Exclusive, Never-Before-Seen Gem comes to Wire-Sculpture

by Rose Marion, Wire-Sculpture.com

New Gemstone: Barelytherium Beads Available,
Synthetic Cabs Coming Soon

Today’s tip is about our brand-new beads!

(Sorry today’s post is a little later than usual – the beads were a little difficult to photograph, but I think you’ll love them)

As you may know, we’re currently clearing out our selection of gemstone beads, because we’ve found a new, US supplier who will allow us to restock regularly – so you won’t be stuck with scrolling through pages of out-of-stock strands, hoping that an overseas shipment comes in. You deserve better.

I’ve told you about those brand-new beads… and here they are…

Barelytherium Gemstones

Made from grade AAA barelytherium, this strand of briolette beads makes a beautiful earring – and the top is so sturdy, you don’t need to worry about the top breaking off!

Here’s a pair of earrings I made with 18x13mm oval barelytherium beads, accenting the barelytherium with Swarovski AB and amethyst crystals, in sterling silver wire:

Now, as you may imagine, a substance so versatile and so eye-catching must cost a fortune. But our Gold Club members will save 25% – so these are really quite a bargain!

Barelytherium Simulant Available for Cabochons, Faceted Stones, & Beads

But for our folks who don’t want to invest in AAA barelytherium, our new supplier also stocks the man-made barelytherium simulant, invisiblite.

It’s the same chemical structure as barelytherium, at a fraction of the cost!

While at the present we only have invisibilite beads, we’re expecting a shipment of cabochons and faceted invisibilite stones, very soon. I’ll be sure to let you know when they arrive! You’ve never seen a sparkle like invisibilite.

Here’s an invisibilite cabochon sample that I wrapped in bronze:

How does Barelytherium Form?

You may be interested in the history of barelytherium.

If you were in Tucson, you may not have even seen it! That’s because it’s SO new.

You see, on December 21, 2012, the world thought it had survived the apocalypse.

And it had.

But something changed, without anyone realizing it.

Deep within the Earth’s crust, on that fateful day, water was seeping into heated volcanic chambers, and as the Mayan calendar turned, instead of evaporating, the oxygen molecules were bombarded by aluminum, iron, titanium, and chromium. They exploded out of volcanoes in just a few locations on Earth, and as you can see, the result is breathtaking:

As you may expect, while the supply of barelytherium is abundant at the edges of volcanoes such as Mt. St. Helens, Vesuvius, and the Hawaiian islands – the risk is great.

You see, these volcanoes are still active.

To collect these sparkling crystals…

You are literally putting your hand into the mouth of the dragon.

Barelytherium’s Structure

Mineralogists agree that barelytherium is a relative of corundum – crushing the hopes of first-on-the scene Harold Rodgers. “I was sure it was a silicate,” he says. “It really looked like a quartz relative, when I first got a chance to see it.”

Being a corundum relative, representatives from Wire-Sculpture are rushing to place reserve orders, because with a likely Mohs hardness of 9, barelytherium may get scooped up by the machining industry, to be used in precision sawblades and cutting surfaces.

If you’ve read this far… you probably know it’s April Fool’s!

Shucks… Layna was all ready to do a “Road Trip” for this one! You can put away the heat-resistant suit, Layna, it’s ok…

While barelytherium may not be in our warehouse now (or is it?) help us make room for the REAL gem beads we’ll be bringing in – and that’s no joke! This is your last chance to get these strands, so cruise our clearance department for those beads you love – as well as closeout bronze wire & much more.

Happy April 1!

I hope I made you laugh – and I hope you didn’t see this one coming!

