Heart of Stone Studio Blog

How To Spot A High-Quality Cabochon

Hello, my name is Judy Kiriazis at Heart of Stone Studio and I’d like to talk to you about how to buy quality gemstones for the jewelry that you design or wear. 

I’ve been trained as a jeweler and have purchased gem cabochons for both my own jewelry designs as well as for my company Heart of Stone Studio, for more than 25 years, and I want to share what I’ve learned, with you.

While buying gemstones can be an exciting and fun experience, it also has a tremendous importance when it comes to enhancing the marketability and reputation of your own jewelry designs. The size, pattern, color, and shape of the stones you select will play an important role in helping you to create your brand, or signature look, as an artist.

There's a lot of jewelry being sold out there, and it's important that your work stand out. Beautiful gemstones not only attract the eye of the buyer, they also help to convey a level of quality that enhances your design and allows you to command a higher price point for your work.

As a metalsmith, I've learned that the investment of time and effort in making a stunning piece of jewelry calls for a beautiful stone to be its centerpiece. Otherwise, why waste your time with an inferior gemstone?

So here are my insider tips on what to look for when buying quality cabs. I’ll illustrate how characteristics such as color, pattern, and cut can make one piece well worth your investment, while other pieces—often from the same mine—are only worth passing up. 

First, look at color.

The color has to be rich and vibrant, and not dull.

Here’s a common Chrysocolla cabochon on the right. It’s has a nice triangular shape, but doesn’t have much of the  characteristic Chrysocolla aqua blue color.

On the other hand, this high-quality Chrysocolla cab on the left features rich, saturated shades of blue throughout the stone. You have to keep in mind that the miner is pulling tens to hundreds of pounds of rough material out of the ground, and only a relatively small fraction of it contains these colors. This is what you want to hold out for if you want to feature Chrysocolla in your jewelry.

Next, look at pattern.

The pattern has to be pleasing and interesting.

The stone on the right has a jumbled and muddy pattern, while the stone on the left has a well-defined pattern that is pleasing to the eye and stands out as something that is interesting and will catch people's attention.

Sometimes the pattern of a stone can be enhanced or diminished by its shape—A talented cutter can make a stone a winner by choosing a shape that enhances the pattern within. However, since many wholesale dealers base their prices on weight, the cutters who work for them need to cut the most stones they can out of a slab, to minimize waste.

Finally, look at types of cuts.

If you went to a gem show, you could immediately pick out the lesser-valued stones because they are either lopsided in shape or awkwardly cut. You want to look for pleasing, symmetrical cuts.

Ovals are usually a beginner’s cut, but it actually takes quite a bit of skill to cut this stunning, elongated oval of Sonoran Sunrise Jasper on the left. On the other hand, the stone on the right is an awkward shape that will not enhance a jewelry design.

Our Heart of Stone Studio website deals with the top cutters in the country, so we have a great selection of one-of-a-kind, artistic cuts like this.

 

 

In conclusion, it’s clear that there are several main characteristics to keep in mind when shopping for gemstones to set in jewelry.

They must have excellent color and pattern, good cuts, and must also be free of structural defects. And, they should contain the best characteristics for which that species of gemstone is known.

But, if you don’t know the top characteristics of a particular type of gemstone, how would you know what to look for? How do you know you’ll be getting your money’s worth?

Well there are two ways: One approach is to attend a lot of gem shows and be willing to risk making mistakes. Sometimes you'll find great deals, and sometimes you'll get taken. But after years of looking at hundreds, even thousands of stones, you'll get a good idea of exactly what characteristics to look for in each kind of stone you buy.

Or, the other approach is to find a trustworthy dealer, someone who does the hard work of sorting through thousands of gemstones and cherry-picking the absolute best of each type for you to select from. Someone with integrity, who can tell you what to look for and be upfront about the intrinsic value of each stone. Someone who guarantees your satisfaction with what you buy.

