Mala for the Healing of the Planet

I have created several malas this week using a beautiful jade green serpentine with turquoise on silk cord. I have charged these malas with the intention of healing for our planet.

Serpentine was chosen for these malas due to its gentle energies and ability to aid one in their meditation efforts. Serpentine also helps in finding inner peace and balance encouraging the resolution of problems via peaceful means. Turquoise was chosen for the guru bead because it is found on every continent and is one of the oldest protection stones known. Turquoise has been used to protect from negative energies and harm. Being one of the oldest stones known turquoise carries great wisdom and truth. Turquoise has a history of use going back 6 thousand years.

My hope is the wearer of this mala uses it to remind ones self that we are all one, each a light on a giant web of perfection, we are all a part of the Net of Life. From here we can affect the healing and mind shift that is so necessary these days.

One of these mala can be purchased from my web shop Quiet Mind.

Making Inlaid Lava Beads With Polymer Clay

Black lava beads are cool, lightweight, great texture and classic basic black. One day I was looking at these beads and thought what if I ‘inlaid’ them with polymer clay to add color and dimension. So I gave it a try. After firing the beads I wondered how strong the polymer clay would hold to the lava beads. I took the finished beads and dropped them repeatedly onto a cement floor from a height of 8 feet. None of the polymer clay came out. The process is simple and changes the look of the lava beads. The process I outlined here is to create a turquoise look on the beads; of course any color or color combinations of your choosing can be used.

You will need:

Lava Beads

Polymer clay - turquoise, blue, green

Pallet knife or something similar

Oven

I begin by mixing three colors of polymer clay, turquoise, lapis blue and forest green. I do mix until completely blended, I mix until it has a marble look.

Select beads to be ‘inlaid’. Work a small amount of the color polymer clay you want to begin with between you fingers to soften. Push small amounts of the polymer clay into the holes in the lava beads. Using your pallet knife or similar tool to press, smooth and scrape the clay off the surface of the bead. Repeat this process around the beads until the desired amount of the bead is ‘inlaid’. I do not try to fill every whole in the bead, however this is completely up to you.

Slide ‘inlaid’ bead/s onto floral wire. When all beads are prepared and on the floral wire bend the ends of the floral wire creating a rack to keep the beads from touching the foil or baking sheet beneath them.

Fire the beads according to the manufactures directions for the polymer clay you are using. Allow the beads to cool. If you want a gloss finish on your beads spray them with a gloss sealant before taking them off the floral wire. Once cooled and dry your beads are ready to use.

Lava beads with and without the poly clay inlay are available in my Etsy shop Beadin Around The Block at BeadinAroundTheBlock.Etsy.com.

Turquoise

Turquoise is a relatively soft stone ranging in color from light sky blues to deep rich blues, blue greens and green. The color of turquoise is determined by the amount of copper (blue) verses iron (green) found in the stone. Turquoise is mined in many places throughout the world: southwest US, China, Iran, Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, Australia and Mexico to name a few. Experience with the stone and familiarity with the colors can help in identifying where the turquoise was mined. Around 80% of turquoise available today is mined in China and Tibet much of the remainder is mined in the US.

Turquoise is a problematic stone due to the number of dyed imitations, synthetics and treatments used on poor or low-grade turquoise to create a stone with a more valuable appearance. Additionally processes of grinding chalk turquoise and mixing with dye and resin to create reconstituted turquoise and out and out synthetic imitations in plastic and polymer clay. There is nothing wrong with any of the processes as long as the end product is sold with full disclosure. When dealing in finer turquoise I recommend using experience and your best judgment or that of someone trusted.

Stabilization of a softer turquoise stone that otherwise couldn’t be cut or polished is considered an acceptable practice, as long as the natural appearance of the stone is not altered. The majority of turquoise available today is stabilized. Lower grade, nearly colorless, turquoise is generally stabilized using dyed resins and therefore altering the natural look of the stone. This should be revealed by the dealer selling the stone, however may not be. Turquoise treated this way should be inexpensive. Next ‘lower’ quality of turquoise is a reconstituted mix of chalk turquoise mixed with dye and resin, this being the least desirable and basically a synthetic stone. Additionally stones containing no turquoise at all are sometimes dyed to look like turquoise, this is mainly done with Howlite. Beyond these are completely synthetic turquoise looking materials made from polymer clays, resins, plastics, etc. These can be easily identified with a heated pin or needle. When heated and applied to the material it will melt, unlike real turquoise.

The pieces in the photograph above are old Navajo. The top bracelet is set with Kingman turquoise, the middle bracelet is set with Sleeping Beauty turquoise, the bottom bracelet is set with turquoise mined in the Globe/Miami area of Arizona, USA. The photograph below is of a dyed howlite bead.