Wire Wrapping Grooved Stoned

 Today I'm going to show you how I wire wrap pendant stones that have been grooved around the edge. I'll use the three stones I featured in yesterday's video. Actually, I'll use two of the three as one had a small chip come off in the groove cutting process and the customer chose a new stone.

A few words about the video. First you will notice that the venue has changed. That's because I'm working on my assembly bench located within the spacious confines of the studio belonging to the real artist in the family- Vickie. And secondly, I apologize for the overuse of the phrase "So now" as well as the phantom voice over "one" that my highly trained videographer threw in. You truly do get what you paid for!

Several people have pointed out that the third tip was missing from yesterday's video so I included it at the beginning of today's. I'd like to say that I did it as a teaser but it was just a glitch. Hey, I'm old!

So here goes:

The results were very satisfying as I ended up with three stones that are very tightly wrapped and look awesome. So the next step will be to choose the leather cords. Stay tuned.

Today's Output- 3 wire wrapped Petrified Wood Cabs

Big Cab King News!

Since I moved to Nova Scotia, I have been using some very old equipment. How old, you ask? Well, one of my 10 inch saws and my grinding/ polishing arbor were made by a company that went out of business in the late 1960's!

Over the winter, I did a lot of research on what are called "cabbing machines". These are used to grind and polish rocks in order to make jewelry with them. There are many options available but my research tells me that the best machine for quality of build and value for money is the Cab King. Since most of my readers would not be interested in the details, I won't post them here but if you read this and are interested, I would be happy to answer any questions.

Here is the Cab King machine.

It has 6 wheels and two more pads on the ends and what makes it even better is that it can convert to a rock saw using the same motor. I bought that attachment as well.

I can't wait to show you pics of what I can do with it!

So now I have to find some buyers for a few of my machines I no longer need but that should not be a big problem as this hobby is really hot right now.

If you are in the area post Coronavirus, stop by and I'll show you how it works!

The Rewards of Lapidary.

Since the weather has been lousy and we can't really go anywhere because of good ol' Covid 19, I've been able to cut some of the local rock in my shop and have had some pleasant (and in some cases interesting) results. If you want to see amazing detail, just click on the picture.

 Take, for instance this unassuming rock.

This humble little rock was found on the shores of St. Mary's Bay. It appears to be a highly altered granite and its structure suggests that it might have been carried by the ice sheet from just west of Saint John, New Brunswick! If correct, imagine how long that journey took! (Thank you Rob Raeside, Acadia U. for the insight)

Then there's this little gem.

The exterior structure suggested that it might have an interesting core and, voila!

Just imagine the time (and chemistry) needed to make those beautiful linear patterns!

Here's a piece that offers a real contrast- simple on the outside:

And amazingly complex on the inside!

The central band actually changes composition from agate to amethyst (the purple area). Again, the patterning is amazingly complex when looked at in detail.

The following is interesting because of the colour.

The area that appears black is actually an indigo blue and the blue becomes more apparent when it is cut thinner. It is stunning up against the red haematite bands!

This next piece has it all!

The red areas are haematite and there is even a little  bit of fortification agate (white)

Did I save the best for the last? You be the judge. Again. it didn't look all that great on the outside.

But on the inside, oh my!

The patterning is amazingly detailed and I really like the lemon yellow sections!

Agates have to be one of the most interesting types of rock around and we have so many varieties in Nova Scotia. What I like is that all the beauty is really caused by chemical impurities that cause the colour variations. Without that, we would have just plain quartz!

By the way, all these were cut on my Hi-Tech 10 inch water cooled/lubricated saw. It does an amazing job!

I hope that you have enjoyed looking at these and if you ever want to see them in person, drop by my lapidary shop at The Artist's Mark on Digby Neck!

Life on Digby Neck

Every summer (well maybe not THIS summer) we get tourists stopping by and saying how much they would love to live here. Well, we sure love living on Digby Neck but it isn't without its challenges. Take yesterday for example. It started raining softly mid afternoon and the winds slowly picked up. After supper, Vickie checked Windy, her weather app, and casually informed me that the winds we had expected to peak at about 90 KPH were now projected to get to 110! So by about 10 PM the winds were roaring off the bay across the street and it was like someone was hitting the front of the house with a firehose. Amazingly, the power was still on.

We went to bed (our bedroom is at the front of the house) but the noise made sleeping impossible. And besides, by now the whole house was shaking and moaning (it is, remember, over 170 years old!). So we decided to move to the back bedroom. The sound was a little less but the shaking was even worse. It as like a freight train was running in the room with us. So we went downstairs to the main floor expecting it to be better but there is a vent in the kitchen that was clanging so we climbed back upstairs and ended up in the TV room. By now it's about 1 am and the wind gusts are over 120 but amazingly, I fall asleep. And when I wake up around 4, an eerie quiet has descended on the house (what I imagine the old cone of silence might have been like). We go back to sleep and wake up to a sky that looks like this

.

