Swing For Fundraising

I can believe it is that time of year again. Every year I create a special design to raise funds for my Relay For Life Team in South Florida. This year our team name is Cinderella and we will be collecting donations culminating at the big event to be held at Baptist Hospital in Kendall on March 19, 2011. This signature fundraising event for the American Cancer Society is a unique team activity that brings together neighbors, friends, coworkers, survivors and families to recognize those who have survived cancer and to remember those who have not.

My 2010 design includes a gemstones swing pendant with a silver or gold filled chain and matching earrings. You can chose from your birthstone or just any color stone that you like. To purchase and be part of this team go to my website at http://www.elizabethdelmonte.etsy.com/.

It feels really good to use my art to contribute to such a good cause. I am very lucky!

Enjoy!

September Birth Stone: Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is the secondary birth stone for the month of September. The actual stone in most of the birth stone of the month lists is Sapphire, but this year I will talk about Lapis Lazuli because it is my favorite stone and more affordable than sapphire. :)

Lapis Lazuli is a relatively rare semi precious stone that has been priced since antiquity for its intense blue color. It has been mined from more than 6,000 in Afghanistan.

Lapis Lazuli is a rock, not a mineral. Minerals have only one constituent, whereas Lapis is formed from more than one mineral. The main component in Lapis is lazurite (blue), but it also has calcite (white), sodalite (blue), and pytite (metallic yellow). The best Lapis Lazuli is found in Afghanistan, but other important deposits can be found in Chile. Regarding hardness it has a 5-5.5 in the Mohs Scale.

Many powers are attributed to this stone including wisdom, spiritual growth, protection, psychic ability, and truth.

This necklace is currently on sale at my Etsy Shop!

Enjoy!

Wire Lace Contest

I almost missed it...On August 6 I received a call from Cathy Jakicik, the editor of BeadStyle Magazine. She wanted to find out if I received the e-mail informing me that I was a finalist in the Wire Lace Design Contest 2010! I was so exited to hear that. She told me they needed my wording and that I needed to send the piece to them. Lucky me my picture was good and they were able to publish it without a problem. As you can imagine, I don't receive e-mail from magazine editors very frequently so her e-mail went to "spam"...oh no!!! Thanks God for the phone.


BeadStyle published the five finalists and I am very honored to be selected with other great artists like Christie Friesen. The projects are wonderful...we are all winners!


For my piece I wanted the wire lace to keep the beautiful ruffles it gets when you expand it and I accomplished this with resin. The pendant colors included the chocolate brown of the lace that was the main purpose of the contest. It was a lot of fun to create and I am very happy to be a finalist. The winner piece will be published in the BeadStyle Magazine January 2011 edition.


To vote for your favorite design just follow the link below.

http://www.beadstylemag.com/en/How%20To/Bead%20Room/2010/08/WireLace%20Finalists.aspx



Enjoy!

Gemstone of the Month Update

I know I owe you the birthstones for June, July and August. I will not try to excuse myself. I will just publish a snapshot the gemstones I missed and that way I will have more to talk about next year :)

June - Moonstone

Moonstone was associated in antiquity with the moon. It has always been the stone of love and lovers. They are believed to promote fertility and bring inner harmony. Also known as the soul stone, it is said to be excellent for attracting love and goddess energy.

July - Ruby

Ruby was called the mother of all gemstones for its beauty and rarity by the ancients Greeks. It is said that Ruby combines sensual and spiritual love creating divine love in crystallized form. As a good luck stone for love, ruby encourages sensitivity and harmony in relationships.

August - Peridot

Peridot is also known as the evening emerald. Lively green peridot is the stone for inner harmony , positive feelings and for strengthening friendships.

Bead & Button Show

The 2010 Bead & Button Show was a lot of fun. Having learned a lot from last year's experience, I had the best time with the classes I selected. The teachers were wonderful and I'm very satisfied with my projects and what I learned. My only regret is that I still did not go and visit the city and the museums. I can't say that I know the city of Milwaukee except for the convention center...lol.

Well, we will have next year for that!

See a sample of my projects and the wonderful teachers that made it happened. THANKS TO ALL!

Super Nova Bracelet with Lisa Niven Kelly

Exploration of Resin with Susan Lenart Kazmer

Steampunk Heart-a-rama with Cristi Friesen

Faux Bone, Silver Metal Clay, Bezel Set Images Pendant with Sherri Haab

Steampunk Dangle Bracelet with Kim St. Jean

Fusing and Soldering Argentium Sterling with Joe and Anat Silvera

See you next year!

May Open House

I know I am late publishing the pictures of the Open House, but I guess it is better late than never, right?

We had a lot of fun. Thanks to all that came and share with us the love for art. If you were not able to come, see you next time.

Cheers!

The talented Lola Bellaflores and her beautiful flower arrangements.

The charismatic Diana Mejia and her healing bracelets and beautiful jewelry.

