Gee...that looks familiar

A mentor once told me, “Whenever you come up with a great idea, just remember that someone else has already thought of it. There are no original ideas.”

Ouch, what?!? I’ll always be a step behind? No you silly bean. I knew what she meant; your ideas are sparked from inspiration. Think outside the box and take it to another level. After that, someone will see what you have done and take it a step further. It’s constantly being twisted and stamped. It will evolve and perhaps branch out morphing into something radically different. Even when it gets to that point, nothing can change the fact that it was inspired by what came before it. One just has to be sure that they jump in there again and again keep their stamp on it. Own it.

People will copy your jewelry. It’s a fact and you better get used to it. If you see your designs copied stone for stone and wire for wire…take comfort in that the “artist” in question has no imagination. What you’ll see more often than that, hopefully, is your idea with a twist that you didn’t think of. “Hmm, I didn’t think of that.” Well, here’s your chance to be inspired by a fellow artist!!! Take the design a step further. Right? Yes. And let’s face it, our original and awesome ideas were sparked from inspiration in the first place. Honestly, how many times have we created a piece that looks NOTHING like anything created before? It’s rare….and….belongs in a museum.

Remember that a little competition keeps the designs flowing. Besides, none of us want to get stuck in a designer’s rut and hear a loyal customer look at “new” pieces and exclaim something about ‘soooo last season’. Yeeesh, no thank you. Keep it fresh, keep it moving.

There are some out-of-this-world jewelry designers out there that won’t open a webshop gallery or post pictures of their work in blogs out of fear that they will be copied. I think their jewelry should be everywhere for customers, consignment shops, retail stores, and/or specialty boutiques to see and admire. And…perhaps, purchase? I dunno, call me crazy. I read an article recently where many designers were actually thinking of pulling out of shows because other designers would see and copy their work. Surely they aren’t making the same pieces over and over and over. If someone copies it, fine. That’s yesterday’s news dude…copy all you want as I’ve already made it better for tomorrow.

Imagine, create, and most of all…enjoy! Listen, at the end of the day I believe that every designer should stand on mountain tops showcasing their work. It’s what you love to do and, really, it should make you proud that another admired it enough to get inspired!!!

The White Buffalo has Left the Building

Let me get straight to the point on this one and tell you that Buffalo Turquoise (a.k.a. White Turquoise, Albino Turquoise, White Jasper) does not exist. Nope, sorry. Mmmm, I know I know...people get sucked into the whole trap of "Buffalo Turquoise is mystical and very important in the Native American culture". Simply not so. *kappow-pop-blip* I hear bubbles bursting but please note that there’s nothing to be upset about!!! Really. Ohhh trust me, I was not a happy camper when I discovered that all of my rare White Buffalo stones were not the priceless little treasures that I had been led to believe. I felt like a major "Hee-haw-hee-haw".

We’re talking about Howlite. A calcium silicoborate that is indeed considered a semi-precious stone, just like Turquoise, and has a spider-web matrix that will range from light grey to black. It’s a very beautiful and popular stone that’s native to North America. Howlite is named after mineralogist Henry How, who first discovered the gemstone in Nova Scotia during the 19th century. It is known as the stone of memory, knowledge and progress, and is said to encourage reasoning, observation, discernment, patience and tact. Uhhh, do I particularly believe all of that? *cough* I personally think that it looks beautiful in jewelry and hope that it would simply encourage compliments and nods for said pieces. My stress, on the other hand, is handled at the gym with my dear friend… Mr. Punching Bag.

Howlite takes very well to being dyed as it is soft and porous; it is often dyed with rich hues to imitate the more expensive stones. In my opinion, when it is dyed to look like Turquoise it looks too blue and….well…cheap. Then you have the instances where it is dyed a brighter blue to imitate Lapis. Those are pretty convincing and are just as pretty as the real deal. Bottom line? It’s at its best and most beautiful in natural form. Again, this is just my take. “I’m just sayin”….*emphatically waving to Chris*

Natural Howlite


You can see what I mean about it looking so cheap when it's dyed to look like Turquoise...



In jewelry I would definitely pair it up with crystals that are anywhere from clear to silver shade (to match the grey matrix). It looks terrible with copper and brass metals so I stick with silver only. If you have stones with a darker matrix they look great with black onyx or black agate.

So there you have it friends, the skinny on Buffalo Turquoise …er…Howlite. And no, they don’t have wings!

Pic below of a baby white buffalo. Ain't he cute!!!!