The Shizuku necklace...

Shizuku is my 2nd necklace from this week. It was also made from recycled Antica Murrina beads, also from a bracelet, as my previous Wagashi. The original bracelet name was called Kiruna, and included light aqua blue Murano beads, very pretty.

I turned the bracelet into a necklace, as before, and it became Shizuku, name which means droplet, a "drop of water" in Japanese. The association with this element is more than obvious, due to the texture of the main beads, their colour and transparency, making them look like real water drops, or splashes, or even ice. Two different aqua tones are present here: a light aquamarine tint similar to the sea in a sunny morning, and a darker, grayish kyanite shade, similar to the sea in the afternoon, after a rain shower.

Or at least, that's how I feel about it, anyway! The name I firstly decided on was Asatsuyu - meaning "morning dew". Then, I changed it to Shizuku, which sounds prettier and easier, and is more generic as well. In my mind, an Asatsuyu necklace would rather be shorter and with more delicate components, in the end!

For Shizuku, I used:

- Six large Antica Murrina glass beads in different aqua shades and irregular shapes, slightly crackled and smooth. One of them however, is round and has a crispy, sugar-coated finish like the beads used in Wagashi;
- Ten small aqua-gray Murrina beads with a smooth surface;
- Seven small Kyanite beads;
- Two faceted Czech Fire beads in silver-gold approaching the clasp;
- Several stardust silver-plated round beads;
- Several flat silver-plated Heishi spacers for the Murrina large beads;
- Several Swarovski elements such as bicones, cubes, small briolettes, stars and an octagonal pendant, all in complimentary shades of light Azore blue, aquamarine and different Sapphire shades and effects;
- One large silver-plated lobster clasp and ring.

Details are shown next. As usual, please click on thumbnails to magnify...

These three pictures show the Antica Murrina irregular glass beads in dark and light shades of blue (aquamarine and grayish), as well as the small round Murrina ones with a smooth surface. Swarovski bicones and cubes can also be seen, in different shades, sizes and shapes, interspersed with the Murrina beads. The sugar-coated dark sapphire blue Murrina is also visible on the 1st shot...


The 1st thumbnail shows the silver-plated lobster clasp and ring. It is a big clasp, since this necklace is quite heavy. It was threaded on sterling silver wire, thus very resistant to breakage. However, it is always safer to use large clasps in the case of a heavy piece. One of the faceted Czech fire beads is also visible. The 2nd picture displays the only sugar-coated Murrina bead, surrounded by some Swarovski bicones and the flat Heishi spacers, used as bead caps. Finally, the remaining shot shows the upper section of the necklace, with the stardust round balls and some of the kyanite beads and, of course, the main Murrina glass beads once again.


I added these screenshots since we can appreciate how beautifully the light is refracted by the Swarovski elements. Cubes, bicones and an octagonal pendant can be seen throughout, especially on the 3rd shot. As for the Murrina beads, with their smooth irregular surfaces, we can also see how the light appears reflected, making them look like pieces of shiny crushed ice.

And to end this post tonight, some more views of Shizuku. I hope you have enjoyed this one!

The Wagashi necklace...

This week, I re-started making the jewellery, and it was about time! This first necklace, which I called Wagashi, was pretty much inspired by my friend Sapphire pictures and posts on her fantastic blog, for both Wagashi and mochi . And also, because I love eating them myself!

(Sapphire, I hope you will enjoy this one! The flavours available here today are: plum, green tea and Sakura!)

The main beads are brand new Antica Murrina ones. I bought two bracelets from them some months ago (including the "Sweet" one from the link), and I recycled them to make some necklaces, one of them being Wagashi. You might ask why did I bother buying them in the first place, just to end up by recycling everything? Well, they were elasticated bracelets. The problem with this kind of bracelet is that the beads get to close to my skin, and I dislike that (makes me itchy). I much prefer normal, non-elasticated bracelets where you can adjust the length with extra links, for example. Also, mind you, the beads were too big and I have the clumsy habit of bumping my hands (and myself) into everything, not to mention getting stuck on door knobs, for example. So, even if I decided to use them, it would sooner or later end up in disaster. Really.

The problem is that I fell in love with the beads, so... Murrina says these beads, that have a "crispy" appearance, are like "sugar-coated", and it's true. They look edible. I think I already bought it with Wagashi in mind, adding to the fact that they called it "Sweet", so, just could not avoid it. Sweet, yes, but with a Japanese twist (in my mind at least!). As I said before, the colours are very appropriate: pale pink for Sakura, acid green for matcha (green tea), and purple for plum, all on a delectable yokan base!

Here is Wagashi:

For this piece, I used:

- Nine Antica Murina sugar-coated beads in shades of plum, pale pink and acid green;
- Two rose quartz pebble beads;
- Two Murano-style stripy beads, one cylindrical and one squared;
- Two Czech glass flat swirly flat beads that look like mini-lollipops;
- Small Chinese glass pearls in green;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different sizes and colours;
- Several stardust silver-plated small, round beads;
- Four ornate Tibetan Silver large spacers;
- Tibetan silver S-hook clasp.

Note this is my first asymmetrical necklace. I used different shades, sizes and shapes, and tried to spread them over in a quirky pattern. Well, almost! There is a bit of symmetry there, now that I look at it closely, but not as severe as in my previous pieces. It is also longer and bulkier, pretty much on the current trend of chunky, statement necklaces - although not as much maybe. I've been seeing much bigger pieces around lately.

Some details follow... Please click on the thumbnails for magnified views.

The 1st picture shows some of the Murrina beads in detail, along with Swarovski bicones and Tibetan silver spacers. The 2nd one on the right displays one of the rose quartz pebbles, one Czech glass lentil bead, a small Chinese glass pearl and more of the bicones and stardust round beads.

Here we can see the Murano-style stripy beads, with a lovely layer of silver foil, as well as some Sakura-coloured Murrina and Chinese green glass pearls. A Tibetan silver spacer can also be seen, as well as the stardust beads.

And, finally, some extra pictures showing different views. Enjoy!

My Russian lacquer boxes...

I love Russian lacquer work, and since I arrived to Dublin, I got some here and there, but mostly Matrioshka. I have only four boxes, though, and I think they are quite pretty. My Mom and Mark gave me one each and, when we visited Prague, I bought two more in Celetná. It is not really like I collect them, since I have only those few, and I just get them when it happens to be, anyway. Or when people give me them as gifts. I also have two books on the subject, from an American collector. Unfortunately, I don't have their names right now, since they have been packed already (we are moving in 2 weeks!).

Here they are...

This 1st box was given to me by my Mother. It is an old one, from 1964-1965. It still has the certificate above, which says:

Artistic Foundation of RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic)

Palekh division of the Artistic Foundation of RSFSR

Material - papier-mache

Number of the work - 1964

Theme of the painting - Scarlet Flower

Author - Televinova

Name of the article - ??? (this abbreviation is not clear)

Size - 10 x 10 cm

Quality - Highest

Article of the AF - 193

Price - 9.10

Date - March 23 1965

The above box, depicting a scene of the Fire Bird, was given to me by Mark. I am not sure if he brought it from New York, or bought it here in Dublin. It' s a lovely two-tiered one, with a little mirror inside.

When I saw this one in a lovely shop in Celetná, I could not resist. I was mesmerised with the amazing transparency of the veils and details of the brocaded dresses. I am not sure if it depicts any scenes of a fairy tale, or if it's just a portrait of two young ladies.

Lastly, some pictures of my remaining box, with a scene from the Russian fairy tale "The Gold Fish", which is not quite the gold fish of our imagination, but a large, regal sturgeon. This is another lovely box bought in the same shop in Celetná, with very bright, vivid colours.

My very own Shikon no Tama...

This month I have decided to celebrate Inuyasha's last anime series and last manga books. Yes, it will be over. I will miss it a lot, for I am a big fan of Rumiko Takahashi's work, and especially Inuyasha that I have followed for some years already. This week I will order the last DVD box (series VII). As for the books, I am not sure where it stands so far, and how many more volumes are expected.