Where can you find a dealer like that? Well, at Heart of Stone Studio, we’ve done all the work for you. Stop by our website at www.heartofstonestudio.com and see our collection of top-quality cabochons for sale.

For more information, check out our YouTube video on this subject .

Fordite

Hello, I’m Con from Heart of Stone Studio. I would like to tell you about Fordite.

Fordite is known by several different names, such as Motor Agate, Motorcity Agate, and Detroit Agate. It is not a stone or a mineral, but is multiple layers of paint that were used in painting cars.

In the 1930s, the automobile industry started having workers spraying paint on cars, using stoving enamels, which are enamels that have to be baked to dry. In the 1950s, automobile companies started using acrylic enamels that needed to be baked at 360 degrees for one hour.

These acrylic enamels were sprayed on a car when the car was on a track with skids, and then the car, track and skids were guided into ovens where the paint was baked. Over time, slag from excess paint accumulated on the tracks. Since the paint colors were often changed to accommodate different colors of cars, there were layers upon layers of different colors paint deposited in the slag.

Eventually, the slag had to be removed and discarded.

At some point, workers discovered that if you slice vertically through the slag, you get bright-colored abstract designs. These could be incorporated into jewelry designs.

With that, Fordite was born. The slag actually came from a number of automobile companies, and not just the Ford Motor Company, but Fordite was a convenient name, and the name stuck.

In the late 1970s, the automobile industry developed a new way to apply paint, using an electrostatic process that magnetizes metal and has the paint adhere to the magnetized metal with virtually no paint loss.

That was the end of Fordite production, and no new material is available.

Because the Fordite slag was baked many times, the layers are very durable, but care must be taken not to bend or stress a cabochon because cracks can develop in the paint layers.

From a metaphysical standpoint, Fordite is said to help people get into the flow and the abstract patterns are said to help people generate new creative ideas.

We have a number of Fordite cabochons on our Heart of Stone Studio website, www.heartofstonestudio.com.

Check out our YouTube video on Fordite.

Amber

Hello, I’m Con from Heart of Stone Studio. I would like to tell you about Amber.

Amber is a fossilized tree resin. A number of different trees in prehistoric times produced resin that did not decay, the way that most resins do.

The resin underwent polymerization, with molecules combining to form networks called polymers. This made the resin hard. After several million years, the volatile oils that make resin have a characteristic smell evaporated, and oxidation and continuing polymerization created a fossilized resin with a Mohs hardness of 2 to 3.

While the resin was still fresh on the trees or had just fallen off the trees onto the forest floor, it was sticky. Various insects, spiders, other arthropods, and even lizards were either attracted to the resin and fell in,  or walked by and were caught by the stickiness. Plant parts were also blown in and stuck to the resin.

Because plant parts, insects, and other creatures were preserved extremely well by the resin, amber gives us a good idea of what some of the flora and smaller fauna was like millions of years ago.

Amber is found in many different places around the world.

In this post, I am going to talk about three different types of amber, labeled by the locations where they are found today.

The first is Baltic Amber. It is found along the southern edge of the Baltic Sea, along the coast of Poland and the Kaliningrad Peninsula of Russia. It is approximately 35 to 40 million years old.

Baltic Amber is usually a rich honey color, with variation in color going from yellowish to deep red. This amber often has inclusions in it, particularly insect inclusions and various plant parts.

It was used in jewelry since Stone Age times. Amber ornaments were found at Stone Age sites in Switzerland and France, and amber jewelry was found in Egyptian burials dating back to 3000 BC.

A more recent amber is Chiapas or Mexican amber, found in mines in the Simojovel area of Chiapas, Mexico. Chiapas amber is approximately 20 to 26 million years old.

This amber tends to be more yellow in color and somewhat more clear than Baltic Amber. Like Baltic Amber, Chiapas Amber often has inclusions of insects and plant parts.

Chiapas Amber was used by the Aztecs for jewelry, decorations, and utensils such as spoons.

