Can I just finish this necklace?!?!

Have you ever worked on a piece that seemed like you would never get finished?  I just did!!

It is a collar that I am entering into the FMG seed bead contest at the end of the month.  Actually, I am entering two pieces.  The first one came together easily, and was finished weeks ago.

But this one.....!!!  It is something quite different for me and I was pretty excited about it.  I started working on it in Dec., and had all the components finished for quite awhile.  It sat in my studio in a tray, and I would continually rearrange the components, even taking pictures of them in different arrangements until I came up with one I thought I liked.  About a month ago I assembled it, and made a few more components to add to it

Here is a sneak peek of some of the components- I don't want to show you the whole piece until after the competition!

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I wanted it asymmetrical- but that has always been a struggle for me.  And this was no exception.  It just didn't work out like I pictured it.  So I started tearing it apart and rearranging it again.  OK- I liked it.  Then I added black connecting parts.  I loved it!  ....until the next morning that is.  Too dark.  So I tore it all apart and modified the connectors.

Still not happy- I decided to add a big fringe.  I finished this one night, fairly pleased with it, until, again, morning came and I decided the fringe needed to be longer.  Added length to the fringe, but, NO, I DIDN"T LIKE IT!  Tore off the whole fringe.

By this time I was getting really frustrated.  My son and wife are coming for a visit for a few days and I really should be getting the house ready.  I have my first show in 2 weeks, and I have bundles of stuff to do for that!  And the "Battle of the Beadsmith" is pressing in on me- I  need to get started on that piece.  So last night I decided to finish the clasp etc. and just be done with it.  I could live with it, even though it is not what I envisioned.

This morning, I took some photos of it.  And yes, you guessed it, it turned out that I could not live with it as it was.  I tore out part of it and re-positioned a couple of components.  Done. I think it's OK.

Here is a picture of the back- actually- I really like the back!!

So, now I have to get started on my other projects.  Happy this is done.  Wait- if I just added one more bead over there..........

Bead Dreams- One yes, One no!

I received my letter from the Bead and Button competition today.  I entered two pieces, and one was accepted as a finalist!  I am so pleased and excited!  Of the two pieces, I could never guess which one would have a better chance.  Good thing I entered 2 of them!

I don't like to publish pictures of pieces before the contest (ruins the surprise!), so I will show you the one that was NOT accepted. I titled it "Guardians". Those of you that are FB friends have been watching this one take shape for quite some time.

This is actually a piece that a customer of mine commissioned. She had a really big and heavy smoky quartz crystal point that she wanted included in the piece. She also wanted these 2 big wooden dragon earrings. (yes, they are earrings!) to be a part of it . I wasn't sure it would all work out.

Let me explain the earrings: The main part of the dragon went behind the ear, then the tail was a separate piece that attached on the front and held the earring on.  Here is a picture of the piece when I was working on it, without these upper tails attached.

One other small problem- one of the tails was missing!!  I ended up making a tail to match from polymer clay!!  It's the one on the left:

Although these dragons are glued on, I decided they should be reinforced and "tethered" them with beading.  I also built up the beading underneath in those places to support them better.  I also beaded around the top and bottom of the crystal to give it extra support.

So that's the story about how this came about. My customer has not seen it yet- she loves big intricate work, so I hope she likes it!  Here are the pictures of the finished piece:

the clasp

And just a peek at the piece that was accepted as a finalist:

Glass Tiles- not just for bathrooms anymore!

I just finished and listed a necklace on Etsy.  It is made from a small glass tile.  You know, the kind that is used in bathrooms!  I love using these for the depth they have, although the thickness and shape sometimes makes them a little tricky to bezel.

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link to Etsy listing

So I got to thinking about all the necklaces I have made over the years from tiles and thought I would post them.

I am happy to say that my picture taking skills have improved over the years.  I apologize for the quality of these images- some of them are pretty bad!

It all began when a customer of mine bought 4 beautiful tiles that looked like dichroic glass.  They were small for tiles, but big for jewelry. About 3" across.  There were 2 gold ones and 2 blue ones.  She wanted me to design and make necklaces with these.  First, the gold ones:

It was quite a challenge.  Not only did I need to design the necklaces around square tiles, but they all needed to be quite different in style.  Next I tackled the blue tiles:

bad picture, but my favorite of the necklaces!

Well, the customer was so happy with these, that she presented me with 2 more tiles!!  These were beautiful sculptured tiles, but much thicker and heavier than the first ones.

 These tiles would have been pretty expensive if you were tiling a whole bathroom!  But not so bad for a focal in a necklace.

Done with the commissions, I decided to do some necklaces with tiles of my own.  This one is made with 1" square tiles:

And this one I made with a ceramic tile that I sand blasted to get the design:

So there you have it!  Maybe my next post will be some of the other unusual things I have beaded around.  My husband always says, "If it sits still, she'll bead around it!"