A Meditation on Creating

Today, a long entry, a sort of meditation on creating.

I have really been enjoying jewelry blogging. It gives me such focus, and it's fun to have a place to really indulge an interest in creating. to really...where obsessing and steeping myself in it, and talking about it and nothing else, is allowable and good, in that it provides content. And content is what it's all about in a blog. Sure, pix and doodads and whatever are nice. They lend design elements and visual interest. But blogs with 4 entries, the last of which comes 5 months after the first 3 and says: oh, gosh, I've been so busy, I ... have to get...back to this ...someday.

When you see something you want to read, it stinks having it break off like that.

I think this has also been a good challenge for me. Coming up with a voice, with something I'm proud to show anyone (a pal, a customer). When I was young, I liked the idea of keeping a diary and I got one as a gift for Christmas, I think. And it was red and had a little faux lock and that new car smell. And I tried really hard writing in it. I did. And it made me panic a little bit. I just didn't know what to write. Things seemed either too big to tackle or too mundane to put down. And there was even something scary and self-conscious-making (new word!) in writing stuff down that you'd see again, that someone else might see, etc.

And I gave up. I would make my mom come sit with me on the edge of my bed and help me think of something to write and I'd be frustrated almost to the point of tears. And I'm a good writer. And a good talker. And a good thinker! But it didn't fit me and I didn't pursue it as one has to pursue exercise in order to integrate it into one's life and make it less threatening and more natural.

And my jewelry blog has become all of those things to me, plus a motivator for doing more, and it feels comfortable and exciting and like a challenge that I've set up and met. And one I hope to continue to meet!

One of my good friends, Anne, told me that last year, every morning, no matter what was going on or how she felt, when she woke, she took a few moments to write a poem. Every day. Every single day. I don't know if she considers herself a poet. I think she's like you or I--not a self-described writer. But everyone can write a poem, especially if the goal is to DO it, not to agonize, or judge, or write the best poem ever in the history of poems. It was a goal and she took a tremendous amount of pleasure in meeting it. And looking back over the collection was really satisfying and, more to the point, interesting for her. To see a snapshot of your thoughts, day to day. Things that bothered you, or weren't resolved; things that pleased you and were resolved; things you didn't even remember; things you can't believe you didn't write about.

Last year, an art group here in Philly did something called the January Project. Essentially, whatever your medium, you did 1 artistic thing a day with it. So, you took a photo. Or you wrote a poem. Or you made a sketch. And, at the end, you put it all together so that every day in January was represented. I'm sure that sometimes, people phoned it in, but what a wonderful motivation for being creative every single day in a row. I think that teaches us SO much. To do and to KEEP doing for the sake of doing it. I think things can come out of that that we cannot even IMAGINE when we start the process. It's like freeing yourself to just DO. Not to agonize. Not to work for perfection. Not to do everything at once. Why? Because tomorrow, you'll have another chance to try again. To make something new. To capture, or try to capture, just one small section of something. Like meditation. You can try for an hour, and maybe you'll only get one single second of that zen-ness we all hear about. Maybe you'll think that a single second is shameful, after an hour of trying, but as Anne put it: maybe that's the point of it. Maybe just getting that one second of truly not thinking about anything else is more freeing to the mind than you can imagine. Maybe mediation IS so hard for people, for everyone, that the one second is a victory. Maybe even the most seasoned meditation practitioners only get that one second...and maybe that's all they're going for. Maybe our mistake is in thinking they're going for a blissed-out hour of not thinking, when in reality, we can only hope for a second, and that should be the whole goal from the beginning. Even though we are taught not to think so, I bet a single second can be really powerful. And maybe some things really are more simple than we give them credit for being.

It's an interesting thought. Complicating the simple is a surefire way to make your goals harder to achieve, and to make yourself miserable in the process.

You know, February is a shorter month than all of the others. Maybe that's a good month to try a...er...January Project. We can call it the Febrary January Project.

I really think that we have to set goals for ourselves in being creative. We have to ...we have to court that, in our lives. Flirt with it. Engage with it. Make it a 2-way (or 3- or 4- way) thing in our lives. Steep ourselves in it, allow ourselves the time and energy to undertake it. Value it. We might give creativity too much credit in thinking it just comes to us in a bolt of lightening, and that that method is a sign that it's 'true' inspiration--we probably need to invite it and coax it and massage it like every other interpersonal relationship we have, in life. The muse can be a fickle character: push her aside, ignore her, reject her too often, and she might move on to someone else.

