Two New Products in the Primitive Series Line

The Swirl nose screw and ear studs are simple enough to wear every day, or even to leave in all the time. Like the rest of the Primitive Series, these are created using only techniques that have been around as long as wire itself!

I recently read that it is thought that the first metal jewelry was probably gold. The reasoning? That gold is sometimes found in nuggets on the surface and that would be straightforward to turn into jewelry. When you compare that to silver, which is buried deep and seamed in ore that would have to be smelted away before it could be worked into jewelry, that makes sense!

Shark Teeth

Wednesday I casually mentioned that my latest project has been educational. This post is about more than I thought there was to know about shark's teeth.

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Pretty much everyone knows that sharks shed their teeth, but I didn't know that they had no roots to hold them in or that they may last as little as 24 hours! (Some sharks don't shed teeth, they shed their entire jaw!)

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They have 40 or more teeth in each jaw. Behind the functional rows or teeth are seven other rows of teeth developing into mature dentures to replace teeth as they are shed or lost.

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Pretty much everyone knows that a shark skeleton is made of cartilage which doesn't last like bone, so with few exceptions the only shark fossils available to us are teeth. Shark teeth are the most numerous fossils and on a side note, Shark Teeth are the Official Fossil of the State of Georgia.

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I'm making my project with fossilized teeth because 'new' teeth on the market are provided by shark hunters and professional fishermen. The teeth may be a simple by-product of shark meat, which would be fine, but the thought that some shark was killed for its teeth icks me out and I don't want to risk it. So fossil teeth it is! A by-product of that is supporting the men and women who dive for a living, supporting their habit by selling shark teeth. How cool is that?
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Teeth are found in the sea of course, but also in rivers, mines and dig sites and have been used as tools and beads for centuries. Location of origin has a bearing on the rarity and thus value of a tooth.

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Teeth are available in many sizes. They're measured on the slant and the biggest one on record is over 7 inches (18cm)! Wow! Of course, the bigger the tooth the pricier. Collectors spend hundreds of dollars on a single tooth and some take teeth collecting trips. The bigger the tooth the bigger the shark as well. Some estimate an inch of tooth to 10 feet (3m) of shark so a one inch tooth comes from a 10 foot shark, a 7 inch tooth comes from a 70 foot (21m) shark-- wow! (Great Whites max out at about 25 feet [7.5m])
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Fossil teeth, as you see, can be fabulously gorgeous and many different colors. The colors are determined by the color of sediment in which the teeth are is buried, because they absorb mineral content from that sediment. The rarer the color the more expensive the tooth. Gem polishing is great for jewelry, but not so awesome for a collector, because the best teeth are untouched and nice enough to stay that way.

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Another interesting thing, that may seem obvious to some but wasn't to me, different species of shark have different shaped teeth. An expert can look at a tooth and at least narrow down the species it came from.

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I don't think I've been bitten by the tooth collecting bug exactly, but I think it would be something I'd enjoy. It was so interesting to discover all of this as I shopped for the pieces to create this project.

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I can tell you that this is my favorite kind of project, the kind of project that teaches me something. And this one has taught me much before I've even started it!

Product Reviews: lapaperie and BareTree

I wrote before about my search for a handbound journal. We all need something to tuck our ideas into till they can be realized or outgrown. I searched first on Etsy then eBay and I Googled handbound leather journals and I found some lovely things. I eventually came back to lapaperie for several reasons.

Her overall style was right and her pricing competitive. I liked her informative and passionate write-ups. The journal I selected was nicely primitive, laid flat, was larger and thicker than many others and had nice white paper for drawing and writing. I was also able to check out Beverly's feedback, profile, policies, Flickr page and blog. Her e-mail is bookyeti. Who could resist?

So I placed my order and it arrived today. The first thing I noticed was that the ridiculous postage fee I paid was not inflated. I'm not a postage Nazi, but Etsy make you sensitive to certain things. She sent a handwritten note on her card and the book was wrapped in pretty tissue paper and a raffia ribbon which went into my shipping supply stash. The toe-curling smell of leather permeated the air and I promptly opened the lovely soft cover of my journal, grabbed a pen and jotted a few ideas down.

