Materials Used

Metal: Silver

Sterling Silver (.925) is used. No base metals are used. Some of the very tiny silver beads used are by Hill Tribe and is fine silver (.980), a more pure silver than sterling, so is somewhat softer. For stringing: The memory wire used in the circular bracelets is stainless steel; beads are strung with a nylon-coated bundle of 49 tiny wires which gives more flexibility and is less likely to kink. Bouillon is a short (1/2") piece of very tightly coiled, tiny wire which makes a hollow tube through which the stringing wire passes at a point where there is a connection-this helps to protect the string from wear and tear. Often gold is mined at the expense of the local people and to the detriment of their land. Because gold cannot be guaranteed to come from mining companies who use safe methods to extract the ore without harming the environment or exploiting the native people, I do not use gold in my jewelry.

Clasp from Cuttlebone of the Cuttlefish (some Ocean Jewelry)

The cuttlebone (left) is the skeleton of the cuttlefish (right), which is a cousin of the octopus and squids. This lightweight internal shell helps the creatures stay afloat. Because the cuttlebone is able to withstand high temperatures and also be easily carved, it makes for an ideal mold making material for small metal casting. Cuttlebone Clasps are made from sterling silver. Cuttlebones are also commonly used as calcium-rich dietary supplements for caged birds and turtles.

Pearls

All pearls used in my jewelry are Cultured Pearls. There are three main types of pearls: Natural, Cultured, and Imitation. Natural Pearls are made by an oyster without any help from man. These pearls are very rare and extremely expensive. Cultured Pearls are made in an oyster or other mollusk, with help from man, and can be made in either freshwater or saltwater. A grain of sand or piece of polished shell is inserted inside the oyster, and then the oyster under man's watchful eye grows a pearl by secreting nacre onto the grain of sand in order to protect the oyster's tender flesh from the irritant. After several layers of nacre encase the sand, a pearl is formed. This process can take up to eight years. Cultured Pearls were first made in 1893. Man can affect the shape of the pearl by making the shape of what is inserted into a cross for example; the oyster then deposits nacre around this shape, hence the shape is retained. Imitation or Plastic Pearls, are, well, just plastic, and have never seen the inside of a mollusk. Within the types of pearls, there are many shapes of pearls:

Clay and Porcelain Beads (some Earth & Ocean Jewelry)

Clay is made of hydrated silicates of aluminum made by the wearing down and decomposition of feldsapthic rocks, such as granite, that is plastic when wet and therefore moldable, and hard when heated or fired at very high temperatures, usually over 2000oF. Porcelain is a white version of clay, which can be made translucent if formed very thin. Making clay beads is a multi-step, multi-days process. First the clay has to be worked to remove the air and even out the moisture in the clay. Then the clay is formed either by hand, or by rolling, cutting, stamping, or molding. The raw bead must then air dry which may take several days. It can be wet dusted during this drying time to remove bad spots if present. Then the beads have their first firing, to harden the clay. This takes the better part of a day, and then the beads must cool slowly, another better part of a day, before the kiln can be opened so the beads do not crack. Now the hardened clay beads are ready for glazing or coloring, which must dry completely between coats. The beads are then fired again in the kiln for the final time to set the glaze, again for the better part of a day, and then cooled before the kiln can be opened, also, for the better part of a day.

Swarovski Crystal (some Earth and July 4 Jewelry)

Daniel Swarovski (1862-1956) developed the cutting technique that created what is considered the most sparkling and reflective crystal, in 1895 in Wattens, Austria. The sharp faceted edges are microscopically identical and therefore symmetrical which increases its reflection of light. Swarovski crystals do contain lead, but it is not pure lead. The lead is in the form of lead oxide, which cannot be easily released from the crystal, nor is it readily absorbed by skin. Most of the lead which is harmful to humans must be swallowed. Lead is added to glass to increase the refraction of light into colorful prisms. The state of California has classified Swarovski crystals as a material that has no limits of its use for adult jewelry. But for children under the age of six, California states that jewelry cannot contain more than 1 gram of crystal. One 8 mm Swarovski bead weighs about one gram.

Murano Glass Beads (some Christmas & July 4 Jewelry)

Each bead is handmade from Moretti (Effetre) glass canes using the old Italian Murano techniques for lampworked beads. Moretti glass is a 'soft' glass made on the Island of Murano near Venice, Italy. Moretti glass is more apt to crack, but it remains soft and therefore more workable for a longer time than does the 'hard' type of glass. Sterling Silver foil 0.004 mm thin is placed between two layers of transparent glass. In 1291, the Venetian Republic (now the city of Venice in present day Italy) feared fire and destruction to the city's wood buildings from the furnaces making molten glass, so it ordered the glassmakers to move their foundries to the Island of Murano. The glassmakers were not allowed to leave the Island, and were severely punished if they tried to set up shop in another competing Republic. Murano is an island north of the island of Venice, Italy.