DIY Nature Jewelry

by Adele Kurtz

3 Materials

$10

4 Hours

Easy

We are SERIOUS NATURE LOVERS, who can't stop collecting rocks and integrating them into our projects indoors and outdoors. We often hike a mile or more into rock-hounding territories all over the Four Corners to find specimens that find their way into our living room and gardens, often as mixed-media art projects.

I joined a local Gem & Mineral Club and learned how to make jewelry, too. Nothing exceptional... yet... but I've got the basics down. Cutting rocks into slabs. Shaping. Grinding. Polishing. Working with silver. Inlays...

A very time-consuming hobby.

Some of my favorites, however, are the ones I leave close to the way I found them. They are easy to make.

I enjoy giving them to family members and friends.

Here's how I make them.

Hope they'll inspire you to pick up some gems along your pathway...

... and make art to wear or share.

Traditional Cabachon from natural stone

If you are ready for a LOT OF WORK... You can cut a stone into a traditional Cabachon like the one I made above: Rough cut oval shape, then spend a few hours grinding and polishing...

Freeform, rough polish

BUT... I've found I like more NATURAL SHAPES. (As well as being a bit lazy.)

So here are a few I left intentionally FREEFORM. Allowing the stone to tell me when to stop grinding and polishing -- much earlier in its Re-Formation.

Set up for today's project

So today I am going to take a bunch of rocks I've collected and do a simplified jewelry setup. Sharing this project with my grand-daughter Shannon.

Some of these I found naturally in these shapes, with this amount of natural polish.

Some I cut and smoothed around the edges using a table saw and grinding wheels.

I apply Amazing Goop, Marine type, to silver findings, and clean Goop off after it dries a few hours with a toothpick.

Backs

fronts

This set has two finished edges, usually one side and bottom or top... and other sides left in their natural jagged cut...

Had a lot of fun showing my grand-daughter how to do these.

Working with the rock-saws and grinders help us to get over our phobias and gain greater confidence.

These examples are only slightly modified and polished from their natural state.

These agatey petrified wood pieces look great with just a little polish and shaping.

After a few hours of fun... I decide this one is my favorite.

My hubby agrees.

The rest I can give away or add to my growing collection.

Which do you like best?

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

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1 question

M. M.. on Jul 17, 2017

Beautiful and unique! Glad to see you left some of the pieces 'natural' and that you helped your granddaughter learn some skills, too. About how heavy are the longer pendants?

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3 of 6 comments

Jean on Jul 18, 2020

Adele (which happens to be the same name as my grandmother!), I inherited a huge rock and mineral collection from my parents after they passed away. We had a rock shop when I was in elementary school btw. I was wondering if you had some ideas of how to use these specimens in more diy projects? I also need to DOWNSiZE this collection since I don’t have equipment to work on them and have very little memory of the identifications of them. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them down here in SC. And I wanted to tell you that besides having the most beautiful name in the world, you do amazing and beautiful work also!!! Thank you!!!
Jean

1 Reply
- Adele Kurtz on Aug 22, 2020
  
  Sorry I missed this comment til now. Written the day before my birthday, btw... Check out my post about rock furniture: https://www.hometalk.com/diy/grow/landscaping/rock-log-furniture-evolution-far-beyond-flintstone-decor-37158798 Maybe it'll start your wheels spinning.
  https://www.hometalk.com/diy/build/furniture/highlighting-the-great-outdoors-inside-33004738
  We put our specimens in glass vases, on silver platters, in candy bowls -- even used some in a glass cylinder with a color changing light on top
  https://www.hometalk.com/diy/decorate/rooms/how-to-add-dramatic-elegance-with-a-color-changing-lamp-20103366
  Thousands of specimens, and hundreds have found a place from which to smile.
  
  Rock Furniture: Evolution Far Beyond Flintstone Decor!
  
  Highlighting the Great Outdoors Inside
  
  How to Add Dramatic Elegance With a Color-Changing Lamp
  
  Like
Coco petals on Dec 03, 2021

So beautiful. Thanks for sharing

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