Yes, it is me in the mirror, it was not intentional, but the picture came out interesting.

May Birthstone: Emeral

A member of the Beryl family of stones, Emerald, is found in shades of green varying from very light to very deep. It deep color is due to the presence of chromium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Most emeralds are highly included, so their toughness is classified as generally poor.

In some cultures, the emerald is the traditional gift for the 55th wedding anniversary. It is also used as a 20th and 35th wedding anniversary stone.

Emerald is a symbol of love and good fortune. This stone is used for abundance, growth, peace, harmony, patience, love, fidelity and honesty. It used against negative energy.

I owe you a design with Emerald. Stay tune for next year!

Elizabeth

Spring Open House

I'm busy getting ready for my annual Spring Open House on Saturday May 8Th. It's going to be a little bit late for Mother's Day, but you know you can call me anytime for the perfect gift, right?

This time I invited other artists to share with me the love for Art (and to have more fun of course). See some of the amazing pieces we will be showing.

If you did not receive the invitation it is because I don't have your e-mail. Please send it to me at edelmont@bellsouth.net and I will send you the details.


Hope to see you soon!
Elizabeth

Lola Bellaflores

Diana

Denise

A lot has been said about diamonds: “a diamond is forever”, “diamond in the rough”, not counting the many movies, love stories and precious jewelry focused exclusively on this beautiful gemstone. My favorite is a phrase that a co-worker included in his e-mail signature: “a diamond is another piece of coal that survived under tremendous pressure”.

In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material due to the strong bonding between its atoms. Those properties determine the major industrial application of diamond in cutting and polishing tools. Diamond has the ability to disperse light of different colors, which results in its characteristic luster. The name diamond is derived from the ancient Greek adámas: "proper", "unalterable", "unbreakable”. Diamond has a hardness of 10 (hardest) on the Mohs scale.

A symbol of purity, the Diamond’s pure white light helps to bring our lives into a cohesive whole. It brings love and clarity into partnerships, bonding relationships. If worn or carried alone, it will amplify the energy of the wearer. Unfortunately, this includes any negative energy the wearer might possess as well.

I have not designed a piece of jewelry with a diamond yet, so please enjoy these pictures from the web and stay tuned for the future…who knows what is surviving under tremendous pressure!

Enjoy!

March Birthstone: AQUAMARINE

Aquamarine is the blue, or perhaps more correctly, the blue-green or aqua variety of the mineral beryl. Other gemstones color varieties that are also the mineral beryl include emerald, morganite, and heliodor. Aquamarine is colored by trace amounts of iron. Most aquamarines have been heat-treated to produce the popular blue-green colors from the less desirable yellow or pale stones. The leading producer of aquamarines is the country of Brazil, which has many mines. Pakistan, as well as many U.S. localities, produces wonderful specimens as well.

Aquamarine often forms perfect, flawless crystals - unlike emerald for which flawless crystals are extremely rare. Aquamarine has a good hardness, 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale, and a wonderful shine.

It's name is derived from the Latin "aqua" (water) and "mare" (sea). It is the jewel of the mermaid and the stone of the seafaring traveler. It is a highly mystic stone. Aquamarine symbolizes peace and clarity and encourages calmness, tranquility and hope. Since early times, aquamarine has been believed to endow the wearer with foresight, courage and happiness. It is said to increase intelligence and make one youthful. As a healing stone, it is said to be effective as a treatment for anxiety.

Enjoy!

Aquamarine paired with blue fluorite, lapis lazuli and quartz - fun combination

Aquamarine paired with labradorite - elegant combination

Blogging!

I was asked to make a presentation about "Selling on line" for my guild, the South Florida Jewelry Art Guild. It took place during our monthly meeting last Thursday February 18Th. It was a lot of fun and I am really thankful that our members enjoyed the dialog.

I found a very good blog article in the Art Bead Scene Blog. It is a good follow up to my presentation. I hope you are getting inspired to have your own blog.


Enjoy!

February Birthstone: AMETHYST

Amethyst, February birthstone, is one of the oldest precious stones known. It was believed to encourage sobriety and inner peace by the ancients Greeks. The Greek word "amethystos" maybe translated as "not drunken", from Greek a- (not) + methustos (intoxicated). Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness, which is why wine goblets were often carved from it. Amethyst is also believed to ease headaches and prevent nightmares.

Amethyst is produced in abundance from the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil where it occurs in large geodes within volcanic rocks. Amethyst deposits can also be found at many localities in the United States.

Because it has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs Scale, amethyst is suitable for use in jewelry. Collectors look for depth of color, possible with red flashes if cut conventionally. The highest grade amethyst (called "Deep Russian") is exceptionally rare and therefore its value is dependent on the demand of collectors when one is found.

How fascinating is all of this. I hope you are enjoying the birthstone of the month series. Your comments are welcome!