ShadowDogDesigns' Blog

Catherine's Blog About Jewelry, Gemstones and Other Artists

Once in a Blue Moon

Published: 08-29-2012 03:37pm

The moon here in the Desert Southwest has been incredibly large and bright as it moves towards fullness. When walking the Shadow Puppy, Seamus, we haven't needed to take a flashlight. In two days, the moon will be a "blue moon". The saying, "once in a blue moon" is heard quite often. Colloquially it means a "rare event". But where did this term come from? Being of inquiring mind, I found that the term, "blue moon", actually has three meanings. Here is a summary of what I found:Blue moon resin and art pendant by Sherry and Dan of thependantemporium.The first meaning, which is VERY rare, is a moon (not necessarily a full moon) which ha... » Read More

Absolutely Amazing Abalone!

Published: 08-16-2012 12:46pm

The iridescent colors of abalone have always fascinated me. As a kid, I had a whole abalone shell; the inside was shimmery silver/white and the outside was ablaze with glorious blues, greens, purples and pinks. I could sit for hours turning that shell back and forth, mesmerized by how the colors would shift and change depending on how the light hit the shell. Since I just created a pair of handmade earrings using natural Paua shell (a type of abalone), I decided to find out more about this amazing creature and share it with you, along with several beautiful creations from ArtFire artists using abalone in their jewelry designs. Natural Paua... » Read More

Spiraling Out of Control

Published: 07-27-2012 09:59am
Posted In: Other

Spirals! Even as a young child, I had a fascination with spirals. I remember, when seeing them in books, being transfixed by them, tracing the path with my finger - inwards and then outwards. When not reading, I was outside and began to notice all the spiral shapes in Nature, from delicate fern fronds unrolling to the uncontrollable fury of a spiraling hurricane or tornado to the wonder of a spiral galaxy deep, deep in space. As I got older and started reading about ancient man and archaeology (I was an archaeology major for two semesters in college), the ancient timelessness of spirals and other symbols through the ages became more appare... » Read More

Beautiful Blues!

Published: 07-24-2012 01:40pm
Posted In: Collections

The effect of color on our subconscious is a hot area of research right now. Each person has colors they love and colors they detest. Although the color blue sometimes has negative connotations, such as "feeling blue", surveys have found that blue is a favored color for many people. One survey in Germany in 2009 found that 46% of men and 44% of women picked blue as their favorite color. The color is often associated with the sky, with freedom and peace, and with creativity. It also symbolizes faithfulness, friendship and confidence, as in "true blue".Not that I was thinking about any of this when I curated a Jewelry Creators Unite in Num... » Read More

Black Onyx - Fingernails of a Goddess?

Published: 07-15-2012 05:41pm
Posted In: Gemstone Information

Black onyx has always been a favored gemstone to use in jewelry designs, either as a piece that is mostly created with the gemstone or with black onyx used as a complementary accent. Black onyx looks stunning with with so many gemstones of all different colors. And let's not forget the classic combination of black onyx and sterling silver! Being of an inquiring mind, I decided to research and blog about black onyx - I just knew it HAD to have an interesting history besides what I already knew about its metaphysical properties. And was I ever right! I also wanted to include beautiful pieces of jewelry from ArtFire artists showing a wide r... » Read More

Green - The Color of Life

Published: 07-13-2012 04:35pm
Posted In: Collections

Yesterday, July 2, I curated a collection of different shades of green, called "Green - The Color of Life". The collection was inspired by watching the miraculous transformation of the desert due to the rain we have been receiving. The "monsoon season" has started, typically July1 through the end of September, a time where we traditionally get about 1/2 of the 10" of rain that is normally receive each year. The monsoon season started right on schedule - the first rain was July 1! After months of no rain and high heat, it's nice to see the almost overnight greening of the hardy desert plants. And there were actually toad calls for 2-3 nig... » Read More

Prehnite: the Cape Emerald

Published: 07-08-2012 02:36pm
Posted In: Gemstone Information

Some time ago, I ran across a strand of luminous green prehnite . . . and it quickly became mine. When I first saw the strand, I was transfixed by the radiant quality of it, as if it was glowing on its own, and its soothing feel in the hand. That brilliant strand of green prehnite became a necklace and a pair of earrings, called "Forest Medley", that was recently listed in my ArtFire studio. Because I am on a quest to learn as much as I can about the stones used in my jewelry creations, I decided to do some research about prehnite - and found that almost everyone remarked about the stone's beautiful luminescence. So it's not just me that h... » Read More

Sumptuous Sodalite

Published: 06-30-2012 04:57pm
Posted In: Gemstone Information

Sodalite has always been a stone to which I have been attracted. other people must feel that same way because I sure have sold a lot of sodalite jewelry over the course of the last 12 years. Recently I created a pair of rich blue sodalite earrings complemented with Swarovski crystals. I named them "Don't Got the Blues", immediately fell in love with them and almost didn't list them. Because I knew sodalite came in a wide range of blues, I decided to curate a collection focusing on sodalite jewelry in various shades. The collection is called "Sumptuous Sodalite" which spurred the name of this blog post. But after seeing all the sodalite... » Read More

