Bookmarks

Iolite and Copper Bookmark

     When I started wire wrapping the thought of creating bookmarks never occurred to me. It was only when a friend requested I make her one that the thought crossed my mind, and even then I was stumped. How do you make a bookmark with stones and wire? How thick can the body of the piece be? Where can I wrap and where should I avoid wrapping to protect the book pages?

     I thought for sure that I’d need to make a dozen to practice before discovering a design that worked. I was wrong. I quickly discovered a basic design which translates well to each bookmark I make. The body which goes into the book is a thick piece of copper wire, hammered into various shapes to provide rigidity and to make the bookmark lie flat. The part which hangs from the book is free hanging handmade chain, and is where I include embellishments like hammered swirls, wrapped stones, and various sized links.

Pyrite and Quartz and Iolite and Hematite Bookmarks.

     I’ve gotten pretty fond of making them. The bottom on the body of the bookmark is probably my favorite part. It gives weight to the piece and enough surface area to keep the bookmark from falling out of your novel.

Unpleasant Choices

Lapidary equipment is expensive. There’s no real way around it: even used equipment has a hefty price tag attached. Knowing this, I stuck it out in some less than ideal conditions for about six months so that I could use cabbing and faceting equipment.

After taking a two month long break for health reasons, I made the decision a few weeks ago that those conditions are not worth returning to. It was not a choice and made lightly. For the immediate future, the following will be true:

• I won’t have access to any lapidary equipment. That means that the cabochons I use in my new work will be from other lapidaries.
• I have, for the time being, stopped my lapidary training.
• I am going to be frantically saving every penny I make for a trim saw, Pixie, and dop wax.

Happier posts to come soon. I’ve been putting off this blog post for a while simply because loosing access to the tools I love work with is painful. Working with the Earth, whether cabbing a stone or digging a garden, is part of me. Giving up my lapidary work is a rude awakening, even if it is only temporary.