“Low on the Sand, and Loud on the Stone”…

Before I post new work to be added to the Etsy shops tomorrow, and recently completed work,  Etsy has made a few changes to their hosting websites where my shops are. They have recently added the option to change a Shop Name. While my shop for the gauged folks will remain “GaugedbyStasia”, my shop name for my StasiaSalvucci account will now be “TheStrayArrow”, permanently. All bookmarks and URL’s will be forwarded to http://www.TheStrayArrow.Etsy.com

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Tomorrow, in The Stray Arrow shop…

a new addition to the Grave Series, featuring sweet little silver and copper Momento Mori studs:

Also new, an addition to the Stormy Night miniseries in the form of a splendidly fat ring of substantial size and weight, inspired by Alfred Lord Tennyson

This lovely features a square flashly labradorite gemstone flanked by two hand sawed sterling black birds. The back is adorned with a raven and the quote..

“SILENCE FELL WITH THE WAKING BIRD”

from Part 1 of Tennyson’s “Maud; A Monodrama”…

Come into the garden, Maud,
      For the black bat, night, has flown,
Come into the garden, Maud,
      I am here at the gate alone;
And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad,
      And the musk of the rose is blown.
   For a breeze of morning moves,
      And the planet of Love is on high,
Beginning to faint in the light that she loves
      In a bed of daffodil sky,
To faint in the light of the sun she loves,
      To faint in his light, and to die. 
   All night have the roses heard
      The flute, violin, bassoon;
All night has the casement jessamine stirr’d
      To the dancers dancing in tune;
Till a silence fell with the waking bird,
      And a hush with the setting moon.
   I said to the lily, “There is but one
      With whom she has heart to be gay.
When will the dancers leave her alone?
      She is weary of dance and play.”
Now half to the setting moon are gone,
      And half to the rising day;
Low on the sand and loud on the stone
      The last wheel echoes away.
   I said to the rose, “The brief night goes
      In babble and revel and wine.
O young lord-lover, what sighs are those,
      For one that will never be thine?
But mine, but mine,” so I sware to the rose,
      “For ever and ever, mine.”
   And the soul of the rose went into my blood,
      As the music clash’d in the hall;
And long by the garden lake I stood,
      For I heard your rivulet fall
From the lake to the meadow and on to the wood,
      Our wood, that is dearer than all;
   From the meadow your walks have left so sweet
      That whenever a March-wind sighs
He sets the jewel-print of your feet
      In violets blue as your eyes,
To the woody hollows in which we meet
      And the valleys of Paradise.
   The slender acacia would not shake
      One long milk-bloom on the tree;
The white lake-blossom fell into the lake
      As the pimpernel dozed on the lea;
But the rose was awake all night for your sake,
      Knowing your promise to me;
The lilies and roses were all awake,
      They sigh’d for the dawn and thee.
   Queen rose of the rosebud garden of girls,
      Come hither, the dances are done,
In gloss of satin and glimmer of pearls,
      Queen lily and rose in one;
Shine out, little head, sunning over with curls,
      To the flowers, and be their sun.
   There has fallen a splendid tear
      From the passion-flower at the gate.
She is coming, my dove, my dear;
      She is coming, my life, my fate;
The red rose cries, “She is near, she is near;”
      And the white rose weeps, “She is late;”
The larkspur listens, “I hear, I hear;”
      And the lily whispers, “I wait.”
   She is coming, my own, my sweet;
      Were it ever so airy a tread,
My heart would hear her and beat,
      Were it earth in an earthy bed;
My dust would hear her and beat,
      Had I lain for a century dead,
Would start and tremble under her feet,
      And blossom in purple and red
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New to the gauged shop tomorrow…
one pair of 10 gauge faceted rainbow moonstone ornate plugs
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one pair of 4 gauge Stormy Night plugs with black pyrite fool’s gold
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and these:
12 gauge dangles for tunnels that feature a MATCHING PAIR of natural, genuine,
White Buffalo Turquoise
These lovelies have been oxidized, brushed and filed for serious contrast and are a comfortable weight so that they will swing in the most amusing arc, and still not weigh your ears down in the slightest…
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Recently completed is a necklace made with a turquoise I had posted in recent months…
featuring a museum quality webbed piece of natural Pilot Mountain Mine Turquoise, a cabochon of Kings Manassa Mine Turquoise, and four beautifully micro-faceted genuine emeralds…
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check the shops out tomorrow (Wednesday) for new goodies!
xx Stray Arrow

The Fire Still Burns…

Not only do I have new jewelry pieces to share before they hit the Etsy shops on Tuesday, but I also have a short story for you all, which will be at the end of this post….

