Several[1] years ago, I was at my friend Cindi B's for a casual beading class to make something or other out of these spikes. Probably bracelets. I don't recall, except that I decided to make this one netted spike, featuring the rhinestone focal. I really liked the color combo:
- olive green
- black
- gold
But then it sat.
Necklace. Completed March 2017. 21" end to end, or 20" when measured doubled. Spike focal is 1/2" in diameter at widest point by 2.5" long (including bail). Gold-fill, sterling silver, even base-metal, lots of czech pressed (including vintage) including some very yummy black picasso 4mm, some lampwork (click on the image & look on the left side—those little spacers, a few with black trailing...made with muschsio verde—yum).
Focal is beadwoven around a sparkly conical spike bead (which probably dates the manufacture...) with matte delicas in assorted sizes, 2 or 3mm gold-washed czech faceted and the like, raided from my friend Cindi's bead box. Later, I would discover these colors, e.g. the dark bronze-green are permanent (after running them through a kiln cycle) & so bought my own.
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So this[2] spring (of 2017) in a spirit of tidying up loose ends (because there were so many other, very large, long term projects that were not being tidied up) I decided to string this thing, which had a bail woven into it. I decided to follow my usual tassel-necklace strategy of folding over the beadalon at the clasp (ends), reasoning that figuring out some interesting with the ends would be good for me.
Some samples/spacers made in anticipation of this project...
I s'pose it was; I certainly tried several solutions before crossing the beadalon inside the bail and then folding it back on itself to make these horn structures. It wasn't as bold as some of the concepts, which involved fringes of ends exploding all over, but I was afraid those would dig into the wearer's clothing and/or skin, and itch. I want my stuff to be wearable.
I did really like the way I graduated the colors, particularly from gold to black. Transitioning to the green wasn't as smooth, and again was something of a pause point, because originally I had assumed I would do mixed short sequences, as I have pretty much ever since stringing the squid. Originally, I tried to solve the problem by buying more beads (with a side of rationalizations that I would be using the leftovers in a bead embroidery project, possibly with a floral lentil tassel along the way)[3] but ultimately the reason I completed this project was because I decided it needed to be finished no matter how imperfectly.
And it certainly photographed nicely!
[1]1 to 5, perhaps?
[2]i.e. prior
[3]It now being April of 2018 this means the tray of black and olive beads I have been saving to make that next necklace in the series with the pressed lentil has been sitting a year. No wonder I'm tired of looking at that tray—it also means I've been wanting to get back to some bead embroidery for roughly that long. Eek, but time flies...
Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.
