Rings & Things Jewelry Blog

Richly striped tigereye is a variety of quartz with a fine luster. These semiprecious beads are available in their natural, unenhanced brown-gold state, and sometimes in heat-treated blue or red. Also known as African cat's eye, crocidolite, and tiger's eye, this gemstone contains oriented fibers of crocidolite (a mineral of the amphibole group) that have been replaced by silica. The fibers are twisted or crumpled instead of straight, reminiscent of sand and sunlight. Tigereye is also vitreous ( …

Onyx is a striped, semiprecious variety of agate, with white, black, brown or red alternating bands. It is different from regular agate only in that the bands of which it is composed are parallel and regular. The name onyx originates from the Greek word onyx for "fingernail" or "hoof," probably because of its weak transparency or possibly its color. Onyx may chip or scratch rather easily, so store it carefully.Onyx is one of the 12 stones mentioned in the Bible as adorning the breastplate of the …

Created by: Mollie ValenteDesigner TipsCreate a bail using a 5/16" x 3" piece of 24-gauge copper sheet: Cut, file, stamp, punch and ream the holes a bit larger. Use bail-making pliers to bend the stamped piece into a bail (dead center so the holes line up). Patina after bending.Stamp the brass star charm: See Techniques for Creating Stamped Metal Charms.Create gemstone donut chainmaille: Add four 10mm jump rings to each donut. Connect two per side with 8mm jump rings. Use 8mm jump rings on the e …

Emerald is well-known as the birthstone for May. Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl, colored green by trace amounts of chromium. In the United States, emeralds colored by vanadium are recognized as true emeralds, but in Europe, vanadium emeralds (sometimes called "Columbian Emeralds") are simply called "green beryl". Our beads are generally cut in China, and sometimes India. India-cut emeralds generally have nicer color, but small, irregularly drilled holes. China-cut gemstone beads are o …

The official state gemstone of Maine, tourmaline is a complex crystalline silicate containing aluminum, boron and other elements. Its name derives from the Sinhalese (Sri Lankan) word tura mali, meaning "stone of mixed colors," and tourmaline is indeed found in blue (indicolite), yellow, pink to red (rubellite), black (schorl), green, dravite (brown) and clear (achroite) varieties. We usually carry black, pink, and multicolor tourmaline beads.This semiprecious gemstone is piezoelectric (when it' …