"These are the perfect modern "Up North Michigan" earrings. Petoskey stone and Leland blue beads swing from graceful sterling silver loops on french hook earwires.These earrings are about 3 inches long including the earwire and just over an inch wide. The Petoskey stones are about an 3/8ths of an inch across. Despite their eye-catching size, these earrings are light and easy to wear. I don't care for heavy earrings so I made sure to design these to be light. All the silver is sterling.The 4th photograph is the same style of earring with a different stone. I included this so that you can the size more clearly. You will receive the Petoskey stone earrings, NOT the turquoise earrings in photo #4. Petoskey stones are a fossilized coral most often found in Lake Michigan. The vast majority are found in the Little Traverse Bay region of Lake Michigan near the towns of Petoskey and Harbor Springs, Michigan.Leland blue is a glass-like byproduct of the iron industry in Northern Michigan. Well over 100 years ago this byproduct, called slag, was discarded in Lake Michigan. It has been washing up on shore ever since, especially near its namesake town of Leland, MI. Jewelers and rockhounds have been collecting and using this "stone" for years. In my limited experience, it seems to be getting harder to find, especially cut and made into beads.Both Petoskey stones and Leland blues tend to vary a lot in color and pattern. Your earrings will be unique and the stones may not look exactly like these. I work with local stone cutters and personally choose the best stones in pairs that look good together. This will be sent to you in a gift box, whether it is a gift for yourself or a loved one.I designed and hand-made the original silver silver loops with their slightly rustic texture then had multiples cast off that original. Then I selected the Petoskey stone and Leland blue beads and wired them to the silver loops in a way that allows them to swing and rotate freely so that both sides of the stones can be seen. Each piece that leaves my workshop is marked on the back with "IE" so you know it is an IndigoEdenArts original and ".925" which certifies that it is made of sterling silver". -Lorelei H. Scott of Indigo Eden Arts
