July Birthstone - Ruby! Part 1

So it's July, and the birthstone for this month is ruby. It's a hot color for a hot month.

Ruby is characterized by an intense red, with purplish overtones. It's a gem that can fit any budget. There are 'fine' stones with the best color and clarity, 'phenomenal' stones with optical effects (the star stones), commercial-quality gems typically seen in consumer jewelry, and beads.

I found a source of ruby briollettes, the pear-shaped drops that are faceted all around. They have intense color, though not the clarity of a fine gem. Still, their opacity give them a substantial look.

The earrings are available in my shop this month. The chain mail design has lots of movement, but is very comfortable to wear because of the ball-end post with large nut. Go out and catch someone's eye with these!

Grand Opening

After opening two weeks before (to get used to the cash register and my shop layout), I had a Grand Opening. OK, maybe not so grand, but a lot of friends showed up and made it a great day! Besides Art and Mary Jane, my brother and sister-in-law (Gordon and Beverly) let me practice on them. Well, on their jewelry.

Art took a few photos of me in the shop. You can see the wide screen that shows how well the camera can capture detail. And there's my bench with all - almost all - my tools. It's a great place to be. I've worked enough places that were drab and mind-numbing...if you are going to spend most of your day at work, it might as well be a beautiful place.