A while back, I posted about the bead that serves as the focal for this piece, but to briefly recap: when I pressed this bead, which was a bit too large, I removed the fins (sort of giant mold lines, if you will) by wiping off, and in doing so both opened the bead and distorted it into what I thought was a great, curvilinear shape. I now had a bead with three holes, one of which was huge, giving me great flexibility for the tassel I wanted to hang out of it.
Garden Fantasy necklace. Artist made focal and designer beads; amethyst, peridot, rose quartz, jade, onyx; austrian and czech crystal and pressed; sterling silver; seed beads. Sterling coated beadalon, 6 strands each side. Length from clasp to tip of tassel: 19". Opening: 27". Weight: 160g/5-1/2oz. Focal, 15oct08. Strung 30–31 Oct08.
Though my habit is to spend weeks or months on these involved pieces, I have managed to string multi-stranded necklaces in one day—even in a few hours. I was determined, after finishing the green and purple pmc-clasp piece that was on my table for months, to complete this piece in a reasonable time frame—say, three hours. Well, that didn't happen, but I did manage to finish it in two days.
One way I saved time was by making it symmetrical. This means I copied each of the six strands from one side to the other, with occasional, minor substitutions. I also disciplined myself to use the beads I had: it is particularly tempting, now that I can make my own beads, to stop stringing and manufacture a particular bead to solve a problem. I only resorted to this tactic once, when I decided to copy one side to the other: now I needed two of everything, and so I had to copy a small heishi I'd incorporated near the clasp. Naturally neither of these beads show in either photo, though one might in one of the etsy pix. This is quite an easy bead to make, but even so I whomped out 20 or 30 so as to be sure of having one the correct size and color. Admittedly, I was helped by the many, many many green miniatures I'd made for the previous piece, and my efforts to “use up” some lauscha pink pack odd lots —I had a good selection in both colors as a result.
Another view of the piece.
I wanted to have a gradual shift from green (like a stem) near the clasp to pink towards the focal; one way I accomplished that goal was using more pink seed beads as I went along. Keeping to small beads was hard for me, but I did fairly well—I only used two 8mm rounds in the body of the necklace. When I got to the tassel, however, I wanted it to lay as sort of a fringe, and gave myself permission to indulge in larger beads, which I did with wild abandon.
Because I've gotten complaints about things being too short, I made this piece long—it measures 19" from clasp to tassel-tip and has a 27" opening. The clasp is a Nina Designs bali silver clasp. Nina sells top quality stuff, and I think it's great that they pay their women artisans the same rate as the men, but this clasp was pricey. But, it sure goes with the piece.
focal 15oct; necklace 30–31 oct; photos 2oct; post 3oct.
[1]Original etsy text: It all started with a three-hole bead I made using an emerald press. One of the interesting things about hollow beads is that sometimes they "pop" a third hole. From a lampworker's point of view, this can be frustrating; but as a stringer, that third opening can be an opportunity.
[2]The focal bead also served as the color key for the rest of the necklace, which as a variety of pinks and greens, and bits of cream. Â —When I started making jewelry, I strung semi-precious stone beads, and I still love mixing them with glass—this piece has, in addition to glass, a great many peridots, a couple of yummy faceted jades, 3mm tourmaline for darker greens and 2mm garnets for darker pinks, some peach aventurine and botswana agate to add some warmer pinks, plus the obvious choices of rose quartz and pink rhodonite;)
[3]Besides the obvious opportunity to include a number of czech pressed floral and leaf beads (including one shamrock bead, even though St Patty's is technically a winter holiday), I also felt this piece was special enough to incorporate a few favorite vintage and antique beads—the lime green ovals and bright green dog-bones were made, I was told in 50s and 60s; the steel cuts, as far as I know, simply weren't manufactured much after their heyday in the late 1800s. Â Aside from the antique steel cuts, all the metal beads in this piece are sterling.
Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.
