Rock Crystal

Just sitting here wondering how my love for all things gem and mineral relates to my love for cooking.  Rock crystal candy of course!  I remember going into candy stores as a child and being obsessed with the formations of rock candy and the pretty colors.  As a grown up I would much prefer rock candy on a stick for sweetening my ice tea and skip the childhood memory of a mouthful of sugary sweet crunch.

After doing a Google search for recipes I came across Christian Grantham's Flickr page chronicling the process of failures and success and a winning recipe.  It seems the secret is starting the sticks with a bit of eggwhite brushed on them and rolled in sugar before adding to the jar of sugar and water mixture.  With some flavored extracts added to the mixture I think a whole grown up version could be in my future. 

Current Read

Enameling on Metal by Oppi Untracht, 1971 (first published in 1957).  I love reading vintage jewelry and craft books and even more exciting to me are the period images which are great for inspiration.  Of course I make sure to read current books for advanced techniques and safety measures.  Oppi includes asbestos gloves and an asbestos block in the quipment list which have of course not been available in artist stores for years.

On My Must See List

Those fabulous Rodarte girls Kate and Laura Mulleavy have their first solo exhibit on the West Coast titled States of Matter at MOCA's Pacific Design Center annex just minutes from my home.  The work is installed as a series of interrelated conceptual vignettes, both static and in motion, the installation portrays garments as charged sculptural objects. 

Rodarte made a lot of noise in recent years with their high fashion avant garde designs which use unique materials and fabrication methods.  Also on display will be their original ballet costume designs for the film Black Swan.  The exhibit is on view through June 5th.

Fisher Norris Eagle

She finally arrived!  After being stuck in limbo for two weeks at the local post office my 'new' vintage anvil was delivered yesterday on the front seat of Ruby the mail carrier's truck.  Excitement commenced with a happy dance and I met her at the truck for the hand over.  After asking Ruby for the last two weeks if she had a large package for me she knew when she received her distribution exactly where the heavy box was to be delivered.

Fisher Norris was the first large scale manufacturer of anvils in the United States.  Fisher Norris Eagles were manufactured from 1843 to 1979.  Their unique patent manufacturing process involved welding a tool steel plate onto a cast iron body in the mold when the anvil was cast.  This process also produces a much quieter anvil than other wrought iron or steel anvils which ring like a bell.

She is currently enrobed in black glossy paint and a previous owner ground a concave slot and two small dimples in her horn which I am sure will come to good use. She has two pritchel holes and no hardy holes (square).  The pritchel holes are used for punching holes through metal or holding tools that have a round shank.  Under her horn she is marked 4 for 40 pounds and stamped FISHER and on her side is the distinct Eagle mark can be seen in the last photo.  She needs a name and will soon get a make-over with a light grind and polish on top to get her ready for making jewelry. 

Through a Colored Lense

Cuba Gallery, a photographer from Australia named Andrew is one of my new favorite photographers.  Perhaps it is the way he tints his photographs with green and teal tones or maybe because just a quick peruse through his Flickr page CubaGallery and I want to drop everything and hop on a plane to another country.

He explains and shows his before and after process for the photos on his blog under Lightroom Tutorials.

Before picture below.

Entertaining Blogs Worth a Read

NC Black Co, follow their travels over the next 264 days as they cross the country and teach micro forming jewelry and engraving classes.  Stella a NC Black K hammer is ready to get her wings and go on a road trip.  "Every time an anvil rings, another hammer gets its wings."

 







Rockchaser writes about their rock collecting adventures in San Diego County including links to regional collecting blogs, online resources and rock and gem shows.  Follow Sesame Pooch the rock sniffing hound as she finds new mine shafts and survives her encounters with killer dog eating rocks.

Nervous System

Awe inspiring Nervous System use advanced technology and algorithms to simulate and mimic forms from nature and produce the most amazing intricate jewelry using high tech equipment.  Their research and process is very interesting and I might find myself reading their entire blog.

Inspiration

While looking for new inspiration images for my next concept series on sea life I came across this fascinating radiolaria illustration.  If only Ernst Haeckel could see how many people he has touched and inspired.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline is one of my favorite gemstones.  The stone spans an incredible range of color from dark intense blue to pale blue, yellow, olivine, chromium green to all shades of pink and raspberry.  When I learned that I could dig through the tailings of Tourmaline mines to find treasures I could not resist.  Better yet the mines are about a two hour drive from Los Angeles.

The gems pictured here are just some of what my boyfriend and I found when we went in June last year to the Himalaya Mine and the Oceanview Mine.  These have been washed and scrubbed a bit with a bristle brush but nothing further. 

The Tourmaline in the photo above and the next two photos are from the Himalaya Mine near Lake Henshaw in San Diego County.  The mine was a prominent Tourmaline mine and although it is no longer in operation you can dig through their tailings.  We had good luck that day and found a lot including some Aquamarine and Quartz.

We also went to the Oceanview Mine which is an operating mine.  The Oceanview Mine is located off a private road near the Pala Casino in San Diego County.  It was a hot day and taking a walk into the underground mine was a great way to cool off and see an actual mine shaft.  They frequently post on their Oceanview Mine Facebook page the latest finds and what will be in the tailings for the upcoming weekend.

Below are our best finds from the Oceanview Mine.  We also found Kunzite, Lepidolite, Mica and Beryl.

Beautiful Gems

Vintage glass apothecary vials I purchased.  Wondering how I will incorporate these into a necklace or art project.