Amazingly,the house is still standing and we didn't even lose any more shingles and it is supposed to be sunny and +14 by the afternoon. Welcome to Digby Neck!

But not to worry, spring is definitely in the air. The Great Blue Herons are back in the marsh.

And if we can ever put this virus in our rear view windows, maybe we'll get to see you this summer.

Stay healthy.

Something's Missing!

Several weeks ago we sustained a direct, 2 day hit from Hurricane Dorion and apart from losing power for 52 hours (no big deal when you have a propane generator) we suffered no ill effects- not even the loss of a shingle!

Well, last week they forecast a little "blow" that turned turned out to be somewhat larger with wind gusts topping out at 120+ KPH! This time we had some damage to an area of siding at the back but the real loss was our beautiful shop sign that for several years has served as a beacon for tourists and locals alike as they travel The Neck.

As you can see, our sign got blown right off its clips and is now sitting about 30 feet out in the marsh. It's not the end of the world as we had already cut the wood for a new one we were going to make over the winter. I had secured the "closed" sign by a bungee cord but the hooks holding it were also pulled right out of the post so it is now jerryrigged as well.

But not to worry. As they say in that movie, "We can rebuild him- even better!"

And in the meantime, although our sign might be gone, we're still here and open most days (although we will be in Halifax this weekend) so if you are looking for yarn or that perfect gift, call us at 902 482-2188 and we'll make arrangements to meet you at some point.

Cheers,

Why You Should Visit Digby Neck

Most people don't have a lot of time to spend visiting other places so I'm going to make the case for you using some of that valuable time to visit Digby Neck Nova Scotia.

First, it's the only way you are going to get the chance to visit The Artist's Mark and meet me!

All kidding aside, many people who visit the shop say they are amazed at the quality of our goods and the fact that everything is hand made by professional local artisans.

But beyond that, we have an on site professional lapidary shop (and professional lapidary!), art studio and jewelry bench. Families love to see how the various machines work and learn about the local geology and everybody leaves with a beautiful free piece of Digby Neck in the form of a tumbled rock that is over 300 million years old!

However, we aren't the only artists in the area. Digby Neck is dotted with galleries and studios, not to mention the home for the best whale watching around. And driving The Neck is far from a boring experience! Check out this aerial view of the beach and cliffs across the street from our shop. The little house at the end of the beach is ours and here's what it looks like up close. And thanks to Troy and Carmin Cale for sending me these photos!

There are misty coves around every corner and the sunsets will take your breath away.

So make plans to visit this truly unique part of Canada's playground. You'll leave with a lifetime of memories for the whole family!

Summer Comes to Digby Neck

As usual, spring lasted about a week and summer is now upon us. All the signs are there- apple trees in full blossom, warmer temperatures, grass growing like crazy, sunsets at around 10 PM and lots of funny licence plates in town!
Recently, we have greeted visitors from China, Germany, Australia and even Weymouth (local joke)!
My new Hi-Tech saw is here and I have done some cutting and when I get the block of needed time and an assistant to handle the camera, I'll do a blog post on it.
But for now, I want to show you a few pieces I have been working on. Since I have an ample supply of copper wire in all gauges, I decided to see if I could make rings using just the wire. My first piece was a little gem of petrified wood (non-local) that I set using 14 gauge wire. That's a quite heavy, stiff wire but the results were pretty good:

In fact, they were too good because my "model" refused to give it back!
I then shifted to a 15 gauge, using a nice piece of Mexican Crazy Lace and it also worked well.

So I am going to work on maybe trying a thinner gauge and doing some local stones.
The typical moss agate found on Digby Neck is a golden brown colour and this piece I just finished is a good example of that. But what makes this stone special is the matrix.

Normally, the matrix is clear (quartz or smoky quartz) but I have looked at this in several different lights and the "clear" areas are definitely lavender so I am thinking probably amethyst.

 This is the first time I have ever encountered this here so I will wait until daughter Lisa arrives and teaches me how to make a nice silver bezel for this one.
I am now on my 8th batch of tumbled stones so there are some great new pieces in the free box for you to take home when you visit.
Hope to see you soon!

What IS The Artists' Mark?

Since this is a rather odd name for a shop, I am often asked the question in the title. First, I'll clear up a few misconceptions. My name isn't Mark (it's Peter). Also, although the shop is only about 200 square feet, there is a lot to see.
The shop gets its name from the fact that pretty much everything we sell is hand made. Thus it shows the mark of the artist- tool marks, brush strokes, variations in shape and colour- all the things that make a piece unique and something that is disappearing rapidly in our modern buy cheap and throw away society.
There are actually three components to our venture.
First, there is the art studio. The following pic is a panorama shot of this area.

