Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Ocean Jasper Pendant

ocean jasper pendant sterling

Ocean Jasper is found only one place on earth: the northwest coast of Madagascar. It can only be seen and collected at low tide and only by boat.

Ocean Jasper was named for its location as well how it resembles to the foams of the ocean as it recedes back into the ocean, with its wavy patterns of colors.

I bought this beautiful ocean jasper cabochon from StonesInMotion, a seller on Etsy. It has a sparkly green druzy (sort of like a miniture geode!) in the middle of the stone, which makes it all the more special. And if you look closely at the little orange “eyes” , they're surrounded by green "cogs" making them look like flowers. I wanted to use them as a motif, and tried to replicate them as flowers on the setting. But just like the eyes of the jasper, I didn't make them perfectly symmetrical. I think the assymetry gives them a bit of character.

Too big for a ring (at least for me - I guess I'm not that daring yet), I decided to set the stone as a pendant. It’s still a work-in-progress because I will add a chain when I get the time.

However, I did have time to make some matching earrings, which I'll blog about in tomorrow's post.



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15 Comments:

  1. MrsMartinez | xoxoMrsMartinez.com said...
    You can make it as a cocktail ring since its huge... xoxo
    Contrariwise said...
    It just seems a little big to me for a ring, although I know other Etsy shops offer large Cocktail Rings. I thought it would sell better as a Necklace than as a Ring.

    I wonder if there's really a market for Cocktail Rings?
    Melissa said...
    I love ocean jasper! I think it would make an amazing pendant, but I am sure someone would love a huge cocktail ring too.
    Diana P. said...
    Oh I love it! Actually I would wear that as a pendant or a giant cocktail ring!
    Athena's Armoury said...
    Gorgeous stone, gorgeous piece. Is it sterling? The reflection makes the metal look so warm.
    Contrariwise said...
    Thanks! Yes, the whole piece is in sterling.
    customdesigns4ubynan said...
    what a beautiful stone! Thank you for the info too. I know nothing about stones, and found this very interesting.
    hopestudios said...
    i gotta learn how to bezel set...you make it look so easy! altho i know it's a skilled craft. i too think it would make a very cool ring. very hip.
    Contrariwise said...
    Setting those bezels is still not that easy for me. At first I wasted a lot of bezels, but now I rarely ruin one.

    What took me a while to learn is how to get the bezel to lie perfectly smooth next to the stone, without creases or buckles. For example, this setting: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36697946
    The Fey Haven said...
    Wow this is gorgeous!!
    What a lovely stone and you have set it so beautifully :)
    kathleen grant said...
    i love your work and i would love to know what kind of camera you use and any photo tips.
    kathleen
    Licia said...
    That one is amazing! I seriously want to take the time this next show and find some beauties. They are wonderful stones, more rare every day.
    Contrariwise said...
    Kathleen,


    I have an old Sony Cybershot which is about to die on me. My biggest tips are to use your macro setting, keep the camera steady, and then use a photo- editing program. (GIMP is a good one and you can download it for free.)

    Also, I learned a lot by searching for tips on the Etsy forums and asking a lot of questions.


    Do a search through my blog. I have several posts on tips for taking photos.

    Best of luck to you.
    Contrariwise said...
    Licia,

    Everytime I see an ocean jasper I want to hold it and own it. Each is different and just so lovely.

    StonesInMotion cut this particular cab just for me so it's quite special.
    Split Rock Ranch said...
    This is gorgeous!

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