Gemstones

I love gemstones and at the moment I am getting quite a collection. The colours and textures are just amazing. My favourite changes every day depending on my mood. I have always loved amethyst but at the moment my favoutire purple would have to be sugilite. One of my closest friends loves rubies, so I bought some to make her a pair of earrings and maybe a bracelet to match a lovely necklace she had but the colour was just a little too pink. I also bought some garnets and this matched her ruby necklace beautifully. I am not sure how I will use them yet but they will probably be wire wrapped and added to a chain as they are only 4mm faceted. I think that gemstones are so versatile, they can be earthy or colourful or even sparkling. They can be mixed with glass, wood, metal, crystal or acrylic and they always look gorgeous. There is such a variety of shapes and sizes as well as cuts it is incredible. I love setting cabochons into simple silver settings but unfortunately I haven't really had much time for that lately. The majority of the gemstones in my collection are beads and I have tried to buy ones which are natural, rather than dyed or man made. Sometimes though I have not been able to resist some of the amazing colours of dyes sea sediment jasper and even some agates. I am so looking forward to making lots of new jewellery during the next couple of months, while I am on long service leave. Hope I don't bombard you all with too many photos of my new creations. I can't wait to get started but will have to wait until I get home from my holiday. Stay safe, happy and keep smiling Lee-Anne :)