02 August 2009

To Give Richness

"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when teh flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring."
~Oscar Wilde


And the winnner of the July Giveaway is.....


#10 Peacock Fairy!

Congratulations Peacock Fairy! I will be in contact with you to arrange sending you a copy of Your Eco-Friendly Yard. And for your promised earthy piece of jewelry, I will make you earrings or a wire-wrapped ring...your choice. I will contact you for your preference.

But I don't want anyone to feel left out...My birthday is in August, and Peridot is my birthstone. Peridot has been prized for centuries as the "Emerald of the Evening" since it doesn't change colors even in artificial light. It is one of the few gemstones that actually comes in only one color. It can range in hue from yellow to olive to green and even a brownish khaki color. The depth of the green color is due to the presence of iron in the stone. Peridot in a very plentiful deposit was found in Pakistan in the Kashmir region high atop a mountain. These Kashmir Peridots can only be harvested during the summer months and are prized for their large sizes and gemstone cutters have succeeded in cutting glamourously large faceted stones.

The word "peridot" is derived from the Greek word 'peridona', which means 'to give richness'. I like that meaning.

I was never fond of my birthstone when I was a kid. But as an adult it has grown on me. I like the earthy quality of the stone and the bright pop of color that it gives to designs. It is beautiful when combined with blues like aquamarine or turquoise and is a perfect foil to bright purples, oranges and even reds. I like peridot equally with copper, bronze, silver and gold toned metals. I find it to be very versatile.

The Bead Trends August issue is out. I have had so much success that is attributed to Bead Trends. I think that it is a beautifully photographed publication and all the people there are top-notch. To "give richness" to someone, I will be awarding a lucky random winner with a copy of the August issue of Bead Trends and the Sweet Pea necklace that I made that is featured in the issue! Sweet Pea is made with bright green potato pearls, peridot and accented with copper.




To enter, leave a comment answering the following question: what is your birthstone and what do you like best about it? or If you could have any birthstone which would be your favorite and why?

To get a second entry, blog, Facebook or Twitter about it (and let me know so I can check it out).
To get a third entry, refer a friend and make sure that they mention your name in their comment!

I will pick a winner on Friday, August 7th!

Check It Out:: Joy In The Journey

Enjoy the day!

22 comments:

Debbie / Prairie Emporium said...

Hi Erin, very cute necklace!!! Peridot is one of my favorite stones but my birthstone is turquoise (Dec) and I also like turquoise better now than I did when I was younger. I would love to win; I have never seen a copy of the Bead Trends Mag.

Mellisa said...

Another winter baby here- December b-day and although I do like turquoise, peridot is a stone that I adore. If I could have any birthstone I think I might choose October, opals are just so fascinating to me with their sparks of color in such a milky base. I'm only entering in the hope of being the lucky duck necklace winner- the magazine could go to another (I'll probably be having a giveaway for my extra copy as well) :)

p.s. sent you an email last week, nothing important- just chitchat- but thought I'd double check to see if it went through since we had Bermuda Triangle msgs in the past :)

Unknown said...

Oh my, I am so in! My husband's birthday is in August too. :)

My birthstone is Amethyst and I adore it when it's dark, although some places shown it as being a lighter purple and I'm not so fond of it. However, I love diamonds with rubies so I wish ruby was my stone. :)

Cindy said...

Congrats to Peacock Fairy...you're one lucky lady! Erin, thank you for this extra chance to win. I saw your latest publication a few weeks ago and can attest, your Sweet Pea necklace is beautiful!
My birthstone (November) is Topaz. I was never crazy about it, the way you felt about Peridot. I think it's grown on me as an adult as well as it's a great color to add to Fall designs. I do really like Aquamarine, the March birthstone. I Twittered about your great giveaway! -sweetbeadstudio.

Bead-Mused said...

Hi Erin! Love it, love it, love it.
My birthstone is ruby -- gorgeous blood red when lab created, deep rosy red when natural. All of my rubies have been gifts -- from my parents, from my husband -- so they have deep sentimental meaning for me. I love the myths surrounding rubies -- good for the blood and internal systems and a symbol for passionate love.

If I could have another birthstone I belive I'd pick opal (another firey gem). I love fire opals and all the colors found in one stone. But the myth is that unless you're born in October, it's bad luck to wear opals. (just happens to be the hubby's birthstone!)

I'll blog about your giveaway and send some more readers over!