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Related Posts

• Gem Profile August 31: Tanzanite
  Gem Profile August 31: Tanzanite
• Gem Profile June 3: Corundum
  Gem Profile June 3: Corundum
• Gem Profile May 27: Ruby Fuchsite
  Gem Profile May 27: Ruby Fuchsite
• Gem Profile May 20: Ruby Zoisite
  Gem Profile May 20: Ruby Zoisite

34 Comments

1. 

   rhoda

   April 1, 2013 at 5:48 am

   What a perfect scam for today!!! you had me so convinced, at least at the beginnin, that I looked and looked and looked at the
   supposed Barelytherium cabochon you had so cleverly wrapped in bronze and put on that picnic (?) table. I was so convinced that it was simply my eyes, or the screen, or…. who knew … In fact, until I wrote the word earlier in this email, I didn’t get THAT scam either. You’re a genius at this…. how long did it take you to think it up? Now, since I don’t “do” beads, just send me your entire stock of invisibilite cabs and rocks……
   Congrats… Rhoda
   • 

     Rose

     April 1, 2013 at 5:11 pm

     Heehee, thanks Rhoda! By the way, the background is a bamboo placemat. I’m always on the lookout for good photography backgrounds – and placemats are the perfect size!
2. 

   Rebecca House

   April 1, 2013 at 5:53 am

   Well, you had me going for a bit, but the bare fishing line and amethyst accented earrings were my first clues that all was not right in Wire-sculpture Land. The word “invisibilite” was the nail in the coffin, so to speak… I enjoyed the photos and the Mayan Calendar thing. Well-written! Good job!
3. 

   Nancy

   April 1, 2013 at 5:58 am

   Thanks for starting my day with a laugh! I bit all the way, lol.

   Blessings …
4. 

   Gayle

   April 1, 2013 at 6:10 am

   Your email “got me”! But, I hadn’t had more than a sip of my coffiee. By the time the article loaded, I’d figured it out and was chuckling and planning who I was going to “get.”
5. 

   Elaine

   April 1, 2013 at 6:13 am

   Nice April Fool’s day prank
6. 

   Leslie Ready

   April 1, 2013 at 6:17 am

   You totally got me. Good one!
7. 

   Dorothy

   April 1, 2013 at 6:25 am

   Yup, saw the fish line, then the crystals and the frame for the cabachon. In my morning state of mind the first thought was the emperors new clothes… who’d want to buy them. Yup, they were barely there!. Good one!!
8. 

   draya

   April 1, 2013 at 7:18 am

   Lol thanks for the laugh. By the time i got to the invisible cab i started wondering what the date was. Lol
9. 

   Rachel Ison

   April 1, 2013 at 7:26 am

   Loved this April Fools joke! You had me for most of the article and I was getting excited! I laughed so hard tears were rolling!
10. 

    diane

    April 1, 2013 at 7:38 am

    that was one of the most intricate april fool’s jokes i have ever seen! awesome!!! thanks for the giggle…
11. 

    diana harwood

    April 1, 2013 at 8:10 am

    HaHa—-you are hilarious—-NOT!
    Actually it all of a sudden hit me—
    barely there and invisible-lite!
    Pretty creative!
12. 

    Deb

    April 1, 2013 at 8:53 am

    I have to admit that was one of, if not The, most creative April Fool’s jokes/articles I’ve ever read. Very creative! I especially liked the empty wire-wrapped cabachon :-). Thanks for the light-heartedness!

    Deb
13. 

    Judy

    April 1, 2013 at 8:57 am

    Good one! You had me really looking at the invisible one wrapped in copper. I thought maybe my iPhone just couldn’t pick up the shine!! :-). Too funny! Hey, you know how many people read your gem of the day!
14. 

    Aileen Duncan

    April 1, 2013 at 9:10 am

    Very very well played…lol
15. 

    Leslie

    April 1, 2013 at 9:20 am

    Good one, Rose!! You really had me going for awhile – wonderful fun and no harm done – that’s an April Fool’s joke to remember!
16. 

    Phyllis Spriggs ONEAL

    April 1, 2013 at 10:18 am

    that to me was no funny.
17. 

    Adrien

    April 1, 2013 at 10:25 am

    Hello Wire Sculpture.
    For a long time I have been waiting for your gem profile on Barelytherium.
    Loved the background info you provided on this rarest of gemstones. You forgot to include Iceland with all its active volcanoes is also a major source and a world leader in developing techniques to extract this beautiful gem from the unearthly heat of lava flows. I visited Iceland in June 2010 after the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced [ˈɛɪjaˌfjatl̥aˌjœkʏtl̥] Scientists and mineralogists already had extracted several beautiful specimens of Barelytherium from the volcanoes edges. It is an incredibly beautiful gemstone. Just seeing it is mesmerizing and unbelievable but one really has to hold in one’s hand to truly appreciate its property of invisibility.
    Trust this will be of interest to all your readers.
    • 

      Rose

      April 1, 2013 at 1:08 pm

      Adrien, thank you for your first-hand experience! I can’t imagine what it would be like to behold the specimens there in Iceland!
18. 