A relatively new find of amber is Sumatran Amber, which comes from Indonesia. This is a younger amber, approximately 10 to 20 million years old.

It has a lot of color variation, from honey to red and black.

Unlike the other two ambers, Sumatran Amber does not tend to have insect and plant part inclusions. Instead, it often has swirls and spots of reddish colors, sometimes called leopard spots.

From a metaphysical standpoint, amber is said to transmute negative energy into positive energy, help with depression and stress, and increase prosperity.

We have a selection of amber cabochons at our Heart of Stone Studio website, www.heartofstonestudio.com.

Check out our YouTube video on Amber.

Carnelian

Hello, I’m Con from Heart of Stone Studio. I would like to tell you about Carnelian.

Carnelian is a microcrystalline quartz, made up of silicon dioxide with iron oxide impurities that give it its distinct red color. It is in the chalcedony family of quartzes, with the quartz arranged in fibrous layers. This is different from the jaspers, where the quartz is arranged in sugar-like grains. The structure of the quartz in Carnelian gives some pieces a partial translucency.

The origin of the name Carnelian is not clear. Some people say that it comes from the Latin Carne, which means flesh. Others say that it comes from the Latin Corneus, which means horn. Still others suggest that it comes from the Latin Corneolus, which means cherry, because of its color.

The stone is found in a variety of places around the world. The best Carnelian comes from India, where people put brownish stones out into the sun and the heat of the sun turns the brown colors red.

Carnelian has a long history of use by people.

Its use in jewelry dates back more than four thousand years. On Crete, Carnelian was found in decorative pieces dating from the Bronze Age, and archeologists have found that this stone was worked by ancient jewelers as far back as the 4th or 5th millennium. 

In ancient Egypt Carnelian was worn by master architects, and was also worn by warriors to give them courage. It was placed in Egyptian tombs as magic armor for life after death and was worn by living people to protect themselves from falling into  hatred, anger, jealousy, and envy.

Egyptians set it in collars and necklaces with onyx and lapis lazuli, and Romans set it in gold for earrings or finger rings.

Because it is a hard stone with a Mohs hardness of 7, it can be carved with images or symbols.  Wax will not stick to Carnelian, so it was used for seals and signets in ancient times. Many Roman seals, and the stones in many Roman signet rings, are Carnelian.

Some say that Carnelian has a number of metaphysical properties. It is said to activate the first, second and third chakras, giving the wearer life force, sexual and creative energy. It is promoted as being good for people who want to make things happen. It can help people take the leap to a new path and helps overcome the fear of taking action.

Carnelian is said to be a good stone to wear for those who are afraid of public speaking, because it is supposed to give self-confidence and strengthens the voice. For this reason, it is a good stone to wear for people who are making theatrical presentations.

In a business context, Carnelian is said to support leadership, courage, and enterprise, and anchors people into the present reality. It is said to aid in decision making, and defines and strengthens a person’s identity.

We have a number of Carnelian cabochons on our Heart of Stone Studio website, www.heartofstonestudio.com.

Check out our YouTube video on Carnelian.

5 Ways To Diversify Your Jewelry Designs

 

Have you ever thought about expanding your jewelry offerings? Collectors and galleries love it when your work has a thread of similarity running through all its pieces. But maybe, just maybe, you might want to expand your jewelry line a bit in order to attract a broader customer base. Also, changing things up a little is a great way to get energized and challenged by your work.

What are some ways you can diversify? Here are some suggestions:

1) Try some new colors, either of stones or of metals.

Sheet, wire, and PMC is now being offered in more than just gold and silver.
Check out PMC for new colors in bronze. Gold is available in rose, peach, and green.

Copper is gaining popularity. Or, you can explore cold-joining new metals--such as niobium and titanium, or even steel, to more traditional metals. Or, consider new ways to add surface color, or even patinate the metals you have on hand.

