Getting Off The Learning Treadmill When we’re at school and university it’s like we think we’ll feel relieved once the barrage of information and learning stops, that life will be so much more pleasant once we can stop learning all the time. Ha, what an idiot I was to think such a thing! Not only... 

Out with the old, as they say. Well, I was getting a bit bored with that very dark theme. It was originally to match my packagaing- lovely, fine corrugated black boxes, but I think that might be a bit like cart-before-horse, at least that how I feel about it now. So here we are with a spanky new theme, customised with... 

Citrine Necklace “Laura” with Dragonfly, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Ah more Spring things! This time, it’s lilac’s best friend- pale yellow. Citrine shows up in all shades of yellow from the palest and most see-through to deepest amber. Actually this faceted nugget reminds of... 

Amethyst Necklace “Laura”, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Oh it’s lovely to see all the spring flowers and feel the warmth of spring coming… With that in mind I made a couple of pieces this morning with Light Amethyst. This is the necklace, it uses a large (20mm x 17mm) faceted pendant... 

Platinum Pearl Earrings, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Well my goodness it’s that time of year again! In case the weather wasn’t enough to tell you then TV certainy will. One of my favourite shows “Bones” just had their Christmas episode and the main character, Dr Temperance Brennan... 

Fuchsia & Black Bracelet, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Ah the 80′s! Back in the 80′s fuchsia was one of those bold signature colours. This jewellery blends that shade of shocking pink with deep burgundy Garnet and black Onyx to bring it up to date and make it altogether subtler, but still... 

Citrine Bracelet “Melina”, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Most people associate Topaz with Novemebr, but Citrine is also a traditional gem for this month. This is probably because the two gems are very often mistaken for each other, but I’m just guessing. If you know someone who has a birthday... 

Garnet Bracelet, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Garnet is a gemstone that has been in use since ancient times, indeed it is among the stones mentioned in the surviving literature of all ancient languages. Properties of Garnet Garnet is actually the name given to a family of silicate minerals whose members... 

"Autumn" Lampwork Necklace, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. But then, autumn/fall colours are sooo pretty! The cool thing about left-overs in jewellery making is that after a little while you end up with a sizeable collection that you actually do something with and here’s an example. This... 

Rose Quartz "Love the Beach" Necklace, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Today was an unusually hot day. It’s October and here in the north of Spain October is usually lovely but today felt just like summer, so after coming back from the beach where I found some frosty beach glass, I made...