Since it's celebration time, and the last shards are to be found soon, I have decided to make my own Shikon jewel. Thus, the name of the piece is simply Shikon no Tama (Jewel of the Four Souls), a globe of light composed by these 4 principles (=souls):

- Courage,
- Wisdom,
- Friendship,
- Love.

I will not go into the plot details though, since it would take a long time. At any rate, if you found this post today, it's probably because you already know Inuyasha anyway! My version of the jewel is a bit elaborate perhaps, in comparison with the original artwork by Takahashi-san. It pretty much complies with my own style of jewellery-making: a bit "baroque" perhaps, mixing several materials and trying to convey a meaning, rather than the object "per se". Thus, if you find that it's not at all like the original Shikon (and most certainly it isn't), please bear in mind that it is simply the result of my own personal interpretation.

Here is my Shikon then:

The following materials have been used:

- One round hand blown Murano glass sphere with gold foil;
- Two faceted Czech crystals surrounding it, with Aurora Borealis coating;
- Several Swarovski bicones and two small pendants in different shades of topaz;
- Several tourmaline chips in shades of forest green, aqua, yellow and pink;
- Several vintage Swarovski molted champagne pearls;
- Small glass pearls in deep green that I brought from Prague last month;
- Small round Czech fire golden beads;
- Toggle gold-plated Bali clasp, all threaded on a metallic champagne wire.

To have a better look at the pictures next, please don't forget to click on the thumbnails to magnify:


Two close-ups of the Bali toggle clasp. The small Czech fire beads and dark green pearls can also be seen.


Two pictures showing close-ups of the Murano focal bead and the faceted Czech crystals, along with other various elements...


The above photos show detailed views of the Swarovski regular and top-drilled bicones, and also the small pearls, Czech fire golden beads and vintage Swarovski pearls. These are quite old, but still have an amazing shine and smooth texture.


These pictures display a nice view of the faceted Czech crystals, as well as some of the bicones and pearls. I have decided to include them because I really like the golden reflections and iridescence generated by the AB coating and facets. A nice play of light.


These three shots focus on the Swarovski vintage pearls. They measure 10mm each. I have included tourmaline chips between them, which made the threading process a bit harder and longer since the holes are too small, as are the chips of course (the smaller they are, the harder it gets to even hold them). Tourmalines are quite expensive when compared to other minerals, but do have a wonderful translucence. The colours (in this case yellow/amber, pink, dark and aqua green) go really well together - to my surprise, I must say!


More detailed shots of the tourmaline chips... and, below, two more views of the piece:

Tsukimi necklace

I made this necklace this week, by Sunday or Monday. I called it "Tsukimi", which, in Japanese, means "viewing the Moon". It uses bluish-gray colours and seems a bit different from my previous work, since I use no focal beads or pendants. Still symmetrical though, but a continuous line of several Swarovski elements, gemstones and glass beads (that I brought from Prague).

It is a "lunar" piece, due to the choice of cool hues that reminded me of the surface of the Moon, thus, its name "Tsukimi".


For this piece I have used:

- Tibetan silver hook clasp;
- Several kyanite round gemstones;
- Several chalcedony round beads;
- Swarovski elements in different shades of blue: cubes and bicones of different sizes;
- Several Czech glass glazed beads in bluish-gray;
- Two small fluorite beads near the clasp.

Some details of the above components to follow...


The 1st picture shows a detail of the silver clasp, the two small fluorites I used close to it, the lovely light blue milky chalcedony stones, along with some Swarovski bicones and a Czech glass bead. Second shot shows the Czech beads in detail, as well as two sizes of Swarovski cubes interspersed with some small bicones. Finally, the 3rd picture shows the string of beads: kyanites, chalcedonies, Czech glass beads and Swarovski elements, quite a simple structure. The necklace itself, since it is composed of mostly minerals, is quite heavy and I had to use a sturdier and thicker Beadalon wire, which, due to its gauge, is not quite easy to work with (the beads seem to "slip" though them a bit too easily, and crimping is very hard since the surface is so smooth and slippery). I much prefer the lighter, thinner wires due to their flexibility and slightly rougher texture.


Another detail of the gemstones, Czech beads and lovely Swarovski elements with an AB coating. Chalcedony is the stone with the light blue tint and milky texture. Kyanite is the dark blue one, a sapphire-like shade of blue almost, very vitreous and speckled with silver/metallic streaks.


Kyanites and chalcedonies in detail once again, and a nice close-up of one kyanite bead, a small fluorite with its pale green and purple streaks, and one of the small Swarovski cubes.


I love the AB effect on the aquamarine coloured cubes (larger ones). The kyanites are also splendid, but unfortunately I have ran out of them!

Some more views of Tsukimi:

The Murasaki necklace...

Another Japan-inspired piece. Murasaki is the name of the colour "purple" in Japanese. There are several types of Murasaki shades and tints, based on different pigments and flowers. But the generic term for purple is simply "murasaki":

But Murasaki is also a woman, a writer, Lady Murasaki Shikibu. Her name, or rather pseudonym, refers to the character she has created for her book "Genji Monogatari" ("Tales of Genji"), written some time in the Xth Century Heian period and probably before she joined the imperial court as a maid of honour. She is also contemporary of Lady Shonagon, who was the inspiration for my Hana Kotoba necklace. Two formidable ladies and, indeed, very inspiring.

For this necklace I have used:

- One light brass oval bead as the focal point;
- Several dark purple cloisonnée beads with gold wire;
- Several purple round jade beads;
- Czech fire polished small "heavy metal" beads;
- Antique gold plated Tibetan spacers,
- Stardust small round spacers;
- Several Swarovski bicones in shades of purple and gold, and in different sizes;
- Antique gold plated Tibetan hook clasp.

Details next...


A close-up of the Tibetan antiqued gold clasp and stardust beads. On the second picture, we can see the Czech fire faceted beads in those lovely "heavy metal" shades, along with the Chinese deep purple cloisonée beads and some Swarovski elements. The 3rd picture is pretty much the same, under a dimmed light.


More details of the cloisonnée beads on the 1st picture, and also the jade beads, some Swarovski bicones and Tibetan lantern spacers. I decided to show the other picture because I love the light reflections forming little stars on the faceted Czech fire beads!


Close-up of the jade beads and another shot of the cloisonnées. The Swarovski bicones are shown in full force, very shiny and with a lovely AB2X coating. Please don't forget to click on the images to see it magnified though!


Now, on the 1st picture another close-up of the purple jade beads, but also the Swarovski Golden Aurum bicones in detail. This effect is nowadays a bit hard to find, but I managed to procure some for my beading needs! The second picture is just a funny one. If you click on it, you will clearly see my camera reflected in the bicone, and you can even read the word "LENS" on it, like the bicone has been "printed"! I liked that!

The Benifuji necklace...

This latest necklace is all about colour experimentation. This week I (re)started to study a bit of Japanese through colours. I mean, Japanese names of traditional colours: colours of nature, different flower shades, leaves, stones, and colours for most aspects of life.

Benifuji is a pale wisteria purple. The name means "crimson wisteria", but may also refer to the wonderful sight of Mount Fuji at sunset. As a colour, it is pale purple, with red/pink undertones. A "warmer" shade of purple, rather than than the usual cooler, bluish tinges that we associate to the colour.

You may visit the NHK blog, which was also an inspiration for this piece. On this blog - exclusively dedicated to Mount Fuji - you will see different views of Fuji Sama at different times of the year by wonderful photographers. A gem of a blog, really, and more than worth a visit.

As a flower, the wisteria (fuji) looks like a flowy cascade of purple petals (look at it here), and I tried to portray that using two strands of crystals, amethysts and Chinese cloisonnée beads. Here is the result:


The materials are:

- Several Chinese cloisonnée oval beads in rosy lilac, light purple with silver threads;
- Several medium light Brazilian amethyst beads;
- Swarovski bicones in different sheades of purple and various sizes and effects;
- Tiny silver-plated and blackened silver ball spacers;
- Two silver-plated rice-shaped beads and four Tibetan silver round spacers;
- One double-strand Swarovski clasp with clear crystal embedded.

Some details next...


