Contest Winner Announced

Jaka Gems Facebook Page recently ran a competition whereby we were trying to make it to 350 likes by the end of 2012. If we had of made it to 350, I was going to give away a serpentine pendant which I had recently cut. The winner was going to be drawn at random from all of our facebook fans.

Green Serpentine Pendant with a simple Sterling Silver Bail

We didnt quite make it to 350 by the competitions cut off, but we did get to a very respectable 344. I decided that because we got so close to out goal of 350, I would give away the pendant anyway. Throughout the competition, there were 11 of our facebook fans that shared the competition on their own pages or profiles. I thought that the best way to give away the pendant was to draw one of those 11 at random. I allocated each of them a number, then using random.org picked one of the 11 at random.

The lucky winner of this competition was announced this morning on our facebook page and we are awaiting contact from her so that postage can be arranged! If you were one of the 11 that shared - check out the page to see if you are the winner!

A Jaka Gems Christmas

Merry Christmas to all! Jaka Gems created quite a few unique Christmas gifts this year which were handed out yesterday.

Bread Knife with Stone Scales

Handles/scales for this bread knife were cut out of a form of Jasper for my Mum - It was very well received with Mum taking it straight out to the kitchen!

Swiss Army Knife with Stone Scales

This customized Victorinox Swiss Army Knife with Marble Bar Jasper scales went down an absolute treat with my Dad. His comment was 'I will treasure this! You can have it back when I die!'. I thought that was fantastic as he clearly appreciated it!









I received a last minute message from a good friend of mine on Sunday hoping to get a couple of pendants to give to her Mum. She couldn't quite decide between a couple of items in my online store so we worked a few things out and decided that instead of ready made pendants, I would cut some custom ones for her. She had been eying off a tiger iron pendant and a green banded jasper pendant in the store. I still had plenty of both materials left so she decided on one of each.

Tiger Iron and Green Jasper Pendants with Sterling Silver Bails

The Tiger Iron free form pendant on the left and the 30mm round green banded jasper pendant on the right are the ones that were given to her Mum. The one in the middle is a free form green banded jasper available for purchase through my store here.

My wife's family had a Kris Kringle this year where the theme was 'Home Made'. The person I ended up making for was my Sister in Law. As cutting stones is the only thing I am competent at as far as handmade goes, I obviously decided to make some jewellery. I ended up cutting 2 x 25mm round Northern Territory Prehnite cabochons. I set one in a round bezel pendant setting, the other I set in a round bezel ring setting so she had a matching set. I did however, forget to take a photo! If I manage to get a photo of these pieces I will update this entry! The pendant is similar to this one.


Update 28/12/12: I managed to get a photo of the ring/pendant set:

Northern Territory Prehnite Cabochons set in silver plated settings

There were many other pieces from the Jaka Gems store that went out as Christmas presents for others. I hope that the recipients of these enjoyed their gifts as much as I enjoyed creating them! If you recieved a Jaka Gems stone for Christmas, drop us a line and let us know what you think of it!

Until next time, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and I hope everyone has a safe holiday season!

Competition Time!

At the time of writing this blog entry (19th December 2012 at about 8:30pm!), Jaka Gems has 316 Facebook fans.

I have decided that to increase this number, I will have a little giveaway! I had one small piece of Green Serpentine left, so I cut this small pendant out of it. The pendant is finished with a simple sterling silver pinch bail.

Serpentine Pendant with Sterling Silver Bail

So whats the giveaway I hear you ask? If I can make it to 350 'likes' on my Facebook page by 2013, that is by 12:01am on the 1st January 2013 (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time of course!), one of my Facebook fans will be drawn at random and will receive this pendant as a prize! Simple as that! So if you haven't already, head across to the Jaka Gems Facebook Page and hit the big 'LIKE' button at the top!

This is a rubbish photo I know so I will take a better one in the daylight tomorrow and update this post as appropriate! Good luck and I will see you over on Facebook! And don't forget to SHARE!

The beginning of the end perhaps?

I probably should start this blog with an explanation as to what Jaka Gems is and what it means to me.

I have been surrounded by rocks in various forms for as long as I can remember. My Grandfather started a business some 50 years ago selling rocks, minerals, crystals, fossils and all other related goods. He continued with the hobby until the day he died. I have collected rocks, mainly mineral specimens, for many many years and have quite a large collection at home, and ended up with most of the stock from the shop when my grandparents passed away.

But my real passion lies with Lapidary:


lap·i·dar·y  (lp-dr)

n. pl. lap·i·dar·ies

1. One who cuts, polishes, or engraves gems.

2. A dealer in precious or semiprecious stones.

adj.

1. Of or relating to precious stones or the art of working with them.

2.  a. Engraved in stone.

     b. Marked by conciseness, precision, or refinement of expression: lapidary prose.

     c. Sharply or finely delineated: a face with lapidary features.

I have been cutting stones and cabochons for more than 10 years, a skill that I have picked up from various people, not least of which is my Mum, whom I regard as one of the best opal cutters you will come across. I was a member of the Diamond Valley Gem Club for a number of years (located in Greensborough - a North Eastern suburb of Melbourne) until I moved house. Diamond Valley is where I learnt to do things properly, even trying my hand at some silversmithing. These days I am a member of the Ballarat and District Gem club, but rarely have the time to get there.

It is a pleasure to turn a rough piece of rock into a polished piece of art, and it is one of the most relaxing activities I have ever come across. It is something I have been able to lose myself in, and I quite often lose track of time in the process, something which my wife is none to pleased about.........

It was mid September this year (2012) that I decided that I would share this passion with others and start a small hobby business. My wife said to me that she had thought about it previously and that it should be called Jaka Gems (Jaka coming from our two first names JAmes and KAte), and thus my little venture was born! I started out by creating a facebook page (www.facebook.com/jakagems) and it has now grown into an online store via Storenvy (www.jakagems.storenvy.com). It has been suggested by a couple of people that I should start a blog that goes hand in hand with these sites, so here it is!

This is, and most probably always will be, a part time thing. Purely a hobby that I am hoping to share with others (and perhaps make a little bit of pocket money on the side!). Through this blog I will be sharing with you some of the pieces that I cut and some of the experiences that I have. I will also try and impart some of knowledge about stones that I have learnt over the years.

Here is a bit of a taste of what I do:

This is a small Rhodochrosite cabochon that I cut for my 3 year old daughters birthday on the weekend just gone. Rhodochosite is a mineral found worldwide (this particular piece originates from Broken Hill in New South Wales) and is quite soft in nature. High quality specimens can be blood red and very stunning. The bail on this piece is a sterling silver pinch bail, I simpy drilled a small hole through the cabochon to attach the bail.

 

Update 12/11/2012 - I cut a few more Rhodochrosite cabochons this afternoon and have attached similar bails, the bails on these are slightly bigger, as are the cabs. Rhodochrosite is one of my favorite materials to cut. It is soft which makes it easier, but still takes a really nice shine, which in my experience is uncommon for softer materials.

If what you read above interests you, feel free to follow my blog, or to checkout either of my facebook page or my Storenvy store. You can also contact me via my email address: jakagems@hotmail.com

Also feel free to comment!

Until next time,

James