SMOKEY CITRINE

We are beyond excited to announce our April Birthstone Collection featuring Herkimer Diamond Quartz Crystals sourced by our hands in the USA. We have traveled to Central New York for the last two years sourcing these gorgeous gemstones directly to create the most exciting jewelry for you. These gemstones are double terminated, crystal clear, and formed right here in the USA! 

Instead of working with the traditional April Birthstone, we decided to employ Herkimer Diamond Quartz. Herkimer Diamond Quartz rivals the diamond in beauty, natural form, and luminance. What does double terminated mean? This term refers to the points on each end of the crystal. You may have seen a crystal point in your life. It usually has a point on one end and the other end is more raw or rugged because it's been plucked from the host stone. The host stone is also known as the Matrix. Herkimer Diamonds are unique because their formations have points on both sides, meaning double terminated. 

Citrine read the Herkimer Diamond Quartz entry from The Book of Stones on her youtube channel. You can listen to this crystal reading by clicking here. Herkimer refers to ONE of the areas in Central New York where these fabulous gemstones are found and mined for. The term 'Diamond' in the name is reference to the stunning and nearly perfect crystal shapes these gems form in, directly out of the earth. We kid you not, you can crack open the host stone and pick up a perfectly shaped crystal that's also optically clear! Many times without washing or cleaning the surfaces. Some of these crystals have black inclusions which create a wonderful cosmic aesthetic with sparkles and rainbows. The Herkimer Diamond Quartz is truly magnificent and that is exactly why we created these jewels for you to wear. 

We don't always get custom jewelry requests but when we do, we love the process. It's a lot of fun and an exciting challenge to turn your visions into a reality. Our most recent request was sent to us as a drawing - you can see the drawing below in the slide show.

The occasion? A local artist is having an art opening for their new studio space. We were thrilled to begin designing an electro-formed branch with amethyst gems budding off the ends. This was our first time coating organic material in copper so we had new skills to learn. Yay! We began by sourcing the amethyst gemstones from one of our favorite local gemstone shops - World Of Rocks. Then found a small branch in our back yard. Cleaned it then coated the branch twice in clear varnish. Next it got a luxurious coating or two of graphite paint. The amethyst gems were attached with copper tape. Last we added the 'eyes' to attach the chain after electro-forming. 

When we suspended the branch into the electro-form batch it was nearly instantly that the copper began to coat the surface. It was awesome to watch. It was left to coat over night and well into the afternoon. Wah-la! All we had to do was add the copper chain and a couple accent beads with a clasp. It turned out wonderful. We hope you love it. 

-Citrine & Craig