Shiana - Karen Hill Tribe Silver

Shiana
http://shiana.com/

Our Guarantee
SHIANA provides rare jewelry items and jewelry accessories to our customers. Each item is chosen because it is a masterpiece of unique quality, and has been crafted by people who put effort and care into every element of the piece. We are committed to the quality of our products and the manner in which we deliver them.

SHIANA EXPERTISE
No less than one full decade confirm our expertise in Thai Karen Hill Tribe Silver. SHIANA has dedicated all our resources to popularize Karen Silver from the creation of the first Karen Silver bead. Through our close work with the Karen Silversmiths, the relationship and level of expertise we have established is unmatched. A SHIANA Expert is able to distinguish the work of our Karen silver smiths from imitations and replicas at a glance. Each piece, print, and style has been through our quality assurance process. Our experts are also trained to know all types of tribal silver including Bali, Cambodian (Khmer), and the various styles and markings of Indian silver. In 1995, as the first of today’s Karen Silver pieces were produced, SHIANA created the "Limejuice Standard" -- where we utilize the fact that the acidity in lime is strong enough to clean 100% silver to a shine while still maintaining its oxidized state. This Limejuice Standard has become the preferred way of cleaning Hill Tribe Silver.

Between 2003-2004, SHIANA has also created a method of plating Karen Silver with 24K Gold. This vermeil standard for Karen silver is based on our knowledge of old Thai gold plating methods and the chemical compositions of pure silver. SHIANA is committed to educating the public. If a question arises, please do not hesitate to contact a SHIANA Expert.





Community Goals
SHIANA is dedicated to preserving the culture of our craftsman and artisans. In making our jewelry, we will never compromise their safety or lifestyle. As our business grows, we also hope to increase funding to our many planned projects for the Karen Hill Tribe Villagers of northern Thailand.


Take a moment to visit the Shiana Blog - Karen Village http://karenvillage.blogspot.com/
Karen Village is a Shiana blog about a very special group of hill tribe silversmiths.


Shiana's Mission Statement

The World and Us: Community Mission Statement
The Hill Tribe Silver Program Local Karen artisans who are directly employed by SHIANA make SHIANA Silver. This is standardized silver and is guaranteed to be made from 99.9% pure silver. It has also passed our strict quality assurance and is unique to only SHIANA. Our artisans receive more than the average minimum wage. Through respect and dialog, we ensure not only the survival of this magnificent art, but also the long term welfare and health of our artisans and their families. When buying Karen Hill Tribe Silver or SHIANA Silver, you are ensuring that the next generation of artisans will survive to preserve the works of their forefathers.


Making silver has become a profitable advantage for the Hill Tribe families and an invaluable alternative to growing illicit crops or slash-and-burn farming. SHIANA funds education programs. In association with other charity organizations in Thailand, we wish to see an end to the exploitation of the villagers. Often times, entire villages can be seduced into growing illicit drugs in order to survive. There are also cases of individual families allowing their children to be sent away to large cities for factory work. Many times, they are deceived by the employer, and girls are set to work for the prostitution industry.

As part of our community goal, SHIANA continues to fund the building of schools and training facilities for the villagers. Schools allow us to educate the children closer to their homes. In many cases, children walk miles to the schoolhouse, if there is one available at all. Training facilities are aimed at helping older villagers. Through these facilities, we hope to help the Karen gain experience and employment. The courses range from simple education such as better farming techniques and chicken rearing to mechanic work and tourism hospitality. SHIANA seeks to improve our business in outstanding ways, but we will never compromise the lifestyle or safety of our artisans.


Your Role in Our Mission
SHIANA focuses on sustainability. However, that sustainability also comes from reliability. No man is an island. Every purchase you make is a vote of confidence. Your continued support gives us motivation to fight for the rights of our artisans, as well as our own rights to remain competitive in an industry that does not always welcome fair trade producers.

Diamond In A Pearl!!!!

GALATEA - Jewelry By Artist

http://www.diamondinapearl.com/

Just a quick tutorial for those of you who aren't sure what a “cultured” pearl is...

