First Steps

I have been making my own jewelry for a couple of years now, and I'm always looking at learning something new.  I have recently branched out into tumbling my own gemstones.  When you look at the instructions, it sounds pretty easy...just dump the rocks into the tumbling barrel, add grit and water, and then stand back and let the machine do it's job.  Presto!  Gorgeous gemstones that you "made" yourself, right?  Uh...well, not exactly.  And, especially not when you are trying to teach yourself through books, online research and the good old standby of 'trial and error'.

Oh, don't get me wrong, it's not that any of my little experiments were actual failures.  It's more that they weren't exactly outstanding successes, either.  However, I think maybe I have gotten the hang of it...or at least, I'm GETTING the hang of it.

Let's take my Brazilian Agates.  I started with these rough (and they look it!) stones, which you can see grouped here:

And, here is a close up shot:

So, why am I posting this?   Just to give a brief look at the process behind some of my creations.  I'll skip the intervening steps, and go straight to the final step (however, for anyone interested, I'll be glad to share the photos for the other steps)

Agates are generally considered a stone of abundance or of amplification, which is usually broken down into separate categories according to which type of agate you are looking at.  It is also a stone of healing, and aids in warding off unpleasant dreams.

I do think these turned out abundantly beautiful, regardless of any other symbology: