What You Always Wanted To Know About Shopping Jewelry Supply Gem Stones

When shopping jewelry supply gem stones this is what you need to know:

Gemstones are the naturally occurring crystalline form of minerals. They are desirable for their beauty, their value, their rarity and because they durable enough to be enjoyed for generations. In order for a stone to be considered a gem, it has to be beautiful both in color and in the way it reflect the light.

History of Jewelry: precious gems have been found in graves as old as 20,000 years. These ancient burial sites demonstrate that they were used for adornment and to make weapons.

Folklore and legends about precious rocks have been handed down throughout the centuries, and their beauty has been revered for thousands of years.

The power of gemstones: their history, healing properties and their lore are full of mystery. They have long been thought to have medicinal properties. Chinese, Asian and the ancient Ayurvedic ('knowledge of life') medicine still involves them in their therapies of healing.

The connection between gems and birthdays is both ancient and modern, with legends dating to Biblical times and contemporary traditions begun in the early 1900s and continue until today.
This historical information will help you market the pieces you make after shopping jewelry supply gem stones.

Healing Powers: Stones have been valued for their medicinal properties for thousands of years, and are used as an alternative method of therapy that has earned a prestigious place among the rest of the healing arts.

Each rock has a long list of healing abilities, and some of these powers depend on their color rays. That is the reason that color is so important. Because every color emits a specific ray - and different beneficial effects. their color releases its powers. There are also different meanings of stones for each one.

Formations : Minerals are formed within the earth as a result of certain physical and chemical conditions. Heat and pressure are the main conditions in their formation. Many treasures are brought to the surface by volcanic activities and others are found in rocks and gravels.

For great selection and wholesale prices on precious and semiprecious stone beads, natural pearls, metal findings, and other luxury jewelry making supplies.

Amber is fossilized tree resin which is used for the manufacture of ornamental objects and jewelry. Although not mineralized it is often classified as gemstone because it’s beauty color and rarity. These treasures are some of the oldest in history. In the Baltics they have been readily traded for goods and luxuries.

Bloodstone is a green stone with red spots. It also occurs in shades of dark green with red, brown and multicolored spots. The iron minerals cause the deep red and brown colors.

In the Middle Ages, bloodstone was attributed special powers as the spots were thought to be the blood of Jesus Christ. It was used in sculptures representing flagellation and martyrdom.

Citrine is a variety of quartz whose color ranges from a pale yellow to brown. It is nearly impossible to tell cut citrine from yellow topaz visibly.

Most citrines on the market have been heat treated. Specimens of low grade, inexpensive amethyst or Smokey quartz are often exposed at high temperatures to produce the more profitable orange yellow citrine.

Citrines whose colors have been produced by artificial means tend to have much more of an orange or reddish caste than those found in nature, which are usually a pale yellow.

Buyer beware! There are some unscrupulous dealers and they try to sell treated citrine as the more expensive Topaz. It is important to heck your sources when shopping jewelry supply gem stones

Ancient Jewellery - Brooches

In ancient times, jewellery was used by men and women in all cultures to adorn body. Ancient jewels include pre-Roman and Roman jewels, Greek jewels, Celtic, Saxon, Viking, Egyptian and medieval and post-medieval jewellery articles.

In the period of Greek art, ancient jewellery was more delicate and refined. Enamel and filigree were prominent in that era. Garnets and other large colored stones were used in the center of articles.

Necklaces were gold plated and were decorated with flowers and the earrings were mostly loop shaped. Necklaces with dangling pendants were also quite popular and well-liked. For pendants motifs of winged victories, cupids, and doves were common.

In Roman period cameo cutting and enamel were common and their jewels had a variety of stones set in them, usually in different rows. Fashionable brooches and rings were very popular and rings were worn on all ten fingers. Exotic ornaments made of amber were also in great demand. Gold coined necklaces and bracelets were admired by men and women of all ages.

Ancient jewellery of Egyptians was skillfully produced, engraved and soldered. Inlaid designs were the typical kind of that era. Gold and silver metal was used to make exotic patterns with semi precious stones like carnelian, jasper, amethyst, turquoise, and lapis lazuli. The fashion of wearing two bracelets was followed in ancient Egypt.

