Finally the right setting for some challenging Aquamarine!

A few months ago I found these beautiful aquamarine beads at a show. The color is exquisite, the perfect soft aqua blue with nice clarity especially for large aquamarine that is natural and untreated. The challenge was finding a setting that would bring them to life... they are all free-form, faceted, geometric cut gems, none of them are symmetrical. I wrapped a few in sculpted settings, but the rest just weren't right for the swirls of wire sculpture.

I have been scratching my head for awhile trying to come up with the perfect setting. Finally, the light came on while I was making a pair of earrings! I decided to wrap them in a woven setting. This is a style I normally use with rounded or oval gems, but it's perfect for these geometric pieces! It's cool how the whole piece is linear and the weaves of wire balance the asymmetrical cut of these gems. Who knew! I like them oxidized and in natural sterling silver. The oxidation grounds the piece and lends an earthy feel... the shiny silver has much more of a water or soft ocean feel, reminiscent of beach glass.

I think I need to do some more experimenting with pieces I've been unsure of how to set. Think this is going to be a week of discovery. Hooray!