Rainbow Bracelet

One of my most popular bracelets, and one of my favorites as well.  I just LOVE a good rainbow!  In gold or silver wire, custom made to fit any size wrist.  $65.00.

 

 

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Opal, the Primary October Birthstone

 

For you lucky October babies, all the splendor of nature is reflected in the colorful opulence of your birthstone, the Opal: fire and lightning, all the colors of the rainbow and the soft hues of tropical sunrises. Australia is the most common country of origin. Almost ninety-five per cent of all fine opals come from the dry and remote outback deserts.

The name Opal was probably derived from Sanskrit “upala“, meaning ”valuable stone“. This was probably the root for the Greek term “opallios”, which translates as “color change”.

Opal’s color play attracts and fascinates, doesn‘t it? But what causes this phenomenon? This question was impossible to answer for a very long time. In the 1960s a team of Australian scientists analyzed Opals with an electron microscope, and it was discovered that small spheres from silica gel were responsible for the fantastic play of colors. The spheres, which are arranged in more or less compact structures, split the light on its passage through the gemstone and turn it into all the colors of the rainbow, always new and always different.

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Beautiful Jewelry from Scrap Materials, Part 3

These gorgeous rainbow beads are 4mm Swarovski crystal cubes.  I inherited them in a batch of stuff I acquired about 4 years ago.  Periodically I would take the little baggie out and note how pretty all the colors are together, but then put them away again because there aren't more than 7 or 8 of each color and I wasn't sure what to make with those few beads that would do them justice!  For some reason when I ran across them again about two weeks ago, the "rainbow" idea struck me.  I decided on silver wire partly because a lot of people are going for silver these days, and partly because I liked the way the colors really stood out against the metal.  Gold wire would have "warmed" the colors, which is fine, but silver really makes them "pop", don't you think?

This was heading for a listing in my Etsy shop.  I had taken pictures of it a week or so ago, and just finished editing the pictures on Monday.  And guess what...it sold in my store!  I have some more beads, but not enough in the true "rainbow" colors to make another bracelet just like this.  I think what I'll do is just a "multi-color" bracelet in a similar style.  Don't want those beautiful cube crystals to be homeless any longer!

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