability to help one access the non-physical spirit realms. It is a protective stone, and acts as a ward against negative energies. This is a stone that can help you to attain your goals and dreams, instilling resourcefulness, and allowing you to see past your self imposed limitations and manifest your ideas into the physical world. Jade, considered a very lucky stone, facilitates peace and harmony between the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of ones life. When all of these aspects operate in harmony and balance, goals become easier to reach. It is said to promote courage, compassion, justice, generosity, humility, wealth and longevity, to lead a richer more fulfilling life."

Here is what they say about the healing properties of jade, "Jade is said to be a stone of the heart, strengthening it as well as the kidneys, nervous system and immune system and to promote health in the organs that purify the blood. Jade of all types and colors are very protective and particularly strong for children against illness." They refer specifically to lavender jade when they say it "is known to assist with fresh ideas and creativity. It is said to bring psychic understanding of ones dreams, and to aid in recovering form any negative love situation."

Thanks for giving me a forum in which to share my work and information about the stones!

"Beads are artifacts of the minds big bang"

A fascinating piece on the history of bead making and human evolution. My favorite bit, "Beads are artifacts of the minds big bang. They are evidence of our creative and cultural beginning, recalling a time when bands of humans began interacting socially with one another" which led to "humans using technology in the service of social identity."

More Sonoran Sunrise

Ok folks, I really dived back into this material! Here are some cabs...

and here is a really amazing BIG cab,

Also, from the same piece of rough, came these really lovely centerpiece beads...

This one is my particular favorite.
The oranges aren't really quite as bright and vivid under normal light as they are in the images. I took the pics under 4 incandescent bulbs and the brick-red-orange cuprite really pops under those lights and I can't seem to just tone down those colors when I photograph this stuff.

All the above stones came from one distinct piece of rough. Here are two centerpiece beads I made in a nearly perfect match of double ended tapers, which I also call a "lingam" shape, after the aniconic representation of the God Shiva used in Hindu temples

That's all I have finished and photographed at the moment but there's lots more cabs and beads in process, some of which I'm going to leave matte finish, which I'll share with y'all shortly. The above items are in my eBay store and some are also in my Etsy store. Here's a pic of the whole batch of stuff I started on last week, all roughed out, some of which are seen finished above and the others of which are still in process....

Thanks for letting me share!

New Sonora Sunrise custom cut beads

Howdy Folks! Well it's been since April that I last updated you with Sonora Sunrise. I cut up every scrap of that really awesome 4 pound chunk I got in Tucson last February and sold every piece of it! I got some other Sonora Sunrise rough from an internet dealer and it's also lovely stuff, but the colors are more brick red and teal, as opposed to the brilliant turquoise and orange of the stuff I previously listed. The colors and contrasts are still really beautiful, just not quite as "shocking" as the high grade rough I got in Tucson. Of course I only paid a third the price for this quality of rough as I did for what I high graded. It's all beautiful stuff, nonetheless!

I photographed all of these under 4 incandescent light bulbs, so the colors do pop a little more than they would under more subdued lighting, but it really gives one an idea of the incredible color and contrast in this stone. Here's my favorite, a big SWOOSH shaped bead... and here are some smaller shapes made with pieces from the same chunk of rough...

From another piece of rough, I hand cut this "wonkyheart" shaped bead which measures 45x30mm and is 13mm thick with a 3mm drill hole. Low domed faces and a nice polish. Nice contrasted coloring, a little bit more of a red brick color than the pictures show, with a bright crimson vein of cuprite in the center vein, along with some green brochantite, and a reflective vien of a metallic hematite running through it as well!

ANd this color combo came from another different piece of small Sonora Sunrise rough. Such lovely diversity of color, contrast, and patterns in this stone...

Thanks for looking and letting me share. I'll be cutting more of this material soon!

Two BIG boat paint varieties of fordite!

Hey all! I've taken the largest two slices that I'm able to get of my Boat paint variety of fordite and made these two lovely pieces. This bead measures 70x25mm and has a low dome either side, measures 6mm thick and has a 2.5mm drill hole. The weight is a little over 57 carats. You may think I'm crazy to put a carat weight on this "faux gemstone" but the person who has listed the MOST of it on eBay puts a carat weight on ALL his fordite. I want people to be able to see that one can get something 25 times more substantial from me for the same price!

