Garnets and Labradorite Earrings

Just listed in my etsy shop, these earrings are sleek and sophisticated.  I wrapped tiny rondelles of garnet and labradorite along the bottom edge of a hand formed sterling silver hoop.

The hoops swing freely from the earwire.  All of the silver has been oxidized and tumbled for a super shiny steel gray finish.  Click the photo to go directly to the listing.

Simply Labradorite

I say simply labradorite because, well, it is a very simple necklace.  Labradorite is one of those stones that can stand so well on its own.  Sometimes I like to embellish it with a small stone that complements its inherent blue flash, but this time, I decided to leave it be.

Photographing labradorite has always proved difficult for me.  Even when I can clearly see the flash in the viewfinder, it isn't always visible in the digital image.  This photo captures it pretty well.  Yes, I made this exact same necklace for myself, mainly because it seems to go with almost everything I wear!

If you simply must have this necklace, click on the photo to go directly to the listing in my etsy shop.

Labradorite . Lemon Quartz . Earrings

You are all very aware of my labradorite love. I found these 8 mm faceted labradorite beads while down in Homer this past summer at Gig's Beads. Not only are they a really nice size, but they have a generous amount of blue flash.

I added a bright vermeil gold spacer followed by a faceted bead of pale yellow lemon quartz.

The gold filled earwires finish the look.

These lovely earrings are for sale in my etsy shop. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Labradorite Flash . The Necklace

This brand new necklace started with an amazing labradorite cabochon. I wrapped it in brass filigree, added a few charms and suspended it from antiqued brass chain.

While at the Tucson gem shows, I found a vendor who carried cabochons in just the size I need for filigree work. I think I purchased 6 labradorite cabs and an assortment of other stones.

Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Long and Slim . Labradorite . Necklace

I purchased these wonderful labradorite briolettes several months ago. I've made a few pairs of earrings with them, but today I'm featuring a brand new necklace. Alongside the labradorite, I've added a small bead of blue tourmaline and a small aqua blue cubic zirconia bead. The addition of those beads really brings out the blue flash found in the labradorite.

This necklace is available in my etsy shop.

Another Pair of Petite Earrings

In case you haven't guessed, I adore labradorite. The initial impression one gets of labradorite being "just gray", is quickly changed when the light hits it. The little faceted cubes in these earrings are no exception. There's plenty of the characteristic blue flash. Yet because of their size, these earrings are still subtle.

If you look through my etsy shop, my love affair will be obvious. Follow this link to go directly to all the pieces featuring labradorite.

Awesome Spectrolite

I purchased several of these spectrolite nuggets from my dear friend Deb. Spectrolite is a form of labradorite found only in Finland. As with all stones with a chatoyant quality, getting a truly representative photograph is a challenge. It tends to look very different on different background colors.

For this necklace, I added some sterling silver spacer beads and a teal colored faceted freshwater pearl at the very top. The color of the pearl comes pretty close to matching the color of the flash in the stone.

I've added this pendant to a sterling silver chain. It is for sale in my etsy shop, or click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Love Affair ... with Labradorite

Yes, I'm featuring labradorite yet again. Maybe it's the gray skies we've been having lately that have driven me to my labradorite stash. Whatever the cause, my love of labradorite continues, especially when I find such lovely stones as these plump briolettes.

I purchased them from my friend Deb in Hong Kong. She has 2 etsy shops -- visit them both! They will give you a small insight into the kind of gem hoarder she really is.

Back to the stones. You can see that these labs are HUGE, as far as labs go. Here, I simply wrapped them with some sterling silver wire and suspended them from leverback earwires. They really don't need much more adornment. I love these stones so much that I kept the the first pair of these earrings that I made. It was several months before I could even think about using another pair of the labs to make earrings to sell!

You all know that I'm not a photographer, so I can't explain why these earrings look so different when photographed on a white background. The white certainly shows the blue flash much more distinctly. It probably makes no sense, but both of these photos are truly representative of these earrings.
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Lovely Labradorite

I finally found the long slim labradorite briolettes I've been searching for. These stones are just beautiful -- full of subtle color and lots of flash. I found these stones from JenniferLoveBeads on etsy. She has a wonderful selection of fine gemstones.

As many of you know, photography is not my forte and labradorite poses its own unique challenges. These photos are as good as I could get.

The sterling silver leverback earwires and wire for wrapping was oxidized, followed by a little hand sanding to highlight a small amount of the shiny silver.

These earrings are for sale in my etsy shop. Or, you can click on either of the photos to go directly to the listing.

Double Gray . Earrings

These earrings feature plump labradorite briolettes and steel gray freshwater pearls. I have let them hang on hand forged sterling silver earwires which I oxidized and tumbled for a shiny finish.

Most of the earrings I make hang on ready-made earwires, but I do like to make my own occasionally. This gives my pieces a more unique look. See this post for my tutorial on making this particular style of earwire.

Here's another photo of these earrings which shows the "flash" in the labradorite beads.

Labradorite Flash Earrings

I purchased two strands of these fabulous labradorite briolettes from my friend Deb of Crysallis Creations. After I made a pair of earrings for myself, I decided I could *maybe* part with a few of these beads. But it's torture. They are so gorgeous ... words and pictures are insufficient to convey how beautiful they really are.

Labradorite is a gray, mostly translucent stone that can have lots of inclusions. That's what makes them so visually interesting. There is also an element of "flash" that is visible when viewed at a certain angle. These briolettes are full of blue-ish flash.

For these earrings, I topped them with three petal shaped keshi pearls in a creamy off-white color. They hang loosely and move freely. All of the silver is sterling and has been oxidized to a dark gray, then hand sanded, revealing some of the silvery color of the metal. These earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.

Labradorite Flash Necklace

I purchased this large labradorite cabochon while in Tucson, not sure what I would do with it. When I saw this piece of brass filigree, I had my answer. In the first photo, you can only see the 4 corners of the filigree. The second photo shows the back of the stone and the detailed filigree. I wrapped it securely, to act as a bezel for the stone, and added some coordinating glass bead dangles and a dragonfly charm. The whole assemblage hangs from brass chain and is finished with a simple clasp. I love the way this necklace turned out!

etsyBEAD Theme of the Week - August 12 - 18

Each week, a member of the etsyBEAD Street Team selects a theme. Members choose items from their shops (or create new items) that match the theme. Most members put these special items on sale for the week. It's fun to create jewelry to coordinate with a theme. My item for this week's theme, which is "Keeping Cool" is my Three Strand Labradorite Necklace.

It is chock full of freshwater pearls, highly textured silver beads and lots of labradorite. It is finished with a Bali silver clasp. This necklace can be twisted for a different look.