Cassiterite and Carnelian . Earrings

I had never heard of cassiterite before my friend Deb sent me a strand as an extra goodie in a bead order I had placed with her.

It's a beautiful stone that according my new gem book, Gemstones of the World, by Walter Schumann, is an ore of tin. The primary colors are gray and brown, but it can have white, yellow and red.

This particular strand of beads has some really nice reddish-brown streaks. That's why I chose to use some glossy carnelian rounds as accent beads.

These unique earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.

Spicy Carnelian . Earrings

These rounds of carnelian have been in my inventory for quite some time --- I don't even remember where I bought them! I think they're beautiful, but carnelian is NOT a color I work well with. That's why these earrings feature the carnelian and no other stones.

These beads are 10mm in diameter and are super smooth and glossy. They are the color of ketchup ... well maybe a little more orange-y than red.

Available in my etsy shop. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Little Earrings

Some women like large earrings that make a statement and some prefer smaller, simple earrings that are more subtle. Here are 3 pairs of earrings that fit that second criteria.

This first pair features some small garnet briolettes that I wrapped (messy style!) with sterling silver wire. The garnets are diamond shaped and are highly faceted for maximum sparkle. These deep red garnets are perfect for the holiday season.

These citrine earrings are very similar to the garnets. The stone has a similar cut, but I've wrapped the briolettes in a slightly neater fashion.
The last little pair I'd like to share features some of my favorite pearls. I purchased these little teal coins in HUGE volume (don't ask) because I loved them so much. Here, I've topped them with a small sterling silver bead and an aqua colored crystal. Swarovski calls this color "Indicolite", which is the name of torumaline when it occurs in a blue-ish color.
All of these earrings are for sale in my etsy shop. Remember, all items are shipped USPS Priority and are packaged for gift-giving.

Clusters!

I recently created a series of pendants using some of my larger beads. Finding new ways to use these larger components has been a challenge for me. Here are the latest creations in this voyage of discovery.

I love the minty blue-green of amazonite. This large bead is top-drilled and is softly faceted. The cluster above is made up of freshwater pearls, Peruvian opals, apatite rounds and white cupped keshi pearls.
The deep pink stone is a sapphire --- yes, they come in many colors besides blue. I have topped it with golden freshwater pearls, garnets, smooth ruby rondelles and citrine rondelles. The red and gold color combination has a regal feel.