River Treasures

My first Butterfly

2009-10-07T20:34:00.002-05:00

This was my first attempt at a butterfly out of bone. It turned out very well for a first time.

More Hooks

2009-10-07T20:33:00.003-05:00

Afew more Hook designs. The one on the left is antiquated bone found in the local stream bed by my house.

An inlay attempt

2009-10-07T20:32:00.006-05:00

Red abalone, Paua, and bone, this was sort of an expiriment. Its not bad but Im not sure if I like it or not.....feedback would be welcome!

An Eigth Note please!

2009-10-07T20:32:00.004-05:00

I really like the look and feel of this one as well. You wont find anything else like this out there!

The Symbol of Peace

2009-10-07T20:31:00.003-05:00

I made this piece for a very special friend of mine. I turned it into a pin with a bit of stainless steel welding rod for the pin parts. It worked great and it looks really nice on her dress. I think the bird is one of my favorite pieces to make It just stands out and has a great look all its own.

Bone Hooks!

2009-10-07T20:30:00.009-05:00

This bone fish hook is accented with a bit of Paua abalone on the hook

Red Abalone Tear Drop

2009-10-07T20:30:00.005-05:00

Angels Tears. Red abalone is by far my favorite shell to work with

2009-10-07T20:29:00.002-05:00

This piece of Red Abalone came from The Duke of Pearl.
Thanks for the great materials Chuck

2009-10-07T20:27:00.002-05:00

This symbol means one of a kind.....Unique to the point of sticking out. Last of a dieing breed

2009-10-07T20:26:00.002-05:00

This is the very center of a Blue Green Abalone shell.

2009-10-07T20:25:00.003-05:00

This is a small bone coy fish or chinease carp

2009-10-07T05:42:00.004-05:00

A couple of new pieces I did I really like the texture of these pieces. The look and feel is great too

Bone Draggon 2

2009-10-07T05:40:00.003-05:00

I finaly got another bone draggon done. I love this characters eyes!

2009-10-07T05:38:00.002-05:00

2009-10-07T05:33:00.003-05:00

One of my most recent pieces. This sword fish is a pretty cool looking fish if you ask me

2008-12-25T09:31:00.001-06:00

Just a quick note for any who have seen the site. My Email address has changed recently. The new address is mikestoner38@yahoo.com If you have any questions or want more information you can contact me there.

A few new projects

2008-07-01T00:02:00.000-05:00

Ive been rather busy lately and have not gotten a lot done. the projects I have had a chance to complete are disappearing faster than I can get pictures of them however. It does not help that my digital camera took a dive and now takes pictures more reminiscent of a Picasso painting than an actual photograph. :( So, until I get them money for a new camera I am stuck with these for now. They are not the best but they do show the color of the shell which is the important part.

This piece of Red Abalone is roughly shaped like a spear point. The color and luster are unmatched by any piece of shell I have yet worked with. This piece is spoken for, however if that falls through you can purchase it for $35.00

These are a pair of post hole earrings that I may have posted before but the color and luster are incredible. Definitely worth seeing again. This set of earrings sells for $16.50

This is a free style piece of Red Abalone. It is reminiscent of the sea or a dolphin in some aspects but is really just a free style design that I liked a lot This piece sells for $25.00

This little 2 inch flower pot makes a wonderful desk accent piece. The sunflower design is made from Blue Green Abalone found along the southern California shoreline area. This piece also is spoken for but I can make similar pieces for around $25.00

Humming Bird Update

2008-02-16T23:27:00.000-06:00

I added a few things to my humming bird sculpture a while back. I think that with this addition it is complete. With possibly one more flower being added in the future this is how it will look

Copper Silver and shell

2008-02-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

These bracelets are the first in a series of similar styles that I am experimenting with. I’m hoping to get around $25.00 for these

Precious Cargo

2008-01-12T22:35:00.001-06:00

My latest earrings.

"Precious Cargo"

Red abalone heart....Hematite beads Sterling silver wire and hoops. These sell for $15.50

Some new Cabs and Earrings

2008-01-05T20:01:00.000-06:00

Some of the nicest shell I’ve worked with yet. These will mostly be earring with one or two pieces becoming a pendant

Moon and Stars

2007-12-20T14:05:00.000-06:00

Here is a piece of red abalone that is truly amazing. The Jump rings in this piece are chromed steel. The wire is sterling silver. This piece minus the chain sells for $75.00

Red Abalone Earrings

2007-12-13T02:33:00.000-06:00

This shell is fast becoming my favorite to work with. The iridescence and sheen far surpass anything I have worked with before. The small sets sell for $16.50 The larger earrings which are not finished yet will sell for $40.00 I will post pictures of the finished set.

This little serpent though not an earring was just too cool not to post a picture of. No pricing information yet on this piece as I have not strung it yet. Will update later with more info

The Duke of Pearl

2007-12-03T16:33:00.000-06:00

I have been searching everywhere for a place that I can purchase shell here in the US. I have only found a small handful of people or businesses that actually sell usable amounts of shell. I can import abalone or oyster shell if I want to purchase quantities as small as a mere ton from several suppliers but could not find a place that sells to small businesses like mine. Until now. I recently met a gentleman named Chuck Erikson who has a company called The Duke of Pearl. I was very impressed by the quality and the variety of shell blanks, dots, feathers, and other inlay pieces that are available from their website http://www.dukeofpearl.com/

This business is geared toward making products for inlay on musical instruments. They do however sell some raw shell as well as blanks of several thicknesses that are perfect for the the type of bone inlay jewelry that I make. They also have instructional guides as well if I remember correctly. I definitely want to put the heads up out there for anyone that works in the shell and or jewelry industry that this is the place to look for quality shell inlay materials. Its definitely worth checking them out

Creepy Crawly Critters

2007-11-29T02:45:00.000-06:00

These are some fun artistic creatures that I have created using various methods. They are a lot of fun and are made from some of the nicest pieces of shell I have come across.