And 57 carats isn't very heavy, only a little over 11 grams or about 1/3 an ounce!

This large half round or half oval cabochon is from the same piece of boat paint variety of fordite. It is 52x21mm by 7mm with a nice low dome and flat polished back with a weight of 36 carats. This would look great bezel set into a pendant or brooch and could go with a lot of different colors and styles of jewlery. I like it in some ways better than the traditional automotive fordite. Since this is a marine paint it also cuts and shapes and polishes better than automotive fordite and it's stronger to boot! The only piece of rough I have left is now smaller than an egg in size.

Thanks for letting me share and have a great weekend!

New FORDITE cabs and beads!

Hi folks! It's been a bit of a crazy summer but I'm keeping going!

I have SOOOOO many things started and so few finished! Finally here are pics of the "Fordite" that I've been working on. I'm taking a break from stocking my Etsy store and I'm still putting the majority of things in my eBay store. I'm really frustrated with having two store fronts and not sure how to handle the on line marketing of my work. I fired my "Trading Assistant" who had been doing my photography and listing for 6 months because he was just making too many mistakes and not taking decent quality images, so I'm back to working alone and doing everything myself.

There are totally varying kinds and qualities of fordite out there. "Fordite" is the common name for the overspray from the paint booths of old car factories. It originally came from Ford factories but the name has come to mean any recycled paint overspray. In the 1980's manufacturers switched to electrostatic sprays so there was no overspray, so it's VERY hard to come by! Here are some fordite cabs that I'll be listing tomorrow. The middle and two small ones on the right are original stock and the two on the left are "unbaked" more contemporary fordite from an unknown source. The "original stock" which is stuff that I collected in the 70's certainly came from old car factories whereas there is some kind of more recent to contemporary fordite that is "unbaked" and not as hard, brittle, and shiny as the old stuff. The more recent stuff does seem to show up in much larger chunks so I can do a little bit more creative things with it. I never really had access to any pieces of the "Classic" stuff that was big enough or stable enough to make beads. Here is my last piece of big rough of the more contemporary fordite....and here are some beads that I made out of this material....

I already sold the two smaller ones to a collector in Britain but the two larger ones are in my eBay store. I am 95% certain that the major seller of "faceted" fordite on eBay is using this rough material. I know he's having his faceting done in the Far East as I talked to him in Tucson.

I still actually really, really like working with the even more rare "boat paintite" variety of fordite. This is overspray of marine quality paint and it's very strong and takes a great polish! Here are some images of my "boat paintite"....

I'll be taking most of my inventory of beads with me away to a show in the middle of this week but I'll try and leave the cabs up in my eBay store. I'll probably have to put my Etsy store on vacation settings so I don't sell anything twice while I'm away, so if something is calling to you, better jump on it! I'll post more next week when I get back from my show and vacation. Thanks for looking everyone!

NPR story on Symbolic Thought, Beads, & Evolution

Hey Folks! There was a really interesting story on NPR's "All Things Considered" today about symbolic thought that concludes with an explanation of how beads are the earliest examples of human symbolic thought, dating back 75,000+ years. I know that so many of us create our ornament with the intention of creating a symbolic thought, not just "another piece of ornament." At least that's the case for me with my lapidary work and stone beads that I make. I thought others in this forum might appreciate listening to or reading this story on the NPR website. Maybe it will push the evolution of your jewelry making up a notch or make you feel more connected to the human history of symbolic thought....

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129082962&sc=fb&cc=fp

Stone is ancestral and male...

From a National Geographic article on Stonehenge, "In Malagasy culture the ancestors are revered with stone monuments, signifying the hardening of the bodies to bone and the enduring commemoration of death; wood, by contrast, which decays, is associated with transient life. Stone is ancestral and male, while wood,as Parker Pearson... put it, 'is soft and squishy, like women and babies.'" This makes me think a lot about my work, how it will last for millennia. I guess a lot of my work does say "ancestral and male"...! DISCUSS...

Green Zebra Jasper! (not a jasper!)

