Classic Black and White

I made this set for a friend and I am glad she really liked it. This has possibly been my toughest project thus far. This was because I had to try at least a dozen times before I got the lace around the focal piece right. I was finally able to make the pendant I had envisioned. The inspiration came from the focal stone. This is a beautiful stone focal (I forget the name of the stone). The surface is beautifully polished, almost reflective. Once I had the main piece, the ideas just flowed and the necklace was born. I am extremely pleased with the end result.

The necklace is made of cultured fresh water pearls and czech black crystals.

This is how it looks when you turn it around, so it can be worn either way.

I didn't want the earrings to take the attention away from the necklace, but also wanted them to have their own presence and I think they do. The earrings are simple and elegant pearl and black crystal drops.

All that glitters...

I had beautiful mother of pearl beads which I had been thinking about for a while, but had been unable to come up with a unique design. I recently bought some beautiful brown faceted beads as well. (Oh, how they shine!!) Now I must say that this design was not a sudden inspiration. I wanted to do something special with the brown beads. The insipiration again was an outfit with the same colors. I realised that these complement each other so beautifully, I had to put them together. Naturally, the next challenge was to come up with the design and I must say I did struggle with it. It took me over three weeks to work out the design.

The earrings were also a challenge. Since the mother of pearl beads are a good size, I didn't want to make a dangle and I also wanted to add the brown beads to create a well matched set. So working out the balance of the earrings without making them heavy was very tricky. I am extremely happy and satisfied with the final result!

Here is the complete set.

Pink and Gold Vine

It gives me great joy to see the end result of a creative burst. I visited a beads show a few months ago and found these beautiful firepolished czech beads. The two tone beads shimmered with shades of pink and gold and I was just drawn to them. I must have experimented a hundred ways with them before finalizing a design. Showcasing the beautiful beads was important and a vine design in a greeting card was the source of inspiration.

I used gold filled wire to create the vine and the leaves are these beautiful two tone beads. The beads reflect off light so beautifully, its a viewing pleasure.

I am still in the process of creating earrings to go with it. I think I will keep them small and delicate, matching the vine design.