Silver Cable Necklace

I found this cute pewter pendant and thought I would try it with a cable necklace.

The cable chain is a bit flexible but stays in a circle around the neck.
It closes with a barrel clasp.  I think it is an interesting look.

Pretty Pewter Goodies

I recently won a pack of pretty pewter (say it three times quickly) from a twitter contest at Happy Mango.  There are some charms, findings, and other things in this nice little pack, and I haven't yet decided what to do with them.  I have a photo of each piece, so you can think about what you would do with it.
 

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Jade Buddha Head

I picked up a strand of antique jade Buddha head beads at a bead show a while back. I liked them, but then had a difficult time deciding what to do with them.  They are a bit large and heavy, so they don't lend themselves to earrings.

 I eventually made a necklace with one bead as a pendant, using organza ribbon.  I think I was in a "ribbon phase" at the time.  I combined it with some pewter beads.

The bead is also too large and awkward for bracelets.  I might attempt a different design with chain or cord.  I don't want it to be paired with anything heavy, because then it would make for a really heavy necklace.  I'll continue to muse over this for a while.  I still really like the beads.

Ruby Red Three Strand Necklace

I was thinking about Valentine's Day coming up, which led me to thinking about red.  So I collected many red beads, round, oval, faceted, in several shades of ruby red and made a nice three strand necklace.

 This has a nice rich look to it.  I like the pewter clasp and end bars, too.

Large Green Pearls with Golden Accents

These crystal pearls are described as "evergreen" and they are indeed the color of pine trees.  I added some gold plated pewter beads and caps to the necklace.

If you look closely, you will see I've used Miyuki Delicas in translucent amethyst with an AB coating.  I think the sheer purple sets off the opaque luster of the green pearls nicely.

You Can Never Have Too Much Blue

You might remember my post on this necklace back in the Spring.  I bought more of the same beads and made coordinating earrings and bracelets.  The clasp and connectors are pewter, which I think looks really nice with these blue beads.  These pieces always make me think of running water.

Pewter Filigree Earrings

I've used these filigree chandelier findings to create some nice chandelier dangle earrings in various color combinations.

Blue and Green Floating Necklace

I like using the exposed crinkle wire.  These beads are "floating" on double strands.  I've used larger foil lined beads that are puffed coins in cobalt with black stripes.  They are combined with cornflower and aqua blue beads, and green beads that have a yellow or olive tint to them.  This color combination makes me think of the sea.  If you stare at the rolling waves
for a bit, you can see many shades of blue and green.  I've finished the necklace with a pewter hook and eye clasp.  You can find it in my Etsy shop here.

Safari Jasper and Friends

I have made a necklace and bracelet set using nuggets of safari jasper with goldstone and deep blue beads.  These colors all work nicely together, and end with a decorative pewter toggle clasp.

I know some designers like to make a piece either ALL gemstone, ALL glass, or ALL acrylic, but I tend to mix it up a bit.  I'm looking at the colors, shapes, and textures really.  Another important factor is the actual weight.  I want the piece to be practical to wear, and sometimes a strand of nothing but huge chunky gemstones can be quite heavy.  I always use high quality beading wire with good strength and size, but I never want to stress the wire so completely that I cannot be sure it will stand up over multiple wearings for my customers.

Pale Pink Pearls with Puffed Silver Heart

This has a nice romantic look to it.  These are glass pearls strung with silver pewter beads.  The necklace focal is a filigree puffed heart.  I also made matching earrings.  I prefer glass pearls to the natural ones because I think they will hold up better.  With real pearls, they always say no hairspray, no perfume, no lotion, etc.  Those are too many rules for me.  I always treat my jewelry carefully, but I'm not keen on a long list of rules.  If you've ever seen the many collections of glass pearls, oh my!  So many beads, so little time!

Colors of Amber with Silver Pewter

I really like the orangey-gold color of amber.  This necklace uses amber resin beads that look like they have occlusions.  The focal beads are ceramic in the shape of a parallelogram or trapezoid.  My geometry days are long behind me, so I won't claim absolute accuracy in the naming of this shape.  Each bead was purchased in a different store, since I can never seem to be satisfied in putting together a necklace easily with items all from the same place.  The seed beads have a unique duochrome effect, and are there to help add lightness and flexibility to the necklace.  I'm not big on the heavy chunky necklaces that feel stiff around the neck.

Kazuri Bead on Satin Ribbon

A satin knotted sea foam green ribbon has a lovely cylindrical kazuri bead as a focal.  The kazuri has stripes of deep purple, sea foam green, olive, and teal.  The ribbon runs up to pretty silver pewter cones and is finished with a hand forged toggle clasp.