Pretty as a peacock...elegant as a black cat....patterned by nature

Beautiful colors of teal blue, green and black present themselves in this teardrop peacock chrysocolla jasper pendant I just completed.


A friend of mine suggested I try a scrimshaw silhouette...so here it is, an abstract, elegant, black cat design. I used mostly stippling work on this pendant, and only black for the color. My Tagua nut slices arrived this week, so next week I hope to have a scrimshaw design completed on one of them. My first challenge? A hamster portrait. Well...I have a lot of hamster miniature art collectors...perhaps they might enjoy a hamster pendant? :)

And here we have an oval fossil coral bead. I got a whole strand of these and the patterns in each bead are different, making each unique and one of a kind. I love the colors - very earthy and rich.

All of these are available at JaiArt.Com.

December 2008 JaiArt.Com Newsletter

The December 2008 JaiArt.Com newsletter is now online and ready for viewing: Click here to read the newsletter.

More scrimshaw...a Scarlet Macaw parrot pendant

This design was created on the same style of flat bone bead as the previous design I shared. Only this one was quite a bit more challenging! I chose one of my favorite subjects - a parrot. This is a Scarlet Macaw. Trying to execute this design on a 1/2" wide space was very hard on the eyes and hands. There are hundreds...maybe thousands...of tiny dots and etch marks. Color was adding in layers and worked into the impressions as I went along. I think it turned out very good for my second scrimshaw. I am still working up more designs on some of these bone pieces and I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my tagua nuts, so I can have a bigger work space! (even a one inch piece would be heaven compared to this 1/2" one! LOL)

A little scrimshaw....

I've still been playing with some vintage finds in my studio. This first piece is one I'm very excited about! This is a piece of ivory colored bone...it is a flat necklace bead in a unique shape, and I have several of them off of a vintage necklace. I decided to try a little scrimshaw work (something I've always wanted to do!). Using a needle, and by making several stippling marks with the needle, I fashioned a falling heart design on the material. Then I filled in this impressions with both red and black paint. This took several times....several dots, several applications of paint...to get the design to take shape. This is my result:


It framed up nicely with the silver solder. I'm very excited about this, because I've been wanting to somehow integrate my own art onto the pieces of jewelry I'm making with the sculpted solder frames. Of course, most scrimshaw is usually done on ivory - and these pieces may be ivory, but I'm not sure, so I'm just calling them bone. I've also ordered some tagua nut slices to try this technique on. They are larger than these, which are long and skinny, and have a very small workspace. I can't wait until they get here! In the meantime, I'll keep working with these bone pieces and see what other designs I can create, based on their odd shape.

I also finished some other pendants this weekend using neat vintage things I found in my studio.


The pendant shown above has a large, unpolished turquoise nugget stone. I added a bone bead at the bottom, which has chips of turquoise and coral embedded in the bone. Then I accented that with red jade beads. It's a very chunky, natural looking piece of jewelry.


Next is a red floral cinnabar bead. I added a freshwater pearl at the bottom to make it a bit more flirty. :)


Here's something for the dragon lovers....a green cinnabar carved bead with a dragon motif. I've been hanging onto this bead for over 10 years!

And finally, a carved bone face bead. The design is rather primitive and very cool looking. :)

It's an "Other" Day

There's nothing I enjoy more than digging through vintage parts, pieces, and components, and looking for something I can use to reconfigure into new jewelry. That's what I spent my day doing today. This first pendant features a rare vintage mosaic of a lion, with mother of pearl eyes. I'm not sure what the material is...it feels like plastic to me, but the top is actually layered on top of black. It's very lightweight. I was really worried about soldering it, because I thought heat+plastic=mess! However, this took it very well...so I believe it's different than "regular" plastic. It turned out beautiful! The lion used to be an earring and the earring back was long gone, leaving a mark where it had been glued on. I couldn't let this beautiful lion go to waste...and now he has a new life. :)


The second piece I made has a large oval emerald green faceted glass vintage stone. I believe this was out of a bracelet original. I bet it was one fabulous bracelet too, because this stone is large and gorgeous! Definitely an elegant and glitzy showstopper.


The next pendant features a stone I've had for over 10 years. It's a vintage triangular-shaped harlequin glass opal. I love this stone...and I was waiting for just the right moment to give it new life. Today was the day for this one too!


