I is for Iolite, Iron Ore, Irish Materials etc ABC of Jewellery

I've reached the letter I in my ABC of jewellery. This  is a rough guide to jewellery materials and techniques I use as well as designs and inspirations. I is for Iolite, Iron ore, Inspiration and Irish materials.

 

Iolite gemstone is a form of cordierite. It is a transparent, most often indigo or deep sapphire blue stone that can be confused with amethyst. However, if you hold it to the light you can see it is a cold blue and sometimes a bluish violet, unlike the warmer purples of amethyst. The name derives from the Greek 'ios' meaning 'violet.' Specimens in the deeper shades of blue can look like tanzanite. Some rare varieties are a yellowish gray or brown. On occasion, like these stones here, a blue version can have a hidden, golden-grey flash that appears unexpectedly like a rainbow in a puddle.

Iolite teardrop earrings, Indigo Sky

Iolite is not very common and though it was popular in the 18th century, it can be hard to find contemporary iolite jewellery. These beautiful little teardrops make a pretty pair of earrings. Typically, they will change colour with the light and as the wearer moves about, from deep indigo to paler blue to a very transparent golden-gray.

Metaphysically, iolite is the stone for vision and creativity. Healers believe it treats ailments of the eye as well as insomnia and failing memory. It is sometimes used in meditation and hypnosis to help travel back to one's roots and find that inner self.

 

I is also for Inspiration. Craft artists garner much inspiration from what we see around us. Like many fellow artisans, I find nature, in particularly the sea, generates creativity and ideas. You will find evidence of this in previous posts under the tag 'Inspiration'.  Or why not pop into the blog section 'Inspiring Walks'  if you are in Ireland (especially Dublin) or planning a trip and want to get inspired by our lush countryside too.

 

Though I buy some stones and findings from the UK and beyond, Irish materials feature prominently in my jewellery. The most well known is Connemara marble but our other rare marbles, such as Cork Red and the fossilised Kilkenny black are just as ancient and special. 

I also use sea glass and sea pottery plucked from local shores. Though these may sometimes have originated as imported bottles, vases, crockery, tile etc, generally speaking, sea glass and pottery usually would have fallen into the sea locally or within a short radius. Rarely do these pieces travel across the ocean from distant shores. 

 

As well as Irish glass and pottery we do find a lot of English china and European terracotta quite simply because these would have been commonly found in households of a busy port like Dublin. The English specimen on the left was found on the same Dublin beach as the Irish, Arklow Pottery shard on the right. As they have been buffed for decades by the Irish sea and were found right here, in my heart they are both local materials.

Iron ore, also known as hematite

Iron ore is also known as Hematite. This mineral was already covered under the letter H.

If you'd like to read more in this series, please see the links below

Previous posts in this series

A  B  C  (plus C for Crimping ) D E F  (plus F for Findings) G1 and G2, H

All of this series: ABC

H is for Howlite, Hematite & Headpin. ABC of Jewellery

Heyho, we've reached letter H in my ABC of Jewellery. This is a not-so-comprehensive guide to jewellery materials and techniques I use as well as inspirations and design styles.  H is for Howlite, Hematite and Headpin .

 

Natural howlite                             Dyed, 'turquoise' howlite

Howlite is a porous, fairly matte, opaque stone. It is most often dyed artificially and re-named with a marketing term such as 'turquoise howlite,' 'pink turquoise,' 'howlite jasper' 'lapis jade' and all sorts of poetic names. In its natural state it is usually grey or white and indeed, is also often confused with 'white turquoise,' a much rarer mineral. The fact is, howlite is not turquoise. It's not jasper, jade or any other stone. It is what it is, a borate mineral that doesn't take a great polish, but can be dyed easily in beautiful colours and is perfect for fun and affordable jewellery.

Metaphysically it is the stone associated with awareness and wisdom. Natural healers believe howlite brings calm and relaxation to a troubled or anxious mind, relieves pain and helps with insomnia.

magnetised hematite beads

Hematite is ferric oxide, or in plane English, a form of iron ore. It is a shiny, charcoal grey or black. In its raw state it often appears red due to rust. The name 'hematite' comes from the Latin 'blood stone,' in reference to the redness. Sometimes the beads can be a bit heavy and not a good choice for earrings.

double stranded pearl choker with hematite focal (own necklace)

Hematite is often magnetised, which can be tricky to work with, or very useful in certain designs. When beading the double-stranded pearl necklace above, I placed a magnetic hematite bead at the centre of both strands to keep them neatly together and help the choker sit well. I am working on variations of the design at the moment.

