Thank you to Tamara, our resident "rock hound", formerly from California, Calavaras County. Tamara has collected rocks for years, and when she gets enamored with a piece, she unpacks the Dremel drill, with the very smallest drill, and finds a place to drill.
The process produces beautiful unique pieces of focal stone to use in necklaces and other jewelry.
Last week we were treated with a chance to drill ourselves, steady, strong and carefully letting the drill move its way through the rock. Tamara explained how to find a place to drill that would yield a great stone to use when polished for jewelry. She spent lots of time on the beach looking for great pieces to add to her collection. This drilling is painstaking work. A wrong move can crack a large stone, and make it no longer useful. She brought leopard jasper, and other pieces to try, and a quartz crystal had a small accumulation of gold if we are correct.
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| Drusy is quartz crystals that attach to other stones. |
There are techniques to get drusy pieces which are smooth enough to use for jewelry. Recently these have been among the most popular for jewelry of all kinds. The crystals alone are fascinating. The rocks come in every size, shape, color and style to use in pieces which will be outstanding in necklaces and earrings.
The next week we will braid wire, make rings, and use hemp rope to make necklaces and earrings, and even belts. It is a work in progress since stones can be combined on one of the braided strains to make a design to match your new mother's day gifts.
We have been exploring art principles of using odd numbers of stones 3,5,7,9 to make more harmonious pieces. We try to introduce as many important aspects as possible. Last week our photographer took a week off. We will try to introduce those pieces in pictures this week.
This class on Wednesday will be next to last in this series. We have accomplished a great amount of work with many styles and possibilities. This week we look forward to exploring even more accomplishments to add to our pieces which can be made to match all of our new summer outfits.
Our next classes will be Wednesday and next Wednesday. The new unit will begin in June. We are working on many techniques to use our ingenuity and artistic abilities to combine colors and designs.
I am really looking forward to classes and continue to look for more ways to express ourselves to make our own jewelry, and presents for others. It is a pleasure to work with you in this adventure.
Sincerely, Chris
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| Jasper |
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