A new material out of Brazil and I haven't seen ANY other lapidaries cutting this stuff! It's a green serpentine with vibrant white veins of chatoyant (cats eye) stripes! The few Chinese dealers selling it call it Green Zebra Jasper, but it's NOT a jasper. Very beautiful and unusual, but it's soft, so don't bang it ...around against hard surfaces. Cuts and polishes like butter!

Check out the listing in my eBay store GREEN ZEBRA TIGEREYE STONE!

Gemstone Skull Jewelry

WOW! Dior has some HOT gemstone Skull Jewelry rich with diamonds and platinum. Very cool, by Victoire de Castellane. More images at the link. It's way out of my league, but I really appreciate it!

"Geologists: 'We May Be Slowly Running Out Of Rocks'"

Hello to all the rock, gem, mineral, and stone appreciating people out there,

Nobody really loves rocks the way I love rocks. So after reading this article, "Geologists: 'We May Be Slowly Running Out Of Rocks'" online at America's Finest New Source, I felt compelled to share it with others who also care about rocks and our natural environment. Once you've read this article I'm sure you'll understand why we here at DVHdesigns always consider the natural life cycle of all rocks through every step of the lapidary refinery and stone upcycling process.

I want all customers of DVHdesigns to know that all of the rough rock that I work with in order to make my one of a kind, custom cut, gemstone bead pendants is 100% certifiable, free range rock that has been ethically harvested from it's mother lode and father formations. My solid rock gemstone pendants are then released via either my DVHdesigns eBay store or Etsy store using sustainable pricing. The unique, hand made, drill hole makes these upcycled rocks easily tagged, leashed, and able to be incorporated into human adornment, while never losing or diminishing their life cycle status as a genuine rock. The polished, matte, or natural finishes that are individually chosen for each of my stone beads increase their desirability to humans while not in any way hampering the stones ultimate return to it's rock flock of origin after the inevitable downfall of human civilization.

Here is a picture of the rock reconstitution and sedimentation process underway here at DVHdesigns. When possible we like to sun dry our rock sludge for a more organic evaporation process. The recycled plastic kitty litter bucket serves as a protective shell and a mold for the young sedimentary sludge. It will take only a few hundreds of years for the plastic bucket/boulder mold to naturally biodegrade and be reabsorbed into the mutant ecosystems of the future. By then the sedimentary sludge should be cured enough to be a stand alone rock! Under the proper conditions this bucket of ground up rock sludge will metamorph into an even harder and more solid stone. Meanwhile it can dream of day when it may mature to become a boulder, living it's natural life out once more as a free range rolling stone, gathering no moss, and never again to be taken for granite....

Like the concerned geologists & environmentalists mentioned in the article that I linked to above, a world without rocks is also my nightmare scenario! Thanks for letting me share and have a great day!

Cherry Volcano Quartz: did I go to far?

Hey Folks, This is always a good topic to have a thread for and share with in the forums. I hope folks will feel comfortable asking questions and sharing information here about stones and how to accurately identify them as much as possible.

I'm curious what you all think about my response to a posting of "Cherry Volcano Quartz" that I just saw. I have a number of bead pendant dealers marked as favorites and get their newsletters. Today, which happens to be EARTH DAY, a vendor with the name "Earth_(something)_" in their userid, sent me an e-mail update of their new stuff. It's all inexpensive focal beads, mostly natural stone, and cut in China. On their new stuff page were multiple pieces of "Cherry Volcano Quartz". Since the vendor is a "top rated seller", based here in the US, with over a 1,000 listings and a feedback rating in the thousands, and she identifies her resin pieces as resin, I think it's safe to assume she knows that what she's selling as "Quartz" is pink and gold swirled glass....

Anyhow, it being Earth Day and everything, I got a little bee in my bonnet and sent the seller the following message,
"Hi Earth_(something)_, Happy Earth Day! The Earth asked me to to tell you that you must know very well that this Cherry Volcano Quartz and all the other pieces you have labeled as such is NOT quartz. It's glass. Don't you feel any shame listing this next to all the other natural stones of the Earth and intentionally mislabeling it as "quartz"? All the genuine quartz on Earth asked me to tell you that it's offended that you call yourselves Earth_(something)_ and you go around misrepresenting the stones of the Earth on eBay. I hope in the future you'll label things correctly. Thanks. I just had to get that off my chest or the Earth wouldn't let me sleep tonight. Have a nice day! Regards, David"

So my question is, did I go toooooo far in calling this vendor out on mislabeling her glass beads?

