Dramatic Dark Jewelry

by Cherie Somerville.
(Arizona)

I absolutely love fossilized agates, or rather, agatized fossils…turritella agate is a real favorite!

With all its organic little shapes, elegant charcoal color matrix & mysterious flashes of embedded crystal, it’s just hypnotic!

Unfortunately, there’s been many times we’ve cut matching “tabbie” pieces of it, for earrings, only to have them break…often from the hole drilling process, or from some tricky little hidden fissure that decides to give, just when you’re at final polish!

My husband, the stone cutter, recently showed me this piece saying, “well, this is thick enough, it should hold up, but it’s too thick for earrings”.

I sez, “fine, I’ll wire wrap it, don’t even bother drilling a hole!”.

Here’s the end result, a bold, dramatic stone slab with lots of detail & oxidized sterling wire wrap setting.

I included a shot of the “back side”, because generally, you never see the reverse of wire wrap pieces (unless you purchase them).

I think that may be ‘cuz they look like back sides, that is, basic & utilitarian, just there to hole the front side in place. I think backs should be just as interesting, even reversible!

The necklace is strung with a mix of faceted & smooth labradorite, black Tibetan agate, black amber & faceted black glass discs.

Cherie Somerville Elksong Jewelry
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