Steampunk Jewelry : Topaz Ring

Steampunk Jewelry : Topaz Ring

Yellow orange Topaz is the stone for November and Blue Topaz for December . In the upcoming month i will be adding more topaz ring to my ETSY shop as i receive new colors .

Brandy yellow Topaz


Blue Mystic Topaz


Blue Mystic Topaz


Swiss Blue Topaz

Color and varieties

Pure topaz is colorless and transparent but is usually tinted by impurities; typical topaz is wine, yellow, pale gray or reddish-orange, blue brown. It can also be made white, pale green, blue, gold, pink (rare), reddish-yellow or opaque to transparent/translucent.

Orange topaz, also known as precious topaz, is the traditional November birthstone, the symbol of friendship, and the state gemstone for the US State of Utah.

Imperial topaz is yellow, pink (rare, if natural) or pink-orange. Brazilian Imperial Topaz can often have a bright yellow to deep golden brown hue, sometimes even violet. Many brown or pale topazes are treated to make them bright yellow, gold, pink or violet colored. Some imperial topaz stones can fade on exposure to sunlight for an extended period of time. Blue topaz is the Texas state gemstone. Naturally occurring Blue Topaz is quite rare. Typically, colorless, gray or pale yellow and blue material is heat treated and irradiated in order to produce a more desired darker blue.

Mystic topaz is colorless topaz which has been artificially coated giving it the desired rainbow effect.

Localities and occurrence
Topaz Mountain, Utah

Topaz is commonly associated with silicic igneous rocks of the granite and rhyolite type. It typically crystallizes in granitic pegmatites or in vapor cavities in rhyolite lava flows like those at Topaz Mountain in western Utah. It can be found with fluorite and cassiterite in various areas including Ural and Ilmen mountains of Russia, in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Pakistan, Italy, Sweden, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Flinders Island and the United States.

Some clear topaz crystals from Brazilian pegmatites can reach boulder size and weigh hundreds of pounds. Crystals of this size may be seen in museum collections. The Topaz of Aurungzebe, observed by Jean Baptiste Tavernier measured 157.75 carats.

Colorless and light-blue varieties of topaz are found in Precambrian granite in Mason County, Texas within the Llano Uplift. There is no commercial mining of topaz in that area.

Etymology and historical and mythical usage

The name "topaz" is derived from the Greek Τοπάζιος (Τοpáziοs), the author of one of the first systematic treatises on minerals and gemstones dedicated two chapters on the topic in 1652.In the Middle Ages, the name topaz was used to refer to any yellow gemstone, but now the name is only properly applied to the silicate described above.

Many modern English translations of the Bible, including the King James Version mention Topaz in Exodus 28:17 in reference to a stone in the Hoshen: "And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle(Garnet): this shall be the first row."

However, since these translations as topaz all derive from the Septuagint translation topazi[os], which as mentioned above referred to a yellow stone that was not topaz, but probably chrysolite, it should be borne in mind that topaz is not meant here. The masoretic text (the Hebrew on which most modern Protestant Bible translations of the Old Testament are based) has pitdah as the gem the stone is made from; some scholars think it is related to an Assyrian word meaning flashed.[citation needed] More likely, pitdah is derived from Sanskrit words (pit = yellow, dah = burn), meaning "yellow burn".

What is Steampunk ?

What is Steampunk ? :
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne or real technologies like the computer but developed earlier in an alternate history.

Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" for such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or such digital mechanical computers as Charles Babbage's Analytical engine.

Steampunk is often associated with cyberpunk. They have considerable influence on each other and share a similar fan base, but steampunk developed as a separate movement. Apart from time period and level of technology, the main difference is that steampunk settings tend to be less dystopian.

Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

Steampunk jewelry

Steampunk Jewelry Giveaway & Video

Steampunk Jewelry Giveaway & Video

*** Thanks for Participating ,
The winner have been contacted ***.

I just release a video and here's a Giveaway !
Get a chance to win a 100$ shopping spree in my Etsy Shop : www.CatherinetteRings.Etsy.com

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment here for 1 entry.
I will double the number of entries for the 25 first participant .

GET MORE CHANCE TO WIN

Additional Entries :
1# 3 more : rate and comment the video on Youtube here .
2# 6 more : post the video on your blog .
3# 5 more : Retweet on Twitter :
RT @SteampunkRings steampunk jewelry Etsy Giveaway: http://tinyurl.com/6guqkl and video : http://tinyurl.com/ntauvk

So if you do all this you can get up to 15 entries ,
All you have to do is leave a comment here and tell me what you did.

The giveaway ends on the 12 of October 2009 .
Thank you .