I have been banging out made to order items and commissions, while at the same time making a few new pieces in time for Samhain (All Hallows Eve/Halloween). As always, silver skulls are aplenty. Now, I am currently working on expanding my “Stormy Night” Black Bird series in the Gauged by Stasia shop. These feature gem and silver plugs with 3D black crows or ravens that spread their wings from the gems. This style will also be on a ring within the next few weeks…

Story Night Part Two. 00 gauge. Larvikite gems.

New to the Jewelery shop are more bronze skull dangles, and a new series…

The new series is “The Grave Series”, based on Old Puritan gravestones in New England. Many of these graves would feature skulls flanked by angel wings at stone headers, with the phrase “Momento Mori”. This is a modern term for R.I.P.=Rest In Peace, and literally means, Remember Your Mortality. This doesn’t have to be interpreted cryptically. Momento Mori could just be a little boost to appreciate all and everything. The Puritan gravestones were all carved by hand back in the day, and each one has a unique (some goofy) expression. Each piece of this new mini series will have its own personality, hopefully you can find one that suites your own….

currently there are one pair of plugs, and this necklace in the series. Coming soon are more plugs, necklaces and rings….

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IN OTHER NEWS:

My artist friend Tory, of Tory Nova Couture,has recently made some new goodies for Halloween as well. These are just too adorable and delectable not to share! Illustrating different skeletons and monsters she has created the perfect quick costume idea: unique and humorous quality pull over masks. These cuties come in kid and adult sizes, perfect to snag you the “coolest grown up” award! These are illustrated 360 degrees…check them out in her ETSY shop : http://www.torynova.etsy.com

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Well folks, I believe its story time…

As I have posted before, “Atsenhaienton” is translated to “The Fire Still Burns” in Mohawk Iroquois. This is the name of a mini jewelry line I had started with a pair of dangles featuring genuine wampum. From these dangles sparked interest, and now one pair of plugs has been made in this style, another is in the works, and talk of a possible Atsenhaienton necklace may come into being.

Each piece of this collection highlights a little shard of a history. Whether it be your own or another’s, histories and mythologies can be how we define ways of life and being and seem to always stay with us.

From this inspiration, I have made a ring based on one of my favourite Iroquois tales (specifically Seneca Iroquois, or Haudenosaunee). Please note that although I am an enthusiast, I am not a scholar or…known for my accurate spelling. The names in this tale are phonetic, and are approximate…

Ga-oh, Spirit of the Winds, chose his aids from the terrestrial because of their knowledge of the earth; and when his reverberating call had ceased its thunderous echoes, he opened his north gate wide across the sky and called Ya-o-gah, the Bear.

Lumbering over the mountains as he pushed them from his path, Ya-o-gah, the bulky bear, who had battled the boisterous winds as he came, took his place at Ga-oh’s gate and waited the mission of his call. Said Ga-oh, “Ya-o-gah, you are strong, you can freeze the waters with your cold breath; in your broad arms you can carry the wild tempests, and clasp the whole earth when I bid you destroy. I will place you in my far north, there to watch the herd of my winter winds when I loose them in the sky. You shall be the North Wind. Enter your home”. And the bear lowered his head for the leash with which Ga-oh bound him, and submissively took his place in the north sky.

In a gentler voice Ga-oh called Ne-o-ga, the Fawn, and a soft breeze as of the summer, crept over the sky; the air grew fragrant with the odor of flowers, and there were voices as of babbling brooks telling the secrets of the summer to the tune of birds, as Ne-o-ga came proudly lifting her head.

Said Ga-oh, “You walk with the summer sun,and know all its paths; you are gentle,and kind as the sunbeam, and will rule my flock of the summer winds in peace. You shall be the South Wind, Bend your head while I leash you to the sky, for you are swift, and might return from me to the earth”. And the gentle fawn followed Ga-oh to his great gate which opens the south sky.

Again, Ga-oh trumpeted a shrill blast, and all the sky seemed threatening; an ugly darkness crept into the clouds that sent them whirling in circles of confusion; a quarrelsome, shrieking voice snarled through the air, and with a sound as of great claws tearing the heavens into rifts, Da-jo-ji, the Panther, sprang to the gate.

