Orchid Blossom necklace

I made this necklace for myself shortly out of college.  I found this beautiful lepidolite carved pendant at Von's up by Purdue campus, and kept it in my bead box a long time before I settled on what I wanted to do with it.  This is the result.  I used lepidolite rounds, tiny seed beads, and fire-polished glass to add sparkle, as well as dark purple pearls.

 

Name:  Orchid Blossom

Price:  $20 (reason: cost of lepidolite and pendant; personal collection)

Length:  approx. 16"; pendant is about 1.5" across

Two more memory wire bracelets

These were done for my sister's birthday a couple of years ago (does it seem like I make very little other than for her?).  She told me right before that birthday she never wanted any other gift than jewelry from me, so I make her quite a bit every year, both for birthdays and Christmas.  The one was only partially done when I took the picture; I can't find a completed one.  They used size 8 seed bead mixes from Fusionbeads.com--sporty and jewel.  These were probably the first memory wire bracelets I ever did, besides my first kit.

 

Name:  N/A

Price:  $8 ea (originals given to Margot R.)

Length:  approx. 6 loops each

Vitrail Dangle Necklace

This is one of the projects I did for myself.  I had imagined up this necklace, only with the Swarovski color Volcano (even wrote a short story about it), but I liked the Light Vitrail color better.  It's one of the first chain / wirework pieces I've done, and I wore it out--it's currently in my repair box.  I used Light Vitrail cosmic rings and bicones, and Figaro chain, then wire-wrapped the rings into the chain.  I liked how it turned out, but I should have used heavier wire or jump rings (I was having a hard time finding thin enough jump rings that would still fit around the cosmic rings).  I really need to fix this one...

 

Name:  Cosmic Light

Price:  $30 (reason: Swarovski crystals, time involved with chain and wirework; this necklace is currently in pieces in my bead box and unavailable)

Length:  approx. 20" to 24"; can't remember for sure

Lavender Shimmer choker

This was one of the last Etsy projects I did; this, as with the Cheery Cherry Choker and Crystallized Ginger Choker, went to my "niece" for her birthday a couple of years ago since she loves jewelry almost as much as my sister.

 

Name:  Lavender Shimmer

Price:  $10 (original given to my niece, Aubrey)

Length:  approx. 16"

Green Butterflies Illusion Necklace

Yep, another Etsy project.  At the time, I was trying to do a variety of colors and styles, so this was one of three illusion necklaces I did (the others being Shades of Shadow and Night Pearl).  I didn't like this one as well.  I mean, it turned out well enough, so I can't quite place why I don't like it--especially since green is my favorite color.  Maybe it's because the measuring and crimping for the different sections was tedious and frustrating.

Name:  Emerald Butterflies

Price:  $15 (reason: time involved)

Length:  I think approx. 18"; it is now in my redo bin

Shades of Shadow Illusion Necklace

Another former Etsy project.  I was experimenting with different illusion necklace ideas and techniques, using a variety of Czech glass, pearls, and semiprecious stones.  This one turned out all right, though measuring to keep both sides equal so it would hang right drove me crazy!

Name:  Shades of Shadow Illusion Necklace

Price:  $20 (reason: time involved)

Length:  I think approx. 18" to 20"; it's around here somewhere still, but I can't remember

Stone Chip Bracelet

Another birthday project for my sister a couple of years ago; just rediscovered the photos on my FaceBook page while fixing photos for earlier posts that mysteriously disappeared.  I used sodalite, aventurine, and Russian amazonite.  Originally, there were two other strands of chips--blue goldstone and another green stone I can't remember--but the chips were a lot larger and heavier than anticipated, so even heavy-duty fishing line couldn't support that much weight at the clasp crowded together.  I made her a matching necklace as well.

Name:  N/A

Price:  $15 (original given to Margot R.)

Length: approx. 8"

Crab Fire Agate pendant

Another piece I made for Etsy several years ago.  The pendant on this is an absolutely huge oval of crab fire agate.  I had no idea when I originally purchased it that it would be so big.  I wanted to keep the focus on the pendant, so I used simple black seed beads and orange fiber optic (also called cat's eye) 6mm rice beads to draw out the color without detracting from the stone.
My sister expressed an interest in it, so I gave it to her for her birthday the year following its lack of sale.  As you can see, the colors can go with a variety of things; the fabric I used for the picture is a batik Mom had spare from a quilt block.

Name:  N/A

Price: $20 (given to Margot R.)

Length: can't remember; probably around 18"

Crystallized Ginger choker

I made this piece a long time ago, back when I tried selling jewelry on Etsy.  This was made alongside my Cheery Cherry Choker, and though I really liked it, I didn't have anything I could wear it with when it didn't sell.
So, since my little "niece" (actually a second-cousin, but she calls me her aunt) loves jewelry, I gave her my Etsy cherry choker--I have a matching one, as does my cousin Britni--and this necklace.  I used orange aventurine cubes and puffed squares, and seed beads.

