Midnight Sunsitara

Midnight Sunsitara Orbit Earrings

I've always loved this type of bead. It's a dark blue, almost black, with hundreds of little sparkles (Yes, I am a magpie). I recently learned that they're actually a glass bead - also called goldstone, it is created by melting soda-lime glass containing copper salts in a reducing (oxygen depleted) environment, converting the copper salts to metallic copper, and thus creating sparkles!
This process was developed in the seventeenth century in Venice by the Miotti family. As Venice is also famous for its' glassmaking, particularly Murano, this is hardly a surprise!

Silver Earthsea Set

So a friend of mine really liked the Earthsea Earrings & Necklace, but preferred silver for herself:



I really like how the new pendant turned out. I am always a big fan of the blue and silver colour combination.