Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!
The first Thanksgiving traditionally occurred in 1621 when the early Pilgrims had a feast together with the local Indians. Later in 1789 President George Washington proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to be held in November. The holiday was celebrated sporadically after that until Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be the Thanksgiving holiday which has remained as a national holiday each year since then.
The pendant pictured above can be purchased at the Beadshaper web site at the reduced price of $99.

Ivory

Ivory is a hard bone-like material from the tusks of animals, particularly elephants. Ivory has been used go make various objects, like jewelry, carvings, etc. The word comes from the ancient Egyptian word for elephant. The ancient Greeks and Romans used ivory to make small statues, boxes, and other works of art. The ancient Chinese made religious items and pipe stems from ivory. In Muslim Malaysia ivory was used to make the handles of decorative daggers. In the Philippines after the introduction of Catholicism, ivory was used to make images of saints. In the more recent centuries, ivory was used to make a variety of utilitarian products including piano keys, various handles, and parts of furniture. Much of this has now been replaced by plastic since its invention. The great demand for ivory has made elephants an endangered species and has placed limits on the trade of ivory.
The ivory beads pictured above were made long ago and are part of a necklace for sale on the Metal Jewelry Shaper web site.

Larimar

Larimar is a turquoise colored stone found only in the Dominican Republic. Father Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren discovered it in 1916. It was rediscovered in 1974 by Miguel Mendez and Norman Rilling on a beach. Mendez named it Larimar. “Lari” was taken from Larissa, the daughter of Mendez, and “mar” for the sea. 

A necklace featuring the Larimar pendant pictured above can be found on the Metal Jewelry Shaper web site.

Pyrite

Pyrite is a rough grey stone with sparkly gold-like flecks. It has been sometimes called fool’s gold because of the resemblance to natural gold. The name comes from the ancient Greek word for fire. When rubbed with another metal, it can produce sparks which can be used to light a fire. This has been known since prehistoric times. In the 16^th century, it was incorporated into muskets to ignite gun powder. It contains a rich content of sulfur and has been used in the manufacture of sulfur and sulfur compounds for centuries. As you can see from the pendant pictured above, it can be used as the focal point of a unique piece of jewelry.

You can see various stones set in silver pendants at Metal Jewelry Shaper  

Bazaar

The word bazaar comes from the Persian word vazar. It means a market place. Market places have existed since ancient times and are associated with the dawn of civilization. When people began producing more food or other products than they could eat or use themselves, they would trade it for goods that they were lacking. The best place for trade was where roads would cross. When one person was successful in trading at a particular location, others would also come there to trade. Eventually people would set up home near the centers of trade, thus beginning towns and cities.
You can experience the excitement of the bazaar by visiting the Beadshaper table at  the Los Angeles Bead Society Bead Bazaar this coming Sunday, October 26, 2014. See L.A. Bead Bazaar for details.

Cabachon

A cabochon is a gemstone which is dome shaped on its outer surface and flat on its inner surface. It has no facets. The flat side allows it to be more easily set into a bezel on a jewelry piece than  a faceted stone which does not have a flat side. Cabochons are usually opaque and are often oval in shape. The word cabochon come from the medieval French word for head (like the word cabbage). Although the name is medieval French, the origin of the technique of shaping and polishing cabochons probably goes farther back in history.
The pendant pictured above is an example of a cabachon set in a bezel. It, as well as other cabochon jewelry hand crafted by Rose, can be found on the Metal Jewelry Shaper web site.

Jasper

Jasper is a gemstone of various colors that is formed naturally over time by minerals in sediments. Dendritic jasper pictured above is formed by vegetative protrusions of mineral in natural cracks in the stone. Jasper has been used by man for about 7,000 years.
Pendants handcrafted by Rose featuring various gemstones can be seen at Metal Jewelry Shaper.