Crochet Magic

I easily get bored so I have to try something new now and again. The latest "new thing" is wire crochet and wire knitting. I found the most fabulous shop on the net (recommendation of a very nice lady - wave to Kate) called Scientific Wires who have a great selection of wires in all sizes, gauges, colours, you name it, they have it! I also got a couple of great books on Amazon.

When the box from Scientific Wires arrived I couldn't wait, I just had to start making something right away. Below is my first attempt:


It's a bangle made from pre-knitted chartreuse green wire. The pre-knitted wire comes in tubes and different sizes (tightly knit, medium, and loosely knit). I've rolled up the tube and put a tiny tube of dark copper pre-knitted wire inside before I wrapped it up tightly and used thin copper wire to crochet the two ends of the tube together. I've used vintage peach/copper coloured beads as feature beads and vintage green seed beads for added sparkle. The bangle is comfortable to wear and looks lovely and organic.

This was my first attempt at the actual crochet bit. I haven't done crochet in a long, long time, but I did remember. Must be like riding a bike... This cuff bracelet is just under an inch wide and made with lots of vintage crystal seed beads. I've used vintage rings either side of the clasp which is also made of plain rings. It looks lovely - delicate and sparkly.

Here's the matching choker necklace. Very lovely in an ethereal way.

A close-up of the necklace.

Finally, the earrings. Made with crochet and a single vintage crystal drop.


On my third attempt I was getting more adventurous and playing around with a variety of beads - golden seed beads and Myuki cubes, with pearlised teeny Magatama drops. The centre piece are 3 golden roses which have been attached after the crochet was done.

Yesterday I felt like rose quartz. Initially, I wanted to do a 3-tiered necklace, but it worked out better as a 2-tiered necklace and a single string necklace with a pendant. For the 2-tiered necklace I've used rose quartz chips and teeny rose quartz beads plus larger round catseye beads in pale pink and white. For added sparkle I've used my vintage crystal seedbeads. They seem to work particularly well with the very thin wire.

Below is the pendant necklace made with vintage crystal seedbeads, vintage rose quartz nugget beads and a (modern) rose quartz pendant.

I've also added a vintage copper rose charm to draw attention to the gorgeous rose quartz pendant.

Bombshells ARE forever

I thought all those bracelets deserve some necklaces so here are a couple (plus the ones I posted yesterday).


This one uses vintage copper flower connectors and a modern copper flower pendant, all the beads in copper and turquoise are vintage, the findings are modern.

This necklace uses a Vintage, William Morris style pendant, little amethyst coloured charms, and beads in dark damson, pale pink and gold.

All the charms and beads are vintage, the findings are modern.

Another bracelet, this time in blues and copper.

All the beads and charms are vintage, the findings are modern. I particularly like the strong cobalt blue with the copper, it works fantastically.

The shell bracelet below includes golden coloured shell charms, copper charms, amber, citrine and topaz beads and little copper hearts on copper findings.

I love rainbow colours. Perfect for Spring. :-) This combines a rainbow of colours with lots of silver plated and Tibetan charms (flowers, leaves, butterflies etc).

I can never resist another take on my skulls and roses Gothic theme. This bracelet has a beautiful rose toggle clasp, little charms (hearts, skulls and different crosses) and beads in black, including crackle and Magatama beads.


The final necklace is made with modern findings and mix of modern, vintage and semi-precious beads (green, new and purple jade, rose quartz, malachite, lace agate, amethyst, and turquoise). To achieve a softer more organic look I've included Magatama drops in pale green and turquoise.

Bombshells forever

I've been quite busy with jewellery, but also with scarves and... I have been ill, on my birthday no less! So things have been getting a bit on top of me, but I thought it's time to upload more stuff, especially as I will have another jewellery party soon.

I've been working on some brand new designs and more bombshell magic. I love vintage findings and charms and use them to make something beautiful from discarded bits. It's great fun and I call it my eco-glam. :-)

The first set is made in honour of Frida Kahlo - not quite a bombshell but certainly beautiful and flamboyant enough to have been one. She's my honorary bombshell. :-)


I've used the beautiful charms as centre pieces - a sort of memento for Frida's colourful art - but then used black and purple to depict her life, which was quite tragic, but also very passionate.


The pendant charm is vintage as are the hearts and the lovely chain. I've also used very pretty black porcelain beads with a painted butterfly, purple candy jade beads and black goldstone beads and my favourite Magatama drops.The bracelet repeats the pattern of beads and charms as in the necklace. The black and purple beads form almost a lace pattern when the bracelet/necklace is worn.
The simple but stunning earrings finish off the set.

The next set is made with vintage and Kashmiri beads. I love those beads as they are made up of a metal shell that is then covered with teeny beads or little bits of glitter etc. They are just so attractive and different. The findings are modern with black seed beads to finish off each "charm".
The design feels quite Gothic despite the variety of colours. I've used a lovely dark grey lustred and faceted centre bead with a little red heart and two black Victorian trumpet flowers (lucite) surrounding it. The colours then go from purple to red to dark blue, cobalt blue, turquoise and then silver. It's a stunning set when worn. Very different and exciting.


The next set consists of a bracelet and earrings - a necklace could be made to match.


The set - apart from the findings is made with vintage beads and charms and modern findings. Below you can see the lovely copper fairy charms and gorgeous jade and green berry beads in detail.I've kept the earrings simple so the gorgeous colours of the beads and the detail of the charms come into their own.

The necklace below uses a French curlicue pendant and lovely green faux fire opals as centre pieces.
I have used mainly vintage charms and beads with modern findings in this necklace and gorgeous Magatama drops in jade and leaf green to finish it off. I love the fresh Spring green effect of the necklace against the dark gold of the bronze chain and the lighter gold of the charms.

The dark green and emerald flapper is one of the most versatile pieces I've made so far.

The design includes two clasps one on either end. The clasps will attach to any of the loops so the necklace can either be worn as a long flapper or as a two or three tiered necklace. The dark green connector and all the beads and star charms are vintage except for the large leaves. The chain and findings are new. The golden stars set against the green of the beads makes a lovely contrast adding detail and glamour to the necklace.

The following necklace looks spectacular when worn. The beautiful vintage peachy pink faux fire opal pendant is surrounded by lots of vintage beads in golds and peach colours with Magatamas in amber and dark gold.


The colours are very harmonious and luscious and really, really glamorous. The great thing about the necklace is that it will work as well on pale winter skin as on tanned summer skin.

This must be one of the more unusual necklaces I've made. I've used the gorgeous vintage necklace chain with the Greek design, lovely Art Deco tubes in pale amber, and pale lemon offset by faceted beads in purple and gold.

The centre piece is the stunning heart shaped charm with the filigree setting and the pale blue 3D rose in the centre. The necklace looks fairly tame in the picture, but looks great when worn as the little tubes and beads twinkle and shimmer. The movement of the tubes just can't be shown in a still picture. More's the shame.


More bracelets and the new range tomorrow.... too late for more today.