Mens Jewelry, stuff you make for the guys!

Hey Folks! On another jewelry forum that I'm on someone started a thread for folks to share and discuss jewelry designed for men or jewelry that has a more masculine look. I thought it would be an interesting thread to start and share with here as well. I'd love to see pieces that folks have made just for a man or that they feel men would be comfortable wearing. Also, is there anyone out there who makes jewelry JUST for men or has a significant percentage of their buyers who are men? Love to hear your feedback as well.

I must confess that amongst, shall I say, "MY people", we are not so prone to assigning a gender to our jewelry. I certainly understand the dominant gender paradigms in jewelry and fashion design but I have always been a strong advocate of subverting the dominant paradigm! That being said, most men, myself included, DO hue to more traditional norms when it comes to ornament. For example, I DO own a very nice, high quality, rhinestone tiara, but I seldom wear it out in public. I mostly wear focal beads that I make myself and I think my work is very elemental and gender neutral.

It's interesting how social norms have changed around men and jewelry, just in my lifetime. In the 60's & 70's it was ok and popular for younger men to wear chains and beads, but any ear piercing was still seen as pretty gay, and most men older than 30 seemed to be more conservative, sticking to strickly "manly" rings (wedding band, class ring, military, signet rings) and tie bars or tie tacs. Men of my father's age and certain geographic locales might wear a bolo tie.

To me, it seemed by the 1980's men's jewelry had practically gone underground, except for the men's "Single Earring". During the 80's and the Mtv generation a lot of guys started to wear a single earring in their LEFT ear. During this time period the fashion phrase for a man who wanted to get his ear pierced was "LEFT IS RIGHT AND RIGHT IS WRONG." According to this credo, a man with his left ear pierced was a heterosexual (or closeted) and a man with only his right ear pierced was a homosexual. A guy could get multiple piercings in his left ear, but if he went to the right side people got even more suspicious. I got my left ear pierced in the 80's and suffered a lot of homophobic slurs even though I had pierced the "Straight guy" ear. In the late 80's I came out of the closet and got my other ear pierced and started wearing matched pairs of surgical steel big hoop earrings. For me it was a political act as much as a fashion statement.

By the 90's it was ok for straight guys to get both ears pierced and then EVERYBODY started piercing EVERYTHING! The piercing craze certainly has done a LOT to increase the number of all kinds of men wearing jewelry, or at least men wearing piercing jewelry. I think it's interesting that so much of what is accepted as fashionable amongst "men's jewelry" is the sort of "Modern Primitive" look that accompanies piercing jewelry. I mean, here in Portland, Oregon where I live there are LOTS of mostly straight men who have LOTS of piercing jewelry, plugs, and stretched ear lobes. However when I'm in Tucson at the big trade shows for the jewelry industry, it becomes clear that jewelry for men is an extremely teeny tiny portion of the jewelry trade.

All in all I would just like to see more men being more comfortable wearing more jewelry to accessorize themselves. Heck, since we're so firnly in the age of cell phones many men have even stopped wearing a wrist watch, which for most of the 20th century was the epitome of men's jewelry fashion. Anyhow, enough of my babbling on. I'll share a couple of pics of my beads that I think ANY man would feel comfortable wearing as a traditionally masculine look.

When men wear necklaces they're much more likely to wear a single pendant on a chain than they are to wear something with multiply strung beads and that pendant is more apt to be a straightforward design or linear shape as opposed to something too curvy and patterned. Also, most men can't wear as short of a chain as a woman can wear (chokers interfere with adams apples) and I don't think a really LONG necklace works out to be very masculine either. Personally I think 18 to 24" is the ideal length for a man's necklace with the length depending on the shirt he's wearing!

I make a lot of my beads in a classical "shield" shape which I think lends itself to masculine imagery. This shield shaped bead is made out of a high grade copper ore from the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan's UP. It's dark with dark green epidote inclusions and splotches of shiny pure copper....

while this rare Tanzanian Iolite Sunstone bead does have sparkles in it, the watery blue color, the internal fractures, and the linear, curved rectangular shape give it a masculine edge and it would look nice alone on a chain.

