Aventurine - my gem of the moment!

I'd say 'Gem of The Month' or something a bit more pithy and catchy, but my phases don't really stick to convenient time periods like that.... they come and go as they please, and this current phase is really at its peak at the moment!  I have been making a few pieces using Aventurine recently as you may have noticed if you follow my Facebook page, and I have been thoroughly enjoying myself!  

A new combination I've found recently that works particularly well is using the Aventurine with Labradorite - it brings out the flashes in the latter out nicely - I've tried and tried before to find something complimentary to those wonderful blues and greens that you get little glimpses of when the light catches the Labradorite just right, but its been surprisingly difficult - Turquoise is too 'solid' and opaque and bright in comparison, distracting from the subtleties in the Labradorite, Swarovski crystals tend go the other way and are a bit too delicate and don't have enough 'oomph' to draw out the blues and greens in the flashes of colour.  Other gems have just never been quite the right colour.  Aventurine on the other hand has the perfect opacity, gentle yet rich colour, and tones wonderfully with the grey whilst discreetly but effectively enhancing the flashes of greens and blues.

I love the soft green and greys together, I think they're really gentle and calming.

Hand-knotted multi-strand necklace on natural silk, with Aventurine, Labradorite,
Fluorite, Jade, green Agate and Swarovski crystals

necklace detail

I've been making more pieces with Aventurine and experimenting more with the wire rings too - here's a commission piece for one of my very bestest friends, making it an extra specially lovely item to make :) 

Wire-wrapped ring in Sterling Silver with Aventurine

I have realised, looking back though my archive of photographs of everything that I've made, some of my very favourite pieces have been using Aventurine:

One of my all-time favourite colour combinations -

Wire-wrapped bracelet with Aventurine, Fluorite and Amethyst

And the ever popular Mother of Pearl heart earrings: this particular pair sold just the other day -

Mother of Pearl heart buttons, with Aventurine and teal crystals

And a few older designs too!

Aventurine, with Amethyst and Freshwater Pearls

Aventurine, with Amazonite, Fluorite and Diamanté rondelles

Aventurine with Rose Quartz and tiny Freshwater pearls

So I think its fair to say Aventurine is one of my very favourite gemstones, I just love the way its not entirely opaque, it has a wonderfully soft and gentle appearance, and combines so well with so many other stones or simply looks understated yet elegant on its own.

I think it only comes second to Fluorite, but that's another story/post...!

C x