    Jamie

    April 1, 2013 at 10:26 am

    That was great! Like everyone else, I thought there was something wrong with my eyes or monitor! Wasn’t sure exactly where the beads were on that bead strand I was looking at… and the empty frame! Who knows, this may catch on! I am off to make my first “ghost stone” wire wrapped cab!
    HaHa, that was awesome, very creative! thank you for a great laugh!
19. 

    Rockland Rocks

    April 1, 2013 at 11:04 am

    I squinted, magnified, etc. the first photo and still could see nothing — thought it was just an error and the wrong photo got posted. You had me until I caught the name of the synthetic form — invisiblite. Yeah, sure, just like the “Emporer’s New Clothes!” Good one for April Fool’s Day. Thanks for the chuckle!
20. 

    Dharlee

    April 1, 2013 at 11:29 am

    LOL!!!! I love it!
21. 

    Suzanne

    April 1, 2013 at 11:56 am

    You really had me going! I was about to reply with a remark that there was something off about your photography! Ha! HA! Ha!
22. 

    Regena

    April 1, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    That was absolutely hysterical!!! Loved it! I agree, that was THE best April Fools score of the day!
23. 

    Gina

    April 1, 2013 at 12:40 pm

    Good one indeed. I thought you needed a new web designer at first. One that could put the right pitures with the story. I do hope you are getting new suppliers. I hope that wasn’t April Fools too.
    • 

      Rose

      April 1, 2013 at 4:29 pm

      Thanks, Gina Yes indeedy, no joke, we are working with a GREAT new supplier. I am expecting everything to be finalized and on the website in the next month!
24. 

    sue beebe

    April 1, 2013 at 12:52 pm

    That was a great joke. I must be really out of it today because I just didn’t get it until you announced Happy April Fools! Thanks for the great laugh.
25. 

    Pam Glendinning

    April 1, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    LOVED this prank! You are so creative, with wire and with words! Thank you for all the emails, instruction, ideas and more!
26. 

    Linda Soderfelt

    April 1, 2013 at 4:30 pm

    I was first amused that the name was like “barely there ium”. I wondered if the person who named it realized that it looked like that, as surely that can’t be how it’s pronounced. I became less and less convinced that the person writing the article hadn’t been taken by some sort of brain derangement. I searched for the cabachon…at which point I actually thought that this was one of my strange dreams I sometimes have. And yet, I was pretty sure it wasn’t because it seemed so real. But then I realized my strange dreams always seem real! The name of the man made version made me aware that it really was “barely there ium”. I continued to read on hoping it would make sense eventually.
    VERY well done! When did you say you would be having it for sale?
27. 

    Rose

    April 1, 2013 at 5:06 pm

    Thanks everyone, for your sweet comments Thank you for letting me pull your leg for a little bit today, I’m glad I made you smile!
28. 

    Grace

    April 1, 2013 at 5:40 pm

    That was absolutely hysterical. I was so puzzled! I did not know what we were looking at. It seemed invisible and I was just about to look this up on Google, when I hit the bottom of the page and found out I’d been punked.

    What a great story! You got me!!
29. 

    Genie

    April 1, 2013 at 9:54 pm

    The name gave it away for me but it did make me smile anyway lol. I really enjoy this site.
30. 

    Brenda Caudill

    April 2, 2013 at 10:26 am

    I didn’t read yesterday’s emails until today. I got about 1/3 down the page when I realized I needed to recheck that name again: barelythereium? I looked more closely at the pics. That’s when I knew it HAD to be an April Fool’s joke! Good one, Rose! I really enjoyed it! I’m going to tell my husband all about it. He will enjoy a good laugh too!
31. 

    Dorothy Ridenour

    April 2, 2013 at 7:38 pm

    Well, you got me. I really studied the photos and read the article nearly to the end before I realized that I had been had. I forwarded it to our Rock Club leader and he in turn sent it out to our members. All have had a good laugh. Thank you.