 

 

Name:  Crystallized Ginger Choker

Price: $20 (given to my niece, Aubrey)

Length:  approx. 16"

Fall Poppies Loomed Bracelet

     I'm posting this today, now that my sister's birthday is over and she already has her gift.  A couple of years ago, she bought me a beading loom, and I've only just begun to experiment with it.  I purchased a pattern to start with since I was getting frustrated with the design process, and changed the color scheme to better suit my sister, choosing browns and oranges instead of black and green and blue.  I also chose silver-lined Delica seed beads instead of the opaque, more common seed beads because they add a little sparkle and a richer color, and are more equal and consistent in shape, which makes it easier to loom.  This was the second beading project I've done on a loom.  I like how the pattern turned out, but as of yet I'm not particularly happy with finishing it--I don't like knotting, though the knots I used are very sturdy.
     I was fortunate to find a scarf (my sister loves scarves almost as much as jewelry) at the place where I work that matched the flowers in the piece.  Pardon the bad pictures...I'm going to try to get my sister to take better ones, as she is the professional photographer who owns the blog Whimsicals by Margot.  Make sure to check out her blog!  Happy 29th birthday!

 

 

 

Name: Fall Poppies

Price:  $30 (reason: time involved, quality of beads and thread used)

Length: approximately 9"

Update

So...

It's been a really long time since I've updated either of my blogs.  That should be changing very shortly.  Reason?  I have a new computer (after two long years without), and have settled into new living arrangements, a new job, and, in essence, a new life.

Stay tuned!

Midnight Clear necklace

We celebrated our immediate family Christmas this afternoon, and while my sister and Mom were making candy afterward, I sat at the table listening to music and putting this together.  The pendant is wire-wrapped agate, dyed blue.  I found faux pearls that matched it, and interspersed silver beads with them to add a little sparkle.  The clasp is an S-hook version that is reminiscent of the wire-wrap's pattern.  Given the coloration and the fact that today's Christmas Eve, I thought the name was fitting.  I will get better pictures when I have better lighting; necklace is wrapped around the stand in photos so the pendant would be where I could photograph it easily.

 

Name:  Midnight Clear

Price:  $25

Length:  23.5 inches long; pendant 2 inches tall (including bail) by 1.5 inches wide

Dragon Blood necklace

Decided, given the gloomy, drizzly weather outside, to toy around with necklace ideas this afternoon.  I finally got the dragon blood jasper pendant I ordered last month, and the brainstorming came to fruition.  It took about 3 hours of hand-beading (about an hour per strand), but it's done now!  I used FlexWire for added stability, dragon blood jasper 6mm rounds to go with the pendant, forest iris round and peanut seed beads, red twisted bugle beads, copper freshwater pearls, teeny tiny seed beads in two colors, and yellow-green seed beads.  Once each of the strands was done, I roped the three together over each other in a loose spiral to hold them together.  The clasp is a sunflower toggle (not shown) big enough to suit the project.

 

Name: Dragon's Blood

Price:  $40 (reason: cost of materials, time involved)

Length:  22 inches; pendant 1.75 inches wide x 1.75 inches tall

Lapis Lazuli cross-weave necklace

This is the project I actually bought the lapis lazuli for: a cross-weave necklace.  I used 6mm rounds, gold metal seed beads, and two strands of FlexWire.  The clasp was just something neat I decided to use; it's base metal, brass plated.  I'm out of gold ones for now.  Given the thickness of the wire I used, I had to extrapolate at the center and the ends of the piece, since the lapis rounds wouldn't fit four pieces of wire through them--the center stone needed four strands through it, the ends two wires folded back through to make four.  I had some large-hole seed beads that were of similar color, so that worked.  Note: I would have made this a little longer, but I have no more lapis rounds--pattern used up two strands as it is.

 

 

Name:  Lapis Lazuli cross-weave necklace

Price: $40 (reason: lapis lazuli price, time involved)

Length: 18 inches; pendant 1.25 inches long

Egyptian Royalty necklace

Lapis lazuli is one of those hard-to-find-good-quality stones that dates back to Biblical times. It brings to mind Egyptian splendor to me. In quality lapis, you should be able to see gold flecked in its surface. Maybe that's why royalty seemed to like it so much back then.
Anyway, I got some fantastic lapis from a dealer, and when my cousin challenged me to come up with a gift befitting a 10-year-old girl, I toyed around with some ideas and this is one of them. It has rich colors that can be worn to fancy outings, yet can go with simple, everyday outfits. Girls like sparkle, and the gold in the stones and the transparent gold seed beads I picked to go with it add to that effect.
It says I like a piece when it's one I'd consider keeping for myself!

 

Name: Egyptian Royalty necklace

Price: $20 (reason: lapis lazuli price, gold findings; sold to my cousin, Britney)

Length: 18 inches; pendant 1.25 inches long

Etched Leaf Pendant

Was looking through my personal jewelry this evening, trying to get ideas and cull stuff I don't wear to either sell or take apart for new projects, when I came across this little piece.  I made it on inspiration from FusionBeads a long time ago, and when I'd ordered the supplies I'd had no idea the pendant wasn't very big.  There were supposed to be two strands of cord, but when I folded over the crimps on the ends, the other strand squirted out, so I just kept the one.  I used antique brass findings, pistachio-green waxed cord, and a blacklip shell pendant etched with pistachio-green leaves.  I still like the effect.