 

And of course, the Heart of Stone Studio Website has a huge variety of stone colors:

For cabs, start at our Vivid Colors category page. For Drusies, browse both the

coated and uncoated druzy sections to see a variety of colors.

Web Tip:   Typing in a color in the search box on our home page--purple for example--
will instantly call up every stone on our site that has purple in it. 

 

2) Change the scale of your designs

If you're used to working large, try building some petite pieces and see how they do, and vice versa.  You don't have to produce a lot--even four or five pieces might be enough to attract the notice of your customers.

Web Tip:   You can search for specific sizes of stones by going to our search box andtyping in the size class that you want: tiny, small, medium, large, extra-large, Jumbo. (See our Shopper's Guide for the size range in millimeters for each class).

 

3) Design for the other sex.

If you're used to designing for women, you might want to explore adapting your designs and making them more masculine (or heavier in look, color, or size) for men.
Those guys accompanying their wives shopping might start to take an interest in your pieces. Don't forget that watchbands, bolas, bracelets, rings, even money clips or credit card cases might pique the interest of the male browser.

4) Add in a new price point.

If you're used to building jewelry that does okay at a certain price point, you might want to explore going down or up in order to win new customers. Adding a small (melee)  diamond accent is one way to instantly increase the monetary value of your piece, if it fits within your design aesthetic.

Heart of Stone Studio also can help if you want to create a lower-priced line that's still interesting and fun--Look for smaller stones or drilled pendants in our search box, or browse our faux gems to create a  lighthearted line that will charm your buyers.

5) Start small and test your market. You don't have to completely retrofit your entire production all at once. Just narrow your options down to one new idea at a time, and try making a very limited number of pieces. Consider setting them apart by displaying them separately or on a different background, compared to the main body of your work. Introduce them to your customers as a "new direction you're exploring" and be sure to note their reactions and get their feedback.  If they don't catch on right away, don't give up--just try a different venue. Pay attention to who does notice and purchase them--that might be your new target audience. Keeping your production numbers small to start is a good way to experiment without taking big risks.    

 

Whatever you do, it's important that your new additions still contain some "signature aspect" that will make your piece recognizable as uniquely yours. 

 

Have fun and let me know how it goes.

For more ideas on ways to market your work, check out

my book: Making It As A Jewelry Artist.  

Malachite

Malachite is a wonderful stone. Its deep green color resembles the greens of Nature. In fact, its name comes from the Greek word for the Mallow plant, whose leaves it was thought to resemble.

The mineral has been known from antiquity, and was mined by the Egyptians as early as 4000 BC. The early Greeks and Romans used it for jewelry. In powdered form it was used for eye shadow, and also was used as a green pigment in paintings until it was replaced by synthetic pigments.

Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide, usually found deep underground in association with copper. Along with Azurite, Malachite has been frequently extracted from copper mines around the world.

It is a relatively soft stone, with the Mohs hardness of around 3.5 to 4.

In a metaphysical sense, malachite is said to release negative emotions and anxiety, and provide a connection with Nature. It is said to harmonize with and stimulate the Heart Chakra. In the Middle Ages it was kept in bedrooms to prevent nightmares.

We have a number of wonderful malachite cabochons on our Heart of Stone Studio webpage, www.heartofstonestudio.com.

Chinese and Tibetan Turquoise

Turquoise is a mineral produced from copper aluminum phosphate hydride. The blue color comes from the copper, and the greens and blacks come from iron impurities.

China has become one of the world's leading producers of turquoise, with approximately 75% of the world's turquoise production. However, because of environmental degradation caused by strip-mining in Chinese mines, the government has closed a number of the mines and has imposed strict mining regulations, somewhat limiting the production of turquoise.

Chinese turquoise tends to have mostly blues and black as a color scheme.

Tibetan turquoise comes from the Himalayan area of Tibet. It tends to have more greens, from higher levels of iron impurities. It is the same source of turquoise that the Tibetans have used and worn for centuries.

