Hi Folks,  I've been working more and more in what I call Fab Faux Gemstones.  I've mentioned my work in Bowlerite and Fordite in another thread, but thought that I would start a new thread just dedicated to these unusual materials.  Here's one of my favorite pieces of bowlerite....it can be worn as   a bead   OR as a ring!    and this is a lovely color of teal with lavendar sparkle swirls.  The bowlerite hearts have been a big hit!    although the classic ruby red seems to be the most popular...  for those who haven't read the whole story of "bowlerite", here it is....

I think Bowlerite is one of the most amazing materials that I have cut in a long time. I don't think I've ever found a more fascinating faux gem for my lapidary palette.   I have collected it for a number of years but all the pieces I have are pretty large and for years I was hesitant to cut them on my saw.  As I pondered how to slab up this material I just left all my specimens of this beautiful stuff on display in my garden.  Bowlerite almost always comes in large spherical masses.  While the most common occurrence of this stuff is in a boring black, it can be found in almost any color.  I have always eschewed the black and only collected the colored specimens, most of which show incredible swirls and chatoyancy.  I finally overcame my fear of cutting up these massive spheres and despite the danger and hard work involved, I think the results are totally worth it!

Bowlerite is translucent, chatoyant, and very lightweight.  Its one drawback is that it is quite soft and can scratch easily.   However, because of its softness, any scratches or marks could easily be buffed out by hand.  Despite its softness it is extremely tough and structurally sound.  This material may scratch but it won’t break.  It seems to be composed of a hard petroleum based poly-carbonate.  Bowlerite can be found all over the world but is most common in North America.   It can be found in wooded country lanes (as well as urban and suburban wooded lanes). 

I was showing off this material to members of the Seattle Metals Guild and one of the Northwest’s most prominent art jewelers said that one should "strike while the market is hot and spare no expense in getting this new faux gemstone material."  I think that this material would look great in necklaces or pins.  I have classic Bowlerite specimens in a variety of colors.  Look for more of this fun and unusual material on future eBay auctions!  Be the first in your community to have a bead in this league!  NOTE:  "BOWLERITE" is a trademark of DVHdesigns.

 I also got a nice bit of Fordite & boatpaintite cutting rough for my birthday!  Here's a teaser of a piece of neo-fordite I cut recently and I'll post more about fordite and it's history soon....  and a boatpaintite bead I cut from some new rough...  I'm also doing some cabochons in this material for jewelers and beaders to set into jewelry.  Thanks for looking!