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Barbara Kay Jewelry News

The Clark County Open Studios tour is now over for this year. I had a wonderful weekend, meeting new people and also spending time with a few returning visitors. I do love talking about my passion for metal-smithing and creating jewelry.

I have one more live event this year: The Laurelhurst Winter Bazaar, which will take place on December 7 from 10 to 4. The bazaar is at the Laurelhurst school - 840 NE 41st Ave in Portland, Oregon. It's a terrific bazaar - all of the vendors are vetted, and all things sold are hand made and of good quality. It's a great pre-Christmas bazaar!

Audience Participation and Challenges

One thing I love to do at the studio tour is to include visitors in my creative process. It's hard for me to find a way for people to actually "do" something with the tools, so I ask them to participate by choosing my next projects. This also challenges me as I often get ideas and stone choices that I might not select myself.

I offer three ways to give me my idea challenges. I randomly choose cabochons (shaped and polished stones) from my collection. I try to pick out various sizes, colors and shapes and try not to let my own feelings about them come into the decision. Studio visitors can vote on their favorite two or three. I also ask for their ideas on wildlife (or other animals/aspects of nature) to use on future projects, and for ideas of things to include with future mushroom pendants.

Based on the number of dots, the group of stones on the left below will become my first projects after the ones I'm currently working on. From left and around clockwise: Chrysocolla-Malachite; Tiger's Eye; Owyhee Picture Jasper; Tiffany Stone. They each earned seven to nine votes. The stones on the right will become the group after that: (left to right) Golden Eclipse Malachite; North Ridge Plume Agate (from the same area as Graveyard Point); Boulder Opal. They each earned five or six votes. A number of stones received three votes each; I will keep them in mind for the future.

Based on the list of ideas, (and keeping in mind animals I've featured in the past) I've decided that my next animal/wildlife jewelry will include: raccoon, salmon (or possibly sturgeon), hedgehog, and in honor of a little girl who visited with her stuffed pig, a pig. Charlotte's Web keeps creeping into my mind. I also got a request for ocean themed jewelry, so we will see what I can do about that.

I haven't really decided on the mushrooms, yet - but I think I have enough projects to keep me going until well into next year!

Current Projects

If you saw the email I sent out before the tour, you saw a few groups of stones that I am currently working on. Three of those stones were planned for "starry night" pendants. They are now in progress; I have cut out all of the little stars and other components that will be added alongside each stone. The next step will be to sand and file everything - and yes, I even file the edges of those little bitty stars, using very small "needle" files!

I also showed you a few stones ready to use for rings and cuffs; they may be put on hold for a bit as I will be working on filling in "holes" in my inventory for the Laurelhurst Bazaar.

Stone of the Month: Chrysocolla

If your favorite colors include green and blue and all shades in between, then you will love chrysocolla. As you can see in the picture, it can have an amazingly vivid aqua color that is truly eye catching, as well as softer turquoise shades.

Chrysocolla is one of a number of minerals that form near copper, which is what gives chrysocolla its color. Chrysocolla, in fact, is so prevalent around copper ore that it has been used by miners and geologists as an indicator mineral; in other words, where Chrysocolla is found, there is a good chance that copper deposits will also be found by digging deeper in the same location.

The name Chrysocolla (pronounced kriss-oh-KOL-uh) comes from the ancient Greek 'chrysos' which means gold, and 'kolla' which means glue. It is thought that the name referred to it being used as an ingredient in gold solder (or possibly the flux used in soldering), although tests of ancient gold artifacts have not definitely proved that.

Chrysocolla was formed when very hot copper-bearing fluids interacted with various types of rock, or when hot mineral and silica rich fluids flowed through and interacted with copper containing rocks. As with many of the semi-precious stones we love, Chrysocolla primarily formed where there was volcanic activity which created the high heat necessary.

It developed in three different forms. One was as botryoidal (or globular) masses. This occurred when the liquid mineral grew around "nuclei" such as sand or dust particles - very similar to pearl formation. This resulted in shapes like clustered grapes. It sometimes formed as crusty layers on the surface of rocks, and also as veins where the copper rich fluids filled in cracks in rocks.

Chrysocolla has not typically been mined for itself; it is rather a by-product of copper mining. It can be found anywhere where there is copper and especially where there was volcanic activity. Some of the major deposits can be found in Arizona (and other southwestern states in the US), Democratic Republic of Congo, Peru, Australia and Mexico.

