Copper Bracelets

My husband has been encouraging me to make more bracelets out of copper. Copper bracelets are very economical. In addition, they have a different look and feel. Over all, I'm very pleased with how these turned out.The metal is 100% copper, including the toggle clasps.

 

Turquoise Woven in Copper

 

Serpentine Mermaid Bracelet

New Earrings

There was finally a little sunshine today. I got the chance to take some pictures and post a few new items in my Etsy shop. Click on any of the images below to get to my item page.

Black Vintage Glass & Hematite in Sterling Silver

Freshwater Pearls & Peridot Rosary Earrings in Sterling Silver

Freshwater Pearls & Sodalite in Sterling Silver

Amber Jewelry

Young Amber, Citrine, Dyed Coral, & Jasper in Sterling Silver Bracelet

Young Amber & Fresh Water Pearls in Fine Silver Pendant

Young Amber in Argentium Silver Earrings

Young Amber in 14K Gold Filled Wire Bracelet

Amber & Citrine in Sterling Silver Earrings

Amber... or not?

When I think of Amber, I think of that one scene in Jurassic Park with the bug and the needle with the blood. Yeah, I think everyone does. My dad (the crystal/mineral/rock dealer) had a ton of requests for amber after that movie came out -- especially with bugs inclusions.

I'll be discussing golden to brown amber in this article. There are other varieties which can be tackled another day. Please keep in mind, too, that this article is for the general reader or jeweler. There's a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo I'll be simplifying for easy digestion.

GENUINE AMBER - 100,000 years or more

Amber is fossilized tree resin. It ranges from gold to brown. Amber looks a lot like amber colored glass -- either clear or creamy. It comes in a rough form, but when polished will be smooth.

It has more weight to it than young amber -- feeling more stoney and less plasticy. To get to this point, genuine amber must be at least 100,000 years old.

High quality amber is clear -- this is the Jurassic park style, minus the bug. Amber is more desirable with tree branches, bugs, spiders, etc. inside. The more clearly they are displayed, the higher the price for the piece. High quality amber (with or without bugs included) is a costly item.

HOW TO TELL:
1) If you put a match to genuine amber, it won't ignite

2) Amber has about 2-3 hardness.

YOUNG AMBER

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64222648/930-argentium-silver-earrings-amber

Often marketed as young amber, this stone is also ancient tree resin. It's almost amber, but not quite 100,000 years old - perhaps 10,000 or more years too young. Most jewelry artists (myself included) call this stone amber. In the technical sense, that statement is false. However, you can get a lot of the same great quality and color from young amber as you can from genuine.

Young amber is a cheaper alternative to genuine amber. Young amber is also very light, like plastic. It's great on earrings or other pieces where weight's an issue. Generally, you wouldn't want young amber in a ring... more on that in the how to tell section.

HOW TO TELL:
1) This experiment is fun. Light it on fire! Yes, I'm serious. Amber which hasn't fully fossilized will burn and give off a pine-y, tree-like scent. I suggest using a pair of pliers with a rubber grip, preferably outside & over concrete, stone, or some other none-flammable surface. The younger the amber, the hotter it will burn. All you need is a match or two -- please don't get creative.

2) Young amber was used by the Egyptians, Chinese, and other cultures as incense back in the day. Amber incense doesn't really smell like amber, though. Pretty exciting, right?

3) Young amber will become sticky in solvents like acetone and alcohol.

YOUNG AMBER + PLASTIC

If you've seen "amber" like the stuff pictured above, it's actually little pieces of young amber and plastic melted together. Some of the nicer pieces will have bugs suspended inside. They're not ancient ants, they're more like last weeks ants.

HOW TO TELL:
1) Any amber that looks like these two pieces, with little discs, rounds spots, or fractures

2) This amber may burn, depending on the plastic and age of the amber. However, there will not be a pine-y or tree-like scent. It will smell like burned plastic.

PLASTIC

I've seen some pretty authentic looking plastic pieces before. The main way to tell they're a fake is if they burn and smell like plastic, or you can see molding lines. :)


Last Thoughts:
There are many different kinds of amber on the market. Each kind has its own look, variations, and can be carved into a multitude of shapes.

Never be afraid to ask weird questions. I've walked up to a bead store owner before and asked, "Excuse me, have you ignited this amber before?" :)

If the amber has too much going on -- perfect color, lots of bugs, cheap -- it's probably a fake or some sort of plastic/amber concoction.

Always be polite. If the shopkeeper is selling plastic mixture as amber, they probably didn't intend to do so.

Turquoise Pic

Here's another picture of turquoise supplied by my dad. He runs a rock business out of Talent, OR (www.scottsrocks.com). I think this pic conveys, yet again, the varying types & grades of turquoise. See my blog post below for more info on how to tell if you've got fake turquoise.

Turquoise... or not?

FAKE OR REAL?

So, my dad is a gemstone and mineral dealer. We got to talking recently about "fake" stones. These are the mockingbirds of the gemstone world -- cheaper stones that are dyed, heated, ground up, etc. to make copies of beloved favorites.

One of the most copied stones is turquoise. The most popular choice for turquoise substitute is howlite -- a naturally white stone. Howlite matrix (little lines/patters in and on stone) is very similar to turquoise matrix. When dyed properly, howlite is almost indistinguishable from turquoise. In fact, a lot of howlite is sold as "white buffalo turquoise" & left undyed.

One of the issues with turquoise is that it's mined all over the world. There are a lot of different types and varying qualities which all look very different. To top it all off, some turquoise is dyed to enhance color and beauty.

CAN YOU TELL WHICH IS A FAKE?

TIPS - Turquoise VS. Howlite

Matrix
Does the matrix seem too matrixy? Two many lines can mean it's a fake. However, sometimes turquoise does have a lot of matrix patterning.

Pyrite Flecks
Pyrite is a good sign! If turquoise has flecks or bands of pyrite, it's likely the real deal. Pyrite is also known as "fools gold" & is silvery colored. Here's an example of pyrite:

Hardness
Turquoise has a hardness of 6. Howlite has a hardness around 3. This means howlite will be a lot softer & more easily broken.

Dye
The dye is too nice. Most natural turquoise has some variation of color, flecks of metal, or dark spots. Dyed howlite often looks a little too perfect, without enough color variation.

Price. Is it too cheap? If it is, you've likely got a fake. Real, high grade turquoise will cost about 5-10x similar quality turquoise. Cheap, low-grade turquoise is affordable, but high grade can get pricey. However, price isn't always the best way to gauge if you've got a fake. Often bead shop owners will buy howlite thinking its turquoise and mark it up accordingly.

Uniform Color
If all else fails, break it open. I suggest using a sock. Place the mystery stone in the sock, bash with hammer until broken in half. If the stone is dyed, it will be immediately apparent. The inside will be white (if howlite). If it's uniform throughout, you've got turquoise.

Example of "Howlite Turquoise"

LAST THOUGHTS

Please keep in mind that howlite is not the only stone being sold as turquoise. Howlite is simply the most authentic looking I've found. Always look at a bead product critically before buying. I never buy an item unless I'm 100% sure of what I have. Always do your research before you buy. Also, make sure anyone you sell to knows what they're buying, too.

I do occasionally use dyed stones in my work. They're cheaper & if done correctly can be a nice addition. Coral is a great example of a decent dyed stone. Actual pieces of natural red coral are outrageously expensive & rare. There's also some ecological concerns with red coral. However, dyed coral can be a beautiful alternative that costs about $10-20 a strand.

NOTE:
Answer to the three comparison images:
Turquoise, Howlite, Turquoise