Another shape that I do that I think reads well as a more "masculine" shaped pendant shape is what I call a "Wedge Shape". This wedge shaped bead is made out of rare 250 million year old petrified tree fern from Brazil...

That's it for now! I look forward to seeing more jewelry stuff for the GUYS!

Keweenaw Copper Ore Beads

Hi all, when I was in Tucson and Quartzite last month at the big gem & mineral shows I picked up a nice variety of Michigan Keweenaw copper ores! I love the diversity of the ways that the ore forms. The patterns and matrix colors are so unique, and the copper has such a powerful, energetic, and elemental feel to it. I only got a few pieces, most about the size of a lemon, but each one has very different patterns and matrix. Each stone will only yield a few bead sized pieces, and drilling through the solid copper bits is hard. This copper is up to 5% silver and that little extra silver makes this copper more conductive than your average copper. It;'s Keweenaw copper that was used to make the US TELEGRAPH system in the 19th century, and then the TELEPHONE and ELECTRIC MOTOR industry in this country! While Keweenaw had the purest copper deposits in the world, they weren't the biggest and most of the mines were closed by the late 1960's. This copper tells a story...

These two pieces show copper that seems to have crystallized in place. While there are some blobs, there is also a latticelike pattern in the copper. I believe that the green matrix may be epidote. Only got these two beads out of this piece of rough...

Then there's another piece that has lots of spots in the dark matrix, with globs of copper. It's hard to capture the reflections off the copper in the photo, but they are spread throughout the stone...

and this piece has a nice little vein clearly running through it....

Thanks for letting me share. Back to the wheels, I'm finishing up some Mexican Fire Agate beads....

Turquoise Hearts!!!

Hi Folks! I'm still having my heART attack. I just made these three hearts out of turquoise. This smaller one is mostly nuggety and natural that is just buffed up. I worked with the natural shape and smoothed out the lobes....
































This second one is symmetrical and polished all around. Also with a 3mm drill hole...































This large one is left sort of "nuggety" on parts and smooth and polished over the rest of it. 3mm drill hole through the lobe....




























































Turquoise is easy to polish. Nuggets can just be lightly tumbled in 600 grit overnight and then buffed with a muslin buff using Zam or Fabulustre, which will take it to a high polish.
When I was in Tucson at the big Gem & Mineral shows in February of 2010 I picked up a nice little batch of some turquoise to work with! This material is real turquoise from China that has been stabilized, which means that it has been hardened with a clear plastic resin that does not change the color. Most people don't know that about 90% of the turqoise mined in the world is a kind of turquoise "chalk" and the vast majority of that material HAS to be stabilized or treated in some way so that it can be worked into jewelry or beads. Natural turquoise that has not been treated and is stable enough to cut is rather rare and quite expensive. Untreated turquoise can absorb a person's body oils and turn green over time. Even an accomplished lapidary can't necessarily tell natural turquoise from treated turquoise once it's cut.

Turquoise has been one of the most popular gemstones throughout history, prized by every culture from the Egyptians (who made faience as a kind of imitation turquoise), to the Persians, to the Tibetans, to the Native Americans. The color experts at Pantone, have declared Turquoise to be the Color of the Year for 2010! Check them out for more info on the use of the color turquoise in fashion and design this year!

Here are the classifications of different kinds of turquoise. Natural: is material that can be cut and polished with no treatment. Stabilized: is material that has been hardened with a clear plastic that has not altered the color. Treated: is turquoise that has been hardened with resin that has been color dyed. Reconstructed: turquoise had had it's shape altered such as being ground up and pressed into a shape using resins and dyes. Imitation: is manmade (such as plastic) or natural product (such as howlite or magnesite) that has been made to imitate natural turquoise.

Thanks for looking and I'm currently working on hearts in kona dolomite, pyrite, dino bone, and serpentine...

Regards, David @DVHdesigns

Rhodochrosite Heart Bead

I hand cut this focal bead which measures 59x34mm and is 13mm thick with a 3mm drill hole. A Heart shape with a nice polish. It shows some great contrasting pink colors and banding. A really nice piece that would look great worked into a creative piece of art jewelry!

