WOWsers, now THAT's a STATEMENT necklace!

I had the opportunity recently to work with a lovely Etsy customer from California. I had at first bid on making a blue agate tangled chain necklace for her, which I completed in April. Check it out! Then she requested another tangled chain necklace, this time in bright, cheery, summery colors. I was thrilled! the hunt for the perfect beads turned up some sunshine yellow and apple green dyed magnesite, and when complementary beads were added, WOW!! Where the first

necklace was silver, gold, and gunmetal, this one has no antiqued finishes at all. There's a double pendant, for balance, and big bold chains everywhere. I really liked the finished product.

My lovely customer was invited to be a bridesmaid in her friend's wedding, so another statement necklace was in order. This time, we went over the top. 8 strands of glass pearls, rhinestones, and amethysts are woven into a 4-strand braid, with 18mm rhinestone balls entwined in the mix. A rhinestone and pearl brooch accents the side, and the sides are silver satin ribbon. Under the main swag of the necklace are two additional strands, one with faceted crystal beads, and one with silver glass pearls. On the bottom pearl strand are vintage chandelier crystals. Their brilliance and flash were fantastic!

These are the boldest statement necklaces I've made to date. Weighing in at 1 1/2 pounds, the pearl one is by far the largest! When I jumped back into jewelry three years ago, I never anticipated these babies! I think that's why custom orders are so fun. You get to know someone, their tastes, and you see things through their eyes. By learning about the statement or vision they are trying to create, you get to participate in their special event, and sometimes it's the most important day of their lives. It's a very gratifying experience!

A spring bouquet bursting into bloom...

I was recently asked to design a statement necklace for Beth Anderson, the lovely Editor-in-chief of Chic Galleria. Beth is being featured this week in an article about statement necklaces on Luckymag.com, the online presence of Lucky Magazine (link to the article). At first, I wasn't aware that the article was on statement pieces; the necklace was already in her hands and had been worn in her photo shoot by Photographer Jill Solomon. When she mentioned it, I was really glad I'd spent the hours putting it together!

Unless you're like the groundhog, who only checks above ground to see if spring is coming, you're already aware that metal flowers and anything floral are hot-hot-hot this season, so when putting this one together I worked with Beth's stated preference for gold, and incorporated the flower theme. Rose gold, crystal, and pearlescent finishes are highlights that bring the whole piece together and give it a feminine softness.

On my worktable, I've been experimenting with making gemstone flowers for my upcoming bridal line, and decided to make a few to vary the materials used in the flowers on this necklace. Czech glass and mother of pearl beads, with freshwater pearl and crystal, are the components of the main focal, and enamel flowers and brass flower buds make up the remaining elements. Champagne crystal and pearlescent czech rounds give the necklace a soft glow.
I'll be listing this one in my Etsy shop this week, coordinating with the publishing of the article on Luckymag.com.

New listings from a frenzied weekend!

I listed 5 items today on Etsy, no thanks to my Slllooowwwwww laptop. It took nearly all day (that, and taking care of my croup-y 3 year old). I'll post them little by little for the rest of the week. I hit a beading frenzy yesterday, and was like a woman on a mission! Now I'm back to custom work. Shows are coming up, so I should continue to create more to fill the new display busts I bought.

First up is a faceted Amazonite and lemon quartz necklace set with gold heishi spacers. I've had the Amazonite for a while, waiting for the right accent beads to come along. If these aren't the ones, I don't know what else! For more photos, check out the listing.

The Amazonite beads are a beautiful sea-foam-green-teal mixture that reminds me of the water in Key West when my husband and I went snorkeling on our honeymoon. The lemon quartz beads are hand-faceted in a free form sort of way, and look like tiny Jolly Ranchers or distilled sunlight. I can't get enough of looking at them! I paired them with Gold-plated heishi wafers, for added sparkle. I don't usually work with gold, so this is a welcome change of pace. I'm going to a show this weekend, so this one might be gone by Saturday evening. That is, of course, if I don't decide to keep it myself!

I'll be back with more tomorrow. Right now I have to cook dinner!

Make a statement in turquoise...

Dyed Howlite and dyed magnesite are fantastic alternatives to expensive turquoise. The veining can be rich and varied, and the coloring almost exactly like it's rarer counterpart, turquoise. Sure, I'd like to own and design with the genuine stone, but when Howlite is as affordable as it is, why not own 3 or 4 pieces to one of genuine turquoise? More is, well, more. More or less. Less costs more, but is not more. Right?

This necklace was finished this evening, and is awaiting approval by my customer. She's looking for a turquoise and silver statement necklace that is elegant and not clunky, and that has a nice silver sparkle without having a chunky chain. I hope I've satisfied her criteria, because I have certainly enjoyed creating this necklace! I can see varying the metals and the gemstones (or their less expensive alternatives), can't you? Copper with Unakite, bronze with white turquoise (magnesite, actually), silver with red coral, lava rocks and any metal, the list goes on and one. Maybe even some labradorite? That would be interesting!

I really like the movement and texture in this piece. It was fun to create, and I'm hoping my customer enjoys wearing it. I love custom work. It's always such an adventure! Next up, a surprise in salmon coral and brass. (hint: it's a reproduction of a famous piece from a very old southern antebellum movie) Can't wait to get that one posted! I have a museum that wants to see it when it's done!