Learn with Us

If you have read our blog previously, you know that I'm Dr. Karen and I write for Magpie Gemstones. Yet, that's not how I found my way into this company. I started as a learner. After purchasing beads from Magpie, I discovered the wealth of information that is available on the company website. Have you looked at all the free information that's yours for the taking? I found it to be quite helpful.

I've been fortunate in being asked to write a number of articles about making and selling jewelry and I hope you have also seen some of these. For example, did either the article on patinas http://www.magpiegemstones.com/copper_patina.html or the riveting article http://www.magpiegemstones.com/rivitinng__cold_connect.html help you?

I also learned a tremendous amount from writing the website's stone properties, found in the About Gemstones section http://www.magpiegemstones.com/properties.html . It was really interesting to learn where various stones come from and I finished with a new respect for many of them. This week, Szarka threw me a loop when andalusite appeared in the new beads. At first glance, I thought it was smokey quartz. See what you think from the photos below.

Anadalusite, a metamorphic mineral, is shown in the first photo. It was first found in Spain and contains dark inclusions of carbon or clay. Wikipedia tells us that the faceted stone gives off red, green and yellow. Who knew??? I guess this is a chance for us to learn even more simply by looking at the beads. I can do that. What a deal!

By the way, many of the articles and tutorials that appear on the Magpie Gemstones website were initiated by you, our readers. Your questions prompt our thinking and research followed by an honest effort to help you. Please don't ever hesitate to write and pose questions about beads, jewelry making or selling jewelry. (Sorry, we're not qualified to solve personal problems!)

It's not unusual for my phone to ring with Magpie Gemstones on the other end anxious to tell me about something new they discovered or eager to describe how they just located a hard-to-find stone. I hear the same cheeriness when they describe how they were able to help a customer solve a problem. That customer might just be you the next time!

. . . learning along with you, we are Magpie Gemstones.