This magical material is from Argentina, probably from San Luis or Capillitas. It is difficult to get good cutting rough because the government owns the mines and limits production. While Rhodochrosite has a hardness of only 4 it is much loved for its distinctive color and patterning. It is not easily mistaken for any other stone. The Incas believed that rhodochrosite is the blood of their former rulers, turned to stone, therefore it is sometimes called "Rosa del Inca" or "Inca Rose". Rhodochrosite is formed in low temperature hydrothermal veins in ore deposits of silver, lead, zinc, and copper and also in sedimentary manganese deposits. Rhodochrosite was one of the first stones I ever cut and I made many lovely cabochons out of it back when I was in Middle School in Jackson, Michigan. I made a lovely pendant for my Nana and all her friends admired it so much that I made and sold a bunch to her friends. Luckily none were as nice as the first one I made for Nana!

I was fortunate to get one decent sized chunk of mid grade lapidary material when I was in Tucson along with some smaller pieces with drusy galena on them! I look forward to cutting more of this lovely material.

The Crystal Awareness Guide by the Legion of Light has this to say about Rhodochrosite, "Aids spleen, heart, kidneys, and pituitary gland and circulation of blood. Enhances memory and intellectual power. Emotional balance. Helps heal emotional wounds and traumas. Aligns subtle bodies. Red/Pink color helps to blend courage/will/passion aspects of lower chakras with loving expression of the heart. Divine love, acceptance of self and life. Powerful healer for those attuned to the stone. Chakras: root, heart."

Check out my eBay store for more cool one of a kind, custom cut, gemstone beads!

The Military Dog Tag Project

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God

Howdy Folks, over the past several years I've sporadically made a number of bead-dangles that are a part of what I call my "Dog Tag Series". The shapes are simple and based on the shape of the classic military dog tag that soldiers wear. I mostly make them out of jet, which is a traditional mourning jewel to help folks, especially members of the military, veterans, and their families deal with their grief, but I've made them out of all different kinds of stones, including lapis lazuli.

For me it's a kind of reclaiming of a symbol. The military dog tags represent an individual soldiers identity and their place in the military. My stone dog tags are made with diverse material that come from all around the Earth and are made directly from the Earth itself. They don't have any other identifying characteristics other than the elemental "source" from which they come. My intention is for these dog tags to serve as reminders and mementos to all those who perish in military conflicts and those affected by these tragedies. I've come to a point in my life where I don't want to just be someone who is simply politically "Anti-War" but rather someone who is actively "Pro-Peace" and does something about it other than simply demand to bring the troops home and stop fighting. It's not realistic. I was also quite impressed by President Obama's acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize.

For that reason, out of all the dog tags I'm making and listing in my DVHdesigns eBay Store, 25% of the gross sales price will either go to Mercy Corps, a Portland, Oregon based non-profit doing sustainable aid and education in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and around the world, or 25% will go to American Combat Veterans of War, a San Diego based all volunteer group which "is a nonprofit organization that recruits combat veteran volunteers to mentor, coach and assist our warriors suffering from combat stress, allowing them and their families to lead productive and fulfilling lives." I know it's not much, but at least I feel like I'm doing something to help the poor people throughout the world who live in situations that foster conflicts, and I'm also reaching out to those American soldiers who come home so traumatized by their participation in those conflicts which they had no part in creating.

I've recently started a larger series of these dog tags specifically in jet, to help those greived everywhere by the loss of life from military action, as well as making more and more in lapis lazuli for those interested in and affected by the Afghanistan conflict, also known as Operation Enduring Freedom.

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted

Each jet dog tag bead is hand made by me here in my studio in Portland, OR. On these pieces I used Russian jet from near Lake Baikal, which is just north of Mongolia and NE of Afghanistan. While I support our intervention in Afghanistan and pray for a peaceful outcome, I am grieved by the whole long bloody conflict, from the time of the Russian invasion in 1979 until now, 30 years later. I make these jet dog tags in memory of all the soldiers and all their families, in all countries, affected by not only this long and tragic conflict, but also in memory of all those who died in the violent wars and conflicts of the past century.

Here is a selection of dog tags and mini dog tag charms that I've made in lapis lazuli...