• most pearls are cultured – even Tahitians & South Seas


• culturing occurs when a mollusk is “seeded”


• most Ocean farms use beads made of shell


• most Freshwater farms use a piece of mantle tissue


• the bead or tissue is “planted” under the mantle – next to the shell


• the mollusk – sensing a foreign object – immediately starts coating the irritant with nacre...rolling it around and coating it until it is smooth

So - let’s take this one step farther...why couldn’t you seed the mollusk with precious gems? Why not indeed...

Best of JCK Las Vegas Gemstones

(By Gary Roskin /JCK Magazine - reprint from Galatea website)

By far the most outstanding addition to the gem world was premiered at JCK Las Vegas 2007. Chi Huynh of Galatea (Jewelry by Artist), located in San Dimas, California, is best known for his Diamond in a Pearl, in addition to his carved Akoya and Tahitian pearls. This year, Chi introduced carved black pearls, exposing the pearl's nucleus. The surprise is that the nucleus is NOT Mother-of-Pearl.

Several years ago, while Chi was carving a Tahitian pearl, he accidentally carved too deeply, exposing the white Mother-of-Pearl bead beneath the black nacre. Lamenting over the fact that he had just ruined a perfectly fine Tahitian pearl, he suddenly got this idea that he could insert gemstone beads into a black lipped oyster, creating a pearl that would be carved down to the nucleus, exposing the gem beneath the nacre.

Chi took that idea to Tahitian pearl farmers who told him that this kind of pearl could not be grown in the French Polynesian Islands. Undaunted by this turn of events, he took the black lipped oyster to waters off the shores of Vietnam. After persuading experts in implantation that his idea could actually work, he attempted to grow black pearls using citrine, amethyst, and turquoise bead nuclei.

Three years later, Chi harvested beautiful AAA quality Tahitian-like (now Vietnamese) black pearls. While it was always his intent to carve these pearls down to expose the gemstone nucleus, he started to question his sanity of carving these beautiful pearls. But carve them he did, and the transformation is remarkable. Carved black pearl nacre over citrine, amethyst, and turquoise nuclei. Galatea has stunned the pearl world.

Finished jewelry featuring the new "Mercy Pearl" by Galatea

_______________________

Just imagine a carved black pearl over a citrine, amethyst or turquoise nucleus! ....OR... a diamond in a pearl!

ABOUT GALATEA USA – THE COMPANY

Galatea is Chi Galatea Huynh
My inspiration comes from nature. I toss a pebble into a pond and watch the ripples gently and pleasantly hypnotize me for hours. I pick up a shell and watch the spiral design travel into my eyes. I watch a child hold a flower innocently in her hands as she watches a butterfly dance in the garden. At these moments nature shares and reveals to us the secret of natural beauty. To me, art is like music, the musician understands key, melody, composition, etc. This enables him to create music rather than noise. Likewise, I have come to understand line, light, shape, color, texture, and the mystic harmony of their relationship in creating music for the eyes. I believe natural beauty is not just based on culture, intellect, or the conditions of life alone. Universal beauty does exist and you can find it in your smile.

Craftsmanship Each design is hand sketched, sculpted, detailed and finished to the highest standard of an old world Artisan, combined with new inventive techniques developed at Galatea.

Metal We formulate our metal to ensure its purity. All jewelry designs are available in 14 karat yellow or white gold . 18 karat and Platinum are available for The Yes Collection only.

Philosophy See the leaves on the vines Seasons changes like life What is truth and pure Will endure the test of time.Galatea carefully chooses is authorized retailers, based in part on their location and clientele. We expect our authorized retailers to use their best efforts to preserve and enhance the image of our originality, artistry and the good will associated with our name and philosophy. “GALATEA” was a statue that came to life, which arrived from Greek Mythology. As an artist, I want my work to come to life.

Trademark Patent #7062940 All Diamond in a Pearl designs come with a certificate to ensure its craftsmanship and authenticity and packaged in a cherry wood jewelry box.

Galatea USA - http://www.diamondinapearl.com

Gordon Uyehara at HonuDream!

