You win some and you lose some.

You know those days in life when you're puttering along and out of nowhere something unexpected happens?  Let's just say in this case that it's not exactly a lotto win that falls in your lap.  Well, one of the reasons that I love making jewelry is that it is, in lots of cases a metaphor for life.  I chose to live in a world where i celebrate the not so good things as much as I do the good ones because I think there's lessons in it all.  Sometimes you just need to learn the hard way.  

This piece was one that I spent DAYS on.  It was inspired by a couple's favorite spot on a mountain bike trail in Sedona, AZ and the stone was koroite opal, red like the rocks there with hints of incredible purple and metallic.  Well, if you've been keeping up with the blog, you might remember one I wrote about Opal,  It's mysteries and characteristics.  One of which is the fact that you really can never know their strength.  Being that they have a lot of water in them they're softer than a lot of other stones and it's hard to ever be sure what it is they form in.  Sound like any species you know?  Maybe to me the fascination is that they are so much like people.  Mostly water, often fragile, shaped under pressure and full of surprises, not always great ones.  

Well, I pushed this one a teeny tiny bit too far and well, it cracked.  It cracked, my head fell and I walked away.  Knowing the best way to deal with it was with the most integrity and to be ok with the letting go.  Let go of the work I did, the feeling like I let people down, and just to make peace with the idea that this too was a lesson.  And let me tell you, I sure as hell learned this one the hard way.  But maybe I'll finish it, just for the catharsis.