In August 2014 I took a ride on a Harley Davidson Road King around Flathead Lake, Montana, visiting rock shops to find Montana Agate (also called moss agate), a chalcedony with black moss-like inclusions found in Yellowstone river riverbeds.
Rock shops visited: Junction Rock Shop, Montana Within Rock Shop LLC, Kehoe’s Agate Shop, Mineralholics LLC, The Treasure Outpost in Whitefish, Rocks and Things Metaphysical.
Annual teaching visit to Doha, Qatar; Lucinges France (Hotel Le Bonheur dans le Pres); Zurich (Kunsthalle exhibit, hike up Rigi); Edinburgh Scotland (150-year-old manse); York (Star Carr Mesolithic archaeological site).
12-day, 2600-mile BMW motorcycle ride from San Diego to Arcata CA. Rock hunting: Chapman’s Gem and Mineral Shop (obsidian, jasper, rhodonite), Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, and Jade Cove in Big Sur (nephrite/serpentine cliffs).
Custom commission: a gold cherry blossom ring for Laura, an oncology nurse with a full-body Japanese cherry blossom tattoo. 4-month process from sketches to wax model to gold casting, with a 5-karat rough black diamond center and 5 triangular diamonds between petals.
Trip to Switzerland for a 45-year high school reunion. Soglio in the Bergell valley (Hotel Palazzo Salis built 1629, once occupied by Rilke), Chagall exposition at the Kunsthaus, and admiring a 20.67ct aquamarine gold ring by Gabriele Krack and a Tiffany diamond bee pendant.
Posted in Gemology, Jewelry, Travel, Uncategorized
Tagged bergell, diamonds, Gemology, gems, gold, Jewelry, museum, precious metals, ring, switzerland, travel
6th annual visit to Doha. Doha’s architectural contrasts (IM Pei’s Museum of Islamic Art vs strange skyscrapers), Qatar’s wealth inequality between nationals and migrant workers, the Qatar Foundation’s university campuses, and antique Islamic jewelry at the museum.
Posted in Gemology, Jewelry, Travel, Uncategorized
Tagged antique, art museum, diamonds, doha, Gemology, gems, gold, islamic art, Jewelry, necklace, precious metals, qatar, ring, travel
An observational study of teenage jewelry and fashion trends: strong color coordination, snake rings, body piercing accessories, mood rings, and friendship bracelets with social messages. Low price point and personal meaning are key teen values.
Christmas 2012 at Maidstone Park Beach, East Hampton. A wild Christmas tree in the rough with rose hip and raindrops, reflections on Hurricane Sandy, overwintering Great Blue Herons on 3 Mile Harbor, and a winter sunset.
A custom gold closing pin pendant (the essential parachute-release pin worn as jewelry by many skydivers) set with red and yellow diamonds matching the colors of a parachute canopy.
Posted in Jewelry, Uncategorized
Tagged custom made, diamonds, Gemology, gems, gold, Jewelry, necklace, precious metals
A buyer’s guide to diamond-coated drill bits for drilling beach stones and sea glass with a Dremel. Recommends cylinder and twisted bits, technique tips (slow RPM, drill under water), and compares 8 suppliers with per-bit pricing ranging from $0.35 to $3.50.
Posted in Beach, East Hampton, Gemology, Hamptons, Jewelry
Tagged beach glass, beach stones, bits, commercial diamonds, diamond drills, dremel, drill, gems, glass, Hamptons, Jewelry, sea glass