So, for those of you who craft or design things or make things, for those of you who want to try a disciplined writing exercise, I invite you to join me for the January February Project. I think I'm going to get a notebook and design a necklace, or other piece of jewelry, every single day of the month. I'll let you know how it turns out. Let me know what YOU plan to do by adding a comment here. We can discuss our processes come March 1st!

Diamond News

There's news in the diamond world. Once again, a class-action suit has been filed against De Beers for antitrust violations on behalf of diamond dealers and consumers. The resulting settlement means you may have some money coming your way.

As an aside, did you know that diamonds are not rare? De Beers, acting under different names in different corners of the world, owns much of the diamond industry in South Africa, controlling product and spreading a myth of scarcity in the market.

So, if you have diamonds and fit the settlement criteria, you might see a bit of cash out of the deal. Here is some information taken from the informational website created to discuss the settlement.

Who is eligible to make a claim? "All persons located in the United States who purchased any diamond or diamond jewelry or other products containing gem diamonds for personal use and not for resale between January 1, 1994 and March 31, 2006. For example, Consumers include people who purchased diamond jewelry to wear or to give as a gift."

So, anyone who purchased diamonds, ANY diamonds (De Beers and all other brands) may be eligible to receive from 6% to 60% of her money back.

You must file by May 19th of this year.

For more information on filing a claim, see:

https://diamondsclassaction.com/

Onyx and Picasso and Matrix Jasper Necklace

It's really time that I start posting some of the photos that I took late at night while I was working on the UCAL Holiday sale for all of those intense weeks in late November/early December. Often, I was exhausted and using a camera with a low battery, but I still say that a fuzzy photo is better than no photo, and I hope you all agree.




This is a shot of a black/white/grey necklace I made using black onyx round beads, picasso jasper square beads and a large flat matrix jasper disc pendant, strung together by thick sterling silver wire and finished with a silver lobsterclaw clasp.




I particularly like the color palette here, and I think it's a popular one because so many women wear black, grey, or other dark neutrals (I can imagine this going well with a wine-colored sweater or shirt, for example) during the fall and winter.




The onyx rounds are a glossy black, and the picasso jasper squares are a kind of subtly mottled light to medium charcoal grey. The variation in both color and shape of the beads gives the necklace texture, and because both of those colors are represtened in the pendant, the different stones work together well as a whole finished piece.


The pendant measures approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter, with the whole necklace measuring approximately 18 inches in length. I can't recall exactly when the necklace sold, but I think it was during the first week of the sale, though not on the opening night. In a way, that surprised me, simply because black is such a popular color in jewelry. Still, a sale is a sale, no matter the date!




Ah, I do so love that rock when taking my photos, don't I? It might look nice, but YOU try balancing a round stone on a round rock at 2 am. One must always suffer for one's art. I think my photography advisor Steven might be suffering FROM my art!

Price: $40.

Christmas at VIX...Pt. 2

Ok, so more photos, as promised. I have to say, I love this side window. That's a LOT of color for kind of a grey block. You couldn't possibly miss it if you were driving by. It's sort of how I imagine Christmas to look...on Mars. It's spacey.


And here's the last shot. It's the curved glass front window, looking out onto Baltimore Avenue. It's a bit hard to make out but here's Emily's blog's description of the window's new addition:

"a little HO scale motorized trolley for the store window. It goes around and around in the window, and it even lights up so you can see the people inside. It’s just like the old Philadelphia trolleys used to be, a green and cream PCC Streamline. They still run those on Girard Avenue, but the 34 on Baltimore is now a Kawasaki in white, red and blue. Ours definitely catches the eyes of the passers-by…"

She snapped a shot of both trolleys--one running inside the front window and one running outside the front window.

For that matter, can someone tell me where the tradition of a train under the tree came from? We were discussing that at home over the holidays. I think it's because before the presents arrive (brought by Santa, of course), the tree skirt looks mighty lonely, so a village, complete with train, is put there to decorate it. For those of you that grew up with a village (I didn't), does that sound about right to you?

Christmas at VIX...Pt. 1

So, you all remember VIX Emporium, the local West Philly shop where I sell my work, right? Emily and Sean, the owners, put up fun pictures now and then, and I had to share these with you. This shot shows the main window of the shop, facing Baltimore Avenue.