Name:  n/a

Price: $15 (personal collection)

Length: 17 inches

Loom Bracelet

A couple of years ago, my sister bought me a beading loom for Christmas.  I started a pattern right away, but fought with knots and wildly differing sizes in my beads, and gave up.  I kept taking it out and trying to work on it, come up with a new idea to work on, etc.  This is the final result.
General thoughts: think I'm going to change the type of thread I use.  The loom's thread is thin and though the bracelet feels silky, it seems awfully loose and almost what I would venture to call cheap.  I had to redesign the clasp because the one in the instructions didn't work.  The nice thing about having a loom is it goes far quicker than by hand, and there are a lot of free patterns out there.

Name: First Loom Bracelet

Price:  $5 to $10, depending on beads used, size and complexity of pattern, time spent

Length: about 8 inches or so

Heishi Surfer necklace

This is Dan's other necklace.  I made this when we first started hanging out three years ago, because of a story he told me.  He and his dad did a mission trip to Papua New Guinea, where he was given a handmade bagi (think that's how it's spelled)--a long necklace of hand-carved red shell heishi beads and bits of the shells the tribe used as their currency, strung on hand-woven palm-root twine.  He wore it all the time in memory of the trip, until it broke at work and spayed tiny beads everywhere.  He picked up what he could, but he worked the machine floor at Caterpillar, so there wasn't a whole lot of hope to get the thing repaired.
I hunted down some blacklip shell heishi beads that had a little gold to them because he's a Purdue fan (and I only had a vague description of the bagi; I got all the details on how it was made, but, ironically, not a lot on its actual color and style), and strung them on hemp thread with a few hematite rounds to make bit of a pattern.  I kept it short so he could wear it at work and not get it caught on anything--though by that point he was working for Ivy Tech, not Cat.  I told him I knew it wouldn't replace the valuable treasure he'd lost, but I hoped it would still remind him of it, and wouldn't be so costly if it broke.
Well...he wore it out.  The hemp just couldn't stand up to the constant wear and tear.  So I replaced it with heavy fishing line.  Twice.  Then wire.  Knowing the wire was only a temporary fix, I hunted for an extremely durable stringing material and ran across SoftFlex wire, which is stainless steel coated with nylon so it doesn't rust, and the wire is braided for more stability.
Last night I convinced him to let me have the necklace back, so I could perform my preventative adjustment, and gave him back the shard tribal necklace from a previous post.  This is the first time I've gotten pictures of it.  It's nothing fancy, just a surfer-style necklace because I knew he also likes to swim.
I should note that for his birthday this year, his parents contacted the missionaries he and his Dad worked with years ago and commissioned a new bagi (pronounced boggie).  They brought it with them when they came up to visit our church this summer.  Dan's decided with the new one he's going to frame it for display instead of wear it.

 

Name: Blacklip and Hematite Surfer necklace

Price: original not for sale; can do similar for about $15 to $25

Length: 19 inches

Seraphinite and Sterling Bracelet

Okay, so in anticipation of Thanksgiving, I made a bracelet for myself.  For Christmas last year, my sister bought me a mini-skirt (an article of clothing I always feel self-conscious in), and I haven't had a lot of opportunity to wear it.  Since Thanksgiving was at her house, I wanted to show her I do wear it, so I started to plot out a new outfit, which revolved around one of my favorite stones: seraphinite.  Seraphinite is a dark green stone with silver swirls in it.  The outfit came together after a long day of hunting (apparently, dark green is "going out of style" despite it being the holiday season!), and since I had a very small amount of seraphinite rounds available, I decided to make a bracelet to go with an older seraphinite donut pendant necklace I already had.  I dug in my bead boxes and found some sterling silver leaf beads I've had since I worked at Hobby Lobby, and a sterling clasp I had lying around, and wound up with this.

 

Name: n/a

Price: $20 (reason: seraphinite is rare and expensive; sterling is expensive; personal collection)

Length: 7.5 inches

Tribal Shard Necklace

I don't do men's jewelry very often, and this is actually a repair of one I made about a year ago (the wire I used wasn't strong enough to keep up with Dan's heavy wear and tear).  I guess that's the good thing about my sister and a guy that wear the stuff I make them all the time--I get to see how durable my work is.  In this case, the weight of the African green jasper chips and the Celtic pendant stretched out the wire I'd strung it on; I upgraded to SoftFlex wire, which has a weight tolerance that's considerably more.
Originally, this piece was meant to be two different ones.  I actually bought the pendant for myself.  I bought the stone chips late last year (years after the pendant), and the pendant just seemed to suit the piece I had in mind.  If the chips had been smaller, I still would've kept it, but they're large (and heavy!) enough they suit a guy better.  Dan liked it, so it became his.  I used gunmetal findings to keep with the more natural/rugged look, and still like the effect.  The pendant is actually etched porcelain.

 

Name:  Tribal Shard Necklace

Price:  $35 (original given to Dan V.)

Length:  19.5 inches; pendant 1.75 inch diameter