Ten Air Studios

Talking with my son gives me ideas for jewelry, which I think is neat. We were chatting about something (maybe it was politics?) and he painted an event with a broad brush, as ten-year-olds and all of us are sometimes wont to do. He thought whatever this thing was happened in isolation, but I explained that the birth of it was actually pretty far back, that this particular circumstance was just the ripple you might see across a pond after movement elsewhere and earlier. We t...alked more about ripples, how they indicate proof that there was movement we might not have even noticed; how they compound on one another; how little it takes to start one; and how tiny drop-sized mindful and loving moves can wind up reaching out well beyond ourselves. Speaking in metaphor is the easiest way for me to scaffold my ideas and so I tend to use it often and see it everywhere. So here, then, are a set of Ripple pendants, to let us meditate on the waves we make--and may make--in our worlds. (This was the same son who brought my Journey pendants to life as well. He's a muse!) This batch is dendritic white opal, Mexican hidden opal, moonstone, Alacron turquoise, and moss aquamarine.

Ok, somewhat better light this afternoon: voila. Peru chalcedony that's a touch more watery green aqua than it's picturing here (I really should learn to color adjust) and Leafybits. I'm digging these leaf pieces. Channeling my inner elf.

Well I was pretty eager to share the leafy project I gave a glimpse of in Stories, but this winter light is finicky and I just couldn't snap it before I lost the opportunity for the day. Tomorrow, then. The snowlight played tricks in the golden moonstone of this gem totem, too... try as I could to pull out its gold it just kept capturing as this color. Winter lighting, you fickle lady. (Why are just mistresses portrayed as fickle? I've known plenty of fickle men. Fickle lad...s... fickle gents? Now you've read the word fickle more times in this paragraph than in a lifetime and it has lost all meaning.) I'd call this gem totem "zen." Maybe it's the remedy if you're a fickle mister. (HOLY HANNAH I just realized that mistress is the feminine of mister. What a fabulous duh moment.) Moss kyanite: tranquility, clarity, balance Lapis: protection, peace, self-expression Golden moonstone: nurturing, hope, intuition

Occasionally I'll be asked why I don't make rings. Fact is I do make rings! It's a trick to make one blind and hope that both the size and style resonate with a random buyer, so they tend to sit longer on my shelves than other pieces. Out of sheer pragmatism I've pivoted more toward necklaces and earrings, which require less perfect sizing than rings (and even bracelets). But I still get commissions for them. A while back I posted five stunning pieces of starfield turquoise in Stories and this client claimed one for a simple statement ring. With so little room for other stylistic options, I added little hidden stars on the backplate. But some stones do all the speaking just fine on their own!

I think I'm going to start categorizing these gem totems. This one would fall into the "happy-go-lucky" category, as it's uplifting (upliftsmanship? upliftyhood?) on a chain. Aqua chalcedony brings lightheartedness and creativity, and banishes negativity. (Actually all three of these stones do that!) Moss kyanite is tranquility, clarity, and self-expression (the latter of which is a feature of all blue stones, by the by). And brilliant sunstone offers luck, self-empowerment, and optimism.