Silk, Stone and Silver

Several long experiments in progress... Finished

Goth Garnet, a crocheted silver rope, adorned with dark faceted garnets.

I've had the rope partially crocheted for years, but tucked away in a drawer. I decided to pull it out and finish it in the evenings. Once it was complete, I was having a hard time deciding on the final finish. I'd used two different batches of fine silver wire, manufactured many years apart. There was just a slight color different in the white tones of the silver- hard to believe but true. I decided to oxidize the entire silver rope and then tumble it to burnish up the highlights. That resulted in a beautiful dark mysterious glow from the inside of the rope with the garnets and the exterior burnished silver picking up the light. Can dark glow? I'm not sure, but it seems to in this necklace.


Shifting to a different sort of rock...
I've had this flattish oblong black rock for ages.  Or maybe my son had it and I claimed it.  Anyway... I've also had an obsession with the idea of drilling my favorite rocks.  Here's a tutorial for how to drill your own rocks http://www.jewelryartistmagazine.com/stepbystep/mar04.cfm .  I got my budget priced diamond drill bits and budget diamond burrs and drilled this stone.  Then I sat there and looked at it, trying to decide how to use it.  You can follow my thought and experiment process in the photo collection below.  (If you want to see the individual photos, full size, follow the text links under the overall photo mosaic.)

1. silk and stone fail (1), 2. silk and stone fail (2), 3. silk and stone fail (3), 4. silk and stone fail (4), 5. still experimenting (5), 6. still experimenting (6), 7. still experimenting (7), 8. Silk and Stone detail, 9. Silk and Stone, 10. Silk and Stone back view     Created with fd's Flickr Toys

The final result, a simple but lush combination of silk ribbon, silk thread, and stone.


The adjustable button clasp on the back uses another black stone, and a little coral bead that I had rolling around in my bead bag.


A archaeologist jeweler friend pointed out how the stone in the necklace reminded him of archaic period gorget artifacts.   He's right.  Their purpose is unknown, although researchers suspect they may have been used for a variety of purposes, not just ornament. 

Now I can hardly wait for a warm day, so I can walk the banks of the Wabash to look for other interesting water-tumbled rocks.