AUGUST

THE MONTH
This month was originally named Sextilis in Latin, because it was the sixth month in the original ten-month Roman calendar under Romulus in 753 BC, when March was the first month of the year. About 700 BC it became the eighth month when January and February were added to the year before March by King Numa Pompilius, who also gave it 29 days. Julius Caesar added two days when he created the Julian calendar in 45 BC giving it its modern length of 31 days. In 8 BC it was renamed in honor of Augustus, who did not take a day from February (see the debunked theory on month lengths). (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August)

In common years no other month starts on the same day of the week as August, though in leap years February starts on the same day.

THE BIRTHSTONE
Peridot - [per-i-doh] or phonetically - [pair-a-doe]
a green transparent variety of olivine, used as a gem.
Origin: 1300–50; < F péridot; r. ME peritot < MF

Peridot name derives from Greek, but the meaning is uncertain. The dictionary says that it is etymology is from French. The name chrysolite (Greek for gold stone) was formerly applied not only to period but also to many similarly colored stones.

Peridot is a transparent lime or olive green stone. Italian peridot is olive in color. American peridot is a light yellow-green.

Peridot is given as a symbol of fame, dignity, and protection. Legend has it that pirates favored it to protect them against evil. When the peridot was set in gold it also protected the wearer from terrors in the night. It has been mined from St John's Island in the Red Sea for over 3500 years.

Peridot is the created during volcanic action. Occasionally, its crystals are found on the black sands of Hawaii. Peridot is used to help dreams become a reality. It is the stone associated with the 16th anniversary.

I like to wrap this stone especially in gold as it really brings out he colors in the stone. Some versions of it are so light they get confused with Topaz and other versions of it can be dark and resemble emeralds.

Check out my jewelry pieces associated with the month of August.
http://www.mywireworks.com/peridot.htm

THE BEGINNING....

Welcome to MyWireWorks Blog, which was created to share my thoughts and viewpoints on wire wrapped jewelry. Wirewrapping is one of the oldest techniques for making jewelry the old fashioned way, by hand. The wire is bent, looped and tucked thus using no heat or soldering, all hand and wrist manipulated.

I wirewrap most any kind stone. My wire sculpted jewelry pieces include opals, turquoise, pearls, malachite, lapis lazuli, onyx or man-made (also known as synthetic) gemstones. Each custom designed piece is unique in that, for me, I can rarely duplicate any of them exactly. Some of my pieces may also incorporate some beading aspects. It all comes down to what my mood was at the time of creating. I strive to create the most unique wire wrapped and sculpted jewelry pieces.

This style of jewelry making is also known as wire wrapped jewelry or simply wire jewelry. Because of the style I use, it is also referred to as sculpted wire jewelry. All work is made up with 14K gold-filled (also known as rolled gold) wire or sterling silver wire. The gemstones are man-made (or synthetic) but the rest of the stones are natural (from Mother Earth).

Please check out my jewelry pieces at
http://www.mywireworks.com