This is VIX at Christmas! This shot is the side window, facing 50th St., not Baltimore Avenue. Apparently, they program little slogans or quotes into their display, and are currently accepting suggestions. All of mine involve repeating JERICAS DESIGNS JEWELRY 20 times in a row, so I doubt they'll be eager to hear any more of my ideas...but hey, self-promotion is key, when you have your own business, right? More pix to follow.

January's Birthstone

How is it the middle of January already? I suppose that January follows December, so it's a logical choice, but I'm still surprised, somehow.

For January's birthstone we have Garnet. Garnet comes in many colors, but red Rhodolite garnet is perhaps the most popular form of the stone and that which is associated with the month of January. Unlike December's birthstone of blue topaz, garnets generally end up on the hand (or ear or neck) the same color that they come out of the earth's crust. First mined in Sri Lanka, garnets can also be found in Australia, Africa, Russia, South America and the United States (among other regions).

It's a durable gem made up of magnesium aluminum and calcium, and ranks a 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. The name garnet comes from the latin for pomegranate, ostensibly because garnet crystals are reminiscent of the that fruit's seeds. Garnet is thought to provide peaceful sleep, to treat wounds and inflammatory diseases, and to be a good luck charm for travelers, ensuring their speedy and healthy return. If a friend of yours is moving away or going on a long voyage, consider giving a gift of garnet.

I've heard of garnet being used as an abrasive in sandpaper and even as a weapon (as gun bullets in a late 19th-c. battle in Kashmir). Again, if you want to try these ideas at home, be sure to let me know how it goes.

And the Winner Is...

Whew! Ok. Thanks for bearing with me, everyone. Sometimes, the real world gets in the way of the jewelry. Ain't it a cryin' shame? But anyway, I thank you all, again, for your answers, and I want to highlight a few of them, here.

On the morning of Jan. 4th, Chris answered:

1. ruby
2. weight
3. amethyst and citrine
4. none
5. almost all emeralds have inclusions. ones without, command the highest prices. some inclusions in a sapphire are actually desirable (like a star sapphire). :D

Now, everything Chris said was correct, but answer no. 5 provided a lot of information, but didn't really value one stone over the other, which WAS the point of the question. I'm going to have to give her a score of...4.25.

Later that afternoon, The Writer's Voice answered:

1. It's a ruby.
2. Weight.
3. Amethyst and Citrine.
4. I'm going to guess one - the back. I think these are just rounded stones?
5. I'm going to have to guess on this one. I'll say emerald, as I'd think they'd be less visible. I'm probably wrong, though!

This was a darned good answer, and the guesses are correct--the terminology with the faceting threw a few people. The flat back of the stone isn't really considered a facet in the true sense, but the 'rounded' TWV added made me understand what she meant. I can give partial credit. Of course, while the answer to no. 5 was correct, the reasoning was not, but that doesn't matter. I'm going to grade this as a 4.75.

Finally, on Jan. 5th, Jane responded:

1) ruby (begonia)
2) weight
3) amythyst and citrine
4) one or none...I don't know how to answer that. Help me Obi Jes Kenobe...
5) Emerald

I have no idea what she meant by begonia, but we cannot always understand the ways of others, we must just accept them. Jane also had some issues with no. 4, I suspect. Oh, if only she'd given me more of an explanation as to what 'one or none' meant!. I think I see where she was going, though. I'm going to have to give this a 4.5.

Because The Writer's Voice replied so quickly, I think she's going to have to be our winner, with Chris and Jane as our 1st and 2nd runners up, or, as I like to think of them, Mary and Florence to TWV's Diana Ross. And I'm going to guess that that's the very first time TWV has been likened to Diana Ross.

And for that, The Writer's Voice, YOU win the grand prize! 2nd prize was a mention here in the Jericas Designs blog, and an air kiss, sent across the miles. But for you, TWV, a gift will be forthcoming after a short consultation!

Almost Time For The Prizes!

Yes, ladies and gentleman (and birds), we have a winner! ...but whom? Today, I'd like to turn that decision over to all of you. Who got the highest number of correct answers? Or, who had the best answers, correct or not? Who took the cake? Who left the cake out in the rain?

I've now made public all of the responses to last Friday's quiz. I thank you again, and ask that you go take a look, and tender your opinions. And then....the prizes!

A Little Wednesday Gem Answer

Finally, rounding the bases and sliding into home plate we have question number 5. In which gemstone is it more acceptable to have inclusions, emerald or sapphire?