Also, feel free to ask questions and vent about mis-identified stones here!

Gemstone Identification and MISidentification...

Howdy Folks, there is SO much out there in the gem & jewelry industry in the way of beautiful gemstones, as well as beautiful simulants, beautiful glass, beautiful resins, and much more to be used as adornment. I'm the first to admit that I can be a bit of a "rock snob". Yet I also really appreciate fabulous fakes. It's hard for the lay person and sometimes even the expert to tell the difference, between natural and man made or enhanced materials. I just wanted to start a thread where folks can ask questions and solicit informed feedback. It's often really hard to identify a stone by a picture, but some things are glaringly obvious. I'll start by sharing a few things...
MULTICOLOR or COLORED TURQUOISE: There is no such thing! A recent search brought up nearly 3,000 items on eBay and they are all either dyed howlite, dyed magnesite, or reconstituted powders and pigments that are mostly resin. Anything you see that is multicolored and striped is absolutely manufactured. Colbaugh Processing in Kingman, Arizona is a major American stabilizer & reconstituter of natural turquoises. About a decade ago they came up with a meterial they call "Rainbow Calsilica" which is very similiar. I have cut this material and I have seen the "multicolor turquoise" beads. While they may have genuine ground up rock IN the mix, most of the material is stabilizing resin and colored dyes or pigments. Turquoise does NOT come in purple, or white, or orange, or bright greens, or chartreuse, or any other color other than shades of light blues, sky blues, and blue greens. Natural untreated turquoise may absorb bodily oils over time and become quite greenish in color, but they won't "scream" green!
CHERRY QUARTZ: It's pink included glass made in China.
GREEN AMETHYST: Amethyst is quartz with enough iron present to make it ANY shade of lavendar to purple. If the quartz is green, it CANNOT be called amethyst. The correct name for Green Amethyst is PRASIOLITE.
GOLDSTONE: A beautiful glass that is made with copper crystals precipitated in the glass. Developed by Italian glass makers hundreds of years ago and hard to make! I really appreciate goldstone and it used to be hard to get, but now the Chinese seem to have cracked the production code and there is quite a bit of it available. It comes in brown, blue (which is deep blue to purplish) and occassionally a deep green. The Italian word for goldstone is aventurrina. Here's a great link for the history of goldstone.

That's it for now! More to follow....

535 ct Emerald Bead: Incredible Hulk, or Greenman?

Hey Folks, a quick QUIZ!!! Does this solid emerald crystal bead look more like the face of the INCREDIBLE HULK, or more like the face of the GREENMAN?

Genuine emerald! A fusion of several massive, specimen grade, crystals. I'm not sure if the rough is from Colombia or Brazil, as I bought the rough in Tucson from an Indian dealer (dot, not feather). I saw a face in it right away and didn't want to do too much to enhance this piece other than to polish the face on half the front and then polish half the edges and all the back. A very interesting piece. I'm curious if others see the Incredible Hulk, or if they see a Greenman, or they just think I'm crazier than ever....

Here's the back...


A great green color for Spring and this is the Birthstone for MAY! Thanks for letting me share!

Some More Sonora Sunrise!

Hi Folks! Thanks for all the lovely comments! I haven't really been so excited about any particular stone like this in a long time! I've heard so much about Pantone declaring Turquoise to be the color of the year, and I was disappointed that I didn't get much turquoise rough when I was in Tucson this year, but the Sonora Sunrise is really making up for it! The rich turquoise color of the chrysocolla-brochantite is so stunning next to the brilliant brick red orange of the cuprite! What I really like is that the colors almost seem SUPERnatural, and yet this material is totally natural and untreated! 90% of the turquoise out there is stabilized or treated in some way, so to find such a dramatically beautiful gemstone material as this, that has natural colors and is strong enough to not need any kind of treatment, is really a special find!