These pictures show chunks of quartz and other rock with chrysocolla in them. These stones were collected in SW Washington by my daughter - photos are courtesy of Erin Secrist. The bottom right picture shows how beautiful Chrysocolla and its host rock can be when polished.

Chrysocolla is a soft mineral; pure chrysocolla is generally too soft for cutting and polishing into stones meant for jewelry. But fortunately for us, it often forms alongside other minerals which add durability and hardness. Other copper bearing minerals that are often found intermingled with chrysocolla include Malachite (green), Azurite (blue), Cuprite (red or reddish brown), Chalcedony (translucent or transparent) and even Turquoise. Quartz (usually white or gray) is also often found with Chrysocolla, adding stability and plenty of tough durability. If you look at the top picture, you will notice some of the different colors indicating those other minerals and rock.

Occasionally specific combinations are given their own names. Eilat Stone, which is mined in Israel, is made up of Chrysocolla, Malachite, Azurite and Turquoise. It is the national stone of Israel. Sonora Sunrise (or Sunset) is made up of Chyrsocolla and Cuprite.

Because Chrysocolla is relatively soft it is usually used for pendants and earrings rather than rings and bracelets. Some care needs to be taken with it both by those who cut and polish the rocks and by those who own Chrysocolla jewelry. The dust caused by grinding Chrysocolla is toxic as it contains quite a high percentage of copper, so it's important to use a respirator of some kind and not handle the dust for long periods of time.

Once the stone is polished it is perfectly safe to use in jewelry. Avoid storing it mixed in with other jewelry as it can scratch. It can be cleaned with warm water and a mild soap, but as with all jewelry, avoid exposing it to harsh chemicals. The color is pretty durable and doesn't fade as some stones. However, it's always best to keep stones out of direct sunlight for lengthy periods of time.

I love the colors and combinations that Chrysocolla has to offer. I have quite a lot of cabochons that are ready for me to use; generally my Chrysocolla jewelry sells fairly quickly. Although the recommendation is to not use it in jewelry such as rings, I have on occasion used it in a cuff - but only if there is plenty of quartz and/or other rock to help stabilize it.

I currently don't have any jewelry available with Chrysocolla in it. But one of the stones in my next group is a Chrysocolla-Malachite-Quartz combination, and I have a pair of little Chryscolla stones that will become a pair of earrings soon.

Here are a few pieces of jewelry I've made in the past using Chrysocolla.

The bottom right shows Chrysocolla hanging below a Larimar cabochon.

And now that I've whetted your interest in this beautiful water-colored stone, look for new Chrysocolla jewelry in future newsletters!

I am ending this newsletter with two pendants I finished recently. One, the feather pendant on the left, made its debut at the Open Studios Tour. It features a lovely salmon-pink Flamingo Agate, and a Fine Silver feather which I cut and shaped to curve around the stone.

The deer pendant on the right will make its first public appearance at the Laurelhurst Winter Bazaar. It has been a long time in the making. If you were a subscriber at this time last year, you may possibly remember seeing this pendant along with a sad story. I broke the original stone while trying to set it. A few months later, I asked my friend and lapidary artist Laurie Gates Engelhardt to cut me another stone - and I promptly broke that one as well, again while setting it. I rather thought this deer just didn't want to be out in public and it has sat on my work bench for most of this year, waiting.

I was finally ready, and managed to take the broken stone out without completely damaging the bezel (the silver strip holding the stone in) and once again asked Laurie for her help. The third stone worked - and I absolutely love how it fits with the bronze and copper on this pendant. The stone is an Ocean Jasper that has all the forest floor colors one could want. Come to the Laurelhurst bazaar to see it in person!

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

Sources used for the Chrysocolla article:

• Geology Science: Chrysocolla - https://geologyscience.com/minerals/silicates-minerals/chrysocolla/​
• Fire Mountain Gems: Chrysocolla - https://www.firemountaingems.com/learn/categories/essential-resources/gemstone-meanings/chrysocolla-gemstone-meanings.html​
• Gem Select: Chrysocolla Gemstone Information - https://www.gemselect.com/gem-info/chrysocolla/chrysocolla-info.php​
• Stone Mania: Chrysocolla: Properties, Facts and Photos - https://www.stonemania.co.uk/crystals/c/chrysocolla​