200 years later : Daniel Proulx find himself lost the future he discover his old laboratory destroyed , in ruins with graffiti . Escaping from his parallel past existence on the brinks of apocalypse , he appears in our time , he searches for his creations that traveled with him during his time travel experiment and some that were stolen by an other rival time traveler .

Not part of the video , The main character finds an old TV in a back alley . Using one of his mechanical device , he modify the TV . He use the TV as tool to communicate with his plane of reality hoping to reach an old friend who could help him return to his time . During the video we see the Main Character speaking Through the receiver / porthole .

Has he walks the streets , no-one seems to be able to see him because he his not supposed to be there . By defying the laws of physics he arrives in a different plane of existence where people have no knowledge of his parallel reality. He is intangible to those without the means to see him .

At the end of the film he finds a mechanical spider that was kept by his equivalent self .

Steampunk Sculpture : Rhinoceros Beetle

Steampunk Rhinoceros Beetle

I Made it from Tinned copper wire that i twist , bend and coil mostly by hand and pliers . I also use some silver tone clock parts in the front and the back of the beetle's body . I plan to make a wide variety of these bugs .

Now available on ETSY

The rhinoceros beetles or rhino beetle are a subfamily (Dynastinae) of beetles in the family of scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae). They are among the largest of beetles, and their common name refers to the characteristic horns borne by the males of most species in the group. The male beetles use their horns in mating battles against other males.

Their larval stage is long, several years in some species. The larvae feed on rotten wood while the adults feed on nectar, plant sap and fruit. Rhinoceros beetle larvae are sometimes fried and eaten as a bush delicacy. However, their greatest economic importance is as pests: Oryctes rhinoceros especially can de-foliate and sometimes kill coconut and oil palms in the SE Asian and Pacific regions. Biological controls heve been developed, based on entomopathogen viruses and the fungus Metarhizium majus.

Rhinoceros beetles are popular pets in Asia. They are clean, easy to maintain, and safe to handle. In Asian countries, male beetles are also used for gambling fights since they naturally compete for female beetles with the winner knocking the other off a log. Rhinoceros beetles are also the strongest animals on the planet in relation to their own size. They can lift up to 850 times their own weight. Well-known species of rhino beetles include the Atlas Beetle (Chalcosoma atlas), Elephant Beetle (Megasoma elephas), European Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes nasicornis), Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus), Hercules Beetle (Dynastes hercules), Ox Beetle (Strategus aloeus), the Unicorn Beetle (Dynastes tityus) and the Common Rhinoceros Beetle (Xylotrupes ulysses)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros_beetle

Steampunk Jewelry Giveaway : What is your favorite stone ?

*** Thanks for Participating ,
The winner have been contacted ***.

Steampunk Jewelry Giveaway
What is your favorite stone?

This is a quick survey and giveaway , Ending on the 31st of august 2009 .

Please indicate which stone is your favorite from the list below , the color of Metal you prefer . There will be 1 winner for every 100 participant . The winner will receive the most popular ring from the result of the survey .

Gemstones :
Black Onyx
Smoky quartz
Orange Amber
Red Coral
Green Seraphinite
Purple Charoite
Blue Lapis Lazuli

Metal
Gunmetal
or Gunmetal with Natural Copper

LAPIS LAZULI with Gunmetal with Natural Copper

SMOKY QUARTZ with Gunmetal with Natural Copper

BLACK ONYX with Gunmetal


CHAROITE with Gunmetal


SERAPHINITE with Gunmetal

RED CORAL with Gunmetal

AMBER with Gunmetal



GET MORE CHANCE TO WIN

+1 Entry : Post a text link on you blog/website to my ETSY boutique www.CatherinetteRings.Etsy.com
( you get 1 more entry )

OR

+ 4 Entry : You can add this 125 x 125 Steampunk Jewelry image to your blog with a link to www.CatherinetteRings.Etsy.com ( you get 4 more entries )



So if you do all this you can get up to 5 entries ,
All you have to do is leave a comment here and letting me know what you did.

GOOD LUCK!!

2009 New Steampunk Jewelry design

This year CatherinetteRings decided to turn the steam on to a different level and create new original Steampunk Jewelry designs .

First i introduced changes into my steampunk ring designs - A new line : ARTIFACT .
ARTIFACT STEAMED are modified with clock parts and gears . These rings are one of a kind . Upon request i can remake similar one . Due to the complexity of the design i cant reproduce exactly the same ring twice so they will be all unique.

THE RINGS

ARTIFACT STEAMED with Clock Parts inlay into Mysterious Amber :
In this ring i drilled by hand tiny holes in amber and inlay minuscule clock gears.
To give you an idea of the dimension : the bead in the center is 8mm and the gears are between 1mm-1.5mm

ARTIFACT STEAMED with Crab fire Agate and clock part .
In this ring i also used Copper & Brass wire .