Said Ga-oh, “You are ugly and fierce, and can fight the strong storms; you can climb the high mountains,and tear down the forests; you can carry the whirlwind on your strong back, and toss the great sea waves high in the air, and snarl at the tempests if they stray from my gate. You shall be the West Wind. Go to the west sky, where even the Sun will hurry to hide when you howl your warning to the night”. And Da-jo-ji, dragging his leash as he stealthily crept along, followed Ga-oh to the furthermost west sky.

Yet Ga-oh rested not. The earth was flat, and in each of its four corners he must have an assistant. One corner yet remained, and again Ga-oh’s strong blast shook the earth. And there arose a moan like the calling of a lost mate, the sky shivered in a cold rain, the whole earth clouded in mist, a crackling sound as of a great horns crashing through the forest trees dinned the air, and O-yan-do-ne, the Moose, stood stamping his hoofs at the gate.

Said Ga-oh, as he strung a strong leash around his neck, “Your breath blows the mist, and can lead the cold rains; your horns spread wide, and can push back the forests to widen the path for my storms as with your swift hoofs you race with my winds. You shall be the East Wind, and blow your breath to chill the young clouds as they float through the sky”. And, said Ga-oh, as he led him to the east sky, “Here you shall dwell forevermore.”

Thus, with his assistants, does Ga-oh control his storms. And although he must ever remain in his sky lodge, his will is supreme, and his faithful assistants will obey.

All text of this tale was taken verbatim from a version written and translated by Harriet Maxwell Converse (Ya-ie-wa-noh). Converse lived  and studied with Seneca in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s.

This ring is simply made with sterling silver, patina, and a beautiful little round wampum featuring both its purple and white colouring. Four arrows have been stamped to represent the four wind directions. The ring band is stamped with “Atsenhaienton”…

check back to the Etsy shops Tuesday for these new items, and more…

and…coming soon…

THIS GUY:

xx Stray Arrow

“In The Golden Air”…

Well, I have returned and the Etsy shops are back in action. The final batch of “made to order” items purchased while I was away will ship out Monday at the latest. Commissions will be resumed this weekend. For now, a few of the pieces recently completed that will hit the shop Sunday evening…

Men’s Water Feather Ring– featuring a piece of high grade turquoise from the Kingman Mine with pyrite in it that I acquired in Bisbee, Arizona. This lovely has been stamped with feathers like my “Feathered Bands”. A perfect rugged piece for the gents who dig the Southwestern look.

In The Golden Air“, a necklace for the month of October. The quote is from William Cullen Bryant’s poem “October”. This necklace shall be part of the Romantics Line. It features a beautiful crazy lace agate with swirls that look like orange flowers towards the bottom. A green gem and faceted rainbow moonstone follow bronze and silver leaves up the chain. A little oak leaf has been sawed out in the back, to let the beauty of the stone come through….

And, for the Gauged Folks…

its time to gear up for Hallows Eve!

Ruby Saucer Blood Droplet plugs…these little *garnet gemstone* guys are currently made in a 10 gauge, but can be made in any size up to 1/2″…

and of course, skulls aplenty in any gauge size…

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Now for some new gemstone and rock goodies, all up for grabs for custom orders:

RUBIES!

also, everyone’s favourite: Herkimer Diamonds

and last but grandest, a superb olive coloured natural turquoise from the Crow Springs Mine, a perfect oval size for ring, bracelet or necklace:

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Well, thats it for now folks. Thanks for all the patience while I was away. Expect frequent blog posts, NEW Halloween packaging, and plenty of new pieces to celebrate the upcoming Samhain on the way!

in the meantime, I’ll be taking a break from the sweets I’ve been surviving on the past two weeks….maybe…

xxStray Arrow

Neglect

I have truly been ignoring updating this blog of jewels, life, and any imaginative light bulb moments.

Throughout the past few weeks I’ve been struggling to find time to create new goodies for both Etsy shops-and only just now have some fresh bling to share! Being a “one woman show” not only entails creating and photographing items to list, but commissions (convos, sketches, etc.), packaging-cards, decorating parcels, networking, supplying boutiques, and add to that gem/stone hunting and an actual day job and we get a burnt out Stasia. While both of my shops are not taking on any commissions this month (thank you for your patience!), I have literally spent the whole month *catching up* on commissions and finishing them. Don’t even think about interpreting any of this as complaining! The only things that may be sad here are my fingers. I love personalizing and creating for specific moments. I also love to brainstorm more on all the half finished projects in the corners of my studio. I find the pieces I let sit around in stages the longest always come out the best.

