Rock On

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio getting ready for a big show in St. Louis.  While most of my time consists of making production pieces, I’ve hired Stacey to do the busy work so I could focus on a few one-of-a-kind pieces. You might remember the ring I made for class last winter that was a rock with a garnet set in the middle. Here’s a picture if you don’t remember it:

I collected the stones three years ago when I attended a two-week workshop at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg, TN. My class had a picnic lunch beside a river to celebrate my birthday and I filled my pockets with these stones. I love how smooth they are and the color variations in them. They are very soft so I have to be careful drilling holes in them and setting stones, but I think the results are worth it. I wear this ring a lot and love it so I wanted to do more with the other stones I have.

I decided the next thing I’d make was a pendant with one of the larger stones. I wanted to experiment with the setting and try to make the stone look like it was floating. You can see the two silver bars across the back which hold the stone in place, but it’s not too noticeable when it’s worn. This piece measures about 2″ tall:

The reason I’m using garnets as my gemstones is that the contrast is so gorgeous. I thought about some CZs but they looked too pale against the gray stone. Once this piece was finished, I took another stone, similar in shape, and created a different setting.

I’m not sure I like the placement of the gemstones as well, but I love the setting. I have another one on the bench using a round stone with the gemstones set in a curved pattern.

I want to keep the first one as a reminder of my time at Arrowmont, but I’m planning on selling the rest. They are very special to me and I’m hoping they’ll all go to good homes!