I am a beader too and since this is a braggin' gallery for all of us, I would like to show you one of my latest personal designs. This necklace and earrings set matches my new purple jacket that I got for Christmas.

I used oval rock crystal or clear quartz, and round amethyst and rose quartz beads interspersed with pewter and silver beads. I call this my triple quartz necklace because the gemstones are all quartz.

Quartz is the largest gem family and the most varied. There is an old gem trade saying that "if you're in doubt, say it's quartz"! There are two general categories of quartz. The transparent varieties include amethyst, citrine, smokey quartz, rock crystal, and rose quartz. Transparent rose quartz is quite rare - most of the time this gemstone is cloudy. The translucent or opaque varieties include agate, carnelian, aventurine, bloodstone, jasper, tigereye and petrified wood. Yes, petrified wood because the original sections of trees or branches have been replaced by a quartz-type silica. The wood transformed into a mineral after eons of being submerged in silica-rich water under extreme pressure. Usually a reddish-brown colour.

I have all the above mentioned gemstones available for designing.

References

Antoinette Matlins & A.C. Bonanno (1998). Jewelry & Gems the Buying Guide: How to Buy Diamonds, Pearls, Colored Gemstones, Gold & Jewelry With Confidence And Knowledge (Jewelry and Gems the Buying Guide)

Cally Hall (1994).Gemstones (Smithsonian Handbooks)