Rock On!

I'll bet you thought I was going to talk about music from my title- nope, I'm here to talk about rocks! Big ones, small ones, shiny ones and tall ones! Being part of the Aspiring Metals Team monthly blogroll makes me think about all sorts of fun things that have happened to me since I became a metalsmith. One is an additction to all sorts of rocks. Some talk to me and I know right away what they want to be, a ring, a pendant, part of a bracelet. Some just want me to look at them, they aren't quite ready to speak yet- they are my babies and I can wait patiently until they are ready to say what I need to hear to create something to show their beauty and allow them to go out into the world!

I'll start with big ones and one tall one. These are some of my favorites because I love the colors and movement in them. The big center cherry creek jasper has already spoken- she wants to be a brooch set on a lovely hand stamped piece of silver with vines and hand made cherry blossoms. The poppy jasper in the upper left wants to be a pendant but hasn't mentioned yet what sort of embellishment will suit. The dino bone (yes- real dinosaur bone) is a very reticent stone- refuses to say anything at all. The Botswana agate on the bottom left and the rainforest jasper have started to babble some, but no real direction for me yet!

Next would be the shiny ones. They talk way to much- me, me, me! They all want to be set in a ring all alone so they can sparkle and shine, catch everyone's attention and be adored. It gets really noisy in my studio sometimes as I head to my stone corner looking for a new project. The loudest of these are the apatite- the pretty blue green ones left front- they know they are loved but still must always be first pick!

 Small ones- I love the little guys, shiny and faceted, rough crystals and polished stones. They come to me knowing they will be beautiful rings and sometimes just want to be held and cuddled. They don't have a lot to say, and seem to be very patient to wait until it's their turn. I look for intense defined color in my small stones. Rings are very special and very personal items for the wearer so they must speak to the wearer as well as to me.

Next are just a few of my favorites. I love stones with pictures or that remind me of something I have seen or read. The Bruneau jasper top left reminds me of the book Dune with dark sky and sand everywhere- what's lurking beneath? The Sonioran Sunrise on top is just that- a gorgeous stone that has it's own internal sun that shines all the time. On the botoom right an Owhee Jasper that looks like a big dust storm rolling through the desert and on the left a picture jasper. A lonely outpost in the desert stands sentinel over the cactus and tumbleweed.



So those are just a few of my rocks. I have a bad addiction to rock, so I couldn't possibly show the all or I'd be hogging up way too much blog space. I also want you to have time to visit some of my teammates to see their beautiful stone collections and read their stories, some will really surprise and captivate you!

The Aspiring Metals Team list of stone addicts is below- have fun reading their stories!
Now if you want to see some really exciting collections, check out these links below of the awesome Aspiring Metalsmiths.

Autumn Bradley - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com/
Clarity @ Scrollwork Designs - http://thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com/
Stacy Low - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Chrissi Lynn Designs - http://www.chrissilynn.blogspot.com
Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Esmeralda - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Steph Stargell - http://www.stephstargell.com
Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/show-us-your-stones/#more-4
Claire - brightstar109.blogspot.com/
AristiKat- http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com/