A Bunch of Dragonflies

Trying to work efficiently, I decided to make a bunch of these similarly designed dragonfly necklaces.  There are actually two distinct styles of necklaces.  One batch has the brass dragonflies wired to carved bone buttons.  The other batch uses textured copper as the backdrop.

I found the bone buttons at one of the gem shows in Tucson.  I was looking for more abalone buttons, but did not find any of decent quality.  These bone buttons are interesting and the neutral coloration should make them good sellers.  I suspended them on dyed silk ribbons.

I textured the copper with a combination of real, dried leaves and skeleton leaves (the kind you find in the scrapbooking section of the craft store).  I had better luck with the skeleton leaves, but this is a destructive process.  I went through quite a few leaves.  Oxidizing the copper highlights the texture.

I used rivets in the holes I drilled to attach the chain.  It gives the pendants a more finished look.

These will be for my shows later in the year, not for the etsy market.

Two New Dragonfly Necklaces

I recently listed these two dragonfly necklaces. The first two I had listed sold pretty quickly and it's taken me a couple of months (!?!) to get around to making some more. The buttons which provide the base for the brass dragonflies are large, at about 2" in diameter. The each hang on hand dyed silk ribbons.

The first one features an abalone shell button and the silk ribbon is a delicious blend of green and mauve.


This second necklace features a glossy pink conch shell button and a brown and black silk ribbon.



Both are for sale in my etsy shop. These will be the last two I can list until I find more of these beautiful buttons at a reasonable price!

What the Tide Left Behind

While walking at the inlet we had been noticing that Xena would occasionally stop and appear to be munching on something. Something crunchy. I could hear it. When I walked over to her and checked the ground to see what it could possibly be, there was nothing there.

Then, one day, Rick saw one before Xena did. A little fish, left behind by the tide. It was nice and dry and there for the taking, on top of the dried, silty mud. Quite a tasty tidbit for Xena.



On an unrelated note, I found something else on the dried inlet mud the other day. An injured dragonfly. One of it's wings was damaged and it couldn't seem too get off the ground. It's a little hard to see in the photo, but it was making quite a racket, so it was easy to find.

Labradorite Flash . The Necklace

This brand new necklace started with an amazing labradorite cabochon. I wrapped it in brass filigree, added a few charms and suspended it from antiqued brass chain.

While at the Tucson gem shows, I found a vendor who carried cabochons in just the size I need for filigree work. I think I purchased 6 labradorite cabs and an assortment of other stones.

Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Dragonflies ... Again

I have these large brass dragonfly elements that I've used to wrap around stones or large beads. This necklace is an example of what I mean. I have featured it on my blog in the past.

I was looking at the small pile of these dragonflies and an idea popped into my head. Don't you love when that happens? I scrounged around for my collection of really large buttons (2" in diameter) and found a beautiful abalone one and a more subtle pink one made from conch shell. With a little wire and beautiful hand-dyed silk ribbon, 2 necklaces were born! Here are the results.


The abalone one sold quickly from my etsy shop, but the conch shell necklace is still available. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Dragonfly Lovers Unite!

I just listed a brand new pair of earrings in my etsy shop featuring little brass dragonfly charms. These round charms are resting on a textured leaf charm of copper. These warm metals look beautiful together. If you're looking for some cute and lightweight earrings, these are perfect for you.

As long as we're focused on dragonflies, here are some other pieces of jewelry in my shop that have dragonflies on them in one form or another.

Dragonfly and Reed Necklace

This necklace has been in my etsy shop for a while, but I thought I would give it some extra publicity here.

The main component is a large brass disk embossed with a design which includes a sweet dragonfly hovering over some reeds. I topped it with a textured circle. I like the way the 2 circular elements work together. Then I added a filigree wrapped turquoise chiclet shaped bead and a few other beads in lavender and seafoam green.

The large link chain is brass and it is finished with a simple hook clasp.

A Day at athe Beach

EtsyBEAD, the street team I belong to has chosen a new theme for June 1-14. The theme is "A Day at the Beach". If you look in my etsy shop, I have created a section for the items I have put on sale as part of the theme. Here is my latest creation. It features a lampwork shell bead from StudioMarcy, a very talented glass artist.

Dragonfly and Reed Necklace

I love this round brass pendant. It features a dragonfly in flight around reed stalks and evokes a feeling of serenity. It provides the backdrop for an assemblage of vintage glass beads and a square pillow shaped turquoise bead wrapped in filigree. The seafoam and lavender perfectly complements the peaceful scene on the pendant.

The whole assemblage is suspended from brass chain, which is finished with a simple hook clasp. The chain measures 19 1/2" (49.4 cm). The pendant part is 2 3/4" (7 cm).

Labradorite Flash Necklace

I purchased this large labradorite cabochon while in Tucson, not sure what I would do with it. When I saw this piece of brass filigree, I had my answer. In the first photo, you can only see the 4 corners of the filigree. The second photo shows the back of the stone and the detailed filigree. I wrapped it securely, to act as a bezel for the stone, and added some coordinating glass bead dangles and a dragonfly charm. The whole assemblage hangs from brass chain and is finished with a simple clasp. I love the way this necklace turned out!

Dragonfly Embrace

This is my latest creation using my recent purchases from Vintaj, a company offering a wide variety of brass elements for jewelry design.

A large teardrop shaped pendant of blue-green amazonite is embraced by a brass dragonfly ... hanging on for dear life!

A brass chain holds this pendant and is asymmetrically adorned with coordinating glass beads and and brass beads. This 19" (48 cm) necklace ends in a simple spiral clasp. The pendant measures 2" long by 1" wide (5.1 cm x 2.6 cm). This includes the small beaded drop hanging from its tail.

This necklace is for sale in my etsy shop. I'm working on a whole collection of brass jewelry, so stay tuned!