ARTIFACT STEAMED - Mysterious amber and clock parts .
I spent hours to drill by hand holes in the center loop to add the tiny knobby pieces.

ARTIFACT STEAMED with Clock gears .
On the left i used Tinned copper wire + Gun Metal and on the right Gun metal and Natural copper.

GEMS & JEWEL
Steampunk Rings

This is my luxury . I really like nicely cut stones and i have found the opportunity to include diamond cut stone into my Steampunk design .

OOAK GEM STEAMED - 7.5 ONLY - Artistic STEAMPUNK wire ring with AAA PERIDOT STONE

Peridot is the birthstone for August
Weight :1.70 Carat
Size mm : 8x8x4
Luster : Excellent
Treatment : none
Clarity : IF - "Loupe-Clean" or "10X clean" ~100% Clean - Exceptional quality with no inclusion (s) visible using a 10X loupe.

GEM STEAMED - 9 ONLY - Artistic STEAMPUNK wire ring with RED GARNET stone




THE BRACELET

I also created some bracelet which can be combined with matching rings in my shop.
The new line of one of a kind bracelet : OOAK & RELIC
The RELIC design feature rare or unusual material .

RELIC STEAMED - STEAMPUNK BRACELET with Mysterious Amber BRASS Copper antiqued beads and VINTAGE BUTTON modified with old clock gears.



OOAK STEAMED -
On the left i used a Etched Baroque Copper Bead and on the right Tinned copper with Labradorite.



RELIC STEAMED - STEAMPUNK BRACELET with BRASS insect Scarab and antiqued beads



THE NECKLACES & PENDANT

The new line of necklace are : OOAK & RELIC

OOAK CYBER STEAMED - Steampunk Necklace with BLACK METAL and vintage clock gears



OOAK - Mysterious Amber STEAMPUNK NECKLACE with BRASS and antiqued beads



OOAK RELIC STEAMED - Artistic STEAMPUNK Necklace and pendant with clock parts INLAY in MYSTERIOUS Amber bead



OOAK - STEAMPUNK Necklace with Melissabeads LAMPWORK bead
The Lampwork bead is a creation of www.Melissabeads.etsy.com .
We will be adding more new pieces of jewelry made with our combined skills . Check out both our shop for more . I made 2 bracelet for her shop and i will also have 2 bracelet in mine.


Left : Boulder Matrix Opal
Center : Multi rutilated quartz
Right : Mysterious Amber


Earrings and Cuff Links

I'm currently working on expanding my collection with Earrings and Cuff Links.
Check back in a few weeks and i will have more surprise .

Steampunk wedding treasury

presenting Steampunk Wedding  

Steampunk Ring with golden shadow swarovski crystal by CatherinetteRings

Sky Captain Airplane Robot and Sexy Bride Bot Queen with Crown

Wedding Cake Topper Wood Statues with Runway Base

by buildersstudio

Steampunk Jewelry Hidden Methodology Steampunk Cuff Links

III CITIZEN 17 Jewel Identical pair by StJoshua

Steampunk Seraphyna by WinonaCookie

Portrait of an Elegant Bride by TotusMel

Juniper Collar by choklit

Silver Flower Vintage Button Necklace by calloohcallay

Steampunk Art : Interview with Winona Cookie Creations

Shop name :Winona Cookie Creations
Name : Ramona Szczerba
specialty : collage
Location : San Diego CA
ETSY : http://www.winonacookie.etsy.com
Website : http://www.winonacookieillustration.com
Flickr : http://flickr.com/photos/winonacookie/
Facebook

Tell us a bit about yourself name, location, affiliations, personal stuff?
I live as charmed a life as I ever could have dreamt of in San Diego with my spouse and a dog and a cat. I am a proud member of Etsy SteamTeam, Etsy Dark Team and Metsy (collage art).

