Work in Progress....

I have to replace the previous tree necklace in my inventory, since it sold last weekend, so I've been working on a concept varying from the standard square or round tree of life pendant. This one started out as a long rectangle, and I raised the ceiling on the pendant , sort of like an umbrella, giving the idea of a sheltering tree. Really cool czech glass lentil beads coated with a metallic finish are the "leaves" for the tree, and the wire is bronze, copper and brass. The bails at the top will be attached to links or segments of stone beads wired together. The pendant still needs to be tweeked a little, but, a work in progress is just that. I've got my work cut out for me!

I think I'll find and use some of the newer frosted metallic czech glass beads, along with some vintaj brass findings. I thought I'd made a deal with myself to NOT buy any more beads for a while...

Can't get enough of those fall colors!

This was a really fun project. Carnelian beads in rounds and ovals accented with tiny Citrine rondelles and bronze seed beads. The frame is anti-tarnish brass, and the beads are wired on with anti-tarnish copper. With a warm metal palette and fiery orange palette, you can tel what's on my mind -- that's right, autumn!! Boy it's soooo good to have a cooling off here in Florida. It's been a scorching hot summer. This "Tree of Life" pendant, though it's done in Fall colors, and, yeah, I know the tree of life is always alive, never loses it's leaves, etc., but I just had to render this one in the beautiful fall colors that the mountains are bathed in this time of year.


When I lived in South Carolina, we would see the glorious changing of the leaves, and go for day trips into the mountains. I haven't done that in years! Sadly, my oldest has never seen the mountains. I'm going to remedy that, and hopefully soon. Meanwhile, I can make pretty "joolry" to make up for this loss.



This necklace set is gone....picked up first thing at the Mandarin United Methodist Church Fall Festival last weekend. I'll be re-visiting this topic again, as soon as I catch up on my custom work, and finish some sets for a model shoot this weekend here in Jacksonville. It's too hot a combo to let go, at least while I still have the beads!!

Cloisonne captures the imagination...

Two different strands of cloisonne beads just LEAPED into my hands during a recent trip to my favorite bead shop (River City Beads) here in Jacksonville. They have a whole wall full of them, and I need to go get more. I never stopped to consider the particular beauty that they possess. Sure I knew that wire is soldered onto a metal base, and that enamel is painted into the resulting voids and then fired in a kiln, but I had never really considered the jewelry possibilities beyond a couple pretty beads on a strand, accented by solid-colored beads that would complement their color. I have considered getting a nice selection of these to attach to bookmarks and hair sticks. But Jeude, the owner, had mocked up a few bracelets, and I was just captivated.

You can find these beauties in my shop right now. I'll be adding more in the future. They're just too pretty to not revisit in another color scheme, very soon!