This was originally Vickie's painting studio but she "generously" offered to share the jewelry bench area with me. (Actually, I moved my stuff in when she was out shopping one day). So here's a pic of our jewelry bench, complete with one of two studio cats.

The second component is the rock lab where I do my lapidary work. Here's a panorama.

And here's a close up of my 50+ year old Mercury grinder/polisher and my Rock Rascal trim saw.

On the other side is my Lot-O-Tumbler (vibrating), 10 inch Mercury saw, drill press, slant lap and trim saw/ grinder.

When you visit, if you are interested in seeing these areas, just ask and if we aren't busy we'd be happy to show them to you.

The focal point of our venture is the retail shop and as I said earlier, we've packed a lot into a small space!. Here are some shots.

Front window with rock slices and free tumbled rock box

Yarn and jewelry

Rock guitar picks, jewelry and art

Lots of hand-dyed yarn, knitted goods and jewelry

Polarized sunglasses, beach bags, jewelry

Buoys, art, jewelry and polymer clay beads

So that's The Artists' Mark- a great place to show the kids how rock gets shiny, art and jewelry get made and where everybody takes home a free piece of "The Neck"!

Oh, and a great place to buy a truly unique piece of jewelry and the most gorgeous hand dyed yarn in the world!

We can't wait to show you in person.

 

This Magical Place Called "The Neck"

I am writing this post mostly for those who intend to visit the area but even if you don't, this may be of interest to you.

Digby Neck is a small strip of land sandwiched between the Bay of Fundy and St. Mary's Bay in western Nova Scotia. It is actually a chain of three distinct land masses that were once all connected but over hundreds of millions of years have become separated by cataclysmic geological events. It is these events that have produced the conditions that make The Neck so special.
Scenic coves and headlands dot both shorelines and the cracks in the basalt have been filled by colourful silicates such as agate, jasper, quartz, amethyst and carnelian.

When you drive up The Neck on highway #217 (one road in and out) you are retracing the steps of ox carts that initially carved out the route. In fact, everywhere you look, you see The Neck through the eyes of history. Wharves that are now crumbling once hosted large commercial sailing ships. Sleepy fishing villages were once thriving hubs of activity before the depletion of the fish stocks and the remnants of old fishing weirs stand as ghostly sentinels to the past glory.

Our house built in 1849

The scenery is spectacular whether you are on land or on the water watching whales breach right beside your boat. And the people are friendly and delighted to let you in on our secret paradise, whether it is for a day or, as some have chosen, a lifetime.

If you come, I hope you stop by my shop in Rossway and I can share my insights on the amazing geology and geography. I might even cut a rock while you are here.

Houses on Brier Island

In the meantime, I want to introduce you to three amazing resources that will make your visit much more interesting and enjoyable.

We now have a dedicated web site for The Neck. It's found at www.digbyneckandislands.ca  and has been created by Jon White, one of the many who have fallen under the spell of the place and now call it home. Check out his air B&B called The Mermaid House in Little River! This web site will answer pretty much any question you might have on the area and lists many attractions and resources (including my shop!).

If you want to get a feel for what makes The Neck special, do a google search on The Last Weir and take the time to watch a short film produced by Tim Wilson. It will give you a very personal and close up insight into who we are and how our lives have changed through time.

And if you want even more historical perspective, check out www.heritagehub.ca  where you can access a wealth of historical information including old maps, pictures and even interviews of people who have spent their entire (and sometimes long) lives here.

Visit these three resources and you will absolutely have to pay us a visit!

Eagle perched on the old wharf across the road

Winter on Digby Neck

Every summer we get guests at the shop who ask if we live here during the winter and many are surprised when we say yes.
A lot of factors come into play. We've done a LOT of travelling and are dealing with some health issues and, of course, we are cat people once again.

But the main reason is that we absolutely love the winters here! True, we get some very bad storms with snow and high winds. In fact, we're having one now. It is, however, quite exhilarating to know that we have a ton of wood for the wood stove and if the power goes out, we have a big generator and the added bonus is the scenery. For instance, because of the approaching storm, we experienced an amazing sunrise while drinking our coffee. Here's a little sequence taken with a cell phone and there is some distortion due to magnification for which I apologize.

And now it's snowing so hard I can't see across the road!

Digby Neck is truly beautiful and unique in the summer but the winters ain't too shabby! In the winter, we take the sign down by the road so it doesn't blow into the next county but if you are around and see the red Mazda, stop in and say hi. Right now, I am finishing several pieces of jewelry and we are getting ready for the official launch of the Seawall Fibres web site so I'll be posting lots of pics in the days ahead.
Cheers.