Over the centuries it has been prized by Tibetans for its alleged healing properties. It is said to promote fertility, well-being, and prosperity, and has been worn in jewelry by both male and female Tibetans.

Most of the Chinese and Tibetan turquoise has been stabilized. In turquoise, stabilization is not a bad thing. It strengthens the stone, deepens and enriches the color, and aids in its overall protection.

There are two types of stabilizing mixtures. One, called clear shot, doesn't change the color of the turquoise. It just makes it richer and easier to see. The other, used on low grade turquoise, is called color shot because it adds dye to the stone.

Clear shot uses a resin or a plastic to strengthen the turquoise, which is often very soft when non-stabilized, and in the process creates a somewhat shiny surface like putting water on a river pebble.

We have a number of Chinese and Tibetan turquoise cabochons on our Heart of Stone Studio website, www.heartofstonestudio.com.

Peruvian Opal

Peruvian Opals come from the San Patricio area near the Andes Mountains of Peru. The Peruvian Opal is the national stone of Peru, and was considered by the Incas as a gift from Pachamama, the goddess of Mother Earth.

They are associated with copper mines, and as copper has become more expensive, the mining of Peruvian Opals has generally stopped, in favor of mining the copper.

These opals are made up of hydrated silicon dioxide, with small inclusions of chrysocolla, which is a copper silicate. The chrysocolla gives the opals their soft blue color, which has sometimes been compared to the blue of the Caribbean Sea.

Many of these stones are translucent, so that you can see light coming through them. Unlike other opals, the crystalline structure of these is unorganized, so that you don't get flashes of different colors. Instead, you get a very tranquil blue color.

The Mohs hardness of these opals is 5.5 to 6, making them somewhat harder than many other opals. However, they are very susceptible to heat, and excessive heat can make them fracture or lose their color.

In the metaphysical sense, Peruvian opals are said to be associated with the throat chakra, and are said to promote and facilitate communication, creativity, and the free flow of ideas.

We have a number of Peruvian opal cabochons on our Heart of Stone Studio website, www.heartofstonestudio.com.

Pinolite

Pinolite is a metamorphic rock that is a mixture of dolomite, graphite, and magnesite. The dolomite and graphite give the stone a gray and black color, while the magnesite appears in whitish clumps that look like the edible seeds of the pine tree, Pinus pinea.

Because of the white clumps, the stone has also sometimes been called Pinolith or Pine Stone, or Pine Nuts Pinolith.

It was discovered in 1873 in the Styria region of Austria.

In a metaphysical sense, the stone is said to have a calming and grounding effect, channeling energy from the ground through the body to the heavens.

We have a number of Pinolite cabochons on our Heart of Stone Studio website, www.heartofstonestudio.com.

Sonoran Sunrise Jasper

Sonoran Sunrise Jasper is a beautiful stone that contains aqua blues, reds, and blacks, that are reminiscent of sunrises in the desert, where in the clear air the colors can be quite vivid and intense.

The stone is a mixture of chrysocolla and cuprite. The chrysocolla provides the blue and aqua colors, and the cuprite provides the red colors. The black color comes from either iron or the mineral tenorite.

Sonoran Sunrise Jasper comes from the Milpillas Mine in Sonora, Mexico. Unlike most copper mines which are open pit mines, this particular mine produces material that is covered by hundreds of feet of gravel.

The mine opened in 2006, and so Sonoran Sunrise Jasper is a relatively new material on the market. However, it is said that by 2011 most of the material in this mine has been extracted, and the stone has been harder to get in recent times, particularly stones showing the richness of the blues and reds.

From a metaphysical standpoint, the stone is said to combine the healing properties of both chrysocolla and cuprite. Chrysocolla is said to provide feelings of peace, calmness, and tranquility. Cuprite is said to provide relief from anxiety.

We have a number of wonderful specimens of Sonoran Sunrise Jasper on our website, at www.heartofstonestudio.com.