Below are some of the jewels that will be going into the shop on Wednesday and Thursday...

be sure to enter in the discount code if you make a purchase in the shop from now until Monday the 8th at Midnight!

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ROCK APPRECIATION DAY:

For this month, I could only chose one stone. I'll be highlighting Castle Dome Mine Turquoise, as its become a staple for my Mini Cave Lady Rings! I thought about doing black pyrite for a second stone, but don't have enough jewelry pieces to use as examples. I'll have to plot and cook up something big for August!

Castle Dome turquoise is quite rare as it is a closed mine. Depicting bright light blues as it's signature, it is located near Globe, Arizona. Castle Dome is also referred to as Pinto Valley Mine turquoise, and it is similar to it's close neighbor the Sleeping Beauty Mine. Natural material of this is hard to get as most of the rough from when the mine was closed was stabilized and/or used for beads. It started, like many other turquoise mines, as a copper mine. Because of the mining methods used initially (aka blasting. yikes), many of the veins and structures of the turquoise later uncovered were extremely fractured. There wasn't much solid rough available for lapidary artists to cut.

Personally, I'm not particular to 'plain blues' in turquoise. This mine in particular, (and its similarly hued cousin the Blue Moon mine) has grown on me. There are very subtle hues in a lot of the Castle Dome mine turquoise that you don't find in your standard robin's egg blue or Sleeping Beauty mine turquoise. It has light "watermark" patterns, that aren't webbed or water webs. I adore pairing it with darkened silver, as it gives it contrast to highlight the stone. It also makes for a macabre pairing, and always reminds me of the bottom of pools.

I'll be using more of this turquoise in fresh designs soon. What's pictured is all I have left!

xx Stray Arrow

This past week and weekend I visited the show at Brimfield. For those who don't know about it, Brimfield is an expansive antiques show in Western Massachusetts that occurs three times a year. The Brimfield Show happens in May, July, and September, and always from a Tuesday to Sunday. People travel from all over to go to the show. I normally go twice to cover all of the fields. While my main objective each time is to go and cry over all of the beautiful vintage jewelry I wish I could afford, it's always fun to see what other treasures people are offering up to the sunlight. Below is an offering to you if you couldn't be there in person! I've compiled a few photos from each day.

Tuesday. Day 1.

*Jewel wear for the day.

Saturday.

*Hopi rope dance ring.

*took this beautiful bracelet home with me! A sterling silver piece from the Northwest Coast. This stunner is completely hand etched, and unique in the it has two heads instead of a head and tail theme. The back is joined by tail feathers from each head. Inside is stamped AND signed! A rare find.

*jeweled get up second day, including a large genuine wampum necklace.

I also walked off with a couple tidbits for display during the upcoming Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn.

In other news things will slowly be changing in the shop. For the next two months I'll be doing some slight alterations, and during the month of June it is possible that some of the "MADE TO ORDER" items will be temporarily or permanently taken out of the shop. These items include mini stacking rings, stud earrings, and nose screws. If you have any concerns about this feel free to ask! (email: StasiaArts[at!]yahoo.com). If you're pondering an item, best to snag it soon! Especially with the MAY SALE almost over.

Cheers!

xx Stray Arrow.