The pendant below features a vintage piece of abalone shell in an abstract shape. It has a very unique look, and I love the way it turned out!


And finally, I had to create a pendant using this black cat porcelain cabochon. It looks a lot like my own black cat, Pistol, especially since it has green eyes like his.


All of these jewels and more are available on the NEW http://www.JaiArt.Com website.

Turquois nugget pendant, amethyst pendant, & another hummingbird design

I finished a few more pendants yesterday. The first shown here is a turquoise nugget pendant. Both this one and the amethyst pendant are smaller stones. Rather than place the pendant bail on the back top edge, I put a ring on top and hooked that to the bails, creating a dangling pendant with a little movement.


I think this works better for the smaller stones, as the bail can overwhelm the pendant when the stone is small. This will also be a good way to do smaller stones for earrings. I don't make a lot of earrings - or smaller stones for that matter - because they're actually harder to do and take more time than the larger ones. Yet because they're smaller, people expect them to be priced lower. With earrings, it seems folks want those even lower prices...however...I *do* have to make *two* which = double the work involved for a pair of earrings. :)


This Hummingbird is interesting...it's poised over purple iris flowers and the finish on this cameo is matte finish, which is different than my other cameos. This is a rare cameo from West Germany.

Scarlet Macaw Pendant, Olive Jade Pendant, & Pink Jasper Pendant

Here's three more pendants, fresh from the studio! The first is a Scarlet Macaw parrot pendant. I love these birds...they are full of all of the colors of the rainbow, and are such fun pets! The Macaw is depicted here on porcelain china, and framed in silver solder, for a unique, one of a kind pendant.


This second pendant features pink jasper, with gray inclusions that look like a landscape scene. There's a slight glare on the photo, but when you look closely, it's almost as if you're standing on a hill and can see a mountain, trees, and pathway through them all. That neat little "swirl" of solder at the top happened completely accidentally...and I liked it, so I left it alone, as it looks like the face of a bird coming over the top of the stone.


This third piece is a light olive jade stone, with cream colored inclusions. My daughter said she can see a face in it. I think she was talking human face. Yet I see a fish shaped face in the ivory inclusion...do you see it? :)


These are all available at http://www.jaiart.com. InJoy, Jai

Jasper: The Gemstone: Its power, qualities, traits, history and colors

Red Jasper

Lately in my jewelry making, I’ve found myself particularly drawn to a variety of colorful jasper stones. Maybe it’s because they’re readily available here where I live. But more so, I think I am drawn to the interesting patterns in the stones.

Since I love to learn new things, I decided to do a little research on these stones, which I really didn’t know too much about.

Autumn Jasper

I gathered a lot of information about Jasper. One of the things which jumped out at me – and may explain why I’m suddenly drawn to these stones – is the information that Jasper is used to help bring about CHANGE.

Now I don’t know about you – you might be completely satisfied with your life and everything in it and think no changes need to be made. But for me, change is something I’m ready for now. I won’t even get into the entire list of what needs to “change” in my life – let’s just say it’s a lot. I’d like to also see some changes in our world, in others, in the way people behave and act and treat others. I’d like to see certain changes in the lives of my children, my friends, my family, even my church!

So maybe…just maybe…by making and wearing jewelry with Jasper as the focal stone, changes might subtly happen. And if others purchase and wear my jewelry featuring a Jasper stone, changes may begin to happen for them as well.

Another thing I’ve learned about Jasper is that it’s a slow working stone, therefore it’s considerably more effective when worn for a long period of time. This does nothing for my patience factor, which generally runs more toward being impatient. It makes sense though, because the down-to-earth stone is known to be a methodical and meticulous worker of practical solutions. It is a stone that fosters and nurtures, and its energy is suitable for keeping one grounded. It is a stone that balances energy, making it stabilize and helping to heal things – a process which usually doesn’t happen overnight.

Sesame Jasper

Jasper is a stone of power and protection. Because it works slowly, Jasper provides constant, slow, and deliberate energy, which is especially attractive in times of needed change, yet without the chaos a total upheaval would cause. These days when it seems everything is moving along at such unbearably fast paces, it’s refreshing to know there’s a stone out there which can slow things down for you – just by wearing it. Because of its powerful grounding properties, the stone is an excellent choice to have against your skin when you’re under stress.

