DIY - Hand Polishing Rocks & Crystals (Sodalite)

Gemstone from Raw Amber Using Sandpaper, Cloth and Toothpaste (Shaping a...

OH MY GOODNESS!!! This is the best video I have found for making raw amber jewellery ready, albeit a little long.

I will definitely be looking out for raw amber now!

How to test Baltic Amber fake or REAL quickly and easily

This is perfect for all you budding jewellers out there!

It is a fab way to make sure your jewellery is genuine.

5 Life Hacks How To Clean Silver Jewelry To Shine - 5 Easy Ways To Clean...

These are some amazing cheap ways to clean all of your silver jewellery at home without chemicals or expensive cleaning solutions!!!



Gotta give it a go.

All about different wire for jewellery making

https://youtu.be/tAZFeAQ8iIE

How to Make Jewelry: Tutorial for Beginners (Part 1 of 4)

Fun Facts About Gemstones: Add Interest to Your Handmade Jewellery

Gemstones for Jewellery Making

Here are some fun facts and ancient tales about many gemstones I use in my own jewellery designs. These are great stones for jewellery making because they are durable and hard enough for normal jewellery wear. Plus, they’re affordable. Even gems such as aquamarine, sapphire, and ruby, which can be fairly costly as faceted gems, are generally more affordable in bead and cabochon form.

Lapis Lazuli

In the fourteenth century, lapis lazuli stones were ground up and mixed with oils to create the highly prized and very expensive ultramarine used by artists (such as da Vinci) in paintings (such as those in the Sistine Chapel). Ultramarine was known as “blue gold” because it was more expensive than gold at times. Lapis was forbidden to commoners in ancient Egypt, where only royalty could wear it. Blue was divine to them, so lapis was ground into a powder that was used to add color to royal Egyptians and their statues. However, lapis necklaces were given to shy Egyptian children to help them be courageous.

Ancient Hebrews believed the blue lazurite in lapis was symbolic of heaven and the gold pyrite flecks symbolic of the sun, and some Biblical scholars believe that Moses’ Ten Commandments were carved on lapis tablets.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline is one of my favorite gemstones. It occurs naturally in nearly every colour, and some of them are popular enough to have their own names, including the ruby-red tourmaline known as rubellite and a pretty blue-green tourmaline called indicolite.

Did you know that when tourmaline is rubbed, it can become statically charged and attract lint, dust, or small pieces of paper? It’s sometimes referred to as “the electric stone” for that reason; this characteristic is related to the properties of pyroelectricity and piezoelectricity.

Peridot

Peridot comes in such a cheery, bright shade of green, it’s no wonder that it has been symbolic of happiness, loyalty, and friendship. It has had an interesting history throughout ancient cultures, including everything from preventing “terrors of the night” to being strung on donkey’s hair and tied around the left arm to ward off evil.

Ancient Egyptians even believed that peridot disappeared in sunlight and glowed at night, so it was mined in darkness. Today, most of the world’s production of peridot is mined on the San Carlos reservation in Arizona . . . but I’m not sure whether it’s mined during the day or night!

Amethyst

Amethyst’s purple hues have long made it a symbol of purity and royalty for rulers, clergymen, and the wealthy. Amethyst plays an important role in religion throughout history, as bishop’s rings and rosaries and with its colour replicated in their robes. Celebratory ancient Greeks wore amethyst to be protected from seduction and drunkenness.

Another bonus about amethyst is its affordability. It’s a plentiful stone, so you’ll find it in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and at budget-friendly prices.

Ruby

Ruby has such a long and storied history, it’s impossible to even begin to share it here. My favorite piece of lore about ruby is that ancient Hindus believed that dark, heavily saturated rubies were male and pale, less saturated rubies were female. Ruby is mentioned throughout the Bible and has often been used as a symbol of life, possibly due to its color similarity to blood.

Have you heard the mysterious story of the Black Prince’s Ruby? It’s a must-read!

Citrine

What a fortunate stone citrine is believed to be! Throughout history, various cultures have attributed citrine with bringing them success and wealth and protecting them from evil thoughts and snake bites. All of those would come in handy to Scottish warriors, who used citrine in dagger handles during the seventeenth century.

Citrine owes its modern popularity to its pretty orange hues and affordability but also to Queen Victoria, who gave citrine a place of honor in traditional Highland brooches and kilt pins to celebrate citrine mining resources in Scotland.

Sapphire

Sapphire’s lore generally centres around eyesight and vision, especially for blue sapphires. Clergymen in the Middle Ages wore blue sapphire rings, believing the blue hues were symbolic of heaven. Healers and medicine men believed touching a blue sapphire to the eyes would soothe tired eyes and improve vision.

But sapphire goes way beyond blue and literally comes in every color of the rainbow–including red, which is known as ruby.

Aquamarine

In addition to protecting sailors from drowning, nightmares, and seasickness, aquamarine is associated with many other legends involving water. No wonder, as the word aquamarine literally means “ocean water.” Ancient sailors believed that the fish-like lower portion of mermaids’ bodies were made of aquamarine. Healers and medicine men in various cultures thought water touched by aquamarine could heal ailments of the eyes and lungs.

How to Make Perfect Earwires with a neat trick- Make 2 at a time

DIY Eggshell Geode!!