Something colourful for World Colouring Day

I really should be abed - I have the show in Scone tomorrow, but I realised I hadn't blogged this week and with the show Saturday, Mother's Day on Sunday, plus a jaunt out on Sunday afternoon for the children's eisteddfod rehearsals, it's now or never ... but I will keep it short!

I've had a wonderful creative week and so its been very satisfying. It didn't start off that way and I spent many hours trying to make it to the bench but was either too busy, unwell with a rather nasty case of the flu or just not feeling in the mood (creative types can be so annoying eh?!). But eventually I just sighed and sat down to finish some half finished earrings off after the kids left for school and the next thing I knew the kids were walking back through the door and the day was almost over.

Naturally the muse took me where she will and I ended up with a variety of styles and colours, but I've learned to take this in my stride these days. Do you find that you have the desire to create anything - a piece of art, craft or even just doodling or making dinner and you end up doing something completely different from your first idea? Yep, that's me ;) Of course, this tendency plays havoc with custom orders where I have to fight my instinct and stay on track to what the customer wants!

Did you know that one day this past week was World Colouring Day? According to the Business Mums Blog it was May 6, so if you did something colorful, or your children did, good on you! Even though I've officially just missed it by a day, I've decided my contribution to this day can be my photo for today's post - a bright combination of red, yellow, black and teal blue. It's a long chain linked necklace with bright red bamboo coral, black agate and lava, yellow aragonite, citrine and honey jade and blue-green Xianjiang and Hubei turquoise. And of course, masses of sterling silver. It coloured my day, how about yours?

Hope you have a lovely weekend and Happy Mums Day for Sunday!

Till next :)
Annette

Wonderful visitors and a fantastic prize draw

Well, its been a very eventful week! My computer has gone to the doctor for a check up as I couldn't connect to the net and no matter how many virus scans I ran nothing worked - very distressing!! So I've nabbed hubby's laptop for some covert surfing and an update ;)

We had some wonderful visitors last weekend from the US. I have known Marilyn for many years online and she is currently touring around Australia with her husband. In approximately four weeks they are covering Sydney, Coolah (of course!), Lightning Ridge, Anna Bay, Melbourne, Adelaide, Coober Pedy, Perth, Albany, Broome, Darwin, Kakadu and the Great Barrier Reef! Thats literally from one corner to the next and from top to bottom! I'm exhausted just thinking about it! It was brilliant to meet someone you've only known online and she was just as sweet in person as she has been as words on a screen :) Her husband was just lovely and was so interesting ... its not every day that you meet a nuclear physicist! Even though they've said otherwise, I think my three very loud and rather bold children were a shock. (I seem to remember they used to be reticent around strangers.... what happened!?)

I'm sure you would like to win over $1000 in prizes just in time for Mother's Day? I was asked to be a part of this wonderful promotion and it starts Thursday (25 March)! Make a qualifying purchase from the businesses involved (for example, any purchase over $35 from my site) fill out the form saying why you would like to win (eg. Coz I want it all!!!) and you're in the draw!

Up for grabs is:
A variety of Ahava Dead Sea products valued at $125 from Dead Sea Source Australia
A handbag and purse valued at $100 from Baubles Bubbles and Bags
A mineral makeup starter kit valued at $125 from Southern Cross Beauty
4 atomisers of top selling fragrances valued at $128 from Perfume on Tap
Greeting cards valued at $100 from Think Cards
A 4 week on-line personal training program valued at $135 from Glow Womens Fitness Online
Soy scented candles to the value of $68 from Dream Candles
A personalised budget plan valued at $145 from the Budget Bitch
An $80 gift voucher from MooWoo Handmade Cards and Gifts
And of course, something from me!

My prize into the hamper is pictured above. You could pay $145 for it, or you could just win it instead!!!

It's a stunning ocean jasper and rutilated quartz, chain linked necklace in 12ct goldfill. This will be perfect for autumn and winter with its golden brown tones. (And will still look stunning in summer against white). The stones in this necklace are gorgeous - I'm a big fan of ocean jasper and these stones have some wonderful markings and patterns and such rich colours. The rutilated quartz has incredible needles of gold and red rutile - honestly, you could look at these stones for days and always find something new to admire!

The giveaway ends on April 25 so that you will receive it in time for Mother's Day, so get shopping ;)

I will soon have to get organised for my display at Mendooran Show this weekend - I'll be in the Ladies Pavillion if you're going to the show :) so,

Till next :)
Cheers!
Annette

Caveat emptor (and on a lighter note, Mother's Day)

Can you believe Mother's Day is this coming weekend? Yes, it has crept up on me too! My children are taking full advantage of it and are making things left, right and centre... and all for me. They are also planning to give me breakfast in bed which will certainly be a change since I am the one that usually waits on them! But that's one of the best things about Mother's Day - having your children make you feel special! I was looking at the Small Business Diva's blog where she made mention of the origins of Mother's Day, which apparently date back to the 17th century. Mother's Day as we know was established in 1908 - so its a century of tradition already.

On a completely different note I must express my concern at the amount of misinformation about gemstone identification - particularly as used in jewellery. I recently purchased some "spectrolite" from one of my suppliers. Their spelling is often incorrect, but they usually label their gems correctly. Now spectrolite is another term for labradorite and whilst the stone I received was similar in colouring, it definitely wasn't labradorite. Around the same time someone sent me a stone which they identified as glaucophane. Interestingly the so-called "spectrolite" was the same stone. Then I purchased a stone called larvikite from another supplier and lo and behold this was the same stone AGAIN. So I have three stones, all the same, that are supposedly larvikite, glaucophane and spectrolite, depending on where you get it from! This is a typical example of the misinformation that abounds with a large number of resellers in the marketplace. These resellers believe what they are told, or make assumptions on limited knowledge and this false information goes along down the chain and the the end result is a person buying jewellery that is incorrectly identified. This is an old gripe of mine, and one I can't help feeling strongly about as a gemmologist! With regard to the glaucophane/spectrolite/larvikite debate - well I am still researching but early results indicate that they are all larvikite. And a very pretty stone too! So a word for the wise, if you are buying from someone you don't know is honest, or you don't know their knowledge level / qualifications, then "Caveat emptor" (buyer beware)!

Well, enough complaining! Now onto a new piece that I made just before Ironfest....this is a big, bold, opulent and yes, even decadent, necklace that is really long and really enormous! I can't actually put the whole picture up here so here is a detail shot of the gorgeous amazonite, the sparkling rock crystal, the glowing freshwater pearls and the shining silver that go into making this necklace very special!