Semi-precious stones used in my handmade jewellery

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All of my unique jewellery design have been made with using semi-precious stones and these natural stones all have different quality's. I try and use a varied and eclectic mix of these stones in my pieces of jewellery handmade in the UK

 To see my full collection of semi-precious statement jewellery that is ready to purchase all you have to do is follow the links at the top of the page and they will take you to my full collection of designs and in that there and eclectic mix of handmade jewellery designs you will find, earrings, bracelets and necklaces all handmade in the UK

Gemstones and semi-precious gemstones for centuries has always held a fascination to man. For centuries these stones were only available to the rich and the powerful but that is not the case today. As my collection of handmade semi-precious jewellery shows you owning pieces of unique semi-precious statement jewellery is affordable and there is a large variety of designs available.

Jade semi-precious jewellery bracelet set with Carnelian and Tigers Eye

This unique semi-precious jewellery bracelet has a large diamond shaped Jade bead as the focal point for the unique statement design. This Jade bead has been placed in the centre of a bracelet handcrafted from round wavy discs of Tigers Eye and round beads of Carnelian. Between the natural stones I have added some faceted crystal beads and I have chosen an amber colour in this statement jewellery design to highlight the natural gold and amber colours in the Tigers Eye.

 When we look back through history we see that semi-precious stones were not just used in creating pieces of handmade jewellery but they were also used in adorning other objects like cutlery, boxes, weapons and other decorative household items. These pieces became family er-looms and were passed down through the family for centuries and many of these pieces have become very valuable antiques

A handmade semi-precious statement jewelelry design using colourful natural stones

 This handmade statement jewellery necklace design is an example of where I have used bright coloured semi-precious stones in my designs. For the main part of my necklace I have used large faceted teardrop shaped pendants of Rainbow Obsidian and the  handcrafted chunky pendant necklace continues with round Black Onyx beads. To add a splash of bold colour to this statement necklace I have placed bright pink coloured Agate beads in the necklace. These are cracked agate beads so they also add texture to the design along with this vibrant pink colour

 We have always been attracted to the colour and the sparkle of semi-precious stones and it is understandable why they are present in so many statement jewellery designs that we can see throughout history. These beautiful semi-precious stones have distinctive mineral characteristics and these natural stones can be categorised by different determining factors and some of these are the colour of the stones, the clarity and the value can also depend on the rarity of the stone.

 Long semi-precious jewellery earrings of Blue Goldstone and Mother of Pearl

I love wearing long drop earrings as I think that they are so flattering and this pair of long semi-precious earrings are no exception. At the base of the statement jewellery design I have placed an oval bead of Blue Goldstone. This bead then sits under 3 nuggets of mother of pearl and each of these have been spaced with sterling silver beads. These long drop earrings are a unique jewellery design and only one pair have been made

Chemical composition is one of the factors when it comes to categorising a natural semi-precious stone, there are some stones have only one element and other stones that are created from a combination of 2 or more mineral compounds. Most of the more common semi-precious stones contain both oxides and silicates and it is the silicates that determine the colour and the depth of colour of the stones.

In my handmade semi-precious jewellery designs I try and combine many different colours and shades of colour in my designs and if you take a look through my collection of unusual statement jewellery you will see some of the beautiful colours used in the designs.

Quartz and Blue Fluorite semi-precious jewellery handmade by myself in the UK

This stunning semi-precious stone necklace handmade from semi-precious Aqua Quartz and Blue Fluorite set with black cracked agate beads is a unique statement jewellery design with only one piece being made. The focal point for the design is a beautiful wavy bead of Blue Fluorite and this I have framed with Black Agate beads. The semi-precious jewellery design continues with long rice shaped Aqua Quartz beads and to add something else to the design I have also added round faceted beads of crystal quartz. I have then spaced all of these natural stones with small sized freshwater pearls and the necklace fastens with a sterling silver hook and eye clasp.

Semi-precious stones and precious gemstones can be composed of just one single crystal or they can be made up from a large collection of small microscopic crystals. This is how a diamond is formed and this is referred to as an amorphous compound. This is why the diamond is so hard and valued. This is one of the precious stones that I do not use in my handmade semi-precious jewellery designs. The crystallized stones can take on some amazing forms and shapes and if you notice in some of my designs where I have used nuggets in the pieces you will find semi-precious stones like Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz and Crystal Quartz in shapes such as cubic, hexagonal, tetragonal and some other beautiful shapes. I like to use these natural shaped in my unique jewellery designs. These kind of stones can take careful cutting to ensure that the shape of the natural crystal stone is maintained.

Optical features of many of the semi-precious stones are derived from there crystal make-up and there chemical composition. Colour is the main feature of any semi-precious gemstone and is usually what attracts it to us and with a crystal the colour can change with the light and with how the light catches it. These beautiful natural stones are also categorised by there reactive devices and these will all be different depending on the minerals that are present within the stone. Clarity is one of the things a gemstone is judged by but this does not always apply with semi-precious stones as many of these such as Jasper, Tigers Eye, Amazonite and many more are solid and the light does not travel through them. This does not distract from there beauty and I use many of these beautiful stones in my semi-precious jewellery designs. If you look closely at some of the crystal stones used in my handcrafted statement jewellery designs you will find some inclusions and these are totally natural. This is where some liquid or gas has entered the cavity's of the stone and to me that is what makes each piece unique.

The cut is another important factor of a gemstone or semi-precious natural stone and a good or a bad cut can effect the value of a precious gemstone greatly. The main factors to check are the shape, the size and the symmetry. As I work with mostly semi-precious stones in my statement jewellery designs these factors do not always apply.