Entries from October 2007 ↓

Okay, I must be crazy.

I signed up at NaNoWriMo yesterday.

For those of you unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November.

I have no clue what I’m going to write about, but I have about a week to brainstorm. They say to write what you know. In my case, that would be sci-fi, geology, cats, metal working, and camping. So perhaps a novel about camping in Olympus Mons (the largest volcano in the solar system, located on Mars), with cats and having to construct metal tools to escape some perilous situation… Perhaps the cats are huge Martian cats that attack, hence creating the perilous situation…

Yeah, I’ll have no problem coming up with something brilliant.

Add me as a buddy if you’ve also signed up.

Wish me luck!

Feel free to check up on my progress at any time.

I’m proud to introduce the latest item I’ve added to the Lava Jewelry Etsy shop: saw-pierced pendants. I’ve made pendants using my own designs in three types of metal: copper, brass, and nickel silver.

***About copper: Yes, this is solid copper, and it will tarnish. If you would like to keep it shiny, I recommend cleaning it periodically with a polishing cloth (available in the supplies section of my shop) or soaking it in white vinegar for 5 minutes, rinsing with water, and drying THOROUGHLY. Of course, tarnished copper develops a nice antiqued patina after awhile. It’s your choice!

***About brass: Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, and it can be cared for in much the same manner as copper.

***About nickel silver: Nickel silver does not contain silver. It is an alloy of copper, nickel, and sometimes zinc. It has a silvery color, and it will tarnish like sterling silver. I recommend cleaning it periodically with a polishing cloth. Nickel silver is also known as German silver or alpaca. I do not recommend purchasing this metal if you have a strong nickel sensitivity or allergy.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about these new pendants, or if you would like to have one custom made.

I have plenty of jewelry featuring October’s birthstones (opal and tourmaline) available now at Lava Jewelry.

Pink opal earrings

Opal is a type of quartz that contains water in its crystal structure. It occurs in almost every color imaginable. Some varieties of opal include fire opal, black opal, blue opal, boulder opal, Peruvian opal, and Oregon opal. Opal is a fairly brittle stone, and it tends to break rather easily, especially if heated.

Pink and green tourmaline earrings

Tourmaline forms in literally every color. It forms primarily in very large-grained granites called pegmatites, although tourmaline can form in other geologic environments such as hydrothermal veins. It most often forms in very distinctive prismatic-shaped crystals with striations parallel to its long axis.

From mineralminers.com: “Tourmalines are said to enhance one’s understanding, increase self-confidence and amplify one’s psychic energies. They also are said to neutralize negative energies, dispel fear and grief, and to aid in concentration and communication.
Tourmalines are also said to be useful in relaxing the body and the mind, and to help in the treatment of infectious diseases, anxiety, blood poisoning, arthritis and heart disease.”