Close-up of the silver-plated Swarovski clasp, clipping style, and also the lovely Brazilian amethyst beads. These are quite unusual, due to their light, pale tint and exceptional transparency. In Japanese, amethysts are very appropriately called "murasakizuishou" (from Murasaki = Purple and Suishou = Crystal, thus "Purple Crystal").


A detail of the smooth Chinese cloisonnée beads with silver thread and some of the Swarovski lilac bicones I used between beads. On the 2nd picture, more Swarovski bicones in other violet colours and effects, along with the silver-plated balls and Tibetan spacers used.
My only complaint about working with this kind of cloisonnée beads is that they are hollow, not drilled like a regular solid bead. So, being hollow makes it harder to string it, for sometimes the wire gets "lost" inside the bead and it takes some time for me to find the way out! I may take from 2 seconds to 5 minutes to string one single bead like that! I love cloisonnée, but dread them at the same time.

The Tanabata necklace...

I made another necklace today. The idea for it came from the Japanese Star festival, celebrated around July 7th and derived from the Chinese festival called Qi Xi - or "the night of sevens".

The idea of a Tanabata necklace came from a lovely Swarovski teardrop faceted bead I had. Unfortunately, I only had one, then I had to wait to buy the 2nd bead, just like the legend behind the festival, which celebrates the meeting of two celestial lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi, namely the stars Vega and Altair, respectively. These star-doomed lovers are allowed to meet only on the 7th evening of the 7th month, which very roughly would correspond to the 7th of July, always bearing in mind the date varies due to the Japanese calendar being lunisolar. So, it may happen some time between July and August of our Gregorian calendar.

Tanabata is a time for encounters, and wishes and vows to be written and hung onto bamboo plants or set afloat in the river, and even burnt on festive fires the night of the festival or the day after. It's lights, and that's why I have selected only Swarovski crystals that somehow resemble a night, starry sky on Summer time.

Here is my own view of Tanabata, a portable "festival" to be worn around your neck:


I have used:

- Two Swarovski 6002 disco ball faceted beads representing the two lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi, in clear AB coating;
- Three Swarovski star beads in Crystal Silver Shade, representing the Milky Way, or the stars making their way between the lovers;
- Several Swarovski bicones in five to six different shades of silver and blues;
- Ten Swarovski crystal pearls in light grey and different sizes;
- Two large bicones in metallic silver;
- Two medium sized vintage Japanese pearls in white and blue veins;
- Small vintage antique silver round spacers;
- Small Czech Fire faceted beads in shades of blue/green;
- Stardust silver spacers near the clasp;
- One silver-plated Swarovski clasp with embedded strass flatbacks.

Some details as follows...


Above, details of the two Swarovski focal beads 6002, representing Orihime and Hikoboshi, with a lovely faceted cut with AB coating. Some of the bicones, pearls and Swarovski stars can also be seen. The 6002 beads are only 15mm long, thus quite small. The necklace as a result is very delicate and short, and no gemstones were used this time.


Some details of the Swarovski crystal silver shade stars, and also the bicones and pearls.


A detail of the Swarovski clasp with embedded rhinestones and more of the 6002 beads, with their wonderful AB effect and impeccable cut.


On the 1st picture a detail of one of the vintage Japanese faux pearls in shades of white with blue veins, as well as the Swarovski pearls, some bicones and those small faceted Czech Fire beads. The remaining pictures show close-ups of the bicones in two different sizes and diverse shades of blue, silver and white. I tried to emulate a fading effect with the colours here, that is why I had to use 4 or 5 different shades and effects.

The bamboo leaves rustle, rustle,
shaking away in the eaves.
The stars go twinkle, twinkle;
Gold and silver grains of sand...
(traditional Tanabata song)

The Amaterasu suncatcher

Again, I took ages to produce anything these days. This cold seems to love me! Oh yeah, I cannot get rid of it. Still, improving slowly.

These days, I have decided to make some suncatchers with Swarovski crystals. Why is that? Just because we are ready to move to our new house and, hopefully, I will have some skylights where I will be able to hang some nice prisms! Also, it's a way to celebrate Summer, or rather, Spring.

I used one large Energy Gate prism by Swarovski, very nicely cut, along with Swarovski Clear AB bicones and vintage round faceted crystal beads, as well as some Miyuki Delica seed beads strung into a bail for the prism itself. And I called it Amaterasu. Amaterasu is the Sun Goddess, possibly the most important Shinto deity and her name means "the one who illuminates Heaven". Easy to see why I have chosen that name, I guess!

It is a very simple, decorative piece. I just used stainless steel silver-plated wire, one Energy Gate with the Swarovski logo etched in one of the facets, several crystal AB faceted beads and Swarovski Clear AB bicones, as well as one Tibetan silver ring to hang it.

Some details:


Details are all about light being refracted, shadows and transparency. On these pictures we can see the faceted beads and bicones with that lovely AB coating...


More of the crystal faceted beads, along with the Miyuki Delicas I used to make a bail for the Energy Gate prism.


The pictures may look a bit weird (grainy actually), and that's because I have used a greyish silk background, so, the fibres of the fabric are very visible and sometimes magnified by the prism. I like these pictures since the crystal cut can be fully appreciated, so precise and so sharp.

The Midori necklace...

I have not been blogging for some time since I got a really nasty headcold and have been staying most of the time in bed. Actually, I caught it from Mark but, while he seems to be improving a lot every day, I am still very, very ran down and feeling quite bad.

However, this last Saturday, I made a necklace after some days of inactivity. I called it Midori (Japanese for "green"), due to its colour and the fact that I really love the word: Midori!


For Midori, I have used:

- One Murano-style gold-foiled glass heart as the central piece;
- Small stardust antique gold spacers under the heart, as a base;
- Several small faceted pyrite beads;
- Several green gold-foiled Murano beads and some smooth green ones;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different shades of green;
- Two medium-sized green dragon veins;
- Two large faceted synthetic quartz beads;
- Two teardrop Czech Fire beads;
- Eight small green agate beads near the clasp;
- Ten small Czech Fire faceted beads in gold and green;
- One antique gold Tibetan hook clasp.

Details as follows...


The first picture shows the glass heart, surrounded by two pyrites, dragon veins, Czech teardrop bead and Murano gold-foiled round beads interspersed with some Swarovski bicones. The heart is probably Chinese. It is Murano-style but not Murano as such, since I consider Murano as pieces that are handcrafted in Murano, Italy. I call "Murano-syle" anything else that uses the same technique but is handcrafted elsewhere. China, in this case. The second picture shows the top section of the heart in more detail, where the stardust spacers can be seen underneath.


On these pictures we can see the Murano beads , gold-foiled and smooth, with the Swarovski bicones in-between. On the second one, a detail of the pyrite faceted beads and more of the bicones. Pyrite is Iron Sulfide, popularly known as "fool's gold", due to its resemblance with gold, specially in its natural/brute form. It has a lovely effect in jewelry with its yellow brassy shades, and a strange, almost pungent iron smell.


Details of the dragon veins, some of the green agates, pyrite bead and Swarovski bicones can bee seen on the 1st picture. The 2nd one shows more of the Murano beads and the lovely iridescence from those Swarovski elements with AB coating.


Detail of the pyrite beads and Swarovski tourmaline bicones, and a picture of the upper sections of the necklace, showing the Muranos, Swarovski bicones, synthetic faceted Quartz beads and pyrites.


The dragon vein bead is show in detail here, along with the pretty Czech Fire teardrop bead...


Detail of the back of the heart, and the clasp in a hook shape.


Here we can see the faceted synthetic quartz beads in detail. I decided to post these because I love the reflections and glow produced by the Swarovski bicones and quartz! Could not resist!

The Kusunoki necklace...

Kusunoki is the Japanese name for "camphor tree". I made this necklace as a little tribute to the magnificent camphor tree in the anime "My Neighbour Totoro" (Tonari no Totoro), by Hayao Miyazaki. The camphor tree in the film was indeed one of the main characters, majestic, dark and fragrant. The soundtrack, beautifully composed by Joe Hisaishi, captured the night, the garden and the tree with its whistling leaves amazingly well. So well that, when listening to it, one cannot prevent oneself from smelling the pungent, refreshing scent of camphor at night.

The smell of camphor is a very dear smell to me. Since I was a little girl back in my old house, I learnt to love it. Not the camphor of moth balls (although I must say I don't dislike it!), but the pure smell of the camphor wood. We have two big old carved trunks from China, made of camphor wood. Very pretty they are, and my Mom used to keep the bedlinen inside it. When they were opened, the smell of the camphor wood - still very minty and fresh after who knows how many years - would waft through the house and, at night, permeate my dreams with its distant mystery. I loved it. I loved it so much that managed to procure myself some time ago a scent that, in many ways, duplicates that long lost sensation. The scent is called "Un Parfum de Charmes et Feuilles", by The Different Company.

In this necklace, I tried to depict many things: the colours of camphor trees at night and how do they look like in a Miyazaki film, dark night green with flecks of ancient gold. I tried at the same time, to give it a scent and a memory. A scent I love, and a memory of my early days that will no longer come back.

For Kuzunoki I have used:

- Four flat oval deep green dragon vein beads;
- Three large round gold-speckled malachite beads;
- Six medium round dark green dragon vein beads;
- Several Swarovski pearls in powder green and two different sizes;
- Several Swarovski bicones in Chrysolite Dorado, Crystal AB Satin and small Swarovski rondelle beads in Rosaline Gold;
- Two Czech Fire faceted beads in shades of antique gold and pink;
- Several green jasper small beads;
- Two tiny stardust spacers in ancient gold;
- One set of Tibetan hook clasps and links.

Some close-ups below...


A detail of the S-hook clasp in antique gold. I used a copper wire to string the necklace and it can be seen in the first picture, followed by a bronze crimp, a stardust spacer and the green jasper beads. The 2nd picture shows the Swarovski crystal pearls, some of the bicones and round dragon veins in more detail.


Details of the jasper beads, Swarovski pearls and bicones, round dragon veins and also the two faceted Czech Fire beads I used as an accent.


These two pictures show the malachite beads in some detail. The gold spots are real gold, ie, impurities accumulated in the mineral. They look quite nice, but are hardly discernible in the pictures. Tried my best though!


These shots show two of the dragon vein flat beads. I always use them (it is a type of agate) because their shine and texture are so unique. No bead is the same, there is always some little mark or vein to differentiate them. The colours are also magic. Dragon veins come in such a variety of shades that you really want to use them all. This one has black veins and the shade varies between dark green and teal. It's like a forest at night, thus my choice of stone for this piece.

The Kazé necklace...

I made another Japanese-inspired necklace tonight. It is called Kazé, or "Wind". I tried to capture the colours of a landscape where the wind blows in the afternoon: air and sand, blue and ochre tones. Maybe an Autumn wind (Aki no Kazé). Maybe simply the wind over the sea.

For Kazé I have used:

- Five dragon veins agate flat, oval beads (one used as the focal bead);
- Several Swarovski bicones in different sizes and shades (Pacific Opal and Silk) and two small Swarovski round beads at the bottom and top of the focal stone;
- Eight small Chinese glass pearls in taupe/beige;
- Several Miyuki Delicas in laminated blue;
- Two large beige dragon vein round beads;
- Several medium round blue dragon veins;
- Several small amazonite beads;
- Antique gold-plated clasp and small stardust spacers.

Some details of Kazé:


The 1st picture shows the focal dragon vein in detail. It has a wonderful pattern to it, like crackled glass, in shades of blue and ochre, a very unusual combination. The round Swarovski bead in Pacific Opal AB and a Silk bicone are also visible here. The 2nd picture shows the leafy clasp, in antique gold.


On the 1st picture we can see a detail of one of the large round dragon veins in beige along with some of the Chinese glass pearls and Swarovski bicones. The 2nd picture shows more details of the flat oval dragon vein beads. Depending on the angle, one will see different colours and patterns. They are all very unique and exquisite. I must add that this necklace is heavier than normal, due to the use of these strong and equally heavy gemstones. They are also quite large, and for that reason I made it longer than usual. I think it would go nicely with a lovely nude or pale blue linen tunic and loose trousers.


Another detail of the leaf clasp, surrounded by medium blue dragon veins interspersed with tiny Miyuki Delicas and some of the small amazonite beads in shades of blue, aqua and grey. The 2nd picture shows a detail of the bottom section of the necklace, where the focal bead is set in a "V" shape made with a loop in the wire. Swarovski bicones and round beads in Pacific Opal AB are also seen here, along with more of the blue dragon veins, stardust bronze spacers, Miyuki Delicas and one large Silk bicone.

The Fragola set...

The original Fragola necklace has become a set these days. A bracelet and pair of earrings have been ordered by its owner. This is the necklace:

And these are the new earring and bracelet that I made to accompany it:

The pictures were, of course taken at different times. The 2nd one is much better, no yellow tinge to it! I have improved the technique lately, it seems, and now I can get the natural light with no problems.

For the earrings and bracelet I used:

- Several red Murano round beads;
- Faceted Czech Fire beads in gold and red and different sizes;
- Vintage glass pearls;
- One vintage cylindrical red glass bead for the bracelet;
- Tiny Czech seed beads in pearly beige/white;
- Small gold-plated spacer beads;
- Gold-plated lobster clasp and leverback earrings (base).

This set is an example of why I do not repeat designs. Mostly because - most of the time - I cannot find the same beads, the same design, the same finishes. I did not have anything similar (and a tad smaller, perhaps) to the big stripy Murano of the necklace. Well, I still do have one more of those beads but it would not be suitable for a bracelet because it is too big and round and, at the same time, too fragile to be worn in the hands. It would look too big and chunky in the wrists, whereas it has a lovely drape when placed over your breast bone. For this reason I used the glass vintage bead instead:

I still had some of the red faceted Czech glass beads and lots of the pearly seed beads, but I am running out of the vintage glass pearls already. Juggling with what I have and trying to find similar things to what I once had, that's all the fun of it!

The Kaede necklace...

Yesterday I made a companion for my Momiji necklace, once again inspired by the colours of nature and, more specifically, Autumn leaves. If Momiji represents the delicate Japanese Maple, Kaede portrays the strong North-American variety, where the leaves have three lobes (instead of five, as it happens with the former).

For this piece I have used:

- One large Chinese carved jasper leaf;
- Several labradorite chips;
- Several mookaite round beads;
- Palace Green Opal AB Swarovski bicones;
- Two oval flat dragon vein beads;
- Twelve flat oval and disc multicoloured Jade beads;
- Two Swarovski large crystal pearls;
- Small labradorite round beads near the clasp;
- Antique bronze Tibetan flower clasp.

Some details of Kaede...

This is the main piece: a large carved jasper leaf, in shades of red/burgundy and khaki/taupe. Its surface is very smooth and highly reflective. It is 5cm long and quite heavy as one might expect.

The 1st picture shows a close-up of one of the lovely mookaites surrounding the leaf, labradorite chips that look really exquisite with their colour changes, one small bicone , part of a Jade oval bead and, at the top, four round small labradorites and a red mookaite. In the centre we can see one of the Swarovski pearls. The other picture shows more of the labradorite chips and Swarovski large pearl. This was my first time working with labradorites. They don't look as pretty at first, until one realises how it changes colour depending on the light. It is really subtle though, and this change can be easily seen in the pictures. Then a little miracle occurs: they suddenly become wonderful. I fell in love really!


On the 1st shot, one of the large flat oval dragon veins bead. The other gems are beautiful multicoloured jade round and oval beads, together with some labradorite chips and Palace Green Opal bicones. The other picture displays the small labradorites and more jade beads.


Some more close-ups of the jade beads and pretty mookaites. The iridescent labradorite chips and some of the Swarovski pearls and bicones can also be seen.

The Hana Kotoba necklace...

Hana Kotoba is a Japanese word that means literally, "Language of the Flowers". This latest necklace has been inspired by Sei Shonagon's "The Pillow Book", or Makura no Soshi. It has been written in the Heian Era, more or less one thousand years ago, in XIth Century Japan. About its author, we know little. We know however that she was a lady-in-waiting in the court of the Empress Sadako, and this book can be read like a diary. It's very enjoyable, and memorable. Her description of people, clothes and nature is very vivid and funny at times, and I really enjoy her "lists" (like "Hateful Things" or "Depressing Things", "Splendid Things" and even "Things That Give a Pathetic Impression"!). It is a delightful book, and everybody should read it at least once. Or indeed, have it under the pillow for a quick browse before sleeping at night, or in one of those rainy days when the only thing you need is a fluffy pillow and a good reading!

So, this piece has mostly been inspired by Lady Shonagon's descriptions of nature, and passages such as...

"Things that cannot be compared: Summer and Winter. Night and day. Rain and sunshine. Youth and age. A person's laughter and his anger. Black and white. Love and hatred. The little indigo plant and the great philodendron. Rain and mist."

Here is my Hana Kotoba, a little tribute to Lady Shonagon's Pillow Book and that past, soft nature she once described so candidly:

For Hana Kotoba I have used:

- One main cherry quartz carved rose (Chinese);
- Several Swarovski bicones and light peach Swarovski pearls in different sizes;
- Several Miyuki Delica seed beads in two different shades of pink and red;
- Two oval lampwork Chinese beads with pink swirls;
- Tiny silver-plated beads;
- Four small coral beads near the clasp along with Czech glass round rose beads;
- Four big round cherry quartz beads;
- One silver-plated Swarovski clasp for two strings.

The necklace is a double one, this is why I used a double-string clasp. Double necklaces are not very easy to make (depending on the design of your piece and materials used, of course). For example, this one was a bit like making four different necklaces due to the central bead that had to be locked in place first and then having the rest of the beads strung around it. It took me more than four hours just to string it, not to mention the design phase.

Details of the piece as follows...


Detail of the carved quartz rose, very pretty and translucent. I would describe the colour as "watermelon" rose, rather than "cherry". Diameter is approximately 35mm. The 2nd picture shows the lovely oval Chinese lampwork beads with pink swirls, along with some of the Swarovski pearls and Miyuki Delicas.


Two detailed shots of the cherry quartz round beads, which are very smooth and have a lovely transparency to them. We can also see some of the Swarovski pearls and Rose Water Opal AB bicones, which look slightly yellowish in the pictures but not as much in real life. The tiny silver-plated spacers and Miyukis are also visible here. One of the reasons this necklace was a bit harder to complete is the size of the Delicas: they are indeed very tiny and sometimes it is hard to string them (I am short-sighted and have not much sense of depth left in my right eye, so...).


Two more detailed shots of the Swarovski elements, cherry quartz beads (yeah, I love them!) and Miyuki Delicas (pretty but hard to work with!). The 3rd picture shows the Swarovski clasp in detail, a flower with crystals embedded. The two hooks for the double strings can be seen here. Again, it is a very safe clasp, ideal for this kind of ornate jewel. It would not go well with other materials and styles, but if the piece is a bit more "baroque" and intricate, then it's ideal!

The Morocco necklace...

This necklace is a very simple one. I called it Morocco simply because it reminds of something from Morocco - a place where I've never been. It is probably the shape of the focal pendant, like a glass lamp. And the colours. I don't know much about Morocco, except some small bits from the stories that our Moroccan friends used to tell us in Rio, or what the old Rabbi used to recount in some of the Shabat meals at his house. And that was years, years ago.

I have used a large blown glass pendant made by a glass artist in California, Tod Brown. When I saw his stuff in the web I could not resist. They are very pretty and bold, nice vivid colours and sometimes abstract patterns, like a watercolour in glass. For such a big and lovely piece I would not need much more!

Here is Morocco then:

I have used:

- Suede leather cord to string the beads;
- Tod Brown's large focal piece in hand blown glass;
- Seven bronze beads with large holes separated by knots;
- Lobster clasp and cord ends in antique bronze.

I have no close-ups since everything is kept simple and bold. We can virtually see every detail in the picture as is.

The Ai necklace...

"Ai" is the Japanese word for the colour "indigo". I always wanted a necklace that would look great with jeans, and this one will do! I have used some lovely porcelain beads that my friend Florence sent to me some months ago, in blue and white, like antiqued porcelain from Macao or indigo-dyed Japanese aizome. They are very pretty:

For Ai, I used:

- One long pendant in porcelain;
- Several Chinese porcelain beads in blue and white;
- Several Swarovski bicones in Crystal, White Opal and Comet Argent Light, as well as Dark Indigo AB;
- Some few Murano round beads in indigo;
- Japanese vintage wooden beads in different shapes and sizes;
- Small Czech silver-lined beads and smoked topaz Czech beads in different shapes;
- One Swarovski silver-plated crystal clasp.

Some close-ups now...


The 1st picture shows part of the Swarovski clasp, very safe with its clicking mechanism. I am more and more enjoying those clasps and will probably have to order some more! Also, we can see some of the Dark Indigo bicones and the starry light reflection in one of the Comet Argent ones. What I love about Swarovski elements is their shine, absolutely unbeatable. The 2nd picture shows some of the smoked topaz Czech glass beads, more bicones and Chinese beads.


On the left we can see another close-up of Florence's Chinese beads, along with a teardrop smoked topaz Czech bead and Swarovbski bicones in Comet Argent Light and White Opal. On the 2nd shot, more of the bicones and one of the Murano clear beads used.


A detail of the lovely smooth vintage Japanese wooden beads, interspersed with Swarovsky bicones in Crystal. On the other picture, some more Muranos and Chinese porcelain beads.

This is the main pendant bead, with a lovely flower and leaves pattern.

The Momiji necklace...

In Japanese, Momiji is the name for "Maple Tree", and more specifically the Japanese Maple variety (Kaede would be the north-American kind). The name itself, Momiji, derives from momizu, which means to change colour (to red or yellow). The maple tree is known for being the tree that gets the redder and brighter in Autumn, and thus Momiji (the Japanese maple) became representative of that - trees changing colour in the Autumn days. And a symbol for the ever-changing, impermanent nature of things as well.

Momiji is my second necklace inspired by the Autumn leaves. The first one was the Koyo.

Here is the Momiji necklace...

Here is what I used for this piece:

- One carved red jasper leaf focal Chinese pendant;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different shades of Copper, Gold and Silver;
- Two small copper Swarovski butterflies;
- Two medium yellow turquoise round beads with black veins;
- Several mookaite small rondelles and oval beads;
- Four small fire agate beads;
- Eight large and small Swarovski crystal pearls in Copper and Burgundy;
- Several Swarovski silver-plated rondelles with topaz crystals embedded;
- Ten small burgundy faux pearls interspersed with red agate beads;
- Six small yellow jade beads approaching the clasp;
- Copper hook clasp in the shape of a leaf.

Some close-ups...

Detail of the red jasper leaf and some of the Swarovski elements used: two small butterflies between bicones in Comet Argent Light and Rosaline Gold.


The 1st picture shows a detail os the Mookaite rondelles. Mookaite is a kind of Jasper as well, very common in Australia. Texture is very smooth and colours seem to vary from pale yellow to deep burgundy. The 2nd picture shows a detail of one of the yellow Turquoise beads. We can also see the Swarovski silver-plated rondelles in both shots.


Close-up of the red agate small round beads, burgundy small faux pearls and yellow jade beads, and also two of the large Swarovski burgundy and small copper crystal pearls, alternated with some fire agate orange beads. The 2nd picture shows more of the Swarovski bicones and the smooth oval Mookaites in mustard yellow and deep brick red.

The Vendemmia necklace...

Some weeks ago, I saw some really lovely lampwork beads and bought them on eBay. I received six beads in the lot. I love their colour and the patterns: grapes and wine leaves. So pretty and different. I am not sure if they are Chinese, or American, or where they were made. I think they are gorgeous and original, and that should be enough. Yesterday, I made a necklace with them and called it Vendemmia, which is Italian for "harvest", or wine grape harvest, more specifically.

Italian names once again, because when I think of grapes, that's what comes to my mind: Italy and (red) wines. My much loved Sandrone Dolcetto d'Alba, which is virtually impossible to find in the shops, unfortunately. Not that I drink a lot or know anything about wines whatsoever, but I really love that one. And I will not even describe it here, because I would not know how to do it. Still, what can I say? Hhhhmmm, I do love perfume and this Dolcetto is very fragrant. So, I love it... That's it. A very simplistic and a bit silly description, but the best I could come up with!

