Newton Open Studios is open this weekend at various locations around the city. Stop by Studio 29 at 29 Vineyard Road in Newton Center on your tour of art and crafts!
Deb Perugi’s Paternostri Jewelry and Lynda Goldberg’s many prints will be there. You can start here and grab a map to the rest of the city. Best of all, the entire tour is free!
Filed under Newton Open Studios, Shows and Events
Rare Gem Silica Chyrysocolla
Paternostri has some of this beautiful stone in a necklace that will be for sale at Newton Open Studios. Thanks to AJS Gems for their timely newsletter on this rare gemstone.
“The rarest gem in the quartz family is a vivid blue or blue-green microcrystalline quartz known in the trade as gem silica. Sometime referred to as gem silica chrysocolla or chrysocolla chalcedony, it forms in copper-rich areas where the copper silicate known as chrysocolla combines with chalcedony quartz.
The main attraction of this gemstone is its remarkable color. The intense color is due to the presence of copper salts that penetrate the crystal lattice of colorless chalecedony. Though there are other copper-bearing gems that can display a similar color saturation, such as turquoise and chrysocolla, these are much softer stones and are not durable enough for everyday rings. The term “gem” in “gem silica” indicates that this material is gem quality, and in fact it has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale and is suitable for all kinds of jewelry, including rings.
But the best gem silica has more than a vivid color. It also has significant translucency that gives it a special glow. Clean specimens with excellent translucency are sought after by collectors. In the Asian market, gem silica is in demand for its resemblance to the highest grades of jade. In the west, the paraiba-like color and rarity are the main selling points.
The chief sources for this rare gem are in Arizona, USA and Peru and Chile in South America. These locations are among the main copper mining locations in the world.
Arizona is the leading copper producing state in the US, with 60% of the US production. Copper mining is a multibillion dollar business with many industrial applications. Unfortunately with the advent of modern mechanized mining, it is no longer possible to interrupt copper mining to extract the gem silica when a new pocket is discovered. So the only locations yielding new material are those where mining is still carried out with pick and shovel.
The main sources of gem silica in Arizona are the Inspiration Mine in the Globe-Miami area, and the Ray Mine in the southern part of the state, about 65 miles east of Phoenix. Due to copper mining practices, neither mine has yielded new material in the last 20 years, and all the material in the market was discovered years ago and put aside or held in family collections. The scarcity of fine material has driven up prices on top grade gem silica as demand from collectors continues to grow. The Inspiration Mine is noted for very fine translucent material which has the distinctive glow prized by collectors. Material from the Ray Mine tends to be opaque, but of a vivid blue color.”
Filed under Chyrysocolla, Rocks
If you’ve never been to Tucson during the Gem Show in January and February, then it’s hard to imagine what an extensive event this is. Anything and everything having to do with gems, minerals, fossils and meteorites is here. Any size stone can be found, whether a sample to keep in your pocket, or a giant crystal to display in your garden. Fossil imbedded stone shaped into vanities for your bathroom are gorgeous. Every mineral, some you’ve never heard of, can be purchased for a couple of bills.
Vendors and buyers like me from around the world look forward to this show every year. They stream in from the farthest corners of the country and from the far reaches of the globe: Australia, Mongolia, China, Africa, Brazil.
Bead vendors from around the world are also in abundance. One side of town is dotted with ubiquitous white peaked tents that read “Gem Mall” and “JOGS, etc. Trollies transport buyers from one area to the next and golf carts circle around vast parking lots.
When I go, I look for unusual stones and findings. I also purchase small samples of minerals because people of all ages love to pick up the raw stone from where the gems come. After all, that’s what got me started in this business!
Take a look at one necklace I made from my haul last week. It is a malachite-azurite set of matched stones. There are many other strands (lapis, amber, chrisophase, aquamarine, amethyst, citrine, Canadian Jade) waiting to get made into a design that will be for sale at the upcoming Newton Open Studios Show this April. Come and be dazzled!
Heart shaped rhodochrosite beads with pewter and silver. Slips over head. $89.
Come visit me at Celebrate Newton and see all the new pieces Paternostri has been creating these last few days. They are my new favorites. Mention this blog post for 10% off your purchase! Here is a sneak peek. Top of my list is the pinkish rhodochrosite heart shaped stones with bits of green and cream colors. Adding another color stone would not do, so I found the solution… pewter spacers and an unusually placed clasp. I love this piece!
Another necklace is a really strange but oddly beautiful one. I found what looks like quartz blackened by fire rondelle shaped beads and bought one strand. What will this work with? By itself it was interesting, but would I wear it? No!
Onyx pendant on an unusual combination of fired quartz and Czech glass. $84.
Sometimes the collector in me has to stop myself from bringing home these unwearable specimens. I stumbled across some Czech glass beads that intrigued me many months ago. Looking almost like insect wings with reddish and gray colors. The two strands made a great combo. See for yourself. I added garnet for more red depth and sparkle and an onyx pendant. This is also my new favorite!
Paternostri is preparing for the Celebrate Newton Holiday Craft Fair which will be held next Sunday at Newton South High School. I’m excited to be offering some leather and silver bracelets with steel snap clasps that are very comfortable and stylish. I don’t think I can sell the first one, because I have been wearing it almost every day since I made it. So, I ordered more Greek leather in different colors and I’ve stringing them with large hole beads. One has color furnace glass, another Hill Tribe silver. Prices vary from $35-$70 depending on the beads used.