It's smaller than I'd like, but bigger than I can afford. In a few years when it's all full I may get a custom order from lapaperie. Till then I'll very much enjoy filling this fabulous journal up. I need to fill up some of my fountain pens and get to work!

My other recent purchase was of something I've been wanting for about a year now. When I decided to sell on Etsy-- I was buyer there for 6 months or so first-- I bought a laptop. It was back-up computer and something I could travel with and was good for keeping close by as I have no studio. With a laptop I could craft and Etsy at the same time. I naturally wanted a bag for it, but never got one.

BIL left town and I spent a few nights with sister mine, and lugging my laptop back and forth to and from her place while juggling books and beads was no fun, and throw in a sticky door and I almost dropped my laptop more than once. A bag became imperative. So I shopped around and settled on a field bag from BareTree. It was the perfect size and an excellent price. BareTree, like others, buys these bags and prints them with his own designs. His designs are bit more raw and real than his competitors. He did this one custom for me with his delightfully quirky Tasty Fish design. The Japanese print says, "I want to eat fugu, but I do not want to die," which cracks me up.

Fugu is the Japanese word for puffer-fish, which is lethal if prepared incorrectly, and a delicacy when prepared right. Perfect for a sushi lover like me.

Also, Saul was kind, professional and prompt throughout the transaction and I love my bag!

Eye Care 101 and Why I'm Glad to Work with Jewelry Instead

I don't know why, but I was thinking about my old job today. I sold glasses at LensCrafters for 3 years. I've been wearing glasses since 2nd grade and it was shocking to me how much I didn't know about them. Here's some of what I learned.

The girl in the Doctor's office who fills out your chart and does the pre-testing is an Optometric Technician. The information she gets basically gives the doctor somewhere to start. It's ideal to go back to the same doctor every time because then he can keep an eye on the general patterns your eye health develops and may catch problems early.

The doctor himself may be an Opthamologist or an Optometrist. An Opthamologist is an MD. He can do surgery and specializes in treatment of eye diseases. If you fear for the general health of your eyes, he's the guy you want.

An Optometrist specializes in refraction. He's an artist in the field of determining what prescription will help you see best. If you just need glasses and someone to keep an eye on you, he's the right man for the job. Don't waste your money on an Opthamologist.

An Optician fits, adjusts and orders the glasses for you. They spend all week looking at glasses on people. If she says the glasses are too small or too big-- she knows what she's talking about. If she says they look good on you-- she knows what she's talking about. I always hated it when my customers walked out in ill-fitting, ugly glasses because it was what they or their families were used to. So what? Change is good.

Please wear sunglasses.

Learn a bit about what you're wearing. There is no 'medicine' in the lens. The prescription refers to the angles the lens has been ground at. The sides of your glasses are called temples.

Broken is not the same as came apart. Things come apart and you put them back together. When they break it's trash time.

If you haven't changed glasses in 5 years, the new ones will take some getting used to.

Don't put them on your head or wear them to bed or in the water or leave them in the car when it's 100 degrees outside. Don't shove them unprotected in your purse or leave them in a chair or a pocket. Don't mow the lawn or paint the house in them-- that's what your old pair is for. Don't leave them on while you spray perfume and hairspray everywhere. They'll get all gunky and it can ruin them. If you do and you ruin or lose your $400 glasses it's your fault. Don't yell at other people.

Please clean them. If you can't see out of them, or they're turning green and growing things, it's past time to clean them. Cleaning them is your job. Cleaning them right will make them last a nice long time. Cleaning them wrong will mess them up an 2 weeks.
Cleaning them wrong is huffing on them and wiping them with your shirt, or squirting them with Windex or other assorted household cleaners. Cleaning them right is using a lens cleaner or straight water and a soft clean cloth. Gently.

Buy the best lenses you can afford. It really makes a difference. Try it and see. Don't get an expensive frame and the scrimp on the lenses. The lenses are important, they help you see. If you want to scrimp, scrimp on the frame.