What I am essentially building up here to, is a break. *NOT* a break from my beloved Etsy shops, but a vacation for next month. Between September 3 to the 16th, I will be on retreat in Europe with an artist friend. During this time, *my shops will remain open*. Anything purchased between these dates will ship out Monday September 19th. I will be posting this little reminder on EVERY single one of my listings so there is no confusion, as I know many “laid back” folks like myself occasionally won’t read a full shop announcement, etc. During the vacances, I won’t have constant internet access, so I will answer convos whenever it is possible.

I shall come back relaxed, ambitious, and full of new shapes, colours and concepts floating in my mind. I will also have time to do some concept sketches to build my Romantics Line and start a new line that I’m planning for the near future, called the Atsenhaienton” line, which loosely translates to “the fire still burns” in Mohawk Iroquois (i.e. Kanien’gehaga). For most that don’t know, the word “Mohawk” is actually an Algonquin word meaning “MANEATER”…these tribes didn’t get along much. This jewelry line will be semi rooted in the revival of lesser known Native myths, theories, quotes, etc., and feature stones and gems that either reflect on the history or landscape of the specific myth/concept the jewelry piece is based on. I want to create something that will be cherished, rooted in history, and enjoyed by anyone who appreciates learning and sharing.

AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU, NEW PIECES

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Lab Created White Sapphire, 14k Rose Gold Fill and Sterling Stackers:

these lovelies will be made to order in your own size, I currently have 3 sapphires in stock (all roughly 1-1.3 carats)

^Sweet Kings Manassa Turquoise Posts with 14k Gold bezels

^The Holy Dirt Necklace:~

This necklace features a beautiful blue chalcedony teardrop gemstone, a nice clean slice of stalactite, a NATURAL microfaceted Columbian emerald gemstone, and soon some other mini gemstone goodies. It is 80% finished! Chain length to be adjustable. The stalactite rests in a “dirt mound” of PURE, FINE SILVER that has been sanded, oxidized, chemically patinaed, buried, and beaten to literally resemble pebbles. The finish on this is fantastic in person. I love the idea of putting dirt on a pedestal, the primordial goo still exists in us all, and comes out from time to time when we walk outside barefoot, and roll in the leaves. Celebrate it!

^ The Siren Ring:~

This ring features a stunningly deep natural variscite stone from Nevada, Southwest. The patterning looks exactly like thick seafoam in the deepest green oceans pounding each other in a storm. The bezel of this ring is highly polished (Not my usual!) while the back and ring band remain oxidized, sanded and rustic. The patina is protected by a museum quality jeweler’s wax.

Also in mid-production are new WAMPUM earrings. I have gabbed about wampum a lot in earlier posts, I can’t get enough of it.

