Rings incorporating stones I've discovered as a result of joining the lapidary club
Topaz in the Rough
A rough piece of topaz, crystal clear with vibrant marmalade streaks, claw set with reticulated and oxidised pieces of silver to the side. One of the old fossickers at the lapidary club brought a huge bag of this topaz to share with the members. A gorgeous pile of cloudy oranges and sherry browns with some cool blues and icy greys amongst them. I didn't do too much to this stone, just tried to complement the natural shape and colour.
Opal in the Rough
Oh how I love boulder opal! The incredible neon greens and blues that jump from a muddy piece of ironstone, the sudden gleams of pinks and apricot as the light travels along the seams of silica embedded in the boulder. I have lots of pieces from Lightning Ridge- it's hard to cut though as the stone is soft and following the vivid seams often led me to lose them resulting in a tiny piece of opal. No expert, I think I'll leave them as specimens to appreciate the vibrant arteries of colour.
Captive Pyrite
Now this is a magnificent unbelievable mineral, it can form perfect cubes and with its metallic gold lustre it is often known as 'fool's gold'. The name actually derives from the Greek word
pyr
meaning
fire
, because it creates sparks when struck by iron.
I have held this incendiary stone captive using five claws with an oxidised finish and burnished silver tips.
Black Magma
It seems fitting to go from sleek shiny pyrite to a burnt coal-black rock riddled with holes. Volcanic lava is formed from magma that has erupted from volcanoes. What drama and violence contained in this strong silver setting.
Stone of the Midnight Sky
The azure blue colour of lapis lazuli has been valued for centuries in jewellery and ornamentation. In ancient Egypt Cleopatra used powdered lapis as eye make-up and the stone has been ground down in medieval European art to create an intense deep blue pigment reserved for the robes of the Virgin Mary.
My brother brought me these pieces from Afghanistan and I have tried cutting the soft chalky stone, marvelling at the rich blue water that runs from the grinder, all that wasted pigment! It takes a good polish but even the rough pieces are gorgeous, some flecked with pyrite.
Chrysanthemum Stone
An unusual stone where crystals of xenotime and zircon are arranged in a radiating flower-like pattern. Held simply in place with a double rub-over bezel and chunky silver ring.