Sonoran Sunrise

I purchased these Sonoran Sunrise cabs from a fellow jeweler recently. (Thank you, Karen!)  Sonoran Sunrise is the apt name given to the the red mineral, cuprite ( copper bearing) in chrysocolla. It's found in Mexico, and do these colors ever "pop" together! And this batch is probably some of the most intense I've seen! The cut and polish on these stones is excellent. Sized from large pendant/ brooch pieces to statement rings and a pair of earrings. They will be a pleasure to work with! 

  

I can't seem to keep my hands off the stuff...

My philosophy regarding stones has always been that when you see a good thing, you need to jump on it. Even if you just recently bought a slew of pretty rocks. I mean, when you're talking jaspers and agates, each is one of a kind. You just have to keep that in mind. And I don't buy everything I see, I do employ some restraint... well, a little...

This batch of beauties includes Morrisonite at the top, Montana agate, a nice ocean jasper and a bunch of beautiful Willow Creek jasper. See what I mean? How could a sane person pass these up?

And now the fun begins...

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My date with the King of Jaspers

In my book, there's no better way to start out the new year then with a whole slew of new cabochons arriving on your doorstep! 

In this case, I stumbled upon a fellow jewelry artist who has a passion for stones, like moi, but she is cutting back her production schedule and needed to clear out some of her collection. I was fortunate enough to purchase some of her Morrisonite, which is one of my favorite stones, and known as "The King of Jaspers". It's also a native of my own state of Oregon.

Morrisonite comes in a gorgeous array of colors, and takes a very high polish. Some of these pieces are quite large as you can see below...

This cab measures 2" x 1" (5cm x 2.5cm). They will make some beautiful statement pieces. Several nice matched pairs will make dynamite earrings! I see a long and productive relationship with the King!

Here's a pendant I made late last year using another super pretty piece of Morrisonite.

And I didn't neglect some of my other favs in this stone purchase. Petrified palm and fern, plus some nice ocean jasper and a pair of bird's eye rhyolite. Earrings, earrings, earrings!

I'm so glad I didn't make a New Year's resolution to curb some of my stone buying and use more of what I already have on hand... well, it wouldn't have mattered, I have a zero success rate at keeping resolutions anyway...

If you're so inclined, you keep an eye on my etsy shop where some of these finished pieces will be popping up, or my facebook page where you'll get a peek at completed work before it heads off to The Real Mother Goose and Imogen Gallery.

brooch finale...

 The final two brooches in the 2013 challenge. Boy, has this year gone by fast!

 #51 is  slice of Montana agate topped with an Oregon sunstone. Not sure I want to part with this one... but it'll most likely end up in my shop before too long as there are bills to pay... plus, I'm not sure my sweatshirt will do it justice.  ; )

For the year end finale, the Blue Bird of Happiness in labradorite perched on a stick pearl to wish you all a happy, healthy, and creative 2014!

phew!