These are part of the new Atsenhaienton line…:~

featuring mini natural genuine wampum shell beads in sterling jump rings and oxidized chains. On one earring mini sawed out circles are stamped with “WAM” on the other earrings “PUM”. To be added are sawed out silver arrows and my jeweler’s tag on each earring..

~~~**FOR THE GAUGED SHOP**~~~

6 gauge lapis lazuli (GOOD stuff! not denim lapis) plugs in sterling, and 6 gauge Pilot Mountain Turquoise set in 14k bezels with sterling. These turquoise lovelies are natural, high quality, and have the most BEAUTIFUL water webs…

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NEW ROCK GOODS

Columbian microfaceted emeralds, White Buffalo ribbon cut natural Turquoise, and mini Royston Mine Turquoise ribbon cut-matching pair for gauges! These would work for anything 10 gauge-0 gauge, or anything 00 gauge and up with a border or design around them.

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NEW ITEMS WILL BE IN THE SHOP THIS TUESDAY NIGHT!

xx Stray Arrow

Friday Night Preview

For *some* of the items coming this Sunday….

Kings Manassa Mine Turquoise Rings:

 

 

US SIZES from left to right: 7, 5.5, 7 to 7.25…..also soon to be made for Sunday’s update are size 8 and size 9 versions!

 

DRAGON AND CROW MESSENGER BRACELET: to be finished in an oxidized/bright fashion! Featuring a nice piece of Crow Springs Mine Turquoise…see the other side on Sunday 😉

 

Now as most if not all know, being an artist is all about growth. The more you do, the better ya get. So I’m going to be taking old pieces I made a while back (pendants) and reworking them to be better than ever! Here are the goodies now, see them hung up all over again Sunday:

 

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New goodies for the gauged folk:

currently made are prehnite gemstone 2 gauge sterling plugs and 6 gauge faceted rainbow moonstone with silver bullet drop plugs (oxidized). More to come!…Including a super special pair of the new “Stormy Night” styles with 3D silver crows! Additionally more dangles for tunnels. Check ’em out in the gauged shop Sunday (GaugedbyStasia.Etsy.com)

 

Well, that’s it for now! Here are some recently (y’know. today being the recent) finished commissions: 

1/2″ baltic amber and carnelian gemstone silver plugs:

The carnelians are to be added to the shop as a “MADE TO ORDER” item in gauges 0-1/2″.

 

Last but certainly never least, a picture of a necklace I made for a friend’s birthday. This lovely features a hefty piece of genuine wampum, with silver arrow and tear drop tags, and an iolite gemstone silver clasp in my signature style!

 

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Freyja and I bid you adieu 🙂  have a wonderful weekend all, check the shops Sunday during your afternoon tea time! 

 

 

 

 

Tucson Turquoise

So I found more gems than I could have hoped for, Tucson was an absolutely divine blast! I met the nicest people there and was able to track down stones from some really rare kickass mines.

Here’s a little (but heads up! long…) taste of my treasures and some info on the different turquoise mines, so you know how incredible these finds are and why I drooled over everything the entire trip!

~*if you see any stones you’d like for a custom piece, email me*~

#8 Turquoise Mine

The Number Eight Turquoise Mine is in Nevada, USA and was mined in the early 1900’s until its depletion- no more of this stuff is coming out of the ground! It is famous for its extreme spider wedding matrix, and the deeper the blue in the golden brown to black matrix-the higher the quality. These are the two that I found and adore-perfect for rings or necklaces~

Apache Mine Turquoise~

Now this is a mine I’ve barely heard of and didn’t expect to find at all-this super nice couple after hearing I was hunting for turquoise dug through all their cabs to show me their lot-what sweeties. These two were so nice I had to scoop them up! The Apache Mine is known for its green turquoise in black matrix, and is still operated today but is a very small mine so not much is produced.

Alright….so can I just say…HOLY CANOLI. When I saw this rock I just had to grab it, it is magnificent. This other couple had cabs (stones for bezel setting in jewelry) that they cabbed themselves, knew and had all the mines labeled, and were so nice in helping me pick things out. I found great stuff from them but these next two stones I fell in love with…

~MORENCI MINE TURQUOISE~

This mine is rare. Rare, rare, rare. It is mined in Southwestern Arizona, USA. It is known for its light blue turquoise and black pyrite (fool’s gold) mixed in that often looks like silver when polished. It is so well known because, not only is it one of the first turquoise mines to come on the market, but it is completely depleted and hard to find! This stone is beyond perfect and has a tone of pyrite in it, there are no fractures or divets in the stone and its got a great polish…This is 1 of 3 Morenci Mine turquoise stones I’ve found in my 4 years of obsessing and hunting down turquoise…

Another stone I got from this couple is this great cab, from the rare

Turquoise Mountain Mine Turquoise~

Mined in Arizona, Birdseye turquoise and Turquoise Mountain turquoise come from the same mine. This mine has been closed since the 1980’s, and thus is hard to find…this stone would make a killer “statement” ring…

Another vendor there that I stumbled upon towards the end of my trip was this rad fella named Casey of lovenlifedesigns.com (CHECK IT OUT!). I swear I was drooling over everything, the stones were so nicely displayed and cut/polished it was grand. The next photo are turquoise stones all from him-numbers 8&10 are from the Royston Mine, and the rest are CRIPPLE CREEK!!! For the 99% of you who have no idea who I’m on about, get excited. This wasn’t even on my hunting list as I never expected to ever find any. Ever.

~Royston Turquoise Mine~