I have used most of the rest of the 4 pound chunk that I've been working on making these larger beads, but I have been successful in finding a good source to get additional rough, so I JUST bought another 14 pounds of this phenomenal rough and I promise that I will also make some smaller bead pendants and some cabs that are less expensive.

I REALLY like this piece that I sold this week to a collector and jewelry designer in Scotland. It's a large tongue shape to be set in jewelry (no holes)

and I'm quite fond of this little inverted kite shaped pendant bead that is in my eBay store...

Once I get the extra rough I'll cut up some cabochons and share pics of those! I do have a few cabs in the store and trust me, with 14 pounds of this juicy stuff on the way, I promise there will be more. Here's one of the cabs that is already up, a high dome teardrop and sometimes the cuprite has some wonderful smaller patterns within the rich orange red color, as this teardrop bead shows..

I'm geeked about cutting more of this stuff! Thanks for letting me share with y'all!

"Sonora Sunrise" Chrysocolla & Cuprite

I made these wonderful bead pendants and cabochons using a beautiful and striking stone called "Sonora Sunrise" that has only been on the market since around 2007. It is a mixture of wonderful turquoise colored, sky blue chrysocolla, firey orange-red cuprite, with black veins of tenorite. There are sometimes little dots of green that I believe to be brochantite and one dealer seems to claim that the massive blue is colored by brochantite. Chrysocolla can form after brochantite. They are ALL copper minerals, so who know's how God/dess's spun them together at their moment of creation! The result is totally natural and super striking. Mined in Sonora, Mexico. I've never seen anyone else cut beads out of this stuff! Compare with other pieces on eBay and the internet and you'll see that DVHdesigns cut Sonora Sunrise stands out from the rest! Chrysocolla is often mistaken for a kind of turquoise. They are both secondary minerals that form after copper in various ways.

Here's a close up of one of the stones, a large shield shaped focal bead that's currently in my eBay store...

Here's some information on the chrysocolla part of the stone that I easily found on the internet....
"Chrysocolla (hydrated copper silicate) is a mineral, (Cu,Al)2H2Si2O5(OH)4·nH2O. It is of secondary origin and forms in the oxidation zones of copper ore bodies. Associated minerals are quartz, limonite, azurite, malachite, cuprite, and other secondary copper minerals.....Chrysocolla has an attractive blue-green colour and is a minor ore of copper, having a hardness of 2.5 to 3.5. It is also used as an ornamental stone. It is typically found as glassy botryoidal or rounded masses and crusts, or vein fillings. Because of its light color, it is sometimes confused with turquoise. Commonly it occurs only as pourous crusts unsuitable for gem use, but high quality, gem grade chrysocolla can be translucent and is highly prized.....The name comes from the Greek chrysos, "gold", and kolla, "glue", in allusion to the name of the material used to solder gold, and was first used by Theophrastus in 315 BCE." For metaphysical information on Chrysocolla, I have found this website for Shimmerlings to be a good resource, with a variety of information and the sources cited.

Here's some information on the cuprite part that I also found online about cuprite... "Cuprite is an oxide mineral composed of copper(I) oxide Cu2O, and is a minor ore of copper.....It is a secondary mineral which forms in the oxidized zone of copper sulfide deposits. It frequently occurs in association with native copper, azurite, chrysocolla, malachite, tenorite and a variety of iron oxide minerals. It is known as ruby copper due to its distinctive red color....Cuprite was first described in 1845 and the name derives from the Latin cuprum for its copper content." Metaphysically Cuprite is said to "stimulate the base chakra while providing a grounding affect on the whole body. It can increase physical vitality and energy. It is a survival tool, attracting that which can satisfy ones physical needs...also used to alleviate worry..."

The black tenorite is also a copper oxide mineral and has it's own metaphysical properties, but I'll let you research that one yourself!

Here's a pic of the rest of the rough I have and that I'm getting ready to cut. This is all the rough I have at the moment, although I hope to get some more. When I was in Tucson at the gem shows I searched through over 500 pounds of this rough to hand pick out one 4 pound chunk to work with! For the sake of scale, that dirty black nob on the right is about the size of a silver dollar. I hope to get a bunch more of this cut and listed over the next few days...

Thanks for checking out my newest offerings!