But it also reminds of my first trip to Italy, 20 years ago exactly, and a nice afternoon I spent in my friend Gaetano's villa in the Emilia-Romagna, where he used to produce his own wine and make his own bread. All very lovely. I was with another friend at the time, the old man Oreste and his lovely German shepherd called Coniglio (meaning "Rabbit", for the dog really had those funny long ears that made him look a bit like a rabbit, so cute). I don't know the whereabouts of both Oreste and Gaetano nowadays, we lost contact, and I knew that Coniglio died some years after my visit. Still, these are nice memories, which I tried to retain somehow in that necklace, with its grapes and sunny afternoon shades. Like the sky on that day.

For Vendemmia I used:

- One vintage long teardrop Czech crystal pendant;
- Four lampwork Grape beads in shades of lavender, cream, gold and green;
- Some few Miyuki Delicas seed beads;
- Four iridescent Czech Fire faceted beads;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different sizes, colours and effects;
- Several Swarovski pearls in powder green and powder rose;
- Swarovski round faceted small beads in a rose tint;
- Gold-lined small Czech clear beads;
- Gold-plated Tibetan spacers;
- One lovely Swarovski gold-plated and crystal old-fashioned clasp.

Close-ups of Vendemmia...


A close-up of one of the grape lampwork beads, which really looks like a little antique! They are almost 3 cm long and have a slight iridescence in the coating. The other picture shows the vintage Czech pendant, gold-foiled. and two of the Swarovski pearls. The pendant I recycled from one of my necklaces that I bought a bit before my trip to Italy, 21 years ago! But that's a coincidence and I only realise that now, while writing about it...


Another close-up of the grape beads along with the Swarovski pearls, bicones in various colours and Tibetan spacers.


On the 1st shot, a detail of the Czech faceted beads, and Swarovski elements, along with the Miyuki green beads I used near the pendant. I have tried to use for this necklace, all shades that could match the colour of the grapes: lavender, rose, greens, creamy yellows. The 2nd picture shows the Swarovski elements in more detail.

This is the Swarovski clasp I have used. It is a lovely old-fashioned, clip-on style clasp, with lots of crystals embedded on its flower-shaped filigree frame. It's the 1st time I use this kind of clasp and I really like how it looks. It is a very safe one, however not recommendable for the ladies who are always in a hurry!

The Yozakura necklace...

Hanami is the Japanese custom of admiring the beauty of the flowers, blossoming from March to May, in early to mid-Spring. These flowers are mostly the sakura (cherry blossoms) and the umé (plum blossoms). For Hanami, people gather in the parks and enjoy their time under the cherry trees. When the viewing activity takes place at night, Hanami becomes "yozakura" or... "night cherry blossom".

I imagine how wonderful Hanami must be. Night or day, it must really be a very pleasant experience. That has inspired me to make a Cherry Blossom necklace, which I decided to call Yozakura for its darker shades and red flowers that remind me of a fragrant night under the sakura and the stars, and the lights of the lanterns reflecting on the trees and the blossoms. A Hanami (or a "day" version) may arise soon, next time in lighter and pinker shades. But for now, it's the nightly Yozakura we have, and with colours somewhat similar to the ones in the picture above...

For Yozakura I used:

- Several Swarovski pearls in different sizes and shades - Powder Almond and Black;
- Swarovski bicones in Light Peach and Jet Black AB as well as two Swarovski top drilled pendants also in Jet Black AB;
- Four Chinese cherry blossom flat cloisonné beads;
- Several small Chinese glass pearls in a pink-taupe hue;
- Gold-lined small Czech beads;
- Two flower spacers in antique gold;
- Two small stardust bronze spacers near the clasp;
- One very small Swarovski faceted bead at the top of the "pendant" where the necklaces makes a "V";
- Tibetan antiqued gold hook clasp.

Some details are shown below...


On the 1st shot, detail of one of the cloisonné beads in the shape of a sakura flower, along with some of the Swarovski black pearls and a hint of the light peach bicones. Visible are also the Czech glass beads. On the 2nd one, we can see one of the Swarovski Powder Almond pearls, along with some light peach bicones and Jet AB top-drilled pendants. On top of the pearl I added a small Swarovski faceted bead right where the wire splits in two and to cover any possible gaps.


The 1st picture shows , once again, the Swarovski black pearls and also the small Chinese ones in a lovely shade of rosey taupe. Czech small beads and antiqued gold spacers are also visible here.
The 2nd one displays a close-up of some of the Powder Almond Swarovski pearls, used as a pendant. The two golden beads between them and at the bottom are Czech glass as well - not metal. The loop for creating the "pendant" effect can also be seen. I used a stainless steel gold-plated wire for this necklace. Picking the right colour for the wire is also important because sometimes it shows through transparent beads, thus, it should match the whole thing.


The 1st picture shows a nice close-up of the black Swarovski pearls, light peach bicones and pale rose Chinese pearls. On the 2nd one, we have more Chinese pearls interspersed with more of the bicones, and also the flowery spacers.

This is a close-up of the lovely hook clasp, in antique gold. They are very safe and easy to handle, although a bit on light side. That is not a problem here since the necklace itself is already very light. I did not use any gemstones this time and this reduces the weight significantly. Gold-lined Czech beads and stardust spacers can also be seen on this picture.

The Ryujin necklace...

I have not done much these days, I still feel ran down with my cold/flu. Not as bad as before, but very tired. For that reason I haven't been up to much beading. Today however, when I woke up in the afternoon, I made another necklace.

I decided to call it Ryujin (Japanese for "Dragon King"), due to the use of a carved rock crystal focal pendant, representing a long, serpentine dragon:


For the Ryujin I have used:

- One main rock crystal carved focal pendant in a purple-lilac shade;
- Several Swarovski bicones in amethyst shades;
- Two Howlite purple turquoise beads;
- Six large Dragon veins beads in purple;
- Six small fluorite beads;
- Six small Amethyst round beads;
- Six small purple jade beads;
- Two small purple chrysocolla beads approaching the clasp;
- Amethyst Japanese millefiori beads in round and cylindrical shapes;
- Czech glass beads: metallic teardrops, small round antique gold ones, medium disc spacers, faceted Heavy Metal small beads and tiny seed beads for the pendant bail;
- Stardust bronze round spacers and antique gold Tibetan toggle clasp.

Some details next...


On the 1st picture, a close-up of the pendant with the lovely carved dragon, surrounded by two Swarovski bicones, two violet turquoise beads, Czech faceted small beads and teardrops and some of the Dragon Veins beads. We can also see the beaded bail and, underneath, some of the Czech glass beads hiding the wire. On the 2nd picture, a detail of the turquoise beads, Swarovski bicones and bail.


On the left, a close-up of the fluorite beads interspersed with some Swarovski small bicones. On the right, detail of the fluorites once more, the Czech fire disc spacers, one of the Dragon Vein beads plus some amethyst beads and vintage Japanese millefiori.


The above pictures show the Dragon Veins in detail, along with some of the Czech Fire beads: teardrops, faceted rounds and disc spacer. We can also have a closer look at the flowery clasp and some of the small stardust spacers in antique gold.

The Carnevale necklace...

I made Carnevale today as a way to cheer myself up a bit. Maybe because I have been home for so long and not feeling very well, I tried to pick a theme that could perhaps make me happier, who knows... I also tried some new "techniques" here. Namely, using two twisted, interlaced threads, something like two necklaces together united by the focal bead and some crimps here and there.

It was quite hard, because the lengths of the two strings really need to be measured and well calculated first. I wanted a short necklace, almost like a choker. In this sense, I have succeeded.
Again, I worked with Miyuki Delicas that are very, very tiny. I love them but I'm afraid my eyes are not as good anymore - and that, even after my new reading glasses. Alarming!

Here is Carnevale:

It looks nice. However, I decided to put these two pictures together because the 1st one does not really make it justice, or show it in as much detail as the 2nd one. And in the neck it looks so much better! And like a little curtain, draping over your shoulder bone, quite different from the others. I could perhaps make an extension chain for it - in case people prefer it longer. For the moment it will stay as it is, it's good for a change.

