Rings & Things Jewelry Blog

Richly striped tigereye is a variety of quartz with a fine luster. These semiprecious beads are available in their natural, unenhanced brown-gold state, and sometimes in heat-treated blue or red. Also known as African cat's eye, crocidolite, and tiger's eye, this gemstone contains oriented fibers of crocidolite (a mineral of the amphibole group) that have been replaced by silica. The fibers are twisted or crumpled instead of straight, reminiscent of sand and sunlight. Tigereye is also vitreous ( …

Onyx is a striped, semiprecious variety of agate, with white, black, brown or red alternating bands. It is different from regular agate only in that the bands of which it is composed are parallel and regular. The name onyx originates from the Greek word onyx for "fingernail" or "hoof," probably because of its weak transparency or possibly its color. Onyx may chip or scratch rather easily, so store it carefully.Onyx is one of the 12 stones mentioned in the Bible as adorning the breastplate of the …

Created by: Mollie ValenteDesigner TipsCreate a bail using a 5/16" x 3" piece of 24-gauge copper sheet: Cut, file, stamp, punch and ream the holes a bit larger. Use bail-making pliers to bend the stamped piece into a bail (dead center so the holes line up). Patina after bending.Stamp the brass star charm: See Techniques for Creating Stamped Metal Charms.Create gemstone donut chainmaille: Add four 10mm jump rings to each donut. Connect two per side with 8mm jump rings. Use 8mm jump rings on the e …

Created by: Megan Holden   Designer TipsClean bezels of barrettes with a clean, wet cloth and allow to dry.Paint the bottom of one barrette bezel with red paint, using smallest brush of Ranger set to ensure clean lines at the perimeter. Allow to dry and repeat with 2nd coat, dry thoroughly.Press small piece of paper around the perimeter of the bezel interior to make an impression for cutting a heart template. Cut heart template with scissors around crease lines (most likely will be a tad la …

Created by: Amy Mickelson   Designer TipsIf you buy spools of chain for various projects, you inevitably end up with scrap pieces. These left overs are too short for necklaces or maybe too fine a style to use for bracelet projects. And if you're like me, you may have a bag of random lengths you don't want to throw away. This DIY project creates a pair of tassel style earrings in less than 30 minutes.Since you are using scraps, and mixed metal jewelry remains in fashion, you don't need to ma …