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The Design Gallery

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Chatter

Beautiful Iolite

About this design:

Here's a fun design,using Iolite. Iolite doesn't get a lot of attention,and it's a yummy stone. In this case,I had a few with chips on the side,so I did my beloved rustic wrap to disguise the damage. It's hard to capture the color of these stones with a camera.
I used natural light,but I'm not skilled in photography. Any tips at all would be greatly appreciated.

Components:

Green Onyx ovals and faceted rondelles,SS craft wire 24G,Iolite briolettes approx 10x6 mm if memory serves,SS jump rings,and SS ear wires.

Additional Images:



Read the comments (or add your own)

  1. dolllady aka Pam
    dolllady aka Pam says:

    Nancy, these are great! I love the mix of the green with iolite. They are so feminine and will go with so many colors.

  2. celticivy
    celticivy says:

    Iolite is a very ‘yummy’ stone, they turned out great with the green onyx. When you use natural light, are you still inside? Sometimes you need to step outside to take pictures. Also try a subtle prop like a clear quartz crystal when trying to take pictures with pieces you make with stones and crystals.

  3. Nancy Mc
    Nancy Mc says:

    Thank you,my fellow night owls. Celticivy,I appreciate the tips,and I’ll try that. I have been looking for a big slab of Quartz to use in photos.

  4. celticivy
    celticivy says:

    Nancy Mc, if you go on my page here on limabeads page to my designs, and go on page 2 and scroll down till you get to Chrysicolla on wire wrap, ( 7th down). I have a nice peiece of Chrysicholla on the piece of Quartz outside on a bed of grass, and the Chrysicolla ”pops”.

  5. No Photo
    Fresh Baked says:

    Gorgeous color combo and design! Love that Iolite!

  6. puppychick  labratbecky
    puppychick labratbecky says:

    Fantastic pair! That is some gorgeous iolite! :)

  7. Nancy Mc
    Nancy Mc says:

    Thanks ladies! It is a great stone. I like the way it looks gray,then purple,then blue,in different lighting. I read that the Vikings used to as a crystal to find direction. It may be just folklore.
    Celtic,,that you so much. That’s a very pretty picture and I am inspired by that. Gotta find a good seller. ;)

  8. Nancy Mc
    Nancy Mc says:

    Gotta find an edit button as well. sheesh!

  9. Crystal Canary
    Crystal Canary says:

    Nancy, I really like this color combination! And I will agree, Iolite is an exceptional stone. I love your description of ‘gray, purple & blue’ all rolled into one! The uniqueness of the added dangles in this design give that something extra special. These are really done nicely! :)

  10. Nancy Mc
    Nancy Mc says:

    Thank you,CC. I had an iolite tennis bracelet and lost it on vacation . You would have thought I was mourning a death lol! So bummed out! I cried like a Mafia widow.

  11. No Photo
    pearlsandme aka Monica says:

    I’ve had some iolite, but it wasn’t nearly as pretty as this! :-) This looks like it has a smoky spirit inside…

    About the photo: sometimes it’s enough just to change the angle of the camera, or turn the whole setup to get the light from another direction. I also usually try different adjustments of the camera: automatic and macro treats also the lightning slightly differently. But just trying different background colors is very effective, and white is seldom the best! Then you could just wait for that natural light to change, if you have time… I think you got the best light in the second last pic!

  12. No Photo
    pearlsandme aka Monica says:

    And BTW, agree with Celticivy that actually going outside is usually best (unless it is pouring down…).

  13. Nancy Mc
    Nancy Mc says:

    Thanks so much,Monica. I will try that. Sometimes I think I bought “too much camera” because it’s very complicated,once you start reading the booklet. I try so hard to absorb what I’m reading,and I always “drift.” LOL

  14. A Rozmin
    A Rozmin says:

    Don’t feel bad about your photos; I majored in photography in college (pre-digital) and I have had a hard time photographing jewelry. I found that shooting from farther away and zooming in helps it quite a bit. Usually the problems for me are depth of field and managing the automatic focus feature. A medium color background may work better for you. That’s why I usually use cork for a background. The built-in light meters make white darker and black lighter, so its better to be in a medium range.
    Your pics are really quite good. Just experiment a little with these suggestions to find what works for you. We are always our own worst critics.
    And, I love the earrings!

  15. Nancy Mc
    Nancy Mc says:

    Thanks so much,A.R. I’ve noticed that about black backgrounds.
    I did read your previous tip about zooming, and can’t seem to keep my hand steady.
    I need hands on help with photog. It’s complicated to my ” sensibilities” LOL
    It reminds me of the way I felt with algebra .
    Depth of field? Shutter speed?
    Mommy!!!!! Hahaha!

  16. No Photo
    pearlsandme aka Monica says:

    You’re so right! At work I’ve encountered a camera (for photoing bacterial colonies, that’s hard too!) that makes me feel just like that, and I’ve sometimes ended up bringing in my own simple Olympus just to get a photo!! It has programs, but you don’t need a manual to use it! The only thing I hate is the autofocus, and someday I will get a camera with manual focus…!!! I’ve heard they exist. :-) Just afraid it will cost a bomb, and have a manual the size of a dictionary.
    That depth of field and shutter speed thing was easy when you did it all by hand, no auto whatsoever. But when there are a million dials and menus… give me a phone! :-P

  17. kye
    kye says:

    Beautiful earrings! Love the lolite and the wrapping. I struggle with photgraphing too so I’ve enjoyed the helpful comments.

  18. DayLily aka Del
    DayLily aka Del says:

    Beautiful.

  19. Asia
    Asia says:

    Gorgeous beads and work, outside on a cloudy day works best for me, I also use manual focus and settings, manual is not as hard as everyone thinks :D

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