Once considered a warrior stone, Jasper fosters courage. It’s a fabulous for working with shy or timid people, as Jasper gives a person the strength to speak out and become independent. It prepares its wearer for any conflict - either physical or emotional.

And all Jasper stones have protective energy – it’s stone that will protect you from others, as well as protect you from yourself, keep you from making mistakes. It will keep you on the right track. Anyone facing issues of choice between two opposite forces (good and evil) can benefit from wearing this stone, as it will lead you in the right direction.

After this incredible gemstone brings about changes, brings you power, and serves you with protection and courage, it then reminds us we are not here only for ourselves, but to also bring joy and guidance to others. It’s a stone that teaches us how to nurture. In fact, the stone is capable of so much, it seems its power is never-ending. That speaks of loyalty to me…which is yet another quality the stone brings about in the lives of those who wear it regularly. Not only is the stone solid, constantly working for you, and loyal in its efforts, it also brings out those qualities in those who share its space.

So where did it come from? How long has this wonderful stone been around? There’s lots of answers to this – I’ve seen a variety of historical references. But there’s one in particular which resonated with me and that’s because the image created here is synonymous with extreme beauty.

Referenced in the New Testament, Jasper is listed as one of the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem. I’ll quote from the New International Version of the Bible:

Revelation 4:2-4

2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

Revelation 21:10-12

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Revelation 21: 18-20

18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.

19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,

20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

Notice the reference to Jasper being as clear as crystal – Jasper is a microcrystalline variety of quartz. Because the stone contains up to 20% foreign material, the color and appearance of the stone is rarely uniform and doesn’t have the appearance of a “crystal quartz” stone, although I often see clear crystal-like inclusions in different varieties of the stone. Jasper is usually multicolored, striped, and/or spotted. In other words, it has variety – just like us!

Also notice in Revelation 21:19 how it mentions the first foundation of the city walls – JASPER. It is a solid, strong, protective stone…certainly capable of being a good foundational stone to the city walls.

I don’t know about you, but the more I learn about this stone, the more I like it. The qualities it possesses are things I desire in my life. And I haven’t even begun to speak of the multitude of colors this stone can boast! Jasper is an incredibly versatile and beautiful stone. It is found in all colors including: red, brown, pink, yellow, green, grey/white and shades of blue and purple.

Picture Jasper

The organic material and mineral oxides it contains give the stones interesting patterns, bands and colors. Many of these patterns resemble landscapes with mountains and valleys, often referred to as “picture jasper” (above).

One of my favorite jasper stones is called “Fancy Jasper” (below). This jasper varies in color from forest green to burgundy and gold and is useful for general healing and well-being. Fancy jasper brings a lightness to situations, enabling one to lighten up and enjoy life a little more, despite whatever crisis might be occurring elsewhere.

Fancy Jasper

While Jasper stones all have the same underlying qualities, each color of Jasper has additional, specific traits when used alone. You can learn more about specific colors, and how they affect your life, in my free online ebook, Healing With Color.

Medically, Jasper stones have been known to help heal and cure disease, as well as help protect against pain. This is a fact I find very interesting. Especially since I have planter fasciitis in my right heel, and have been suffering with it for almost 6 months. Since I’ve been working frequently with the Jasper stones over the past 30 days, and I’ve been wearing them myself, I’ve noticed an extreme reduction in the amount of pain I’m feeling in that heel! I haven’t changed anything else…I haven’t received treatment for it, I haven’t lost any weight in the last 30 days nor done anything different physically. The only thing which I’ve done different is make more jewelry, and make it with Jasper as a centerpiece. Take that information for what you will – I’m not going to question it, as I’d rather live pain-free.

And here’s one more interesting tidbit about Jasper gemstones - they can help restore a lost sense of smell. So if you once again long to be able to experience a whiff of coffee brewing in the morning, chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, a Thanksgiving Day turkey, or the smell of pine from the Christmas tree, get yourself a Jasper pendant and wear it every day. You just might wake up one day and find something you dearly missed has returned again to bless your life.

New website design

Please stop by and check out the new website design at http://www.jaiart.com! I've been working really hard on it the past 2 days.

Also, everything in my "old" shop here:
http://www.shoppalstores.com/jewelsculptures/
(which is where jaiart used to forward to) is going to be going away. And I don't have room on my regular site (where jaiart forwards to now) to put all of this inventory. So .... all that being said, if you see something at the above link you would like, now's the time to get it! If you'd like to make me an offer on something, feel free...I'll be happy to consider any offers.