Gordon Uyehara

HonuDream
http://www.geocities.com/gtrsolo/index.html


Gordon Uyehara has to be one of the most sharing, gentle spirits on the planet. Several years ago I was “checking out PMC” and joined several forums and Yahoo! Groups...from that experience I discovered this man’s work. His patience with newbies and willingness to share his knowledge in this relatively new medium impressed me. I have since moved on to other media but have always remembered Gordon’s example and have tried to model my journey after his...

From Traditional...




Sun Garden Sanctuary 2 - Why "2"? This second piece was created while writing a step-by-step article for Art Jewelry Magazine (Sept. 2005) based upon the original Sun Garden Sanctuary medallion. My intention was to make the vines more robust but as I became more adept at making coils, I inadvertantly made them more delicate. The original was traveling, so I worked from memory. At least they are no doubt more refined. NFS.

Bio:
Gordon K. Uyehara was born and raised in Hawaii. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. After thirteen years in the information technology field, he decided to take some time off for artistic exploration. It was then that he made the thrilling discovery of silver clay in a local workshop. Still residing in Honolulu, Gordon is a freelance artist/designer and an Art Clay Silver Senior Instructor. Working with silver clay led him to reconnect with an attraction to small scale design and wearable art. His motivation is to create pieces that are familiar and yet interestingly seductive and to explore the outer design limits of this relatively new art form. He is gradually incorporating traditional jewelry making techniques into his work as he learns them. Inspiration for his creations arrives from nature and from the visual and performance artists he admires. Gordon actively participates in local, national, and international juried exhibitions. This Honudream Web site, displays my current creations and some older works. The turtle and world on its back logo is based on a Native American creation myth. It surfaced in my consciousness one morning before I learned of the story.

As an artist, the best thing you can do is wake up dreaming.-GKU

...to Child-like...

Castles in the Sand - The Castles in the Sand pendant is pure silver (kiln-fired silver clay). The main shape is a textured sea shell that encompasses a beach scene. The central sun with polished center rises above sand castles, shovel, waves, and a shiny starfish. Guarding over everything is an audacious little crab. The pendant is treated with a patina to bring out the detail.Castles in the Sand was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2003 Silver Accessories Contest (Japan) and is featured on the January 2004 cover of Lapidary Journal magazine. Show piece only, not for sale.


When you visit his website (http://www.geocities.com/gtrsolo/index.html) – and you finally take a breath – between the glorious fine silver and his modern take on traditional Oriental art - you notice the quotes...I could visit this site for motivation daily...

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."- Degas

...to Fantasy...

Ancient Life - is a silver clay creation with eight arms (or legs) and a 6mm amber eye. It is a stylized version of something that might have existed but not necessarily anatomically correct. Along for the ride is a stylized sea scorpion and some stylized trilobites. A spiral pendulum hangs beneath. Ancient Life was awarded second place in the 2005 Saul Bell Design Award Competition (PMC Category).

....to Political and Environmental Statements....

The Last Forest Spirit - This prototype is being developed into a step-by-step project. The body is pure silver created with kiln-fired silver clay. Sterling brooch findings are soldered onto the back. As the forest loses its many spirits to human arrogance and ignorance, it begins to die.

"A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence."- Bruce Lee

Workshop Schedule:
Yes - you can take a workshop with Gordon – he will be on the mainland for several visits this year!

August 15, 2008, 7pm Metal Clay Lecture Art Clay Society of Orange County, CA Contact Brea Bead Works for more info.

August 16-17, 2008 Cosmic Honu Pendant and Mini-Spoon Contact Brea Bead Works to register! Student Supply List

September 12-14, 2008 Cosmic Honu Pendant and Nature Capture Art Clay World EU Conference West Dean College, UK

November 15, 16, 2008 Workshop with Louise Duhamel Art Clay Society of Orange County and Brea Bead Works Details coming soon!

HonuDreams - http://www.geocities.com/gtrsolo/index.html

Jessica Dow of Different Seasons Jewelry

For the Complete Interview with Jessica see my Jewelry and Gem Artisans Blog at:
http://jewelrygemartisans.blogspot.com/


Jessica Dow with
Different Seasons Jewelry
http://differentseasonsjewelry.com/

If you have picked up the new ArtJewelry magazine you will see there is a new type of feature – the cover pendant accounts for three different techniques and step by step instructions in this issue! This is a great idea as it allows the issue to cover more beginning techniques like bezels while also offering the advanced artists a tutorial on engraving!