In Saxons and Vikings period, bronze, gold, and silver were used to make stylish and exquisite articles. Their necklaces were composed of beads, precious stones, pendants, and crosses. Bronze was used to make fancy brooches, buckles, belt ends, dress pins and rings. In that period niello was a popular method followed for the finishing of jewels. In this method black paste was rubbed on the items to give a contrast to the jewels.

The Celts had a strong belief in the interconnectedness of life, and they reflected this belief through their interlaced jewellery patterns. Celts used silver and gold, and bronze alloy or copper alloy for making fine pieces. Celtic knot work, crosses and Claddagh designs were the most common jewellery patterns.

Handmade Jewelry Artist Micheal Johnson the Power of Cosmic Folklore

What is the source of inspiration for your work as a handmade jewelry artist?

I have a foot in two worlds. One is the ancient world of the alchemist, and the way the world was viewed and communicated. People did amazing things with the materials that were around them. Technology was limited, but they created delicate, intricate works that still amaze us with their beauty.

The other foot is in this high tech world of laser welding, social networking, and iPhones. I remember taking a tour of the US Enterprise, the first space shuttle at the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

I was just a child, but it was looking like we were headed into a world of Star Trek. And, in a way, we have. Cell phones, social networking, and I can get on a plane and be anywhere in the country for less than $200. We haven’t moved into deep space exploration, but we do have a space station with about a dozen scientists from all over the world up there.

The symbology of the imagery in my works first came from folklores, mythologies, and fables. There is this idea that many of these ancient ideas had secrets to alchemy hidden within. Rumplestilskin wove straw into gold. Frogs turn into princes. Mars, iron, planet, god; there is a whole language for alchemy in Greek mythology, for stones and metals.

And, my creative process relies as much on interactions with others on social media, such as facebook and twitter, not in as much marketing but in generating ideas and continuing the story of the work. So, I try to pull in and collaborate with others through the network and cell phones.

So, there is the symbology, the network, and also (last but not least) the love story. Beautiful women have always been my ultimate inspiration. I really left the painting studio and returned to making jewelry when I met her. So, much of our story is also imbedded into the works as well.

Are there any jewelry designers or handmade jewelry artist that you particularly like and admire?
My father was a master jeweler and jewelry store owner. He taught me the skills of repair and fabrication of jewelry.

But, at the time, a jeweler was seen as merely someone who created settings for gemstones that were seen as merely bling and investments, financial investments and investments in relationships. But, he also played with making gold nuggets and such, but mostly I admired his setting skills.

Then, when I returned to jewelry, I was moved by the works of Harrold O’Connor, Bryan McCurtain, and Andy Cooperman. When I saw their works, I knew that it was possible to do something new with jewelry as an art form. I was also inspired to experiment with cutting different stones and playing with the folklores of these stones from the works of Jessica Dow and Mark Anderson.

Do you follow a particular process when you are designing? Can you please describe it.

I sketch, I then make sheets and wire of metal to use in making the piece, I cut the stones, and then make the metal part or parts. The sketching is where the magic is formulated, and my materials start out as ingots and gravel, so that I have total control over my designs. Sketch, sketch, sketch.

What are some of your favorite materials to work with as a handmade jewelry artist?

If money wasn’t an issue, I would work with a lot more gold than I do at the moment, but with the amount of manipulation and time that goes into each one of my works and gold already being astronomically high in cost, it would make the prices of my work unobtainable for all but the wealthiest. But, I really love all of the metals, sterling silver, pure silver, copper, bronze, and gold. They all have different characteristics and present different challenges.

My favorite stones are the ones that create illusions with light, such as opals, labradorite, and various others. I’m on a boulder opal kick at the moment. I just love the way the opal and matrix creates pictures in color and light in the Koroits and Yowahs boulders.

You consider yourself a free thinker? How do you think your philosophical views influence your work?

I don’t make things because I like it. I make things because I have to. Making things and exercising the creative process is my communion with the Great Creator. And, as described in my influences above, it seeps through into my ideas as well.

As a handmade jewelry artist, Michel Johnson brings a sense of alchemy and power into his work. To read more about handmade jewelry artist Michael Johnson and view more of his work visit Cosmic Folklore Studios...