Beading with Gemstones

Valerie MacCarthy

A Gem of a Yard Sale

My visit to my children’s principal’s home one day promised to be quite fortuitous.  He was gathering things together for a yard sale.  The money gleaned would pay the insurance premium at his daughter’s “special needs” school program.

The backyard was filled with all sorts of odds and ends.  A box of sparkling gemstones caught my eye.  Evidently a former beader had donated them for the sale and he hoped they would bring a good price.  There were various shades of coral, tourmaline, amethyst, quartz, amber, etc.  Inasmuch as I have had experience setting and stringing beads and gemstones, I knew this was my treasure trove.

The book “Beading with Gemstones” has been a valuable source of reference for many of my beginning to intermediate beading students.  I have shared this book and many of the gemstones I acquired that lucky day.  The instructions leave no questions unanswered.  The photographs are well focused and a very good list of materials and tools were included in the presentation.  Each project has its own special sparkling allure.

One doesn’t need a yard sale to acquire any of the gemstones.  But, sometimes we do luck-out!