The featured artist(s) are Different Seasons Jewelry better known as Jessica Dow and Mark Anderson!!

I have known Jessica for a couple years now and in that time I seen her go from an insecure talent to a confident artist that, through her new partnership, will be a force to be reckoned with!

What type of training have you had? how did you get your start and the progression that got you where you are today.

I started making jewelry after attending a couple of basic classes taught by Joe Hesselgrave at the Parks and Rec center in Tucson Arizona. After learning the bare bones of soldering I opted out of the class and started working by myself at home. At the time I was a single mother of a special needs child and leaving home to attend classes was difficult. I found some used equipment and tools through Kent's Tools in Tucson. I also bought some books such as The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight and Decorative Techniques for Craftsmen by Oppi Untracht. I believe I spent under $200.00 setting up the entire workshop. I was almost immediately drawn to the art of piercing. I love sketching and piercing allowed me to draw my own templates and bring those drawings to life in metal. Piercing has continued to be my favorite fabrication technique.




A year ago I moved to Wisconsin and joined forces with my fiancé Mark Anderson. Mark has been working with lapidary arts and jewelry design for about 8 years. He is one of the most talented artists I have ever worked with.


I started out doing my own lapidary work - cabbing my own material expanded my design abilities and enabled me to work with gems that were previously out of my price range. I rarely cut cabs anymore. Mark handles that aspect of our business which allows me the benefit of custom cut gems to fit my designs as well as more time to devote towards jewelry. It's hard to do it all yourself... working with Mark and my mother Martha has allowed me to focus on the aspects of jewelry making that I love most. I am currently training with Mark in the art of lost wax casting. I have been carving my first wax models and have been observing Mark during every step of the casting process. We have also gotten the tools and materials needed to begin adding enameling to our jewelry.... we're both very excited to begin experimenting with various enameling techniques! Mark is also teaching me advanced gem setting techniques such as channel setting and flush setting. I am excited to watch my work transform and progress as I learn new techniques. I feel I am merely at the beginning of an exciting journey.



Give the one piece of advice you wish you had gotten as a jewelry artist just starting out.
When learning a technique, take the time to learn it the correct way! Once I started working with Mark I discovered I had developed some bad habits with a couple of techniques. I not only had to learn the technique again the correct way but I also found it took me much longer due to having to break my old bad habits. If you are not in the position to get professional instruction, be sure you're learning from a good book by authors such as Tim McCreight or Oppi Untracht.

I remember your first posts to the Yahoo Groups that we were both on - talk about the journey from fabricating your early designs to the commission work you do today - how did you get your name out?

I had been making jewelry for just over a year when I sent a photo of one of my pierced opal pendants to Lapidary Journal's Jewelry Artists magazine along with the photos I had taken during the fabrication process. I never expected anything to actually come of it.... I had assumed only an experienced jeweler with a solid reputation could get into a magazine the likes of Lapidary Journal. Lapidary Journal had been one of my biggest sources of inspiration when I first started making jewelry & cutting gems. I had dreams of getting my work within its pages someday. I literally nearly fell off my computer chair from shock when I opened up my e-mail and saw a message from one of the magazine's editors. She told me she wanted to print an article with one of my pierced opal pendants! I was thrilled and intimidated at the same time. It ended up being more work than I had anticipated but it was one of the best learning experiences I've had within this business thus far. That first article was just the beginning... since then Mark and I have had four full length step-by-step articles published, two gallery features, our recent cover with Art Jewelry magazine and we have another article coming out sometime this fall or winter.



Our "Sunstone Waves" article in Jewelry Artist was actually more of an assignment than a submission. The magazine had an issue coming out with a focus on Sunstone. We were asked to carve and set a sunstone gem in a sterling silver pendant. Mark did an amazing job with the carving and I designed and fabricated a pendant to compliment the gem carving. It was a fun project.