For Carnevale, I used:

- Large Murano sofiatto bead, transparent with red, yellow, green and aqua stripes;
- Two large light Siam Swarovski bicones;
- Red Sea coral beads interspersed with round small red Murano beads and golden Swarovski bicones;
- Small clear Murano beads;
- Gold-lined teeny Czech beads;
- Gold-plated Tibetan flower spacers, stardust bronze round spacers and gold-plated smooth ones, along with antique gold lantern- shaped beads surrounding the big Murano;
- Czech red and gold bugles in one of the threads and inside the sofiatto;
- Several (and that means "lots") Miyuki Delicas in gold shade, size 15 (the smallest);
- Tibetan antique gold hook clasps;
- Gold-plated crimps and metallic gold stainless steel wire.

Details to follow...


On the left the lovely blown glass bead, and the bugles underneath. We can also see one of the lantern-shaped spacers. On the right, a tightly twisted section of the necklace (closer to the clasp), showing the Miyukis in detail, along with some red bugles, Czech gold-lined small seed beads and smooth gold-plated spacers. Right above it, we can see some of the clear Murano beads, one of the red ones and a coral bead, interspersed with Swarovski golden bicones and golden spacers.


On the left, detail of the coral beads, red Muranos, and Swarovski bicones, again along with red bugles, gold-plated spacers and golden Miuki Delicas. The picture on the right shows one of the large Swarovski bicones and more of the Muranos, coral, Delicas and bugles.


On this picture, a detail of the Murano beads, different spacers, Delicas, Czech seed beads and bugles.


Finally, a detail of the clasp, which was a bit harder to make than my usual clasps. This is because it is a double string necklace. I had to crimp the ends 4 times (since I have 2 "necklaces" here) and hook the clasp to two twist rings (similar to the large ones used for key-rings). Since these are quite hard and not the least flexible I had to ask for Mark's help. They may not be easy to work with but are very safe. I have a bunch of them and only now, after using it for the 1st time, I understand why they are considered so handy!

La Notte 2 (new necklace)...

Last night I decided to make a new version of my previous La Notte. As I do with all new versions, this one is called La Notte 2. It is not exactly the same, of course, but also departs from the same idea and uses more or less the sane colours. However, where the original displayed golds and dark blue, this instead is all about silver shades.

Here's the new La Notte (2):


For this piece, I have used:

- Murano soffiato (blown) Luna focal bead;
- Several Miyuki Delica size 11 in silver, inside the focal bead and covering the wire (sterling silver plated steel);
- Swarovski bicones in different sizes and shades of silver (comet argent) and dark blue;
- Sixteen lapis lazuli medium beads;
- Six Czech fire iridescent round beads of the same size;
- Several light gray Swarovski pearls in two different sizes;
- Two faceted Czech fire beads in a lovely darkened turquoise shade;
- Round and disc-shaped spacers in silver and black metal;
- Czech fire small "heavy metal" faceted beads and bugles approaching the clasp;
- Tibetan silver toggle clasp.

Details as follows...


On the left, a close-up of the Luna bead. It seems to be foiled, since its surface is speckled with tiny silver or gold dots, like distant stars. If you click on the picture you will see it magnified and will also notice the Miyuki beads inside. On the right, we can see the lapis lazuli beads, the Czech fire round ones and the Swarovski pearls, all interspersed with Swarovski bicones in comet argent and blue.


On the 1st picture, detail of those faceted Czech fire beads I mentioned above, Swarovski smaller pearls and bicones. On the 2nd one a very close shot of the pearls and blue bicones with lovely AB (Aurora Borealis) coating.


On the left, detail of the Czech fire iridescent beads and the lapis lazuli beads. You may notice the gold spots in the lapis, due to the stone's natural impurities. The bicones can be seen as well. And on the right, detail of the buggles, some spacers, Czech fire tiny "heavy metals" and more of the lapis lazuli.

The Moanna necklace

I took more or less three to four days to finalise this, between planning and execution. The Moanna is inspired by one of my favourite films: "Pan's Labyrinth". It is a beautiful, but extremely sad film, which I see as a very strong anti-war message. This film, along with "Grave of the Fireflies" is one of those films that has marked me profoundly. The reason for that strength is perhaps due to the fact that their tragic stories are told from a child's perspective. It makes everything not even stronger, but infinitely sadder. In this case it was Ofelia, or Princess Moanna in her own imaginary world, to where she desperately tried to escape the grim reality of civil war.

Here is my Moanna:

Some images from the tale are present here: the Moon (which was Moanna's birthmark), the standing stones of the Labyrinth (central Swarovski pendant), the faeries (represented by the small butterfly Swarovski beads), the dagger (symbolised by one beige square pendant), the nature of the Faun (earthy shades of green and brown), the war (symbolised by two blood red Swarovski bicones surrounding the middle pendant and some round red Czech beads approaching the clasp).

Here is what I have used:

- Three large Swarovski pendants as focal beads;
- Swarovski stars and butterflies;
- Two small Aquiline Swarovski pendants;
- Several Miyuki seed beads (smallest size) under the pendants and also as beaded bails for two of them;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different shades and sizes;
- Two teardrop brown Czech Fire small pendants;
- Several Swarovski crystal pearls in pale almond;
- Four small taupe Chinese glass pearls;
- Stardust antique gold round spacers, two ornate flat spacers and toggle leaf clasp;
- Red Czech round beads;
- Small Amazonite beads in shades of pale green, brown-beige, aqua;
- Small Czech Fire polished beads in metallic hues.

Some details to follow...


On the 1st picture we have (from top to bottom): one of the small Aquiline pendants in Olivine, the Avant Garde pendant with a Miyuki beaded bail, two blood red Swarovski bicones and the main focal bead: a large Aquiline pendant representing the standing stone in the Faun's cave. Details of some of the Miyuki seeds can also be seen, covering the wire. I used two different shades: a silver one for the bails and iridescent bronze for the wire. On the 2nd picture a close-up of Moanna's crystal moon, with its silver beaded bail.


On the 1st screenshot, we can see the Moon's beaded bail, followed by one clear crystal Star, one bicone, small Aquiline pendant, a second bicone and a teardrop Czech Fire small pendant. On the 2nd one, the other green Aquiline bead, a second star, the Avant Garde pendant and the main Aquiline surrounded by two Swarovski bicones in ruby red. Those beaded bails are not too easy to make, perhaps because I have no practice. The Miyuki are tiny and break easily, especially when you have to use the pliers to hold the crimp and close the loop.


Detail of the red bicones and some of the tiny Miyuki seeds used for covering the wire. Also a close-up of the clasp.


On the 1st picture, another detail of one of the small Aquilines and green bicones, the Czech teardrops and one of the pale almond Swarovski pearls. On the 2nd pic, we can see some of the Swarovski crystal butterflies and the small Chinese glass pearls in taupe.


On the 1st picture, we can see the butterflies in different shade and the Chinese pearls once again, along with one big Swarovski bicone in brown. On the 2nd one, some of the small Amazonite beads, Czech Fire faceted beads, stardust spacers and the ornate bronze spacers. On the 3rd picture, another view of the Swarovski pearls, this time interspersed with the red Czech glass beads.

"And it is said that the Princess returned to her father's kingdom. That she reigned there with justice and a kind heart for many centuries. That she was loved by her people. And that she left behind small traces of her time on Earth, visible only to those who know where to look. "

Guillermo del Toro - Director, "Pan's Labyrinth"

La Sirena 2 is now a set...

As I said before, I made La Sirena 2 by request of a friend. She also wanted a bracelet to match, and I have prepared it last night...

Here is a picture of the set:

And the bracelet alone:

It basically follows the same design, except that the fluorites have been replaced here by six lighter small Amazonite beads in shades of blue-green. This is because due to their fragility, and the fact that we tend to bang our hands every now and then, they would most probably break in no time.

Another thing I did was to use a magnetic clasp, which is much easier to handle. It's the first time I use one of those, so, my friend will be "testing" it for me and see how it goes. If necessary, I will change it to the usual lobster clasp (much more complicated to deal with though!).

