Earrings made with something old, something new and a how-to from the new book- Simply Gemstones by Nancy Alden

So ya wanna make some pretty jewelry with gems, here is the book for you:

Simply Gemstones: Designs for Creating Beaded Gemstone Jewelry
by
Nancy Alden

Celebrities and fashion runways are glittering with gemstones more than ever these days, and chances are that if you’re a lover of jewelry and accessories you’ve lusted after a gem at some point in your life — be it turquoise, emerald, ruby, sapphire, tourmaline, or, of course, a diamond.

Now Nancy Alden returns with her popular Beadworks series, this time introducing readers to what can seem like a daunting project, creating jewelry from gemstones. But in her typical fashion, she takes the anxiety out of the process, showing anyone how to create stunning gemstone earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.

Today, precious and semi-precious stones are available in many bead stores and online at a range of price points, making what had once been exclusive, expensive projects completely doable. You’ll also be introduced to stones such as the Peruvian Opal, Pink Sapphire, Rutilated Quartz and Peridot, among a slew of others that you may not be immediately familiar with, but with which it's easy to fall in love.

From humble hematite chips to sparkling sapphires and uncut diamonds, in Simply Gemstones there’s a gem and a corresponding project that is sure to complement your look or make a special gift.

NANCY ALDEN is the author of Simply Pearls, Simply Silver, Simply Gold, and A Touch of Glass. She is a jewelry designer and the cofounder of the Beadworks Group. Visit them online at www.beadworks.com.

I have a small stash of gemstones that I have been collecting over the years and I really like to incorporate them in my jewelry making. I primarily work with recycled elements when I am designing for myself and this book inspired me to put the two together!
The supplies I gathered up:

-An old broken bracelet that had heart shaped links with little rhinestones in each link,
-Some center drilled drops (I tend to like these better than sideways drilled but can be a bit harder to find)
-Oval and round links
-Basic earring parts

This is the design from Simply Gemstones that was my inspiration:

I loved the idea of using the drops (lower right) upside down which I thought would coordinate with the recycled heart shape link from the bracelet. That's one of the really nice parts of this book is the little pretty twists that are used to make the designs.
Pretty Blingy, hu?

One last really cool thing about this book (as if all the pretty designs weren't enough) there is a really cool chart I had never seen before listing the "Hardness" of some of the most common gemstones used in jewelry making. Very interesting!