Royston is actually a district that contains 3 different mines in Nevada. Royston mines, along with the Pilot Mountain mine, are known for their extreme color variations. Blues, greens, rusty bronze browns and dark colors spin together with or without matrixes to make these lovely stones look like landscapes (you can see why this painter *loves* these mines). This turquoise is still being mined today and continues to be one of the most popular!

~CRIPPLE CREEK TURQUOISE MINE~

Cripple Creek turquoise is actually found in Colorado, USA. It is a by product of some small gold mines, and yields turquoise from light green/blue colors with the occasional darer blue/green matrix. This is the only Cripple Creek turquoise I have found. These lovelies are sublime sizes for rings!…

The Cripple Creek Mine Turquoise hunk below is *mine*, but I just had to share…

Now for some mini turquoise. These rocks I specifically picked out in pairs for gauged plugs (stretched ears) or earrings. These stones I got from the nicest older man named Jim, who’s set up was right next to Casey. He had a fantastic collection and I must’ve spent over 1/2 hour going through everything and came back the next day for more. I love nice people who dig talking about the rocks and the mines, theres always more to know

~Fox Mine Turquoise~

The Fox Mine is one of Arizona’s biggest producers, and also known as Cortez turquoise. It is rare, and comes in all colors with and without a matrix. These little ones I picked out are more of a teal green color that remind me of deep variscite stones…

More assorted turquoise from Mr. Jim…all but #20 is from the Royston Mine, #20 is Morenci Mine with a little flash of pyrite. #21 has a great tiny spider web and #19 is rare as green green turquoise doesn’t show up much anywhere…

Another find from the couple I got the large Morenci Mine and Turquoise Mountain Mine pieces from is this pair of Royston Boulder Cut turquoise stones. “Boulder cut” turquoise is extremely popular and doesn’t refere to the mine its from but the style. It is a vein(s) of turquoise through another rock matrix, often leading to funky and unique designs. This pair is perfect for earrings or gauges…

So those are selections of the turquoise treasures I found…yes there are more…but those are just for me, or for later! I was surprised to find a multitude of other gems at the many gem shows in Tucson. I found some really great and rare stones there, so here are a few of those goodies too!

more labradorite, because everyone loves the flashy “butterfly wing” stones. These are perfect for fat cocktail rings…a little tip-the more blue the flash, the higher the quality!

Crazy Lace Agate-a favourite of everyone, this one has great clear formations and coloring, love love love it-but a little too pink for me, so it can be yours 🙂

TOURMILATED QUARTZ GEMSTONE

This is so wicked. Really. This faceted gemstone is a quartz, featuring slices or “needles” of black tourmaline within it. This rock is NATURALLY like this, and rare for this many needles in this clear a matrix. Usually you’ll see golden rutilated quartz, but the black stuff is hard to get man.

The big reason I’m going to remember the vendors Casey and Jim for awhile is because of their killer selections. Vendorman Casey had WAMPUM. Yeah, wampum. What the heck is the New England beauty doing in the Southwest? Most likely traded. Let me explain…

Wampum is carved from the quahog clam shell found on the shores of the East Coast. If you don’t know about it, but have heard the word before, you may have been told in was like “Native American Indian money”. Nope. It was only thought to be used financially because the Europeans assumed so from the importance the Natives bestowed upon it. The carved wampum has actually been used for hundreds of years as trade, or for treaties. It could be strung into beaded strings called “condolence strings” for a mourned one, or expertly beaded into belts-famously known and seen in many museums- for peace or war treaties between tribes. Although used by many different Woodlands (Eastern) tribes, it is most famously seen used by the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee). The Iroquois Confederacy consists of the 5 tribes of the eastern longhouse-one tribe for each beam, or one tribe for each part of the “Hiawatha belt”. The tribes are (in the Europeanized names and spelling): Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk (me!). I could go on for hours gabbing about the two origin stories of wampum and the different museums it is kept in, but for the sake of making this post not quite long enough to make your eyes blurry I’ll refrain!

Needless to say, you can hardly EVER find it. Oh sure, people make imitation wampum out of glass, but it looks nothing like the real thing. It is harder and harder to find true Native wampum carvers anymore, and I know of only 3 existing in Massachusetts. Not only did vendorman Casey have 3 wampum pieces, but instead of just polished shell, they were beautifully formed cabochons….! The white color in the shell stands for peace, the purple for war~these cabs are 50/50 for perfect beautifully colored balance…

Now vendorman Jim also had some rocks that got my in a tizzy. He had wild horse magnesite. Wild horse is another popular and rare stone from the Southwest (Arizona) and its seen in a lot of Native American Indian jewelry. This type of magnesite is essentially magnesium mixed with carbonite. These colors are reminiscent of the Appaloosa horse and thus its name. The higher the quality of this stone, the more the brown and white matrixes are defined from eachother. I love love love it, it reminds me of drums and thunder and tree bark…

All great stones, all great quality, all rare, all here for custom work…I’l be using these for designs soon to be found in my Etsy shops, so if you see something you like and can envision on yourself, don’t be quiet for long!

 

Also coming soon-GOLD BEZELED GEMS, AND GOLD “NO-SEE-EM” STACKING RINGS!!!