Wednesday Surprise

    My 2017 is starting off nicely. I was one of the 4 Etsy shops featured in today's  "Wednesday Surprise" from The Vintage Addiction Lifestyle Team.  The featured items were all copper, one of my favorite things. You can see the post and items at TVAT Wednesday Surprise.

     One of the fun things about Etsy is its sense of community.  Teams are a way to connect with people who share your same interests or who are simply great people.  Over 350 people belong to TVAT. Their shops are located all over the U.S., and Canada.  Plus they have some active members in England, France, and a few other countries.

     Although I don't sell vintage items, I like them. A few of my jewelry pieces have a vintage look, and of course, I'm vintage myself.  So its no surprise that TVAT is one of my favorite teams.    

       What a great start to the new year!

African Turquoise

African Turquoise

 

       Last Wednesday I went to the Rings & Things bead show in Mesa and bought some beautiful African Turquoise.    I've never used it before, but I loved the small ovals and the pretty turquoise color.   It looked like the perfect stone to use for wire wrapping.  

 

 

 

    I used copper 20 gauge wire to add wrapped loops onto each bead, linking them together as I went.   Copper looks great with turquoise.   Probably because real turquoise is found with copper when its mined.

 

      I knew African Turquoise wasn't "real" turquoise when I bought it.   For one thing, I could afford it.   More importantly, Rings & Things had a sign that told about it.   I had to smile when I read the sign.    African Turquoise, it turns out, is a type of jasper---my favorite stone---that is found in Africa.      

 

       Before I went to the bead show this year, I had told myself I would not buy any more jasper.   Because I like it so much, I tend to buy it all the time.   I have a lot of it, and I knew I needed to branch out and try different stones.    So I had to smile when, despite my best intentions, I was drawn to the jasper. 

 

       It looks nearly identical to real turquoise, but at a fraction of the cost.   For me, it's a great substitute.