Beautiful Botswana necklace

A friend at work really likes Botswana agate, so I came up with this for her for Christmas...and as partial apology I haven't gotten her red tiger-eye tumbled stone pendant wire-wrapped yet.

 

Name:  Beautiful Botswana

Price: $25

Length:  22 inches

Mama Botswana earrings

And here are the earrings that match the previous necklace and earrings to complete the Mama Botswana set.  I set the two rounds aside because they were nicely banded and matched, then made the earrings using sterling silver findings I had left over from other projects once the necklace was done.  I love the deep mauve shade of these stones!

Name:  Mama Botswana earrings

Price:  $10

Length:  .75 inch, not including earwire (about an inch with earwire)

Mama Botswana bracelet

This is the bracelet to match the previous necklace, part of a set for my Mom from the stones she chose at Von's this weekend.  I used the 6mm rounds left over from the yard-long necklace to make this.

Name:  Mama Botswana bracelet

Price:  $10

Length:  9 inches

Mama Botswana necklace

So I conferred with my Mom following my work on the rhodonite necklace (see project Winter Rose), and she decided she wanted the second necklace to be even longer--37 inches.  By the time I got it strung, it was dark out, so I couldn't get pictures with decent light.  Good news, though, is I set up to take the photos in my tiny kitchen on my dining room table and they turned out!  Usually the camera won't focus when indoors under just lamplight.  I had enough beads left over to make a set of jewelry to surprise her: a pair of earrings and a bracelet.  I set the beads for the earrings aside ahead of time so they would (relatively) match each other, but used the leftovers for the bracelet, so the stones aren't quite as fancy as those in the necklace and earrings.  Again, the clasp for it isn't here yet.
So here's the Botswana for my Mama.

 

Name:  Mama Botswana necklace

Price:  $45 (reason: amount of stone, silver, and time used)

Length:  approx. 38 inches (because I had to end the pattern to keep it equal) without clasp; probably will be 40 inches with clasp

Botswana Agate and Pearl Bracelet

     One of my favorite stones is Botswana agate.  I love the bands of color, and the unique gray, brown, and pink shades this particular agate displays.  Up until now, I've not attempted to make a piece using it, but I love it so much and this weekend had the opportunity to see a similar piece up close at the benefit fundraiser I just had to jump in and try it myself.  I need to give credit where it's due: the silent auction piece was done by Lisa Walsh of Abednego Creations using puff coin Botswana agate, mauve Swarovski crystal pearls, and antique silver or brass spacer beads and findings, strung on wire, with a market value of $25.
     I went to Von's in West Lafayette to see if I could find some small Botswana agate beads to use in my own bracelet--hoped to find tube-shaped, actually--but the only small beads they had other than standard rounds (which I didn't want given I seem to always use rounds in projects) were puffed coins like the ones in the auction bracelet.  I think my coins are smaller, though.  I used little silver rounds to separate the beads and some freshwater semi-round pearls (color is called "wild orchid" on the site I bought them).  I feel bad my bracelet seems rather close to the auction piece, but given I used pearls I already had, and round silver beads I already had...it was as different as I could do given the circumstances.  I wish I could have bought the bracelet at the auction, and mine has enough of my taste to it to be different from that piece.
     This is one of at least six projects I hope to get done in the next couple of weeks.  Stay tuned!

Name:  Botswana Pearl Bracelet


Price:  $15 (reason: freshwater pearls, silver, Botswana agate)


Length:  8 inches