First things first - I got a jewelry bench! Technically a tool bench, but I'll be using for jewelry. The Mailman's grandfather passed away earlier this year and I am honored to have inherited this from him. :) I have a torch and some basic brazing equipment that I will finally be setting up to get some proper wire work done! Next up: tumbler!
This is a pile of Czech/other glass and some nice lucite beads that I have been sitting on for QUITE some time. I'm not sure what it is about Czech glass, but I for sure have a thing for it. Not like a casual 'seeing each other' kind of thing, but more like a stalker obsession. I LOOOVE the Czech glass.
Look at all this awesome stuff I found at the hardware store! I'm not exactly sure what I'll do with it, but it'll definitely be fun to play around with. I'm thinking about combining some sparkly/faceted czech glass or stones with it. I'm all about contrast.
Other stuff I'm sitting on: some beautiful Carnelian briolettes. Carnelian is a type of chalcedony with a red/orange color range. It's translucent and has bands running through it, similar to agate. These babies are about 10mm long (not quite 1/2") Lepidocrocite (say that three times fast!), or rather lepidocrocite in quartz. I looked this up online and the description contains a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo that is much less interesting than just looking at this stuff. GORGEOUS! I'm not sure what I will do with this, either. I'm thinking maybe something with oxidized sterling? There are some nice sized nuggets in this strand, so I'm guessing it will probably find its way in to more than one piece of jewelry.
(L-R) Kyanite faceted briolettes, Botswana Agate faceted checkerboards, and something that my camera completely washed out. Have I mentioned I could really use a digital SLR? Pretty please?. I really don't know anything about Kyanite, but is sure is purdy! Botswana agate is.....uh....agate from Botswana? No, really. That's what it is. Love the faceted cut on these. Jacks up the fancy factor a titch. :)
Last but certainly not least, some truly beautiful ocean jasper faceted rounds. These puppies are HUGE! Each bead is close to 1" in diameter. I have two full strands of these, and have been sitting on them for at least a year. I really need to get these into some jewlery, like ASAP. They deserve it. Aren't they pretty? Ocean Jasper has always been one of my favorite stones because it has a fantastic range of colors and patterns. I was ecstastic to find these deeply discounted from a fellow Etsian who was closing her shop.
These are more of a 'series' I started last year with some lampwork (glass) beads that I had custom made for me by an artist in the U.K. These beads are a beautiful matte blue color. They have streaks of fine silver embedded in them. They are suspended inside handmade hammered sterling silver rings.
Love the aqua beads on these. They're acrylic with a 'quilted' effect in gold lines. I paired them with plated matte silver sand dollar charms. These have a nice summery feel! 
This is a really pretty and unique design. These earrings feature gorgeous blue-green Songea sapphire briolettes that I wrapped with fine-gauge sterling silver wire and hung from handmade hammered sterling silver circle links. The earwires are also handmade hammered sterling in an almond shape. These are a little pricier than most of my other earring designs, but SOOOO worth it!