Filed under Bracelets, Furnace Glass, Hill Tribe Silver
I love to exhibit in craft shows, especially those well run and dear to my heart. I love seeing and catching up with friends, other vendors and meeting both old and new customers. But, as a web designer, it was time to start thinking toward the future. I want to expand the business, but do it from home instead of hauling heavy boxes and props around.
My old site was hosted on WordPress.com, which is a great option for newcomers, and virtually free. It offers free themes (or templates) and domain hosting for only $12 per year. What is a problem, though, is lack of functionality, such as a shopping cart, forms, and other goodies known as plug-ins and widgets.
So, I decided to move the site to another hosting company that allows for web growth. I send all my web clients to BlueHost, as I find it easy to install WordPress and the help is 24/7. I already have my Perugi Design website there, and for no extra cost, I could add my Paternostri site there as a sub-domain. I didn’t want to lose several years worth of blogging, so I exported the blog from the old host company and imported it into the newly constructed blog, using the same theme. Just a few missing pictures and widgets added and I was good to go.
Pointing the domain away from the old and to the new site is the last step. You want seamless access for your customers and followers. That done, I’ll just let the old files on WP.com wither away, losing only a few dollars investment.
A shopping cart is a little more difficult step. I plan on using Propay, and it will be much easier than a bank credit card set up and requires no plugins to operate. Just some old fashioned html tables. It’s not quite done yet, a few threads to unravel, but I think I’ll have it running soon.
Be watching for specials run only on the website. I’ll be putting up everything from my bag onto the site, using my make shift photography to provide the pictures. Hopefully, they will be good enough!
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Filed under Shows, Uncategorized, web site
Come to the SoWa Marketplace and visit Paternostri jewelry. We are having a big 20% off sale! Everything is on sale. Here are a few pictures of recent work to wet your appetite!
Last year's tent right in front of the harbor.
With all the hot weather we’ve been having in Boston and the east coast, the vendors getting ready for the Manchester by the Sea Arts Festival were not just a little worried. Chuck Hayback, organizer of the yearly summer event, assured us all would be fine. It’s always a little cooler on the coast and he was sure people would come out to enjoy the day.
The sky was darkening as I left Framingham at 7 am. Is rain better than sizzling heat? Maybe, maybe not. My canopy is not rainproof. By the time I arrived in Manchester, booths were already popping up on Main Street. I wheeled the Toyota RAV, filled with crates, tables, sandbags and canopy, to the Community Center for check in.
Good. I’m still in Reed Park, where I have enjoyed the harbor view and sea breeze for the last three years. Since I’m late, the parking in that area is full, but I find an illegal spot at the end of the row of cars and put on the emergency lights. Lugging the gear into the grassy spot goes relatively easily and I find, to my surprise, a Newton comrade, right next to me. She’s a printmaker who I show with at Newton Open Studios. Yay!
After parking the car offsite and walking back, it’s time to put up the canopy, minus my tall husband who is not available. Fortunately, Lynda and my other neighbor lend a hand and we get the thing up. It’s still raining, but I overhear that it is going to clear. There are a lot of sailors in the area, so I trust they know the signs.
The skies cleared, the sun came out and the breeze stayed to keep us cool all day. 20% off spurred sales. What a day!
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Filed under Shows
An exciting craft show and open marketplace is being held in the South End every Sunday. Paternostri is getting ready by producing new fabulous jewelry and organizing the display. Outdoor displays are much more involved in the city when you put up a canopy and weight it down with sand bags, so as not to endanger any people in the crowd. Gusts of wind can pick up a canopy and send it hurling! My husband can’t wait to help me haul the 100 pounds of sand to the show…
In addition to that, I’m planning to add a third 2′ by 4′ folding table, so that I can arrange them in a U shape for better shopping. Then, of course, what do you cover the tables with? A trip to Sew-fisticated in Framingham should provide enough material to sew covers that fit over the tables. Get out the sewing machine…
I’m adding more stone samples to that so delights children. After all, it is how I developed my love and appreciate of the natural beauty of this earth!
Coming up this weekend is the Newton Open Studios event that takes place in artist studios all over the city. Pick up a map and chart your course for an entire day or even two days. Bring your friends…it’s free!
I’ll be bringing Paternostri to Studio 29 at 29 Vineyard Road, very near The Centre. I have many earrings and necklaces this year, inspired by larger stones from Africa and other far flung countries!
Other artists at Studio 29 are host Lynda Goldberg with paintings and mono prints, Jennifer Parmenter with her jewelry collection and Phyllis Gordon with hand painted silk scarves.
Join us for viewing, purchasing or libations during your trek across Newton!
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Filed under Shows
GO TO THE PATERNOSTRI FACEBOOK PAGE AND "LIKE" IT FOR 10% OFF YOUR NEXT PURCHASE!
Deborah Perugi, who designs the jewelry at Paternostri, is also a web designer and fine artist in Framingham, Mass. She has been beading and making jewelry for over 10 years.
Deb finds unusual stones and gems that you may not normally expect in jewelry. A gemstone's natural beauty, color and size is taken into consideration and artfully matched with other components to make the piece truly one of a kind. In addition to gemstones and pearls, you will find Hill Tribe silver charms and Murano glass beads from Venice. Look for Paternostri's special silver clasps designed and produced in her studio.
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