Some of this an apply to jewelry too-- just common sense I guess.
Anyway, I'm very glad to be doing something else now.

At What Cost Beauty?

Megalodon Mako Shark Tooth Fossil, Gem Polished (and fabulous): $41.50
Selection of Gray Miyukis in different (and properly agonized over) shades and finishes and Smoke Fireline: $23.94
Silver Wire (est): $10
Needles (sure to break half a pack): $1.70
Smaller assorted Shark Teeth Fossils (the hardest things in the world to find): $27
Time Spent shopping for supplies via the Internet where colors are questionable, sizes are skewed and it's hard to find something you've never tried to look for before: 6 hours
Estimated Time to complete Project: 10 hours
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Learning more than you thought there was to know about shark's teeth, feeling positive that the resulting work of art will be worth every penny and second and ripping off an iconagraphic MasterCard commercial: Priceless:)
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But seriously, this is the most expensive project!

Bead Dreams 2008

Bead & Button just published the best of their 2008 Bead Dreams Competition. I so enjoyed drooling over all the wonderful pieces-- all the more so as I've become more of a beadweaver this year and a large portion of the finalists are always 'weavers.

I also enjoyed that paying attention to names this year, as I've had some online contact with some of these artists and recognize others from articles I've read. That's a neat feeling!

I have to confess I'd make a pitiful judge. I'm one of those people who can listen to a singer and say, "Yeah, she's got talent. I just don't like her."

And I'm similar with jewelry. I don't want to see everything you can do. I want to see something that moves me as an art, not a technique. More than that-- I want to see something I want to own, and since bead sculpture generally leaves me cold (I've seen exceptions), that translates into, "Show me something I want to wear already!"

So ignoring the actual (and very talented) winners of this competition, I'd just like to share my 5 favorite entries.

1) It's a crying shame, but materials almost always win out over the finished product. Robert Jennik's Barely a Bear's beads are just to die for! I want!

2) Kind of in that vein is Heidi Kummli's Wolf Tracks Cuff. I have weakness for cuffs, carvings textures, multimedia, furry things, etc. I'd love to read about this piece!

3) Linda Rettich' s Brain Coral Fantasy Collar calls to me almost as much as her recently published Coral Fan Piece. I sent her some fan mail. No I'm not kidding.

4) Kristi Zevenbergen's Double Strand Necklace is Killer. I could so pull that off!

5) This was close, but I finally and happily settled on Heidi Kummli's Transformation.

Ok! so you've seen the best! See the rest here: Bead Dreams 2008

Or can stick around argue with me about the best entry-- or even come back and justify my choices! Suit yourself, but tell me what you loved.

Promotions, Promotions, Promotions

My BAO Item of the Week is my kaleidoscope V cuff. These ooak cuffs were my first foray into beadweaving. I'd just visited an exhibition at the Telfair that focus on bead painting.

Do check out the rest of the BAO offers here. There are some beads you have to see!

thebeadedlily was featured in 6 treasuries this week! Here are some pieces from the shops of the curators.

SomsStudio's In Wine Country features a great color combo!

justCHARMING's ICE Princess is simply lovely.

From redheart13's shop come the awesome Mermaid Sea Secrets.

time2cre8 brings us a wonderful Ribbon of Beads.

beadsandblooms' Cotton Candy with a Twist is very cool.

Then lastly debralinker deserves extra special mentions! Not only are her treasuries just out of this world but she takes to heart the purpose of creating treasuries. It's not just about the fun and the treasure hunt and the comments. It's about promoting art and artists that touch you.

To do that more fully Debra offers one of her own prints free of charge to anyone who purchases an item from one of her treasuries and spends more than $20 in the featured artists shops. That's going above and beyond and is truly amazing! Debra simply says, "What is a great promotion without a special offer?" What indeed?

Debra in artist of great color and I'm very drawn to her abstracts and botanicals.

The soothing Circle of Life is available as a print and the original is looking for a home too!

Mind's Eye is breath-takingly INTENSE!

And Primary Music is as friendly as Debra is!

See her treasury here.