Doreen said...

My birthday is in October. I have two birthstones. One is rose zircon. I am not too fond of pink, so it isn't a favorite of mine. My other birthstone is opal. I love opals. I have several of them. What I like about them is the fire inside and that they are all different.

Lucid Moon Studio said...

My birthstone is November - topaz. I always hated the color, but now I don't think it's that bad. I think blue topaz is pretty. If I could choose, I would probably pick turquoise or opal for my birthstone. I love your giveaway necklace...hope I win :)

Lisa

sharon said...

Hi Erin! and thanks for your lovely sweet compliment today! I can't wait to see your piece in the magazine, but as I've mentioned before, living in PA.....I'm the last to receive, maybe today! I would love to win your necklace though......my birthstone, June, is pearl, or alexandrite. Pearls I love, Alexandrite I do not care for because it changes color too much, I would pick peridot (aahhhhhh), or aquamarine.....green or blue!
BTW, I've seen plenty of your wirework and it is lovely!!

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

I love the neclace and have never seen the magazine.

My birthstone is Rose Zircon or....OPAL!! I LOVE Opal. I love how you can look deeply into the stone and see sparks of fire. I prefer Opals with a little more blue than pink.

I would not choose a different birthstone. I love the opal and love being Libra. It fits me to a T.
Carol

Sharon said...

I first dicovered your work in Bead Trends Featured Designer, April edition, and it was love at first sight.

My birthstone is Aquamarine and I love its cool, icy nature, especially when faceted. I also love peridot for the same reasons!

I am twittering your blog today!

Liz Mays said...

My birthstone is a ruby and I love it because it just seems so rich and deep and mysterious to me.
doot65[at]comcast{dot}net

Liz Mays said...

I shared this on my facebook too.
http://www.facebook.com/doot65
doot65[at]comcast{dot}net

Jenners said...

I liked learning about peridot. I actually hadn't heard too much about that one. My birthstone is a sapphire, which I always liked. My mom has the same one as her birthstone and when I was about 14, she gave me a star saphhire, which I proceeded to lose in college and I've never told her that to this day as I feel awful about it.

And the Little One and I recently "mined" for gem stones at a little touristy place but he loved it and we then got a book out of the library on gems and rocks and read about them and it was quite interesting. : )

Diane said...

Erin! My birthstone is Peridot as well, as my birthday is August 29!
I was never fond of it as a child either. Even today I do not have a piece of jewelry using my birthstone. Not sure why...just don't. Of course, now I do like it, as green is one of my favorite colors.

Sissy and Jack's said...

My birthstone is topaz (November) and I love the different shades of yellow that you can find it in. My preference is the a smoky yellow shade which lends more to my personality.
LOVE your blog, I just found it from a post on Cynthia Thorton's Enchanted Adornment's FB page.

Beverley Baird said...

Hi Erin.
My birthstone is the garnet. I love the deep red, and variety of jewellry that can be made with it. No I wouldn't want another stone - love it!
I will have to check out Bead Trends!

Melissa J. Lee said...

Lovely work (as always), Erin! I love peridot - it's one of my favorite stones for designing jewelry.

Alice said...

Sweet necklace! My birthstone is the amethyst, which I have never been fond of. I would much rather it be a diamond, garnett, ruby or topaz. I've never liked purple for anything but flowers. My oldest sister chose this color for everything including wall paint for her bedroom--which may be why I don't like it.

Crossing my fingers that I will win!
Alice

peacockfairy said...

Hi Erin:
Saw your comment.... I did email you a few days ago, but it must have gotten lost. I just emailed you again - let me know if you don't get it. :-)
Heather

pam ferrari said...

Beautiful necklace! My birthstone is amethyst ( Feb) I like my birthstone but if I had to pick an other stone it would be Topaz.

The Joy of Nesting said...

Hi Erin,

My birthstone is topaz and like many of the other Nov. babies I really disliked it growing up. As I have gotten older I have gotten so that I really enjoy it in different pieces. Although the smokier the better. They are rather unigue looking in their raw uncut form and work well in many designs. :)

Oh but sapphires have always held my heart!!! It is infact the main stone in my engagement ring :)

What a great necklace and I'm going to be clutching my lucky faux rabbit foot for luck until the drawing!!

Pattie ;)
Mazatlan Mexico

rosebud101 said...

Congratultions to the winners!

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