Sweet Story about Jade
I was at my local Gemstone & Mineral Society meeting tonight and because of the my carving entries into the World Jade Symposium I had a lot of people talking to me about jade. One woman showed me a beautiful two sided flat carving of white nephrite jade. When she was a young woman she would cool it and would let her babies teeth on it. She carries it everywhere as now in her later years both of her adult children have passed. It has become her token memento to keep their memories close at hand. Later in life she had the piece appraised and found out that it was from the Han Dynasty! And yet, despite its financial value, the discovery only brings a keen twist of interest. To her, it’s value as a memento makes it priceless. Simply a beautiful touching...
Read MoreWorld Jade Symposium – Getting Started
Getting Started | The Tools | Pendant Creation | Finished Pendant | Sculpture Creation | Finished Sculpture Vancouver, BC Nov 21-23. This is my journey. It was a LOT harder than I expected and I spent WAY too many hours and too much $$ on this. LOL But I am a artistically driven fool so… 😉 I ran by my local lapidary shop and found a nice supply of some old nephrite jade from Wyoming, US. The owners father collected these a long time ago. Even the stickers were yellow with age. I lost track of time browsing through the treasure trove there but luckily I was able to find a few pieces that I deemed worthy before they kicked me out. 😀 The next day I grabbed a few of the smaller pieces, started up my Dremel flexshaft and got to work testing out the material. Let me tell you, I really like working in jade! I’m a very tactile and jade fills my senses. It’s visually beautiful. It has a luxurious feel to it. AND it has a very delightful chime sound when clicked. I was hooked. Then I set them and posted them to Etsy. Next I wanted to try my hand at carving so I made this wing. (Also on Etsy) I love my wing. It worked great and let me know that I really COULD do this! BUT, once I pushed my attempts further I run into the limitations of my tools. The problems I ran into was that the Dremel creates a lot of chatter on the stone making it difficult. It also has less torque than is recommended for lapidary work creating unrealistic time requirements for me. But most importantly was that it seriously limited me on size. I mean, think about it. The largest cutting disk I could find was 2″. That means I’ve only one an inch before my cut is stopped by the mandrel. It just wasn’t going to work. So I began my search for tools. Click below on The Tools to continue. Getting Started | The Tools | Pendant Creation | Finished Pendant | Sculpture Creation | Finished...
Read MoreAussie Double Opal Pendant
$125 Original handcrafted artisan jewelry by artist KJ Montoya Lightning Ridge Double Opal Pendant on 16″ Sterling Chain This double opal necklace has a Lightning Ridge Crystal Opal on top with a Lightning Ridge Black Opal on the bottom set in Sterling Silver on a 16″ Sterling chain. Both opals are gem quality. The delicate movement and bright colors create a stunning piece of jewelry that will make any woman happy. This will be a fine addition to any woman’s accessories. $125 plus shipping. kjofineart@cox.net With these brilliant colors this Opal Pendant Necklace would be great hidden inside of an Easter Egg as a gift for your love. Sterling Silver Pendant including the bail is 1″ long. Sterling Silver Chain is 16″ with a lobster claw clasp. Item #:...
Read MoreWelo Silver Pendant – Sold
SOLD – Welo Silver Pendant Welo Opal set in .999 fine silver with sterling bail on a burgandy leather cord. SOLD. Contact Me:kjofineart@cox.net Item #:...
Read MoreIntroducing Water & Earth
Water & Earth Beaded Necklace Introducing the first in my Water and Earth collection. This 20″ beaded necklace is made from Welo opal beads, tanzanite beads, fresh water pearls, and dyed river shell. It’s embellished with gold filled crimp bead covers and toggle. $185 plus shipping. kjofineart@cox.net Item #WBN290314 ...
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