I survived.

Yes, I survived the terror of putting together yet MORE of those devilish teeny-weeny stones that my jeweler friend likes to give me.

Actually, this time might have been worse than the last one. When my friend brought me the project, he specifically said he wouldn't touch the stone-setting job with a ten-foot pole, and neither would any of his other jeweler pals. So he asked me to set them and I agreed to do the job.

Then he showed me the rocks.

It was worse than the earring project I'd previously done for him. To make things even more difficult, the stones were what is known in the trade as "native-cut," which means they were cut for weight rather than to eliminate flaws. So these little buggers not only had potential serious flaws that could make them crack apart, but they were lopsided as well.

Most jewelers would have said, "I'm too busy!" But I'd already given my word. So after eight straight hours of cursing, scrapping enough wire to make four or five pieces, and wondering if I still had any talent to wrap stuff, I finally came up with these two pendants.

I sincerely hope the customer enjoys them...and I'm so very glad they don't live with me any more.

Maybe I'll have more sense than greed next time.



Faceted irradiated blue topaz heart, pear, and marquis stones; aquamarine cabochons; 14K gold-filled (rolled gold) wire