Showing posts with label cherry quartz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cherry quartz. Show all posts

Monday, March 09, 2009

Lover's Kiss Necklace and Twilight Series Review

A book review and a necklace may seem an odd connection, but read on and you'll see why...

Below is my latest necklace - and it's MINE - so don't get your hopes up. It's a prototype where I try out a new technique (or in this case several) and I need to wear it to make sure it works or if I need to modify the design to make it work. I am pleased to say it DOES work and it's great fun, although I am intending to make one little change. It needs a clasp after all, despite it's length as I prefer to be able to wrap it round twice if I feel like it. :-)

Below is a picture of the necklace in natural light. I wanted to show off the beautiful colours of the cherry and raspberry quartz, coral and the organza and tulle I used.


The picture below is the necklace wrapped round twice and with flash.


Most of the findings and makings are copper, although the filigree is antiqued brass. I oxidised the copper including the chain to 'harmonise' the colours.

Below you can see two of the different strawberry quartz beads I used plus one of the coral beads.


Each of the little organza flowers has been made separately from a layer of gold and wine red organza with a layer of burgundy tulle at the bottom. Holding everything in place are dark red Magatama drop beads and raspberry red seed beads. The flower sits on a vintage copper daisy bead cap. The flower is then sewn onto the brass filigree with a Magatama bead at the back to provide a weight to keep it straight when worn, and because this makes it look pretty even if it flips over.


Below you can see the third type of quartz beads, these are smooth in contrast to the micro facets of the other two quartz beads. I've used two types of chain - one a vintage Greek key design, the other a plain design.


So, here's where the Twilight series comes into this... I've just finished reading the series and it must have still been on my mind when I named the necklace - an extremely soppy name for me....

The series is about a girl who falls in love for the first time and her intended turns out to be a vampire. That's the gist of it. There's of course far more to it, but I don't want to spoil the fun.

Although the book is intended for young adults, it was a really good read. Each of the books is a page turner and I enjoyed reading them, although there were times when I wanted to shake some sense into the main character, however, in the end it turned out all right. :-)

The thing I thought was depicted particularly well was this feeling of first love, the confusion, the joy and the sheer bloodymindedness, which brings me back to my necklace. The lovely colours of the strawberry quartz - the soft pink of the large one, the golden hued and soft pink blush of the medium quartz, the romantic pink of the small, smooth beads and the deep intense red of the coral together - for me at least - show the facets of first love really well. The same colours are picked out in the organza and framed by the copper and brass.

I could have named the necklace Twilight after the first book in the series, but I'd just named a bracelet 'Forever Twilight' so it didn't feel right and 'Lover's Kiss' reminded me of a description of a kiss in the books.

So there you are. :-)

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Happy Tears - Finally United

Now Paul from Firedance beads has sent me my lovely matching beads (see previous post) I had no excuse to not make the necklace to finish the set.

I wanted to make something that encapsulated the 'wedding spirit' and was still simple and elegant to work with the bracelet and earrings and to frame the lovely beads.

I've used rose gold wire to wire wrap all the beads and make the clasp; to show the wedding spirit I used to little vintage brass swallows flying towards each other and a lovely vintage design brass filigree with more beads hanging from it. The beads I used are the same as before:

Paul's lovely Bluesy Pinks, rose quartz, blue topaz, frosted rock crystal, cherry quartz, rose quartz and white new jade. The chain is a very delicate vintage brass chain.

The rose gold works well with the gingerbread patina of the swallows, filigree and brass chain.



Here are some of the beads and a swallow in detail:



This is the swallow on the other side in even more detail:


The centre piece with the gorgeous cherry quartz beads and a little dangle.



The handmade clasp and another little dangle hanging from the clasp to mirror the one at the front.


Here's the finally complete set, ready to go on Etsy.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Happy Tears

Happy Tears Set (Earrings and Bracelet)

I made the bracelet a little while ago but it needed some earrings to go with it. I wasn't sure what design to choose for the earrings as I wanted something simple, so this is what I came up with.


The feature beads are the Bluesy Pink 1 beads I bought from Firedance beads a while back. The metal I've used is rose gold - the first time I have used this. It's funny how each metal is different to work with. I've also used white jade, frosted quartz (clear), rosy pink cherry quartz, and aquamarine. All the glass beads (including the lovely pale rose rondelle beads) are from Firedance beads.

The bracelet is a simple design of beads wired together in a chain with a pretty handmade clasp. I wanted the beads to shine and the design (I felt) therefore had to be flowing rather than complex.



The earrings are elegant and flowing, too, with the beads just strung on the wire which then was shaped and hammered to the current elliptical form.


The set is for my new wedding range which I am currently putting together - like the Fairy Queen Tiara and matching Fairy Queen corsage bracelet.

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