Follow Jessica on:
DeviantArt - http://jessa1155.deviantart.com/
MetalChasers - http://metalchasers.com/Different_Seasons_Jewelry
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/jessa1155
Facebook - http://www.myspace.com/jessa1155
Xanga - http://www.xanga.com/Jessa1155

Judaica by Ruth Shapiro

http://growingupjewish.com/ 

Writing this post has taken me longer than most – first because Ruth is a dear friend of mine, second because I don’t know anything about Judaica. So when looking at an object, while I could appreciate it’s artistic value, I had no idea what the object was or how it was used. So this became a learning journey and I am taking all of you with me!

Bio - In Ruth's Words:

      In addition to being a Judaic artist, I work as a part-time nursing consultant, in the legal field. I have been a registered nurse, in some very high-powered fields, since 1970. In 1981, I had a serious accident, which left me unable to continue at my previous pace. In 1984, I went to UCLA Graduate School to take a nursing course, but was unable to get into the class I wanted. I next went to Santa Monica Community College to see if they had a similar course, but was instead drawn to a course called "Lost Wax Casting" in the Adult Evening School.

I didn't have any idea what the subject was, but signed up anyway. Those 6 classes changed my life! I was hooked on this very old, exciting method of sculpture and jewelry-making.

At the same time, I had joined the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework, again a strange choice for me. While I'd always liked embroidery and knitting, etc., I'd also hated meetings and anything as sedentary and slow as a sewing circle! Well, the rich symbolism and visual stories I saw at the meetings fused with my new metal-working skills and my first mezuzah cases were made and sold in only a few weeks. Demand grew, and I was pulled along at a furious pace. I had to pull up any vestiges left of my Jewish education, and furiously read everything I could find, always just a step ahead of (or behind) the next project., from mezuzah to yod, to menorah to breastplate for the Torah. I took a few adult school jewelry classes, and added contemporary jewelry to my repertoire. I’ve taken many workshops in the last 2 years, learning more metalworking techniques from renowned artists, but always, Judaica has been my love.

In 1988, I went to Israel to learn techniques from some silver masters, and to enhance my spiritual development. My work has taken me to shows and exhibits all over the United Sates. My mezuzzot are in Israel and Canada as well. A yod of mine even went into space!

Until a few years ago, I always felt that I'd "ride the wave" as far as it took me; that I was somehow "supposed to be" a Judaic artist. I would keep at it as long as I could keep creating and keep selling. Just as I would start to think about other career directions, a new commission would appear. Just as I think I'll never have another fresh idea, a dream supplies me with a new mezuzah and a new technique. Do I think these events are Divinely created? Of course I do! In the last year, I've come to believe that I will never be "barren". I also don't harbor any beliefs in my own "talent". I believe that I am a vessel, and the spirit of God and creativity flow through the vessel, stay awhile, and move on. I just have to be there and be ready and open.

In the past 15 years as a Judaic artist, my life has dealt me a few curves and twists...a car accident here, a broken wrist there, a few illnesses. Each time, I made some adaptations in my work. Each time, my work grew in a new, unexpected and better direction. Each time, I learned some thing I might not have otherwise seen. Was this bashert?

* Editor’s Note: Bashert: (beh-sheert) destined, fated, meant to be.

Has my work made me more religious? Yes it has. I now collect the work of other Judaic artists. Their spirituality enriches mine. The more I learn in preparing for a project, the more deeply I feel for my religion, and the more I pass it on to my family. I now celebrate Shabbat, and become anxious to create anew. When I feel close to God, I pray. Only in my case, I pray with my hammer, my torch, and my sculptor's tools.

I feel it is a very special gift and privilege to be able to create decorations for the Torah. I was moved to tears the first time I saw a yod that I had made, hung on the Torah. The rabbi talked about the rich tradition of the Torah and the silversmiths who adorned them. He talked about the generations of Jews who would be proud to display them - in no way implying the adornments are as important as what they adorn.

Mezuzah

And you shall write [the words that I command you today] on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. -Deuteronomy 6:9, 11:19

The Mezuzah is a small case that holds a small hand written scroll of parchment (called a klaf). The scroll contains the words of the "Shema Israel" (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) passage, in which God commands Jews to keep His words constantly in their minds and in their hearts. The scroll also contains another passage (Deuteronomy 11:13). The passages are written in Hebrew, and contain 22 lines of 713 painstakingly written letters.

