What's Been Goin' On

...to paraphrase Marvin Gaye...a lot's been goin' on. I wish I could be more on top of the blog, but it seems that life never gets back to a slow speed anymore. My father has been ill and I've been spending a lot of time traveling to Arizona to visit. It's the kind of illness you typically don't recover from - Stage IV prostate cancer. So I was in AZ (for both work and to visit my folks) for 20 days out of the 29 days we had in February. That doesn't allow much time for blog updates or anything else!

However, I'm home now and have a brief bit of time before I leave again (unbelievably, my March schedule is even crazier than February's was), and I'm so excited about some new work that I wanted to share it with you. Most of my work days (if I'm not at a festival) are spent cleaning up castings and for the *next* festival, but I am pushing myself to still work on creating new stone designs. So here's what's currently on the work table (forgive the down-n-dirty shots):

It's tough to see but this is a lapis lazuli cabochon and the setting I've created for it. The stone isn't set yet because I have to patina the metal and then set the stone (same is true for all the shots here) but I'm almost there. Hopefully this and the others in this post will be done by the end of this week!

Next up, a beautiful ocean jasper:

I promise to post a better photo when this is all done. The setting nearly broke me and you can't really see the beauty of the stone here, but I promise it will all come together.   :)

And finally, a Peruvian opal I picked up on this year's Tucson trip:

I found several of these opals and can't wait to set this and make metal homes for the rest of them. I think they're going to be very well received.  :)

More details hopefully this weekend! Stay tuned...

 

Welcome 2012!

A little eye candy to get you started this year. This is a beautiful piece of mookaite (for more info, go here) that I set recently. Setting stones, for me, is proving as difficult as I expected...maybe it's difficult *because* I expected it to be...but either way it's still a struggle. However I have signed up for another 10-week course at the Spruill Center - starting next week - and I am determined to get better!   :)

I don't think I've ever been so happy to see the back end of any year, as I was to say goodbye to 2011. What a crazy year...and yet it's still with me. I'm behind on everything. That's what happens when you have two surgeries, a slow recovery period, a sick father...among other things. But I'm looking ahead and wanting to make 2012 the best year yet. Here's how:

1. Spend more time / quality time with the people I love. Last year felt so fractured, and  I felt isolated and lonely in many ways. And this year there's a strong possibility I will lose my father. So one of my goals is to figure out how to schedule in more time with the people who are important to me. I started today by meeting two friends for lunch. :)  And I'm taking extra time on all three work trips to Arizona in the next few months, to get in some quality time with Dad.

Here's Dad and me back in November when we visited.  :)

2. Spend my money more consciously. Times are tight, and seem to be continuing that way in the forseeable future. I made cuts last year and the prior year, but this year I need to make even more. And I really need to be on top of my labor and materials costs. I learned so much last year as my skills grew, and now I have to put that knowledge to even better use.

I am changing up the way I spend in my personal life too, looking for more quality over quantity, and (yes, really) buying more practical shoes. I need some work shoes. I tend to get sidetracked by all the fun, pretty footwear I see, and then of course I'm without appropriate footwear for work. I know it sounds like a silly goal but I think it's necessary so I don't get off track. (You can see the shoe evidence here)

3. In tandem with number 2 - grow the business to $XXX. (my secret number). I've got a few ideas in place and honestly I think my secret number is not quite attainable this year...but I figure if I try to set a goal for what's attainable, I'll never exceed it. So I'm going for the unattainable. Wish me luck.  :)

4. Lose 15 pounds by the end of the year. Between my own discipline and the surgery last year, I lost almost 20 pounds. Which leaves 15 more to go. And I figure that the end of the year is a totally reasonable date to achieve it. Hopefully it will be a good bit sooner than that, but just in case...portion control, more exercise, and watching the random snacking should all help get me there. And to those of you who find that number offensive...thank you for telling me so...but I promise you, I'll still be at a very healthy weight with 15 more pounds gone.

5. Have the braces off by the end of the year. I was hoping for March, but a few months ago my orthodontist said "maybe" summer. And now with the surgical complications, I haven't been wearing the rubber bands (I can't get them in). Every day of not wearing them is pushing back when the braces will come off. And I have to do physical therapy on the jaw this year...so I am giving myself a big ol' long window with the braces. And if they AREN'T off by next year, then I guess I'll be all grumpy and depressed THEN. But for now...positivity.  :)

And of course number 6 is to yet *again* try to keep up with the blog.  One of these years it will all come together!

Best wishes for a very happy, prosperous, and safe 2012!

Natural Wonders: Boulder Turquoise

My love for turquoise is well known. And today I'm going to introduce you to a new kind of turquoise:  boulder, or ribbon, turquoise.

Boulder or ribbon turquoise is simply turquoise that still remains in its host rock. Sometimes turquoise is found as nuggets, and sometimes it is found as a "ribbon" (vein) running through the host rock, or boulder. In the past, the turquoise would be cut out of the host rock, and sometimes, especially if it was too difficult to get a good result (if the ribbon was too thin, for example), the host rock would be tossed aside and considered waste. 

Fortunately that is no longer the case! Now this type of turquoise is in demand.

Here's a great example of a "ribbon" of turquoise in the host rock:

source: ribbonturquoise.com

I was first introduced to boulder turquoise several years ago, when Brett and I took a trip to Highlands, NC. We poked around main street and happened upon a fun little shop which had a very western feel to it. They had an amazing array of rock specimens, Kachinas, pocketknives with inlaid stone and wood handles, dreamcatchers, fetishes, and of course jewelry. I bought this ring as a souvenir of the visit:

I love how the thin vein of turquoise is the focal point of this ring, embedded within its host rock. So unusual and a bit more subtle than wearing a "hello-look-at-me" piece of turquoise. Not that I mind that at ALL, but some days a girl just doesn't want her jewelry to shout at the world.  :)

Here's another view, straight on:

it has a beautiful, heavy thick sterling band and it's become one of my favorite rings.

Now that I am learning to set my own stones, I recently snapped up a few cabs for my stash:

I love the unusual shape and the strong mix of blues, greens, and browns in this cab.

This one is probably my favorite, with the beautiful vein of turquoise looking like a bright summer sky, and the host rock looking like the weathered, stark desert landscape.  :)

This cab drew me with its shape and the glorious COLOR! Reminiscent of my Kingman cabs, but a brighter color and different type of matrix. You may notice that this cabochon is "more turquoise, less boulder" and I don't mind that at all. I love how the brown host rock and the turquoise are intermingled here. I suspect that this would have been a "discard" before somebody got smart and decided boulder turquoise was marketable. There was probably a lot more host rock around the turquoise to begin with, but it's been cut away to create this happy gem that made its way home with me.  :)