July 13, 2003

• Finally, a finished product!

  
  

  In February, I dumped a few pounds of jade bits out on my worktable and started picking out pairs.  I went from this:

  
  

  to this:

  
  

  The jade bits were out there on my table for weeks, and I returned to them periodically and picked out pairs until I had thirteen of those little boxes full of pairs and was tired of jade. 

  
  

  I also picked out pairs of amethyst, aquamarine, celestite, rose quartz, citrine and, finally, lapis lazuli, before putting away the rocks and getting caught up in doing readings on that table for a few months.

  
  

  Yesterday, with windows open and three fans going to move the warm air around in here–it has been in the eighties, and not cooling off much at night (nobody I know has a/c)–I realized it would be a good time to glue some bell caps on stones.  That job requires ventilation and can’t be done in winter around here.

  
  

  I started off easy yesterday, just glued caps on 17 pairs of stones, one little box full.  I left the glue curing overnight and put wires on today.  Voila!

  
  

  

  
  

  Greyfox is happy about this.  He has had earrings to sell this summer, but since gluing is a bit complicated and time-consuming, they have all been the beaded type:  mostly hematite beads strung on pins dangling from earwires.  But the jade is an Alaskan stone and these sell quickly, and he has been gently wondering when I’d get some done.  I’ve been slow getting into production this year because of so many other things to do.  It’s hard to express the satisfaction I feel at finally getting some done.

  
  

  Now I have to cut apart a couple of sheets of display cards for them, poke holes in cards, poke wires through holes… and start gluing stones again–occupational therapy, a break from driving up and down the valley and the psychotherapy.

  
  

  

  • 5:10 pm
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