Welcome to my newsletter and a big WELCOME to spring!!

Just like that, spring is here! The frogs have been filling the nights with their courting music, the birds' choir is adding to the sunrise and the ducks, geese, herons and other water birds are back to visiting our pond. Every day when I walk around our property I see new things: the skunk cabbage is now bright yellow, the trees are greening and my fruit trees are beginning to blossom.

And... just like that... it's April, and the newsletter that I began in March somehow failed to get finished until now. Things have already changed outside: a few rhodies and the wild dogwoods are blooming, and we had a visit from a river otter as we walked around the pond one recent morning!

I hope you enjoy this newsletter!

Barbara Kay Jewelry News

I am now in more of a production mode, working on smaller and less time consuming items for my shows coming up - right now for the La Center Arts Fair on May 9. That means that some of the more time-consuming and thought-process involving projects will be put on hold for a little while, although I will try to move ahead with them when I can. I do have a few new things to share with you, which you can see in person if you come see me in La Center on May 9!

Shows coming up:

May 9 - Come see me at the La Center Arts Fair at Holley Park in La Center, Washington. There will be music, good food, art demonstrations and activities for kids, and of course a lot of artists showing and selling their work.

August 7-9 - Vancouver Arts and Music Festival. I have been accepted to be a vendor at this terrific festival. Put it on your calendar - you have three days to choose from! As time goes on, the festival website will post more information about the musicians and artists who will be there. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is a sponsor of this festival, and they will be performing - it's always a great event!

Stone of the Month: Tiffany Stone

I imagine when you hear the name Tiffany, you think of high end jewelry, or possibly fancy glass from the early 1900s. But you may not know that there is also a gemstone called Tiffany Stone. It has no true connection to the Tiffany company, but like some of the older Tiffany glass is rather rare. True Tiffany Stone is found in one place: the Spor Mountain region in western Utah. It occurs as nodules that are part of the Beryllium that is mined at the Brush Wellman Beryllium mine.

No one is really sure where the name came from. One story is that an employee of the Brush Wellman mine named it after a daughter who would collect these pretty nodules. Although it is a possible story, neither the miner's name nor the daughter's name can be found in any written record.

Another story has it that a mineral collector thought these stones had the ethereal beauty of old Tiffany stained glass and named it for that. We likely will never know the real story.

Most Tiffany Stone ends up being crushed and used to produce Beryllium, although pieces have been carried out of the mine by employees, and for a time was also gathered by collectors who on occasion were allowed into the mine. Beryllium is a valuable mineral, and the Spor Mountain region is the only source of processed Beryllium in the USA. Currently, this region produces 70 percent of the world's Beryllium, so it is easy to see why Tiffany Stone on its own is not seen as something to focus on by the mine owners.

Allowing collectors onto the mine has been discontinued now, but there are still pieces out in the world that were collected years ago which are now being made into cabochons.

So what exactly is Tiffany Stone? Geologically, it is considered a rock rather than a mineral as it is made up of many different minerals. It is made up of mostly Fluorite and Common opal and may also include varying amounts of Quartz, Chalcedony, Calcite, Beryl, Bertrandite, Rhodonite and a small amount of Beryllium.

Tiffany Stone will only develop where there is a Beryllium rich source. Bertrandite is the main Beryllium rich ore in the Spor Mountain region. As was the case with many of the stones we've explored, hydrothermal fluids that contained a variety of dissolved minerals combined with the Bertrandite. These fluids were heated through volcanic action, and by the earth's internal heat. As the fluids flowed through cracks and crevasses in the rock, they encountered temperature and pressure changes which caused the dissolved minerals to form solid deposits. Over time, they developed into this beautiful stone.

Two other locations in Utah and one in California have been found that have small deposits of similar stone; all are in areas with other Beryllium ore deposits. Some Chinese Opalized Fluorite may also be (incorrectly) sold as Tiffany Stone, but it is not the same thing. One way to tell the difference is that the colors in Tiffany Stone tend to blend together like a water color painting. The purple and white of the Chinese Opalized Fluorite have strong edges between the colors. I'm sorry I have no pictures to show as a comparison. Another way to tell the difference is that because true Tiffany Stone is quite rare, lapidary artists try not to waste any of it. They will work with the patterns and piece of stone to create unique and often unsymmetrical shapes. The Chinese stones will often be in more mass produced, symmetrical shapes.

Tiffany Stone is most known for the purples that range from very dark to pale lilac and lavender, as you can see in the pictures above. Creamy white is often present - and on occasion even oranges and reds - all depending on what other minerals have mixed in with the Fluorite and Opal.

Depending on that combination of minerals, Tiffany Stone can range in hardness. In general, it is considered on the soft side and is not recommended for rings and bracelets. Tiffany Stone jewelry benefits from a little bit of extra care. As with all opal, avoid submerging it in water. Instead use a slightly damp soft cloth to clean it and thoroughly dry. Keep it away from heat, long exposure to direct sunlight and cleaning products. Because it may be on the soft side, keep your Tiffany Stone jewelry or stone by itself in a bag or pouch where it can't be scratched.

Because Tiffany Stone usually contains a small amount of Beryllium, which is a toxic material, it is important that the rough stone is handled carefully with gloves, and using a respirator while working on it. Once the stone is polished it is perfectly safe and can be worn as jewelry without any concern.

I had hoped to have a Tiffany Stone pendant ready to show you for this issue, but things went a bit awry during the process and I'm having to begin that pendant over... sigh... one of these days you'll get to see it!

Anniversary Gifts of Jewelry

I always know the traditional anniversary time is coming close because I start getting a lot of orders for bronze bangles and earrings. That time is now upon us. I thought, in case you or someone you know is having an anniversary soon, I'd share many of the suggested anniversary gifts. I have only included the years that might lend themselves to jewelry - and since some may not be obvious, I've included a few notes. Although I haven't made most of the jewelry I suggest in the notes, I am now thinking about some of the possibilities.

Let me know if you'd like me to make something special for an anniversary coming up! You can also do a search in my shop for, say, bronze or copper - or maybe opal, amethyst or pearl for example.

I would love to hear from you. Let me know what you think, and what you’d like to see in future newsletters.

Sources used for Tiffany Stone article:

A-Z Of Gemstones - Tiffany Stone Gemstone: https://www.gemrockauctions.com/learn/a-z-of-gemstones/tiffany-stone-information​

Geology In - What is Tiffany Stone, and Where to Find Tiffany Stone: https://www.geologyin.com/2024/02/what-is-tiffany-stone-and-where-to-find.html​

Geology.com - Tiffany Stone: https://geology.com/gemstones/tiffany-stone/ ​

The Citrine Circle - Real or Fake Tiffany Stone?: https://thecitrinecircle.com/en-us/blogs/identifying-crystals/real-or-fake-tiffany-stone​

Geology Science - Tiffany Stone (Bertrandite)https://geologyscience.com/gemstone/tiffany-stone-bertrandite/​