Jewelry Art: Japanese Flying Crane Bracelet

 The flying crane has long been one of my favorite themes in Japanese Art.  This bracelet was carved with the crane in flight as its main image:  the crane's wingspread wraps around the bracelet as the bird rises from the water, surrounded by chrysanthemums and bamboo.

The large central stone is an inlaid mosaic composed of African sugilite, onyx and lab-grown opal.  Mounted on top is a rainbow moonstone set in a gold bezel, which is actually pegged to the stone to make it secure.

 

The stone in the body of the crane is a faceted amethyst, cut in a triangular shape, which creates beautiful patterns within the stone.  I think the Trillion shape is one of my favorites.

Completing the composition, carved Chrysanthemums spring up around the crane.  I set two of them with rainbow moonstones, and the third is set with a smaller amethyst.

At the feet of the crane, I carved water with a single lilly pad. On the other side of the bracelet is a carved cluster of silver bamboo.

This is a fairly heavy bracelet, with a lot of silver.  It weighs approximately 150 grams, close to five ounces!  It will fit a wrist about 6½ inches in circumference.  Every wrist is a different shape, but if you wrap a strip of paper around your wrist and mark it where the ends intersect, it will give you a good idea of your circumference.  This bracelet cannot be altered, but I can make one specifically for you!

I have sold a few of these bracelets at the current price of $2500, but with the price of silver going up, that price may have to be adjusted.  The one pictured above is still available at that price!  To place your order for a different size, measure the circumference of your wrist, and call me at the studio directly at (505) 296-1400 - I'll be happy to accommodate you personally.  We'll discuss your preferences for stone colors, and I'll make one just for you.  Or if you'd prefer, drop me an email at David (at) StewartArt (dot) com, and I'll get back to you right away!

DESIGN, PHOTO AND TEXT © DAVID LLOYD STEWART - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Steampunk Jewelry with Boulder Matrix Opal

One of my all time favorite stone is the Boulder Matrix Opal . I really like the earthy aspect of the ironstone with colorful fissures .

Australian Boulder opals are the second most valuable type of opal . Boulder opals are easily distinguished by their layer of solid brown ironstone left on the back of the stone. Boulder opals, as the name suggests, are mined from large ironstone boulders under the ground. Thin veins of colorful opal forms in cracks and fissures in these boulders. Because these veins of color are so thin, opal cutters need to leave the ironstone on the back of the opal to form a full sized stone. The thin layer of opal in boulder opals can display any color of the spectrum in a beautiful play of colors.

This is the second most popular picture of my flickr account. I also have the photo in my Deviantart account . It has a very nice green flash .

Steampunk ring Matrix Opal by *CatherinetteRings on deviantART

This is a preview of the next arrival .

This is a ring i just made with a boulder matrix opal :

Steampunk Jewelry : Ring with Boulder matrix opal

I just finished to make a new variation of my steampunk rings . I have found a way to set larger size of beads . It takes a longer time to make but the result is very interesting . I really like the boulder matrix opal because they really fit in my concept .

Relic of earth




Do you have an idea to give this ring a name ?

Stunning Previews : boulder matrix opal for my steampunk rings

Finally i could order a few Boulder matrix opal beads that i will receive shortly . I get them from Australia so it may take about 2 weeks . This time i have different size and also some extremely incredible gemmy beads . I will make 3 design of rings with them depending on their size .The first model i will make is the one just like in the ring that i have made with a green resin vintage filigree beads from the 1960's .

In this model I will be able to use the following 3 stones :




The next model i will make with one of the smaller bead. I will make it like this ring that i made with clock screws . I also ordered 1 pound of clock gears and screws for that purpose.


In this model i will use this gorgeous purple fire bead.



The next model that i will be able to make is my original steamed rings Like this one below:



I got this amazing piece with an absolutely stunning flash .





The last piece is this cube . I will make a pendant with it :

The price of these rings with this new arrival of Opal will range between 95 to 250$

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade CatherinetteRings.etsy.com

Steampunk Gemstone Rings

I recently discovered some amazing gemstones that we will include shortly into our steampunk design .

We currently have a few semi-precious stones that we can use for a centerpiece.

Semi-Precious Stones

Natural Carnelian (Light white to Light Orange)
Mysterious Amber

Africa petrified Opal (Green)
Indian Agate (Green)
Moss Agate (Green)
Green Fire Agate
Wild Black and Dream Agate (Dark,Light Brown,Orangy)
Black Onyx (Black)
Hematite (Black Silvery reflective)
Red Coral
Leopard Skin Jasper
Leopard Fur Jasper
Claystone (Sand ,Tan,Coffee)
Garnet (Dark red)
Moonstone
Yellow Tiger Eye
Red Tiger Eye
Golden Rutilated Quartz
Black Rutilated Quartz
Multi Rutilated Quartz
Seraphinite
Kyanite (Dark Blue)
Boulder Matrix Opal

You can find these rings in our ETSY shop.

Boulder Matrix opal beads
I only have a few. They are Extremely rare .

SERAPHINITE

The last thing I'm still looking for is Labradorite

Jewelry Art: Scorpion

W-a-a-a-a-a-y back at the beginning of my career, one of my new collectors commissioned me to do a large gold scorpion pin/ pendant. The colored-pencil drawing below is what I came up with:

The black areas would have been carved ebony, inlaid with Australian opal in the center and the left claw, as well as the little stones in the tail segments. It would have had fire agate eyes, as well as turquoise, diamond and coral accents.

Well, as it turned out, the customer had in mind something more "realistic", and wanted me to use some really cheap, dull opal triplets someone had given her. I drew a new design, got approval and did all the goldsmithing by hand, but when it came time to set the stones, I just didn't have the heart to put those ugly stones in my design. I refused - hey, a fella has to draw the line somewhere to maintain his integrity! So this was a piece I had to "eat"! Luckily, I had some really stunning Mexican Opals and Fire Agates to use - the colors of the desert. The final piece was about 4 inches long - really dramatic.

The price on this piece was originally $8,000, but that was a l-o-o-o-o-ng time ago, and it has since found a home with some good friends & collectors. I've had a lot of requests over the years for one in a smaller size, but I haven't made one yet. Call me at the studio if you want me to quote you a price on the first one : (505) 296-1400, or Email me: David@StewartArt.com
DESIGN, PHOTO AND TEXT © DAVID LLOYD STEWART - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED