Freeform Beadwork Necklace

I received a call a few weeks ago from a customer who had purchased one of my freeform beaded necklaces at the Half Moon Creek Gallery -- we're talking 3 or 4 years ago!  His wife loves it so much, he wanted to surprise her with another one, in a different color scheme.  Would I make one??

I replied hell, no "I may have something in my inventory that would suit your needs."  He doesn't have to know that this "new" one is equal in age to the one he purchased so long ago, right?

To make a long story short, here's the necklace.  I met him in Anchorage today (I do a lot of business at the coffee shop in the Barnes & Noble!).  He took the necklace, I took the cash.  I headed straight to the shoe store, if you must know.

In the center of the focal part of the necklace is a highly polished shard of fossilized walrus ivory.  I purchased a whole bunch of these beauties from a local native man who has connections on St. Paul Island.  I drill several holes in them to secure the beadwork.  Well, I used to.  I don't think I have much patience for this type of work anymore.

If I Can't be at the Beach ...

... I'll share a piece of jewelry that reminds me of the beach! This brooch/pendant base is a disk of super lustrous mother of pearl. I drilled a few holes in it to help secure the freeform beadwork.

The beadwork is composed of ocean-y colors -- aqua, teal, green, seafoam, turquoise and little bronze. The large bead in the center is a Peruvian Opal and the diamond shaped bead is Fluorite. The remainder of the beads are glass seed beads in various sizes.

Here's a peek at the back of the pin. I glued on a finding that will allow this to be worn as either a pin or a pendant.




This lovely piece is for sale and ON SALE in my etsy shop!

Beaded Barrettes

These labor intensive lovelies get plenty of attention in my etsy shop and at craft shows. They require the kind of beadwork that takes intense concentration and constant measuring. The beaded panel is completed before the piece is attached to the barrette finding.

Freeform bead weaving can use all of the stitches, but the ones I use most are peyote, brick, and right-angle-weave. Looking for the perfect "add-on", such as a pearl or a single gemstone is the fun part. The difficult part is including it in such a way that it looks very much at home in the piece.

These barrettes are all one-of-a-kind. I couldn't repeat them, even if I wanted to. I use high quality barrette findings that are made in France. The beaded panels are sewn securely onto the finding as a separate step in the process.

Click here to see more photos of each of these barrettes.

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