The meaning of the Hebrew word Mezuzah is simply "a doorpost". The Mezuzah should be placed on the doorposts of of every Jewish home. The exact placement of a Mezuzah is on the right side of the doorpost (when entering the home or room), on the lower part of the upper third of the doorpost (or around shoulder height for high doorways). The case should be permanently affixed with nails, screws, glue, or strong double-sided tape.

The Mezuzah is affixed at an angle because the rabbis could not decide whether it should be placed horizontally or vertically, so they compromised. The top of the Mezuzah should be slanted toward the room the door opens into.

Yodim, yad, or Torah pointer, one of Ruth’s was taken into space by a Jewish astronaut, Jeffrey Hoffman, about 10 years ago!

You are not supposed to touch the parchment on the Torah scrolls; some say because they are too holy; some say because the parchment, made from animal skins, is a source of ritual defilement; others say because your fingers' sweat has acids that will damage the parchment over time. Instead, you follow the text with a pointer, called a Yad. "Yad" means "hand" in Hebrew, and the pointer usually is in the shape of a hand with a pointing index finger (I always find this incredibly amusing). The scrolls are kept covered with fabric, and often ornamented with silver crowns on the handles of the scrolls and a silver breastplate on the front.

Jewelry
Drawing from the various symbols of Judaica, Ruth offers tiny mezuzahs, hamsa, chai and star of david for women and men.

Hamsa
The hamesh hand or hamsa hand is a popular motif in Jewish jewelry. Go into any Judaic gift shop and you will find necklaces and bracelets bearing this inverted hand with thumb and pinky pointing outward. The design commonly has an eye in the center of the hand or various Jewish letters in the middle.

There is nothing exclusively Jewish about the hamesh hand. Arab cultures often refer to it as the Hand of Fatima, which represents the Hand of G-d. Similar designs are common in many cultures. Why it has become such a popular symbol among Jews? I haven't been able to find an adequate explanation anywhere. My best guess: in many cultures, this hand pattern represents a protection against the evil eye (a malignant spiritual influence caused by the jealousy of others), and the evil eye has historically been a popular superstition among Jews.

Chai
This symbol, commonly seen on necklaces and other jewelry and ornaments, is simply the Hebrew word Chai (living), with the two Hebrew letters Cheit and Yod attached to each other.

The concept of chai is important in Jewish culture and the typical Jewish toast is l'chayim (to life). Gifts to charity are routinely given in multiples of 18 (the numeric value of the word Chai).

Ruth’s Judaica is available online at:
Artistic Judaic Promotions - http://www.ajp.com
...and on her website: www.growingupjewish.com

The Robert Bentley Company

http://robertbentleygemstones.com

At the Tucson Gem Show each year when the AGTA Show opens my first stop – ALWAYS...The Robert Bentley Company Booth. He has all the cut stones and druzys that other booths have BUT his are in innovative stones and great, bold shapes!

But I think what I look for from this company is “new trends”, especially in beads. Two years ago Bentley introduced some of the most fabulous rough finished Aquamarine – last year the trend was picked up by other “gem bead” companies. Unfortunately they aren’t done in the same way, with the same attention to detail and don’t make the statement that the Bentley beads do!

This is Robert Bentley...

The Man

Robert Bentley began his love affair with gemstones while accompanying his grandfather to rock hound meetings in the 1950’s. He graduated from Pratt Institute in 1972 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting. While he continued to paint and sculpt (he still does today), his fascination with gemstones took precedence and The Robert Bentley Company showroom was opened in New York City in 1994.

Within the environment of The Robert Bentley Company’s extensive inventory of the best quality, best cut colored stones available today, Robert functions as a collaborator, instigator, and cohort within the jeweler’s design process, integrating his extensive knowledge and experience in gemology with an artist’s sensibility.

