Gold and Pearl Chevron Necklace

This is a gorgeous piece I worked on for two days! I love how it turned out, it's really elegant and exactly what I envisioned. It has an almost Egyptian feel to it. :)

I also received a book called Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Present by Clare Phillips for my birthday, and it's exactly what I've been looking for! A real book (more than 100 pages finally) with color pictures and useful text. I can't wait to start reading it tonight!

Today's Work

Today I worked on a variegated gold chevron necklace. I'm very pleased with how it turned out, but unfortunately I didn't finish in time to take pictures outside while the sun was still up, so it'll go up tomorrow. What to create next.... :)

PayPal Money Market

I signed up for PayPal's money market account. Apparently nothing changes about your paypal experience except that they deposit interest on any money you keep in paypal at the end of each month. This month's interest is 5%. How can you go wrong? I haven't read anything negative about it, and the prospectus seems fine. I won't put my life savings in there, but there's no reason the money I make from beading shouldn't make me even more money ;)

Bead Store Trip

Today I made a trip to the local bead store. They did not have exactly what I was looking for, but I picked up some spare needles and a vial of very pretty shimmery moss green seed beads. Afterwards I went to a big box craft store and got some gold and silver jump rings, and separators for a necklace a friend gave me which tangles terribly. They had separators that will match exactly and fix that problem. I was looking for bugle beads really, but came away with something useful nonetheless.

I also started a varicolored gold chevron net necklace. I worked on it for a few hours after I got home, and hope to finish it tomorrow.

I am still looking for resources of ancient beading patterns, especially medieval and the like. It has been much harder than I expected. Even the local library system is coming up empty. There is a book on the history of beads, but I am really looking for the history of what people have Done with beads, including patterns for inspiration.

Elegant Purple Chevron Necklace

I am amazed at how great this one looks. I can't wait to get more bugle beads in more colors. This is such an elegant necklace, and it took Hours and Hours to create. I definitely need to get some beading needles to make things a little easier. Needles usually speed up the process by about 20%, which adds up when you're talking about the difference between 8 hours and six hours of non stop work. I'm already thinking about a gold version :)

Silver & Hematite Memory Choker

Today I posted & SOLD this gorgeous silver & hematite necklace. I got the pendant from a little town in Mexico, and I absolutely loved it. Once again the silver bead caps really finish the necklace perfectly.

Bright Mossy Green Butterfly Memory Choker

SOLD
I love the way this turned out! It's a Swarovski pendant on memory wire, with Swarovski accent beads, and silver filigree beads, and it's great! :)

As always, feel free to email me if you're interested in commissioning something similar to a Sold Item.

Green Leaf Necklace

This is a really pretty piece I created with a leaf similar to the peach leaf earlier. I used square gold filled beads and sea green seed beads. The colors are gorgeous, it's a delicate necklace inexpensive enough to wear casually, but made of quality. I love how the leaf fits perfect in the hollow of your neck, it's just perfect for spring and all the blooming trees outside definitely inspired me.

Peach Leaf Necklace

SOLD!
This is a memory necklace I made almost entirely out of supplies I got in my recent big buy. Copper seed beads, peach freshwater pearls, peach & brown fire polished Czech faceted beads, and I love the color of the leaf. It's delicate and definitely one of my favorite creations. It's almost easy to create something beautiful when you're using quality materials. It still takes me hours, but it's more pleasant when I don't have to fight the materials to bring something beautiful out of them.

Purple Maui Shell Necklace

Today I posted a necklace I made just after coming back from Maui. It's a shiny purple shell edged with gold, and the purple freshwater pearls match exactly. I also used bicone crackle beads that add shimmer and color.

Gorgeous Green Dragonfly Memory Necklace

SOLD
Last night I created the amazing green dragonfly necklace. It's made with memory wire, which I love for how comfortably and easy to use it is. It's wire in the shape of a circle that keeps it's circle shape no matter how much you use it, and you just place it around your neck, and it fits comfortably around your neck. No clasp, no worry, just a choker that fits any size. And the pendant is from Jones New York, something I picked up a few years ago. I finally found perfectly matching beads and a design that works. I Love This Piece.

Blue Teardrop Necklace

I just posted a gorgeous blue teardrop necklace I created recently. I used rice pearls I got in Maui (Maui is full of great jewelry and supplies), and the new silver bead caps look great! They really give a feeling of elegance and finish to the necklace.

Tangerine Shell Necklace from Maui

SOLD!

I posted my first listing to etsy today! It's a bright pale orange necklace I made with a shell pendant I got in Maui. I love it, and I'm sure someone else will too!

Etsy

A friend of mine uses Etsy.com to sell her handmade jewelry, and after looking the site over for the last few days, I'm really excited about it. It's an online marketplace made up entirely of artists selling their own handmade goods, and people selling their supplies to those artists. The percentage etsy takes from each sale is half what ebay.com takes, and the initial charge is extremely low. The sense of community is Very strong, and I just have a really good feeling about the site. I think I'm going to post a necklace to sell and see how it goes.

Elegant Spring Green Glass Necklace

SOLD!
Today I sold one of my creations! It's one of my favorites, and the woman who got it seemed very pleased :) Next time I think I'll take the pictures outside in the sun.