Briolettes~ faceted wonders

One of my absolute favorite materials to use in my jewelry making is the faceted briolette.  Whether made of gemstone, crystal or glass, the shape and sparkle of a briolette is magical to me.  And it's the shape and sparkle of these that capture the imagination of many a artisan as well as their customers.

To better understand the history of briolettes, I decided to research a litle more about the process of faceting.  Lapidary, or the art of cutting and polishing gemstones, has been around for centuries.  There is evidence that as far back as 5000 BC humans were utilizing lapidary skills to create smoothed and carved gemstone pieces and tools.  There are also referrences that say the earliest proof of faceted gemstones occurs in a piece of literature referring to crudely cut gemstones in India.
The technique of cutting gemstones to certain shapes as well as the refining of diamond cutting techniques were developed in Europe.  Many of these same techniques are still used in lapidary work today.

The process of cutting, shaping and poishing briolettes and other faceted stones involves some very specialized equipment.  For example, there is a cutting and grinding wheel that can vary in size from a desk top sized one (pictured right) to one the size of a potter's throwing wheel.  And there are several steps in the cutting process before the shaping and polishing even begin.  I attribute these as factors for te expense of briolettes.
Here are some websites for more information on the process of faceting stones.
http://www.gemcutter.com/getstart.htm
http://www.faceters.com/beginners.shtml
http://scienceray.com/technology/how-to-facet-gems/
I still adore using briolettes in my jewelry work but always have marveled and dismayed about their expense.  I know have a clearer understanding of why they are so expensive.  And one look at them gives you  clear understanding of why they are worth the price.
The definition of briolette literally is "a pear-shaped or oval gem, especially a diamond, cut in long triangular facets."  However, briolettes have evolved to include smooth tear shaped gems as well as many other shapes.
 Briolettes traditionally are shaped like teardrops, rounded on all sides and pointed at one end.  More shapes for briolettes have evolved. There are pear briolettes, which maintain the tear drop shape but are flat on two sides instead of round all the way around.  Heart shape briolettes are similar to pear brios except they have a shorter and wider shape. 
Onion briolettes are short and wide like heart shaped ones but are rounded all the way around like the tear drop shaped ones.  These are by far my favorite earring fodder as far as briolettes go.   I would like to close this blog entry about the briolettes saying this... if you have not yet tried using a briolettes in your jewelry making, by all means spend the money and give them a try.  It is well worth the investment!

The "Green" movement and its effect on jewelry making~ Part 2 Gemstones

Welcome back, readers!  Here is part two in my series exploring the effect that the 'green' movement is having on jewelry makers.  I would like to explore the realm of gemstones as today's topics. 
I know many jewelry designers and creators, myself included, love to work with gemstones.  Whether they are in bead form, cabachons or faceted stones, there's just something about a gemstone that is unique and attracting to the eye. 
To start with, there are typically two types of gemstones on the market today: natural gemstones straight from the earth and man made or grown gemstones from labratories.  These two options in and of themselves can often spark controversy.  So, let's take them seperately, starting with natural gemstones.
Natural gemstones, like another other mineral in the earth, are a limited resource.  Since these minerals occur naturally in our earth, this means that is can take thousands of year and the perfect conditions for some of these minerals to build back up into the stones we recognize as gemstones.  So, while the earth is still capable of producing more of these mineral deposits, it is a very lengthy and condition specific task.
With that being said, there does not seem to be a visable end to the supply of many gemstones at this point in time.  I have not found any information about gemstone depletion aside from an article about Tanzanite.  Many tourist spots across the US and around the world have mines where tourists themselves can mine, dig and pan for precious and semi precious gemstones.  I myself have done this time and time again.  It's an enjoyable activity!  And it's nice to see exactly where your gemstones and beads are coming from.  It can also teach you a lot about the properties of certain stones.  For example, mining your own opal can very quickly teach a person how very fragile this mineral is.  The tendency of veins of opal in rock to crack and shatter while being dislodged from the earth is a clear indication of what care one must take with a ring displaying a fragile opal.  I've had many a friend who have had their prized opal rings crack and shatter.
There's a lot of controversy surrounding the mining of gemstones like rubies, diamonds and emeralds.  In countries outside of the US where these stones are mined, the workers and work conditions are not what they ought to be.  Because of this, many jewelrs are looking for  what are called "conflict free" gemstones to use.  An excellent source for more information regarding this is the following link: http://www.brilliantearth.com/about_products/
Synthetic, man made or labratory grown gemstones are different in that they are not naturally occuring in the earth itself.  Scientists and geologists have done the research and discovered methods of growing these mineral deposits in controlled labratory environments.  Thus, they have created man made rubies, emeralds, diamonds and sapphires.  Much of today's commericially sold jewelry is actually made utilizing these stones.  After all, they look the same, have the same properties and the cost tends to be much lower.  There is less labor involved with growing gemstones versus mining them from the earth. 
So, there's a little more information and a really goo resource on the topic of gemstones.  If any of my readers have more information or some informative links or resources, please leave that infor in the comments section so I can update and better inform my other readers.  Feel free to add!

Bead Trends and submitting photos for publication

In April 2009, a friend and fellow jewelry artist walked into my classroom after the dismissal bell had rung for the day.  She had with her a copy of a magazine called Bead Trends. 
"I think you should submit photos to this publication."
"Really?"
"they published my things and your wire work is way better than my bead stringing.  Submit something.  See what happens."
She dropped the April issue on my desk, smiled and walked out again. 
I flipped throught he magazine and saw all the wonderful things that people had created.  Could my pieces really compete with these seasoned artisans?  By the following morning I had decided to investigate the magazine further.  I went to their website and poked around a bit.  ALL their photographs were submitted by artists, some of whom design and create jewelry for a living and those who likeme are hobby jewelry designers. 
I read up on their requirements for submission and decided to try it.  I submitted three photos of pieces I had created and waited to hear back.  It was so simple.  All I had to do was send an email to the address listed with my name, contact info, a description of the piece in question and a photo of the piece.  Simple. 

Amazingly, they accepted one of my rings for publication!  I was thrilled! 
The editor wrote a letter explaining that I was to send the ring to their company in a secure box, well wrapped and insured to them within a specified period of time.  They would then have their photographers photograph the item and then would send it back when the issue with my piece feautred was released.  They also sent two copies of the magazine as well as a $20 certificate for me to spend at Fire Mountain Gems. I thought this was a great deal!
I have since submitted and had several other jewelry pieces accepted for publication, including a pair of earrings featured in this month's issue.  I highly recommend this publication for great jewelry ideas as well as a means for getting pieces published.  It's great PR and super easy to get pieces accepted. 
My next goal is to be the 16 page feature artist in an issue.  Still working on that idea though.

Ask the Artist

I've been at a loss for blog topics for a while now. Everytime I come up with something it just doesn't seem like i have enough expertise, research, ideas, etc. on the topic. Clearly, I need help with this blogging thing. SO, to that end... I have decided that I need to do a series of segments called "Ask the Artist". Got a question you want to ask me about my jewelry designs or techniques I use? Ask me! Want more information about gemstones, bead supplies, metals or other bit and pieces used in jewelry making? Ask me! Want to learn more about my experiences with online selling, selling venues, jewelry parties and farmer's markets? Ask me!

I will gladly share my knowledge about each and everything I know with you. Ask me, anything.... go ahead.

Pretty please?