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
I find lots of vintage photos and line art online and in antique stores. I have a huge hard drive. That’s usually how the pieces begin: I see a photo I love and it just starts to speak to me. I tint everything to a uniform shade of sepia in a paint program and work with the composition a bit before printing the images onto acid free paper and cutting them out Then I arrange them on canvas or whatever else I’m working on (sometimes boxes or tins) and other elements: handmade papers, fabric, charms, lace, ribbon, foil trim, brass embellishments, jewels, glitter and of course, watch gears. Sometimes my pieces have moveable components and those are usually reinforced with cardstock and mounted with brads. Then I prop the piece up on my bookshelf and wait for a story to come to me. I usually have a name for the character (I keep a notebook of names) and a rough idea of what might happen, but a lot of times I don’t know where the story comes from. Making my pieces is the thing I like doing best. It’s what I wake up thinking about in the morning and the last thing I’m thinking about at night.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I am a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice and I see patients about 3 days a week. I also design decorative figurines and table pieces for a company that makes Halloween and Christmas villages. I conceptualize, design and color the piece and ship the art to Hong Kong where they are sculpted and manufactured. If you’ve been in Michael’s craft store or Lowe’s around Christmas or Halloween, you’ve seen some of my designs. I have been doing that for about 7 years. Between the art and the psychology practice, I don’t have much time for hobbies, but I do like to bake and I make elaborate cakes and cookies for holidays and birthdays.

How did you first become interested in the Steampunk Culture and - Why do you like it ?
I was so thrilled to discover that there’s an actual name for the aesthetic I have always loved! I didn’t know about it until I began selling on Etsy. I’ve just tended to like old things better than new ones, fancy things better than plain ones and strange things better than normal ones. I had read “Diamond Age” and “Snowcrash” by Neal Stephenson and just loved them, as well as the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman, and between that and the visual aspects, it just started coming together for me, especially when I first laid eyes on the Neverwas Haul in pictures of Burning Man. Steampunk is such a fascinating amalgamation of things I find interesting: eccentrics, unlikely machines, archaic air and sea travel, undersea exploration, ray guns, robots, dashing outfits, parasols, octopi, absinthe, dirigibles – I could go on and on…When I joined the SteamTeam, it was just like coming home. I felt instantly connected to the other members and for me, that just doesn’t happen very often. I wore a steampunk outfit to Comic Con last year and it was so much fun to bump into a fellow steampunker among the hordes of attendees – instant connection!

What is your favourite piece of work by yourself?
Tell us more about it . Aw, man, that’s tough! They’re like my babies, I am attached to them all in different ways. I’m partial to

Josephine Crampton’s Companion

because I love her straightforward gaze and I had such a blast collaging that robot, much as I had a great time with the steampunk rhino in

Salome, Queen of Chalcedony

But I have to say that Sabina and the Full Moon is closest to my heart because it’s such a sexy piece and the story makes me cry even though it’s entirely made up! So how do you like that, I managed to mention three!

What are the 3 most popular items in your shop ?
The MOST popular items are the sold ones, and they aren’t in my shop anymore, but everybody loves Captain Octavio

The link is to a fridge magnet version because the original is in an exhibit. He was one of the first steampunk pieces I did, and he’s a lot of people’s favorite. I have lots of vintage pictures of handsome men, but none are as beautiful as Octavio!

I have a fascination with deep sea fish and I incorporated them into a piece featuring Octavio’s sons that’s also been popular,

Deep Sea Souvenirs

I am working on a companion piece that depicts the revenge of the fish – they’re holding the boys decapitated heads on strings. My mind is a strange place…

Absinthe seems to be a popular current obsession, and the original of this piece
sold right away. The magnet and prints are popular as well.

What is your newest piece ?
My newest piece isn’t completed yet, but I’m excited about it. Like many steampunkers, I’m fascinated with Nikola Tesla, and I’m working on a shadowbox featuring his (fictitious) insane older brother, Grigor. I also recently provided Capt. Octavio with a wife, Lucinda . She was a lot of fun to do.

Lucinda Octavio, Deep Sea Milliner

Any promotion you would like to offer exclusively on the blog .
I’d like to offer your readers 15% off of any item, $40 and over, in the shop until May 10th. They should convo me first and mention “Catherinette” and I will do a custom listing with the discount for them.

Who is you favorite steampunk artist ?
There are SO many, but I think Stephane Halleux . http://www.stephanehalleux.com/
does some of the most amazing pieces out there. I was lucky enough to get to see some of his pieces in person at an exhibit in La Jolla this fall.

What are your goal , project , plans for the future ?
I can’t seem to stop making this art, so I am going to keep on doing that. I have a notebook where I keep ideas for pieces and the list is getting quite long! I very much want to compile the pieces and their stories in a book and I am in the process of looking for a publisher so I can make that happen. I have an feature article coming out in the May/June 2009 issue of Somerset Studios magazine (http://www.stampington.com/html/somerset_studio_magazine.html) that I’m excited about too.

What advice would you give new artists?
What everyone says, which is to do the work that pleases you, not what you think other people want to see. But DO let people see it, because art is meant to be shared.

Steampunk Jewelry : Copper wire ring with Indian Moss Agate bead

Steampunk Copper wire ring with Indian Moss Agate bead
Originally uploaded by Catherinette Rings

This is the most popular photo i have in my flickr account !