The Company

For nearly twenty years, The Robert Bentley Company has been working with an international community of talented stone cutters to provide the fine art jeweler with better, gem-quality colored stones. The extensive inventory spans a broad spectrum, from fine facets and uniquely crafted cabochons to natural crystal structures, distinctive crystal surface pieces, fine beads, druseys, and an array of phenomenal inclusions. The Robert Bentley Company is a member of the American Gem Trade Association.


Plate Cut Beads
From the more formal shaped plate cut (above) beads to the frenzy of the thinner plates.

Hammered Beads
Huge gemmy chunks of gemstone with a rough hammered finish – yet still clear, clean and polished!

Faceted Beads
These are some of the most dynamic beads – big beads with large free-form facets that, when used in a necklace would send light to the face.

Tubes
These – especially in Tourmaline and Aquamarine – are my favorites. They look like raw tourmaline and aquamarine crystals that are shaped, faceted (in long facets following the tube shape) and polished. They also offer this shape with hexagonal facets.

Lenses
Crystal clear round lentil shaped beads of some of the gemmiest (is that a word?) material. This is the grade of gem that usually gets sent to the faceters for use in indiviual cut stones.

RARE – this isn't just rare stones, but rare stones cut in beads! ...strands of watermelon tourmaline...



mixed beryl, lapis (polished and hammered)... apatite...

...and hammered Chalcopyrite!

Some Things To Keep In Mind While Viewing Website Photos...from Robert Bentley:

These images do not reflect our entire inventory. Aside from the selection of strands pictured we also carry various cabochons and faceted single stones, surface pieces and many other rarities.Our inventory is constantly changing. While we will add new and exciting stones as we receive them, it is always possible that we have stock which is not represented on-line. These images are intended as a guide, not a complete catalogue. If you are looking for something in particular please

e-mail or call us and we will be happy to assist you.While the images are kept as true to the original as possible, it is almost impossible to create perfect representations of these stones. Please keep in mind when viewing the images that most colors are less pronounced on-line then they are in person.

Contact Info:

Robert Bentley Company - Unusual Stones
E-mail info@robertbentleygemstones.com

Wendy Culpepper

Wendy Culpepper

Contemporary

Handcrafted

Designer Jewelry

http://www.wendyculpepper.com/

Wendy’s introduction to the arts and metals came at the University of Florida as an Engineering and Fine Arts Student. Originally focusing on her strong drawing skills, she traveled to Florence, Italy to immerse herself in a study of diverse mediums. This search for her artistic Muse had her exploring metalsmithing and jewelry design...the perfect blend, engineering, fabrication and the creativity she craved.

Following her heart, Wendy furthered her jewelry education by completing the Fashion Institute of Technology's vigorous bench jewelry and design program, graduating with the coveted honor of top design student. With her jewelry designs and beaded work selling right from her neck, Wendy began to explore an online business for her well-received pieces.

Culpepper’s first experience in the Jewelry Industry came when she joined the product development team at Me & Ro Jewelry (famous for their numerous celebrity clients). Her success in this position encouraged Wendy to look into launching her own line...and in 2005, W. Culpepper was born!

Wendy’s work is best known for her strong, simple carvings, bold statements, wear-ability and classic elegance. Her feminine and balanced pieces have led to a strong clientele and followers ranging from editors, stylists, celebrities and popular personalities. Her pieces have been featured in Lucky, InStyle, Redbook, People, and the Rachel Ray Show to name just a few!

The collections from this artist, range from the strong yet fluid movement of the Paradise Collection to the fun and feminine florals in the Flower of Life Collection and everything between... culminating in the funky organic feel of the Alligator Collection. There is a collection that will suit the mood and style of every woman.

While it is her Jewelry that drew me in, I think it was Wendy’s Artists Statement that spoke to me...below is just a small part of that statement:
“When working on a piece, I tend to have personal battles. I put my heart into my ideas, and I put a piece of myself in everything I do. I tend to be in my work, but as each piece progresses, it’s unusual for the audience to actually see all that I intended. I find that I mask so many of the ideas I begin with. Something in me tends to hold me back from fully exposing the ideas that I want to share. This obstacle is what I am working toward overcoming.”

Infinitely wearable - W. Culpepper can be purchased through their website and in various retail outlets http://www.wendyculpepper.com/