Desert Fire: Orange Agate, White Magnesite, & Turquoise Blue - OOAK Bold Southwestern Statement Necklace

Bold. Vibrant. One of a Kind.

This one-of-a-kind necklace is bold, vibrant, and statement making.  It features seven free-form agate slices separated by goldstone.  White magnesite and  hand-cut carnelian add interest to the design and echo the colors in the agate slices.  Pops of turquoise blue and antique copper complete the design.
 

The orange agate slices are striking and each stone is unique.  The white magnesite has a heavy brown matrix and looks amazing next to the rich orange carnelian chunks.




   

This necklace is of substantial weight and will bring a touch of Southwestern glamour, while evoking the colors of a stunning desert landscape, to your decollete.
 



Agate is a protective stone and increases courage and self-esteem.  Carnelian is also a courage stone and it opens one's heart, and brings joy into one's life.  With the calming properties of magnesite, this necklace has a nice, energetic balance (source here).

The blue turquoise chips add contrast to the necklace.  I've had these blue chips for a long time, and only a limited amount remain.  They are a rich turquoise blue and may be either natural turquoise or dyed howlite.
 


The necklace closes with an antique copper lobster clasp and can be adjusted from 21" to 23".  "Desert Fire" is a versatile matinee length and will look great for evening, office, or casual wear.  There is a replica Ottoman coin charm at the end of the extender, which brings a touch of the East to this Southwestern infused necklace.

Buy Desert Fire at my Etsy shop!

A Gathering of *SOLD* Pieces

All of the pieces featured in this post sold at my line launch back in May, but I thought I'd share pictures and a few details about each one to showcase the kind of designs I love to make.  These are all one-of-a-kind pieces, but similar sister designs may make their way to my Etsy site in the future.  Enjoy!

The EarthLandSea Necklace

 This necklace features  turquoise jasper coin beads, blue mosaic turquoise rondelles, a one-of-a-kind clay bead, African bone beads, gold-plated spacers, and a gold tone toggle clasp.  The colors are a meeting of earth, land, and sea.  I seriously love this necklace!    I'm glad it has a beautiful friend to wear it!

Moroccan Lantern Earrings

 I intended these earrings to be limited edition, but supplier problems rendered them one-of-a-kind.  These earrings feature purple acrylic beads with a contemporary (yet reminiscent of Moroccan) design.  Antiqued copper floral beads and tiny purple seed beads complete the design.  You may see a similar design soon, but these are the only ones for now!

Napoli Necklace

 

Named for the Italian city of Naples, this choker echoes the colors in Naples' flag.  The necklace features oval red and green jasper beads that are a rich hunter greenish-black and steel gray with spots of green and red throughout.  Each bead is different, making this necklace truly unique.  Carved red cinnabar flowers and a golden flower clasp complete this elegant design. 

This necklace has a matching bracelet that I will post for sale on Etsy soon!

Teagan Bracelet

 

I take the time to name all of my pieces and choose names that reflect a piece's spirit.  I named this bracelet featuring blue-green mosaic turquoise and an antiqued copper focal bead "Teagan" because of its flecks of rich teal.  So, I hoped to capture the color I loved in this bracelet within its name.  I may make copies of this bracelet, but because each hank differs in coloration, each bracelet will ultimately be one-of-a-kind.

The Lucky Find

 

 

I love this bracelet!  It gets its name from the antique curio shop in Cristina García's novel Monkey Hunting.  This bracelet features a carved black lucky cinnabar fish of Asian design, frosted yellow fire agate rondelles (that change color in water), lava rounds, silver-plated spacers, and an awesome Tibetan silver lucky fish clasp.  As with Teagan, I may make copies of this bracelet (because I seriously love it).  But, as I said above, each hank of stone differs in coloration, so each bracelet will ultimately be one-of-a-kind. 

Twilight Bracelet

 

 

I love lapis lazuli and I love the dynamic energy of this bracelet.  This bracelet features lapis lazuli stick beads of varying sizes accented with silver-plated spacers and completed by a Tibetan silver toggle clasp.  As with Teagan and The Lucky Find, I may make other bracelets in this style, but, to risk sounding like a broken record, each hank of stone differs in shape and coloration, so each bracelet will ultimately be one-of-a-kind. 

Look for more lapis lazuli items on Etsy soon!

Blue Empress Necklace

 

Read the story behind the Blue Empress necklace here.

Check out items for sale at my Etsy shop!

Pink Fire: Gale's Custom Order

   

I loved designing this custom necklace for Gale.  She wanted something that would match her summery pink strapless dress.  When she told what she wanted--something very pink, chunky, funky,  and one of a kind--I immediately thought of agate.  In the finished piece, four faceted, free-form pink agate stones compose the centerpiece of the necklace.  Agate comes in a variety of colors and its striations and inclusions make each piece truly unique.  (See detail on the left below.) 

Metaphysically, agate is powerful stone.  According to BestCrystals.com, agate "balances ying-yang energy, stabilizes the aura, facilitates discernment, imparts strength and courage, opens one to innate creative talents."  Gale also wanted the necklace to highlight the light pink and white of the dress, so I thought column shaped pink striped fire agate stones would add balance and further interest to the finished design.  Like the other agate stones, each piece has its own distinctive inclusions and matrix pattern.  

Detail of rose pink jade and pink fire agate

More detail of free-form pink agate and rose jade

To create a sense of dimension and difference, I chose round faceted rose pink jade, which ultimately enhances the necklace's metaphysical properties.  BestCrystals.com tells us that jade promotes,"Harmony, peace, fidelity, confidence [and is] a wonderful dream stone."

Silver accents finish the necklace and compliment its cool pink tone.  The silver toggle clasp is Tibetan style, and the two white pearl shell beads that terminate the necklace stimulate "intuition, sensitivity, imagination and adaptability" along with providing "insight into decision-making [and]cooperation between the self and others"(CharmsofLight.com).

Detail of white pearl shell and clasp

 

Many thanks to Gale for the opportunity to design this one-of-a-kind piece!

 

For reference, the necklace measures 18 3/4" long.