Red: A Color of Strength and Love

Published: 06-21-2012 05:01pm
Posted In: History of Color

Red is one of my all time favorite colors. There is just something about it - it feels good when I wear it, whether I have on a red shirt, jewelry made with red or wearing my red high top tennis shoes. I am a red junkie. Because of my love for red, I curated a "Red Makes Me Happy" collection not too long ago, featuring ArtFire studios from the Jewelry Creators Unite in Numbers (JCUiN) guild. The collection made me start wondering about the history of red. Did other people feel the strength in the color that I do? A simple answer: "YES!" I decided to share some of what I found, plus some ancient art and jewelry creations from the "Red... » Read More

Just Mad About Saffron

Published: 06-14-2012 03:46pm
Posted In: Collections

Yesterday an ArtFire daily email collection, so appropriately titled "Just Mad About Saffron", had me humming Donovan's "Mellow Yellow" on and off for quite some time, a song that I have always loved (although not quite wholly understood). The stunning collection included a pair of my earrings and for that I would like to thank High Desert Knits! MELLOW YELLOWMusic and lyrics by Donovan LeitchI'm just mad abut SaffronSaffron's mad about meI'm just mad abut SaffronSaffron's mad about meThey call me Mellow Yellow(quite rightly)They call me Mellow Yellow(quite rightly)They call me Mellow Yellow . . . Here's the beautiful "Just Mad About Saffron"... » Read More

Bright and Beautiful Summer Flowers

Published: 06-06-2012 05:11pm
Posted In: Collections

Even thought today is bright and sunny outside, I was/am feeling quite a bit depressed. Yesterday I lost my beloved Mesa, a true Shadow Dog who was always by my side or at my feet, even to the end. I take comfort in knowing that as she walked across the Rainbow Bridge, Chase and Loki, the other two Shadow Dog we recently lost, were there to greet her. Now pain free, I imagine all three are chasing squirrels which was a passion all three enjoyed to the utmost here on Earth. Curating this collection, "Bright and Beautiful Summer Flowers", did cheer me up some - how can you not smile with all these brightly colored flowers. I hope you enjoy... » Read More

Sky Stones - The Sacredness of Turquoise Throughout History

Published: 06-03-2012 10:48am
Posted In: Gemstone Information

Turquoise is a favorite stone of mine, to always admire and to use in jewelry creations. There is just something so calming about the stone. Recently, I listed a new turquoise nugget and copper necklace, called "Sky Stones" in my studio - a necklace that feels wonderful on and seems to radiate peacefulness. Thinking about the stone, I decided to do a bit of historical research on turquoise and share it with you.Turquoise can easily be mixed with many stones, as this turquoise, charoite and black onyx pendant from Quentin of Lunar Skies shows.Turquoise has been a highly valued stone throughout history and is believed by historian to be... » Read More

Bunches of Beautiful Bracelets

Published: 05-27-2012 03:02pm
Posted In: Collections

Just a short blog post - too many things going on . . . But I want to share the newest collection I made, called "Bunches of Beautiful Bracelets". The bracelets selected show a wide range of style and are from members of the Checked In Today guild. I hope you enjoy these beautiful bracelets :)#widgetcont p{ padding:0; margin:0; } .title_brown, .title_brown a, .title_brown a:link, .title_brown a:active, .title_brown a:visited, .title_brown a:hover { color:#dfa754; font-weight:bold; }.title_charc, .title_charc a, .title_charc a:link, .title_charc a:active, .title_charc a:visited, .title_charc a:hover { color:#333333; font-weight:bold; }Bunches o... » Read More

Introducing Seamus, the Newest Shadow Dog

Published: 05-19-2012 08:42am

The end of April and May have been very busy for me in many ways. After loosing two Shadow Dogs in six months, our sweet Chase in November and wonderful Loki suddenly last month, we adopted a new puppy from the El Paso Humane Society on Earth Day. We had actually picked out another dog a week earlier, but when we came back with Mesa, there was no way they would get along together. Mesa made that very plain for the whole world to see.Then we found Seamus (his name there was "Cowboy" - ugh!). He was sitting in the corner of his run, looking very dejected and sad. He almost had an Eeyore look to him. We called to him, he got up and came o... » Read More

A Short History of Scrimshaw

Published: 05-12-2012 04:08pm
Posted In: History of . . .

First practiced by sailors working on New England whaling ships, scrimshaw is often considered to be the only true art form that originated in America. "Scrimshaw" comes from a slang term that refers to anything that was the product of a sailor's idle time. While out at sea, several weeks or even month could pass between whale sightings; it was during this down time that the sailors produced scrimshaw. Early scrimshaw was done with crude sailing needles or other instruments that could scratch whale teeth or bone. The skill of the artist, as well as the movement of the ship, produced scrimshaw with varying degrees of detail and artistry. �... » Read More

The Power of Red Coral!

Published: 04-29-2012 01:15pm
Posted In: Gemstone Information

Red coral has a long, fascinating history. In Greek mythology, the origin of red coral was explained in the story of Perseus. Using the head of Medusa, Perseus petrified Cetus, the sea monster threatening Andromeda. Wanting to wash his hands, he placed Medusa's head on a riverbank. When he picked the head back up, he saw that Medusa's blood had petrified the seaweed (or reeds), turning the plants into red coral. In fact, the Greek word for "coral " is "Gorgeia" since Medusa was one of the three Gorgons. Red coral and Tibetan black onyx beads necklace by GracefulDesigns.Mainly used decoratively, red coral has been harvested since antiqu... » Read More

Seller's Information