Welcome to my newsletter! I hope you are all doing well during this holiday season. Don't forget to take a few minutes to breathe here and there - and of course, to read this newsletter! I hope you enjoy it.

Barbara Kay Jewelry News

Upcoming events: I have one local show still this year, and then I will begin the process of photographing and listing all of the jewelry I've made over the summer (unless it has sold at the show, of course). My next and last 2025 show will be held at the Laurelhurst School at 840 NE 41st Ave. in Portland, Oregon on Sunday, December 7 from 10 to 4. This Winter Bazaar is an excellent one, with around 100 vetted vendors selling only hand made items.

New Jewelry: I have finished the three Starry Night pendants that I showed in progress in the last newsletter. As you can see, each stone has its own starry night story to tell.

Top left: This Amethyst Sage Agate pendant features a winter night with a rising full moon.
​Top right: This scene with a Moss Agate features a close-up look at grass and shrubs under a starry sky.
​Bottom row: This pendant features a Starry Night Jasper and also includes a full moon with sparkly rays reaching down over the wonderful landscape in the stone. This is the only one with a cut-out in the back (the agates are too "see-through" for that).

Those Little Attachments!

A number of the visitors to my studio during the Open Studios Tour were fascinated by all of the little attachments I have sitting on my desk. I thought I'd show you how I use some of these little tools - one type in this issue and possibly others in the future.

When I first learned to metal smith I did everything by hand - filing, sanding and even some polishing. But over time, I learned - through my own exploration as well as through classes and online information - how to do a lot of those time consuming tasks using my flex shaft. A flex shaft is a rotary tool, like a Dremel. It is connected to a foot pedal so I can start, stop and control speed with my foot and have my hands free to hold the hand piece and the jewelry I'm working on.

I use many different attachments with my flex shaft. One type that I use for a variety of tasks is made of silicon that is impregnated with an abrasive grit. These come in different shapes and different grits - from extra course to extra fine. Here's how I used a few of them on the starry night pendants:

After soldering, there is a lot of clean-up that has to be done. Some of the oxidation caused by the flame gets cleaned off by the mild acid solution (pickle) that I soak the piece in after soldering, but some doesn't. The pickle itself leaves the silver with a dull white surface that also needs to be cleaned off. And sometimes the flame causes something called fire-stain, which is when copper in the sterling silver comes up to the surface and causes a purplish stain. This is not removed in the pickle, but has to be sanded away.

I use something called a radial bristle wheel to work on some of those issues. It is handy because, since the bristles are flexible, it fits in smaller areas and between things, like here.

This wheel does leave fine lines in the metal, so I will have to smooth those out either with fine sandpaper or possibly a different polishing wheel.

Although the bristle wheel gets in between things, it doesn't really clean close in around things like the stars and branches. So I use a different shape for that - a point:

These points let me get pretty close to the edges of things. I also use points to smooth the insides of cut-outs I might do in the back:

Even though it's covered by the stone, I like the metal behind the stone to be clean and shiny. This is especially important to me when I use agates, since they are somewhat (or very) see-through. Shiny metal helps bring out the agate's glow. The flat end of this cylinder works well for doing a quick clean and shine.

Here you can see the difference between one pendant right out of the pickle, and another that has been cleaned up:

The cylinder wheels are also great for polishing the inside of rings, as well as smoothing the edges; in fact that's really what they are designed for.

The last wheel I use at the very end, after the stone is set and everything else is pretty much done except for maybe a final polish. I use this "knife edge" wheel to remove any rough or uneven bits along the edge of the bezel top. I also use it to smooth out dimples and bumps that may have appeared on the bezel surface while setting the stone.

As you can see, these silicon attachments come in handy and I use them a lot! One bad thing about them is that they do wear down quickly. This picture shows the difference between a point that's been used a few times (and I mean just a few!) and a brand new one.

I have to always be aware of how it's wearing. Since there is a metal rod going through the base of the point, if it wears too much I might find myself grinding the end of the steel rod into my silver - not something I particularly want to do!

Let me know if you found this article of interest! If you do, I'll write about some of my other attachments in a future issue.

Stone of the Month: Seraphinite

What better stone to explore during this holiday season than a stone that is given the same name as an angel?

The name Seraphinite comes from the Greek word seraphim, which means “winged heavenly being”. It may be a little difficult to tell in the picture, but in real life you can really see why these stones were given this name. The stone is usually a dark mossy or forest green with silvery strands of mica that shimmer as the stone is moved. The way the fibers are patterned, and their shimmer, makes the stones look as though they are made of celestial feathers.

Seraphinite is a trade name; technically, this stone is a type of silicate mineral called Clinochlore. This word also comes from the Greek: klino for “to bow” and chloros, which means green. The name refers of course to the stone’s color, and also to the way the fibers are arranged in different angles and “bows”.

Seraphinite was first discovered and written about in 1888 by a Russian mineralogist, Nikolay Koksharov. It was found in an area of Siberia, close to Lake Baikal. This lake is believed to be the oldest existing freshwater lake in the world at 20-25 million years old! Apparently there are lifeforms in this lake that only exist there. Most Seraphinite is still mined in this area, although some have been identified in other parts of the world, including Turkey, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and even parts of the United States. Due to the current situation in Russia, it’s becoming more difficult to obtain true Russian Seraphinite.

Seraphinite was formed through what is called a metamorphic process. This is when existing rocks are subjected to extremely high temperatures and pressures which trigger chemical and physical changes. This leads to the formation of new minerals. The original material that transformed into Seraphinite usually consisted of magnesium-rich rocks such as Dolomite, Calcite or Serpentine. These rocks often included Mica.

As the new minerals cooled and crystalized, the fibrous Mica inclusions were incorporated into the stone’s structure, creating that wonderful feathery look of the final mineral.

This heavenly stone is quite soft. It generally should be used for jewelry that doesn’t get easily hit or scratched. The one piece of jewelry I currently have available that uses a Seraphinite cabochon is actually a cuff; I made it before doing this particular research, which reminds me of how important it is for me to know exactly how hard a stone is before deciding how to use it. I do think the bezel will largely protect the stone, but I will need to advise a new owner to take a little extra care with it.

These stones are wonderful in pendants and earrings, however. This is a pendant I made quite a few years ago with a truly magnificent stone.

If you have jewelry made with Seraphinite, a little extra care will help them stay beautiful for a long long time. Store them separately from other jewelry so they aren’t rubbing up against harder materials. The stone can be washed with warm water and mild soap but avoid using anything acidic, like lemon juice or vinegar, to clean it.

I currently only have a few Seraphinite cabochons and beads (all shown in the picture at the top of this article). I may have to rectify that situation!

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 Seraphinite article:

GeologyIn.com: Seraphinite: Feathery Gemstone, Formation, Uses - https://www.geologyin.com/2017/07/the-feathery-gemstone-seraphinite.html​

Gem Rock Auctions: Seraphinite Gemstone: Properties, Meanings, Value & More - https://www.gemrockauctions.com/learn/a-z-of-gemstones/seraphinite-gemstone​

Kenkengems.com: Seraphitite – Petrified Wings of an Angel - https://store.kenkengems.com/blogs/seraphinite/seraphinite-crystal-meaning-properties​