Lapis Lazuli has been mined in Afghanistan for 6,000 years. It was used by the Egyptians for everything from jewelry, to eye shadow, to blue paint. In fact, up until the early 1800's, almost all the blue paint in the world was made with ground lapis pigment. I have left these particular pieces with a satinny matte finish. The stone feels different when one touches it without a layer of polish between the wearer and the stone. I think these would make a wonderful gift for a soldier who is or has been deployed to Afghanistan, for one of their family members or friends, or for any individual who cares about the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. It can serve as a kind of "touchstone", letting the wearer feel a little piece of Afghanistan as they pray for peace in the region.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and I appreciate your thoughts, prayers, feedback, and support as I continue this project.

Recycled Art Glass & Obsidian

Hi all, I just did another batch of the recycled art glass beads. Here's a group shot of the pieces that I just got finished and listed. I like the frosty clarity and all the different widths and colors that arch through the beads.

I've also cut some more "baby snowflake" obsidian and I'm particularly fond of this bead that I just put in my eBay store as well...

Someone asked if the snowflakes were caused by "ash" in the obsidian. The official explanation for the cause of the "snowflakes" and other features of obsidian is as follows...(info pulled from the internet).....
"Obsidian is mineral-like, but not a true mineral because as a glass it is not crystalline; in addition, its composition is too complex to comprise a single mineral. It is sometimes classified as a mineraloid. Though obsidian is dark in color similar to mafic rocks such as basalt, obsidian's composition is extremely felsic. Obsidian consists mainly of SiO2 (silicon dioxide), usually 70% or more.....Pure obsidian is usually dark in appearance, though the color varies depending on the presence of impurities. Iron and magnesium typically give the obsidian a dark green to brown to black color. A very few samples are nearly colorless. In some stones, the inclusion of small, white, radially clustered crystals of cristobalite in the black glass produce a blotchy or snowflake pattern (snowflake obsidian). It may contain patterns of gas bubbles remaining from the lava flow, aligned along layers created as the molten rock was flowing before being cooled. These bubbles can produce interesting effects such as a golden sheen (sheen obsidian) or a rainbow sheen (rainbow obsidian)."

I recently got THREE disks of trafficlightite off of eBay, so sometime in the next week or two I'll be working on sets of red, yellow, and green beads! Stay tuned and I'll keep ya posted.
It is COLD here in Portland! 25 degrees and it feels like 12. Even though my studio is pretty well insulated and heated, it's hard to get it over 60 degrees in here andmy hands get pretty cold working in water all the time. At least we're having sunny days. Well thanks for letting me share! Back to the grind...

Return of Bowlerite! With a GRAPE FLAVOR!

Howdy DVHdesigns Fans!

I've been back to cutting bowlerite! I just did the Portland Bead Society Bead Bazaar two weekends ago. The show is great and I LOVE the PBS, but sales were certainly off. Of course they were for everyone and I've heard that most bead shows are way off this year for most people. However, out of all the things I DID sell, 80% of my sales were BOWLERITE! I'm pretty well know for cutting this stuff and when people see it on my table they always stop, handle it, and smile when they hear what it is! Here's some group pics of stuff I just put up in my eBay store, freeform focals in lots of different colors...



and here's some new hearts I just did....




The really crazy thing, is that I made two heart beads out of a REALLY RARE kind of bowlerite sphere. I got one purple and teal swirled ball about two years ago and it SMELLED different from the other bowlerite I was cutting! At first I thought I was having olfacatory flashbacks, or maybe there was just something different in the resin. Well when I realized the faint smell persisted AFTER I had finished cutting them, I had some friends smell them, and they finally helped me realize that they smelled like artificial GRAPE (like soda, dum-dum lollipops, or gum that has that "purple grape" flavor or smell). Well I looked on the internet (of course!) and found out that Storm bowling ball manufactures has a whole LINE of scented balls! They've tried over 100 "flavors" and grape was the first one! They even tried a scented one, that they said stunk! The article in the link above is pretty funny! Anyhow, here are two grape scented hearts made out of the same ball... Pretty bizarre, huh?





That's it for now folks! In case anyone's interested I'm having a 30% off sale on most stone beads in my eBay store this week and I have 99 cent, no reserve, auctions closing tomorrow evening, Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving week!