The final answer to the quiz is: emerald! Emerald is a green form of beryl, and typically has visible inclusions (either gas, liquid or soled) and/or cracks or fissures. An eye-clean emerald in your price range might be a sign that it's a synthetic or a simulant and not natural.

With emeralds, color is king. Why you buy this stone, that's generally what you're paying for. The more vivid and saturated the green, the higher price the stone can command. There's a reason that we most see emeralds cut into that famous rectangular stepped cut--step, or "emerald", cuts bring out the green color in the stone. In a gem that's included, heavy faceting is usually a poor option for making an attractive stone. And certainly, an included stone is usually too brittle to withstand heavy cutting. Emerald cuts can also highlight the flaws in a stone intentionally. Some emeralds have "jardins," or inclusion patterns, that look like trees or other natural elements, and can drive up the price of the stone. The side-stepped cuts and long faces of the emerald cut minimize the pressure of cutting an emerald, a stone which can shatter (due to internal fractures and inclusions) despite it's 7-8 Mohs rating . I've never seen an emerald with a jardin

Inclusion-free, transparent natural emeralds can command prices higher than diamonds, due to their rarity. But because included stones are so expected, these internal characteristics don't harm an emerald's value they way they would in other stones, like sapphires.

Tomorrow, we get to look at the answers and pick our winner, gang!

A Little Tuesday Gem Answer

Moving right along, we have the cabochon cut stone.









As you can see in the photo, cabochons are flat-back domes the surface of which are not faceted. Many gemstones are too opaque to be faceted--turquoise is a good example of this. You'd gain nothing by trying to highlight the internal fire of a stone that has little, or no, internal fire. Moreover, softer stones (like an opal) can be harmed by the faceting process, thereby weaking or destroying the stone. A cabochon cut allows a stone to be used in jewelry (usually inlaid or set in a bezel). Cabochon stones are polished to bring out the natural beauty of the stone, and can take a variety of shapes (oval, round, square). This cut, because it's less complicated and tool-dependent than other cuts, is one of the most ancient in the gem world.

Our final answer comes tomorrow. And then...the prizes!

A Little Monday Gem Answer

Behold the ametrine!







Moving on to the next quiz question, the 2 stones that make up ametrine are:
Amethyst (purple) and Citrine (yellow). Ametrine occurs when amethyst and citrine are found together in the same piece of quartz. The gem is formed by the double oxidation of iron...but I don't know what that means. Maybe someone science-y can leave me an explanatory comment. What I DO know is that I most often see this stone with a rectangular or square cut, to highlight the color split and show it to its best advantage. Most ametrines come from the Anahi Mine in Bolivia, which was given as a wedding dowry to a Conquistador in the 17th century. The ametrines mined there were exported throughout Europe and gained popularity because the Conquistador gave some of them as gifts to the then Spanish Queen. Ametrine is said to impart courage and harmony (perhaps because it's 2 stones in 1).

Again, many of you got this question right, though I'd like to give a special shout out to my 2 favorite wrong guesses:

Amy Winehouse and Trini Lopez

and

Amethyst and Latrine

Normally, I'm most happy when someone guesses the right answer, but in these 2 cases, I honestly wish these quiz takers had been right.

Another answer will be unveiled tomorrow. Exciting!

A Little Sunday Gem Answer

So, let's move on to our next question: the meaning of the term carat.

'Carat' in gemstones refers to units of weight, only. It takes over 140 carats to make up an ounce, with a carat weighing 1/5th of a gram. Because different gemstones have different densities, a 1-carat size in 1 stone will not be the same, size wise, as another 1-carat stone in a different gem. And, depending on how a stone is cut, 2 stones that weigh the same (in the same gemstone) will not necessarily face up the same (lingo meaning: have tables, or the part of the stone you look at, the same size). A more shallow stone (meaning: the length from table to culet, or point) will have a bigger table, making it face up larger than a stone of the same carat weight with a deeper pavilion. Take a look at this simple diagram of a round stone:


While it might seem desireable to cut a stone with a shallow pavilion and a larger table, cut is always very important in the fire and sparkle (and even minimization of internal flaws) of a gem and should not be compromised for size.

And, don't confuse carat with karat, another jewelry term. Karat refers to the amount of gold your piece of gold jewelry contains. The higher the karat number, the more gold is contained in your piece.

Just about everyone got this question right, as well. Good job, Quiz Kids! (No comment on how the Burmese birds did. Better luck next time, guys.)

