Sunday, March 6, 2011

RAW 10/52

Ring a Week: Week 10--Jumping on the Drusy Bandwagon...

It seems like everywhere I look lately, I see drusy (or druzy) stones incorporated into jewelry designs. It is either a hot trend right now, or I am only now seeing them because of my recent interest in stones.

What is drusy?  Drusys are created when crystals coat the surface of a stone, usually an agate or chalcedony, when gases are trapped inside a cavity of the stone. They can be large and rough, or have a fine, sugar-like appearance and are found in a variety of colors.

I like the white and pale pastel varieties, as they compliment the clean appearance of the brushed silver. When the silver is oxidised, the opal-like luminosity in the white stones is enhanced.

For this week's ring, I have made a rough piece of drusy into a ring by prong setting the stone with square wire. To be honest, I think I will change this to a pendant, I am not sure the stone will survive long as a ring, and it is somewhat uncomfortable to wear.




Here is a pendant I made at the same time as the ring with a pretty oval shaped agate drusy:



This one is going into my etsy shop.

Be sure to check out everyone else's progress in RAW. It is fun and inspiring to follow the progress.