New Ring-Knuckle Buster

I love this piece of Laguna Lace Agate. I set it in a fine silver bezel that I hammered, oxidized and sanded.
I struggled with how to set it, horizontal or vertical. I am glad I set it horizontal. It is much more of a badass ring this way!

Bench Mascot!

Okay, so the kids started school last week. BOTH kids are in school for almost 7 hours a day...I admit I have a little bit of the empty nest syndrome. But really, what household is complete without a furry creature creating havoc around the house?

So here she is....my little (not so much) bench mascot. She is a 4 1/2 month old, 40 pound black lab puppy. She is really amazing! We got her from a rescue. She was turned in by a back yard breeder. She and her sister were the last two left and by this time at 4 months, nobody was going to pay for a puppy that old. At least the breeder turned her into a rescue and not the pound!

She is wonderful, sleeps all night in her crate, potties outside, plays well, sleeps lots and finally has learned to walk on a leash.

So, may not be a jewelry update...but she has relieved some stress and will help me to be relaxed and read to create! Oh and her name is Hazel :)

New Ring!

I have had this stone for MONTHS and have tried to design a pendant for it. But every time I tried, I failed.
Then yesterday, it spoke to me! It said it wanted to be a huge, honking, massive, gorgeous ring. And so I listened. It came together immediately, the solder flowed, the bezel fit, the stone was tight! It was a success.

And happily it has already been spoken for. It is on reserve for a very wonderful customer!

I love it when everything works out right!

New Bracelets Added to My Shop!

I have added two new bracelets to the Etsy shop! One is a Sterling Silver Rare Death Valley Plume Agate stone. The other is Turquoise and very, very sweet!

SALE coming soon!

It's almost August!!! That means it's almost my birthday. To celebrate, I will be having a store wide sale on my Etsy site! It will run August 1-17th. Check back on August 1st to see the deals that I will have for you!

NEW In My Etsy Store! Finally!

I have finally had time at the bench this week. It was good time too! I love when everything works out and comes together without melting, crunching, falling apart.....etc...although I must admit I did break an amber stone when trying to set it.....so one out of three-not bad actually!

Up first....an agate druzy cocktail ring. This ring is full of bling (ha ha). It is one inch in diameter and set in sterling and fine silver. The band is nice and thick and has three stars soldered on the band. The stone reminds me of a beautiful night sky. This ring measures a size 8 which because the band is thick, fits a size 7 1/2" finger perfectly......THIS RING HAS SOLD.

Next up is a heart Larimar from the Dominican Republic. It is set in fine and sterling silver and set to hang at an angle for a modern twist.

To purchase either one of these items, or any other design you see on my blog.....please visit my shop at

www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenGems

It's not supposed to be this hot here!

Last year we didn't turn our air conditioner on until October! Today, I couldn't stand it. It is so hot and muggy here in So. Cal. It's really gross! Because of that, I have only been working at my bench on purchased orders. Nothing new to create....it's too muggy!

So I leave you with a beautiful picture of natural waterfalls from our trip in Colorado!