Magnetic hematatite beads keep the strands from separating

As it is a raw form of iron, natural healers  use its energies for treating blood disorders. It it also the stone associated with grounding, calming and and clarity of thought.

Headpins

Headpins are a type of finding frequently used in jewellery making. They are basically a long pin with a 'stopper' on the end used for wiring up earrings, pendants etc. They resemble straight pins used in sewing but come in a wide range of sizes and metals. The ends are most often flat, but you can find more decorative ones with a bead on the end, or indeed you can make your own out of wire, hammering the end. Alternatively you can form a spiral at the end to keep the bead or stone from slipping off. You will need to harden the spiral, for example, with a rubber hammer.

work in progress, beads threaded on headpins &1 finished piece

H is also for Handy Hints and How Tos, which you will frequently find on my blog. Some are tutorials, some are more general tips.

I could have sworn H was for something else important?  Woops, I forgot my Etsy shop, Handmade by Amo'r!!  Why choose handmade? Because of the quality, uniqueness and attention to detail.

***

Previous posts in this series

A  B  C  (plus C for Crimping ) D E F  (plus F for Findings) G1 and G2

All of this series: ABC

G is for Glass & Green, ABC of Jewellery

As we continue with the ABC of Jewellery, we've reached part 2 of the letter G. This is a not-too comprehensive guide to jewellery techniques and materials I use as well as design styles and inspirations. A few days ago I posted about Gemstones, including Garnets. Part 2 looks at Glass and the colour Green.

Glass in its many forms is very popular in jewellery. I don't use every type of glass bead available so I'm going to concentrate on those I do; sea glass, crystals, Czech glass, ceramic and seed beads. 

      

White sea glass angel ornament     Wire wrapped sea glass pendant

My favourite is sea glass.That is glass that has been naturally smoothed and frosted over a long period of time while tumbling in the ocean. The salt water leeches minerals, notably sodium and potassium, from the glass. This gives it a semi opaque and icy appearance. 

Spot the difference? With a tiny bit of practice, you can spot a fake that has been artificially tumbled as it will be very smooth and evenly frosted. The piece on the right is naturally frosted by the ocean. The difference is clear....or not!

Irish sea glass pendant (sold)

Genuine sea glass will have c-shaped dimples or pitting in the frosting and/or a crusty appearance. The more obvious the pitting, the longer the piece has been in the water. A heavily frosted piece could have been rolling in the sea for as much as 100 years.

'club sauce' sea glass bottle stoppers

Half the fun of working with sea glass is collecting it on the beach. The best time to find sea treasure is after a storm. It can be back breaking but it's worth it when you spot a real beauty like these bottle stoppers. To learn how to clean sea glass and sea pottery CLICK HERE

   

                                      Swarovski revoli crystal          Swarovski emerald
                                                                                   (with Connemara marble)

Rhinestones and crystals are also a type of glass. I don't work with the former, but do occasionally like to use European crystal. Crystal are a high quality of glass that give off a beautiful sparkle. Swarovski crystals from Austria are a superior brand famous for their quality and uniformity of size. You may see them described as having AB shine. This stands for aurora borealis, a type of highly reflective, sheen finish. The Swarovksi revoli cyrstals seen above have a rainbow-like effect.

 

Czech crystal  earrings, with smaller topaz gemstone beads

Czech crystal beads are also considered of good quality and can look like gemstones. The blue  Czech crystals in 'Yours Truly' earrings look very similar in structure to the tiny topaz gemstones and reflect the light even better than the little stones do.

Ceramic & faceted glass bracelet       Pink crystal fairy                       

 

Ceramic and Czech crystal heart        Blue Czech glass butterfly fairy

I  very occasionally use other forms of glass beads including ceramic and faceted Czech glass, which is not as sparkly as crystal but still reflects the light. Glass in any form can lend lightness and colour to any piece of jewellery.

blue and rust seed bead eyeglass chain 

Glass seed beads are tiny, usually 2mm to 4mm and are great fun though a little pesky to bead with. I use them as spacers between gemstones, but as they are available in a vast array of shades you can use them for all sorts of beading projects, including embroidery. Tiny glass seed beads are often easier to string, wire up or sew than tiny stones as the hole is usually a tad wider and more uniform. That reminds me G is also for Glasses and you can hold on to yours with a beaded eyeglass chain like this one!

close up of Connemara marble

Green is a colour that is usually abundant in my shop because I use a lot of Irish Connemara marble.  I've written a few previous posts about this rare, indigenous stone:
About Connemara Marble
Bright Connemara Marble
Up Close and Personal with Connemara Marble

Connemara marble samples

This increasingly scarce marble really does come in 40 shades of green, usually with several tones in the same small piece.

