Best Christmas in years

Times are tough financially all over the country so this year we decided to just make stuff for the kids for Christmas.  Margaret made cookbooks, pies and sushi (yes the kids have a wide range of tastes).  Naturally I felt rocks would be the perfect gift for Christmas.  Just as true to form Marg's stuff is all done and delivered and I'm still working. 

You have to understand that I'm the sous-chef and principle clean up staff at our house.  This means that if someone (guess who) is cooking a mass production run of pies, sushi, the traditional ten appetizers for Christmas evening and dinner for Christmas Day then my time becomes booked too! 

  

 I have some beautiful Madagascar Ocean Jasper that I've been aching to try for cabochons.  The problem is which piece do I cut !  Well as you've probably guessed I haven't decided.

But I was very happy to hear that Margaret felt this was the best Christmas we have had in years. 

So relax, enjoy, and let the warmth of your home bring peace to your heart.

Happy New Year

raul

 

Radiant Rocks Shows hope for the economy?

 

Boulder Opal wrapped in Silver



Did the December Craft fair show over at our church yesterday.  My friend Kristen from K.M. Brown Studio http://www.etsy.com/shop/kmbrownstudio brought her beautiful earrings and some very nice Swarovski crystal Christmas tree ornaments.  I brought some of Jon's wire wrapped pendants, some silver work, geodes, bookends, candles, nightlights and tumbled rock. 

We had a large crew today.  Mom-in-law aka Mom and her next door neighbor Rita did the first shift (while Margaret and I sang in the choir).   Then I manned the table with Rita while the grandson sang in the kids choir in the next service.  And finally Marg, Kristen and I closed out the day.  I was nervous about leaving the two septuagenarians alone but they did quite well.   My guess is that between the two of them they know half of the town.

Good crowds came through before and after the church services but the economics of today were still evident.  The nice couple selling cheese and jam next to us did a booming business all day.  The habanero jam went especially well on the hot dogs!  After the food tables everything else was a distant second.

Over at our tables, while the jewelry was frequently admired,  the big sellers were the geodes, tumble, night lights and book ends. 

It was interesting to watch the differences in gender as the kids hit the table.  You could see the eyes of the boys swivel instantly to the geodes and polished small rocks.  The girls would admire them but they ended up buying the night lights.  The girls all had wallets with neat flat bills and the boys in general had their money clutched tightly in a clump.   And the most consistant mom comment about their boys was "I'll find these (tumbled stones) in the dryer!"

Last year had taught us that the boys desperately wanted to spend there allowance on rocks so we priced the smaller pieces all down to the point where they could afford them.  I was happy it worked!

A hope for Radiant Rocks  is to radiate a passion for rocks and working with semi-precious stones as far as possible.  I think  that the answer I so desperately wanted to give one parent (who said to his boy "What are you going to do with that?" )  was:


 "Think about how to create a life long desire to learn, create and persue something with passion in your children." 

If we can do that a lot of other problems they face will solve themselves!

Perusing Pietersite

I've been thinking about Pietersite quite a bit these last few days.   A new customer in Atlanta found me on eBay and we spent several days going back and forth about the joys of working with this beautiful chatoyant material.   This dark and light blue and gold piece is flowing through quartz.  It's hard to describe how vivid these colors are. 

As we grind steadily into winter, working with this breciated tiger eye brings out my energy when the fire jumps out of the cabochon on the polishing wheels.  Bright contrasts, like a winter evening when the sun is on the trees.