NEW! Porcelain Pendants: Dogs, Cats, Birds

I received a great stash of porcelain china cameos in this week, so I spent my day yesterday working with them. I made the following pendants: African Grey Parrot, Chocolate Lab, Irish Setter, German Shepherd, Siamese Cat, and a fantasy design of a woman holding two Macaws on her arm.

New gemstone pendants & porcelain china art pendants too!

First I got on a green kick...this first pendant is Magnetite and Yellow Turquoise...it reminds me of being deep in a forest.


This next one is a Tree Agate stone, with beautiful pine green mixed with snow white, like a pine tree in winter...very refreshing!


This third green pendant is Russian Jade...very lacey...with a more olive green coloring.


And then I needed a little contrast, so I framed up this red Jasper stone. It's VERY striking.


This is a fancy Jasper oval stone with deep lavender, light gray, and a dash of blood red.

And this one I can't even pronounce... Dumortierite, also called "blue denim stone"...definitely versatile and will go with anything from blue jeans to a nice suit.


This next blue stone is lapis blue dyed jasper. Another very striking pendant!


Now we get to the art pendants...I LOVE these porcelain art cabochons...they are just like fine china (but I don't have to cut and sand these myself!). The first one features a blue hummingbird with a red throat, among gorgeous pink and white flowers.


And the final pendant...a white tiger (with blue eyes!) - He just looks so ROYAL...I love him!

A Trio of New Pendants

Actually it was a quadruple of new pendants...however this first one sold before I could ever get it up online...

Turquoise teadrop pendant - above.

Chow Chow porcelain pendant - below.



Rich Autumn Jasper....


...and powerful Amethyst (another teadrop).

New DOUBLE pendants...earrings...

Are you getting tired of seeing my river rock pendants? I'm not. I can't explain it...you just have to see it in person and FEEL IT...but these pendants are so neat. It's like the naturalness of the stones meet the slickness of a sparkling city night. It's hard to explain...it's a FEELING these pendants have. They keep you GROUNDED. They can be worn with anything from sweats to dresses. Just so versatile... :) Today I got explorative and completed a double river rock pendant design. It was tricky, but I finally got it to work! Check it out:


And I love this next pendant...it's dalmation jasper with a turquoise blue/green hue, mixed with inclusions of white and black. VERY SHARP. It framed up beautifully in the solder.

Now these next two were a real challenge. First, the earrings. It's very hard for me to make earrings...to get them identical. Most often, I give up and just let them look different. But that's what's fun about this...the striving...the challenge to get it just PERFECT. Yet, we as humans, are NOT perfect and the jewelry I make reflects that. I think that's one of the beautiful things about handmade jewelry...it's REAL.

This part was the challenge. I got inspired by the river rock pendant...the double stone design worked well, so I thought I'd try it with these yellow jasper teardrops. Oh man, was this one difficult! But you know what's interesting about working with solder? You cannot control it (or at least *I* can't and don't want to, really)...so it forms its own shape and style. This piece mysteriously formed itself into looking just like a pair of acorns I picked up off the carport yesterday. Once I saw that, I knew the design was done. My subconscious had spoken with imagery, and the solder listened. :)


Hope you like these! I picked up some more gemstones today...so I'll have new ones coming all week long, as well as some porcelain art cabochons I've been holding off on revealing...'cuz they are just soooooooo beautiful and I don't want to let them go!

Injoy,
Jai

New Pendants...Gemstones...Lion...Hummingbird Earrings too!

Fresh from the studio! First shown here is a pair of peace stone jasper earrings, each featuring a hummingbird silhouette created with silver solder. Freshwater pearls provide a nice accent.


Here's another favorite piece of art jewelry - this pendant features a porcelain china cabochon set in a soldered frame. I love these porcelain art cabs - they turn out beautiful when finished!


This is a really cool gemstone - actually it's filled with WARM colors of a deep terra cotta red and a golden yellow. The marquis shaped stone is Brazilian Agate and is 30 carats!


And one of my all-time favorites - dyed turquoise jasper...in the oval shape. This one has a deep sage green with a little turquoise, purple and light blue. A nice oceanic mix. :)