The green serpentine streaks in the limestone marble are caused by the presence of various minerals.

some varieties of green sea glass

Sea glass also comes in several shades of green. I will leave the letter G here and refer to a  previous post on the various shades found and their frequency of occurance: Shades of Green Sea Glass.

***

A  B  C  (plus C for Crimping ) D E F  (plus F for Findings) G, 1

G is for Gemstones and Garnets. ABC of Jewellery.

Oh Goody, we've landed on the letter G in my ABC of jewellery! This is a not-too-comprehensive guide to materials and techniques I use as well as inspirations and design. G is for Gemstones, Glass, Garnets, and let's not forget Green, a colour usually prevalent in my Etsy shop! Again, I am splitting this article into two. The second part will be published on Thursday coming.

rose quartz, own photo

Gemstones are precious and semi precious stones used for decorative jewellery and accessories. Traditionally, the more valuable 'precious' stones have always been diamond, sapphire, emerald and ruby. However, the boundaries between precious and semi precious stones are becoming a little fudged now with very exclusive garnets, for example, crossing the divide while manufactured diamonds slide down the scale in the opposite direction.

selection of semi precious gemstones, own photo

The family of gems generally accepted as semi precious stones encompasses an extensive list of rocks and minerals (here's a list from Wikipedia.) You are most likely familiar with a lot of them. Most have a long tradition as healing stones and have been attributed special properties and/or are tied to certain beliefs. Many are designated birthstones. Born in February, amethyst is my birthday gem, for example.

  

Blue flash  labradorite earrings      Seafoam amazonite earrings

The most widely found category of stone found on the planet is feldspar, covering about 60% of the planet's surface. Feldspar is defined as a rock forming mineral, characteristically made up of pale or clear crystals consisting of aluminoscilicates of sodium, calcium and potassium. That's all the science you will get from me. I promise. The word 'feldspar' means 'field stone' in German. Labradorite is a fine example in this family as is amazonite (pictured above.)  

some varieties of the quartz (own photo)

The second largest family is quartz and this breaks down into another long list of minerals including rose quartz, amethyst, citrine, clear quartz crystal  (aka rock crystal) and more. Quartz is a very hard mineral and it is found all over the globe.

Newgrange (photo sources on Wikimedia Commons)

In Ireland, it is most famously seen glistening in the Neolithic tombs of Newgrange. Click here to read my previous post about this mystical place and the pendant it inspired me to make.

      

Connemara marble  pendant        Cork red marble pendant

Marble is not technically classed as a gemstone. However, the definition fits, so our rare, indigenous Irish stones such as Connemara marble, Cork Red, Kilkenny and Ulster white marbles may be considered as such. All are found only on this island and are in scarce supply. I proudly include these indigenous stones whenever I can get my hands on some decent pieces.

Though we do not have an important gemstone industry and many of the old mines are now closed, Ireland boasts a fair share of minerals. Most famously, a seam of amethyst can be clearly seen in the cliffs at Keem beach, Achill island. Not many Irish people are aware of what other gems lie beneath our feet.  Examples of what can be found include rock crystal in the South West, malachite and smithsonite in the West, beryl and calcite in the North West and pyrite in the midlands.

garnet earrings

Garnets are one of my favourite gemstones. There is something very luxurious about this richly coloured silicate mineral, especially when contrasted with cool silver. It does come in other colours besides claret, green grossular garnet being the most famous after red. 

Garnet is the birthstone for January and like many other gems, has a long tradition as a healing stone and has always been surrounded by myth. Once believed to protect soldiers in battle, the gem is often called 'the warrior stone.' You can read more in my previous post 'Garnets, Birthstone for January.'

Watch this space for part 2 featuring glass and some of it's forms.

***

More in this series:

A  B  C  (plus C for Crimping ) D E F  (plus F for Findings)