Ammolite Pendant

Ammolite is an iridescent fossil shell - the remains of an Ammonoid

I picked up some Ammolite at the Tuscon Gem and Mineral show in, of course, the fossil area, just off the highway.  The pieces were not cleaned up and you could only faintly see the promise of iridescence.  I thought they were beautiful.  In fact, it was the very first thing I purchased.

Ammolite is a rare gemstone in the same family as pearls, coral and amber, all things that were living or came from living things.  In other words, organic gemstones.  The outer layer is composed of the same material as some pearls but look at the amazing framework it had to begin.  This form did not begin as a grain of sand.  It began as an Ammonoid. 

Ammonoids were ferocious little mollusc creatures, the ancestors of octopus and squid.  Similar to the chamber nautilus, these little guys used to hunt and catch their prey.  They were first noted in the 419 million years ago and dying out with 75% of the plant and animal species in the mass-extinction event 66 million years back.  But they left behind their shells!  And geologists use their presence as a marker to determine the time layer in rock layers.

I plan to make more of these fossils into pendants so check back to see what I create next!!

Fossil pendant features tigers eye, amazonite, jasper and quartz beads.

Something new, Coming Soon. The Manaia

The Manaia are coming!

Recently, I've become fascinated with Manaia, a mythical creature comes from the Maori people of New Zealand and Eastern Polynesia.

This protective mythological creature has the head of a bird, tail of a fish and a man's body.  Manaia are always shown in profile and there is some debate on to why that is.  The minute I saw the shape, I was curious as to the origin and am in awe at the simplicity and elegance of the carvings that I have seen.  I could not resist doing my own take on Manaia and I have tried to be true to the cultural roots while adding my own style.

The Manaia is believed to be a messenger to the spirits, similar to the Native American's Thunderbird and it is also believed to be a guardian against evil.

These hand-carved, original bone pendants will be coming soon to my product page --- www.beachcut.net

Three Simple Ways to Make the Beach a Better Place

Sea turtle necklace is beach ready.  (hand-carved bone topped with fossil turtle shell  from the Pleistocine period) 

Have you been to the beach during turtle nesting season?  It begins May 1st of each year.  To celebrate this season, I've created several baby sea turtle pendants ready to join you as you walk the beach in the early morning searching for tracks left by female loggerhead turtles.

In preparation for nesting season, here are three simple ways to make the beach turtle-ready.

Everyone should have a statement piece of jewelry.  This sea turtle pendant is made for the beach.

1. We are very close to Mote Marine Laboratories.   They have marine biologists who mark the sea turtle nests with stakes and orange tape.  So your first simple act is not to walk over or through these nesting sites.

Sweet baby sea turtle with turquoise inlay is beach ready

2. Remove all beach furniture from the beach each night.  Did you know that sea turtles get tangled in beach recliners every year on they journey above the tide line?  Keeping the beach obstacle-free will help them along.

Sea Turtle Beach Ready Jewelry

3. And finally, if you are lucky enough to live near the beach or are staying in a hotel along the shore, turn off all lights facing the water and close your curtains at night.  Upon hatching, baby turtles are drawn to the brightest thing they see.  That should be moonlight on the water and not the glow of a television screen or parking garage.

Female Loggerhead on the beach

Three simple ways to make the beach a better place during turtle nesting season:

1. Stay clear of the marked nests

2. Remove all beach furniture at night

3. Turn off lights during nesting season

Enjoy the season!