A Little Saturday Gem Answer

I thank you all for hearing my cry for attention and taking a stab at the quiz!



Today, we'll talk about sapphires. Sapphire is the term for all non-red corundum. Corundum is a very strong substance and sapphire ranks a 9 on the Mohs scale. Blue is the most popular color in sapphires, but as I said, the stone comes in many other colors, from white to yellow to pink to black.

Trace amounts of chromium in corundum produce a red sapphire--or, a ruby, as it's called. The story I've heard is that the red form of sapphire was so beautiful (and, certainly, so marketable) that it was given its own name. As we all know, there's a lot of power in naming. Rubies can be found allover the world (including the United States) but the color most prized by gemologists can be found Myanmar/Burma, which is said to produce a 'pigeon-blood red' stone. This is a light, bright red with blue undertones. And the story I've heard about THAT is while some stones can best be mined from deep veins underground, rubies can often be found in alluvial deposits at the mouths of canyons or rivers. Meaning, you or I could walk through a shallow stream and find rubies right there, glimmering in the sun. Wait, wait--don't fly to Burma, let me finish my pigeon-blood story first!

So anyway, here in the valleys of Burma, covered in angry, angry snakes, lay beautiful, desireable rubies. But how to mine them? Legend says that stone hunters would wait until birds of prey, seeing what they thought to be pieces of bright red-blue pieces of fresh meat, would swoop down to injest a ruby. The hunters would then scale the trees looking for bird nests, and go...yes, exactly, go rooting around in the droppings to find the rubies that had passed, uneaten, through the birds. Sort of like that bat guano coffee I keep hearing about, but less gross because you don't drink a ruby. Unless you're a big dumb bird in Burma. And my apologies to you if you are, though good job on reading this blog! You googled yourself, birds, didn't you? Admit it!

Most of you got this question right. Good job to you, too!

And 1 last tidbit: apparently, the first lasers ever used were made from artificial ruby crystals. Some ruby crystals fluoresce, which makes lasers possible. I expect you science types will correct me if I need correcting, and the rest of you will just nod along with me, thinking happy thoughts of beautiful rubies. More answers to come.

A Little Friday Gem Quiz

I want, no, I NEED, more blog interaction, so I'm posing a little quiz. Please leave your responses in the comments section. If you get the answers right, you'll win ... well, you'll win something as soon as I figure out what you'll win. Ok? OK! Here we go:

1. Sapphire comes in many different colors, but is always called sapphire (i.e., pink sapphire, yellow sapphire) unless it's red. What is red sapphire called?

2. When using the word carat in relation to a gemstone, what specifically do you mean: weight or size?

3. Which 2 gemstones combine to form the gemstone ametrine?

4. How many facets does a cabochon-cut gem have?

5. Is it more acceptable (in terms of both aesthetics and value) to have inclusions in a sapphire or in an emerald?

Join in the fun, gang. Prizes galore await you!

A New Year's Day Trip to the Beach

So on New Year's Day, I went to the ocean to walk on the beach and take some photos. I found a sand dollar lying on the (what else) sand, and so I curled a beach glass coin bead braclet around it and snapped some shots in the bright sun. Now, my photographer friends tell me that shadow is my arch nemesis, but I kind of like these shots. Yes, there's some shadow, but that's what the sun does, and I was at the beach on a lovely sunny day, so I'm good with it. And I love the way sunlight really lights up the Czech glass beads as if they're kind of glowing. You get the feeling of bright stained glass, I think. And, of course, the colors of actual beach glass.

For the first time in my life, I found some pieces of actual beach glass this summer. Well, my cousin found the first one, but I found the rest. It was a Sunday afternoon spent at the North Sea near the Hague, Holland, but it wasn't a very happy day. But still, I collected shells like I always do (don't we all?), and as I said, beach glass. Success! Maybe I should have left this bracelet on the beach, to give someone the impression that some silver and a handful of beach glass washed ashore, knotted together, ready to wear. By...a mermaid? Does the North Sea have mermaids? Probably not. Well then, by someone walking along the beach, collecting shells.


And oh--if you can't make it to the beach anytime soon, then do what I did: put a sand dollar on a brown paper bag, and set it on your 9th floor window sill, and add some jewelry. Voila. Instant trip to the beach. At least as far as a photo is concerned! None of you would have been the wiser if I hadn't told you, right? Us crafty people are...crafty!

Wishes for a wonderful 2008 to you all.