La Notte necklace

As I am still trying to recover from my flu/cold, I have not really been very productive. The ideas come to my mind and I just cannot find energy to make much of it. Today however, I made another one. Just because sometimes I obsess about certain beads and cannot really rest until I lay out something. This piece is called La Notte (Italian for "the night"), and is a different colour from all other necklaces I made so far.

I wanted to convey the idea of how nights looked like some years ago, when the city lights would not obliterate the shine of the stars and we could still see the Milky Way in all its glory. Not anymore, alas, unless we are far out in a remote spot in the country.

For La Notte I have used:

- One large Murano sommerso globe as the focal bead, and two more oval flat discs as auxiliary beads;
- Two large rutilated quartz round beads, with gold stripes;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different sizes and coordinating shades;
- Several Swarovski pearls in two sizes, Tahitian Look shade;
- Several blue sandstone beads with gold speckles, really tiny;
- Antique gold stardust spacers and crimps separating the smaller pearls;
- Two ornate antique gold spacers;
- Antique gold bead caps and tiny saucers for the Sommerse;
- Antique gold S-hook clasp.

Details as follows...


Details of the Sommerso dark navy beads with gold speckles, and some of the Swarovski pearls.


Above, details of the lovely quartz beads with gold flecks. I am not sure if they are natural or man-treated. Either way, they are gorgeous and smooth, very unique. The last shot shows a detail of the blue sandstones. The tiny "stars" are copper impurities. This is a kind of man-made stone, very pretty and composed by glass mostly (and other minerals). They look like they were immersed in star dust. The photos are unable to capture their whole luster, unfortunately.


Details of the clasp and stardust antique gold spacers. On the 2nd picture, we can see the Swarovski pearls and blue sandstone, along with some more Swarovski bicones and one of the ornate spacers. What I love about those Swarovski pearls is their tiny holes that are great for stringing, since they are very regular and well-drilled.

The Burlesque necklace...

Today's necklace (so far!) I decided to call Burlesque and I will explain why. But first, here is the Merriam-Webster's definition of the word:

Main Entry: ¹bur·lesque

Pronunciation:\(ˌ)bər-ˈlesk\

Function:noun

Etymology: burlesque, adjective, comic, droll, from French, from Italian burlesco, from burla joke, from Spanish

Date: 1667

1 : a literary or dramatic work that seeks to ridicule by means of grotesque exaggeration or comic imitation
2 : mockery usually by caricature
3 : theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts.

Why have I decided to call it Burlesque: it's all about the colours. Fuchsia (not pink, not rose, but Fuchsia) and black. Pitch black. Lingerie colours - but not the good-girl kind! I imagine it would go well with a long pink boa and black fishnet tights. But hey, it's only a necklace! For the well-mannered ladies that would like perhaps to misbehave a bit. Once in a while.

Here is the Burlesque:


I have used today:

- One large carved obsidian rose (Chinese);
- Several Swarovski bicones in Fuchsia and Silver;
- Two large Crazy Lace pink agate beads (ha, lace! See?);
- Several black onyx beads in two different sizes;
- Several dyed fuchsia jade beads;
- Four vintage Japanese faux pearls (probably from the 70's);
- Tibetan silver clasp;
- Black metal spacers in the back of the rose to cover the wire.

Some close-ups:


On the 1st picture a detail of the back of the necklace, smooth black obsidian. On the 2nd one we can see the black metal spacers covering the wire and the lovely Swarovski fuchsia bicones that I used as accent beads.


A close-up of the rose. If you click on it you will see it magnified. You can also see the Crazy Lace agate beads, the large onyx beads and those Japanese pearls. In spite of their age, they are still very smooth and shiny. Some of the fuchsia jade beads are also visible here. The clasp is the usual S-hook in Tibetan silver.


On the 1st picture, detail of one of the black onyx beads and Swarovski bicone and, on the 2nd one, a close-up of the Japanese glass pearl and fuchsia jade. I recycled these pearls from a very old necklace that I won in an auction. The necklace itself (clasp and thread) was falling to bits, but all the beads were intact and pretty much like new.

The Domani necklace...

Again, an Italy-inspired necklace, also in aqua and turquoise shades. It is called Domani, which is the Italian word for "tomorrow". It came from a really abstract concept: when tomorrow comes, and what tomorrow may bring. It is a wish for better times, expressed by "a thousand flowers" (the millefiori focal bead), and cool and peaceful shades of blue and milky, translucent opalescence.

Here is Domani:


For this necklace I have used:

- One Murano millefiori focal bead in shades of aqua;
- Several opal round beads in two different sizes;
- Several turquoise round beads also in two different sizes;
- Swarovski bicones in Turquoise AB2X and Alabaster Mint AB (again, AB for the Aurora Borealis coating);
- Stardust silver-plated round spacers, silver-plated filigree bead caps and thick flowery ones for the focal bead;
- Four silver-plated bows and Tibetan silver vine leaf toggle clasp.

Some details, as follows...


On the left, detail of the focal Millefiori, ornate silver-plated caps and the Alabaster Mint bicones. The picture on the right shows the clasp in detail, an art-nouveau style vine leaf toggle. We can also peek on the stardust spacers here.


Close-ups of the large turquoise beads, larger opals, filigree bead caps and silver-plated bows, along with some Swarovski bicones and two smaller turquoise beads.


Another detail of the opals and small turquoises. Whenever I use opals in my necklaces is when I want to convey the image of the Sun. Opals really look like white cloud bathed in sunlight, and go really well with blue tones - which can be compared to a blue sky. Then, you have it: how you wish "tomorrow" would look like! Blue sky, sun shining, white fluffy clouds here and there. That's the idea!

La Sirena 2 necklace...

It seems La Sirena has become a popular necklace. Lots of people really liked it and I had to make a second one for a friend who really wanted it. Unfortunately I could not find the long swirly Murano bead any more, as the one I had in the original. I replaced it by three round ones instead, that just arrived yesterday. Here it is:

Although the theme, colours and colours are the same, there are some differences in the design for both pieces, as you can see here:



The first picture shows the original La Sirena, whereas the second one displays the new version, roughly shown in the same position for comparison. I have put the three round Muranos together, interspersed with Swarovsky Crystal AB bicones and stardust silver-plated spacers. I also added two extra Amazonite beads and seven fluorites to compensate for the lack of the crackled rondelles (I only had eight left).

The rest of the elements is basically the same, except for two new Czech crystal beads between the rondelles and replacing the milky long ones of the original.

Some close-ups...


The 1st picture shows one of the Murano rounds in detail, while the second one shows the toggle clasp in Tibetan silver, always with the spiral pattern to go with the focal Muranos. The third picture has one of the Swarovski Crystal AB bicones I have used this time, as well as my beloved stardust spacers.


On the first picture you can see the new Czech glass beads , the Swarovski bicones in two different shades and sizes, as well as the aqua crackled glass rondelles and more of the silver-plated spacers.

On the middle picture, a detail of the Amazonites in a beautiful deep teal shade and the lovely round fluorites. Again, these are almost clear, with a very subtle and subdued shade of lilac/green, which has been captured well in the pictures today. They are indeed very fragile, and have a soft, irregular surface that is naturally "crackled". It might sound weird, but I think in this visible and tangible fragility all their beauty seems to dwell. I love fluorites! That's why I added another picture of them here!

The La Penombra necklace...

Last night, I made another necklace. I planned this one for 2 days or so, and could only finish it after I found the right combination of beads and colours. Because of the colours used I decided to call it La Penombra, which is Italian for "the twilight". And an Italian name once again due to the use of several Murano pieces.

At first I thought about calling it Valentine's, as a very obvious reference to the upcoming date, but then I thought: "Wait a sec, these colours are not Valentine-ish at all and, if anything, a bit on the darker side..." And I realised that it was a twilight, dusky piece, thus La Penombra.

The main bead is an Antica Murrina pendant, which I bought for myself two or three years ago and never used because I did not have a proper necklace to hang it to (mine are either too thin, or too thick!). It came in a nice velvet pouch and has the Antica Murrina certificate still.

I also used some tiny wedding cake beads that I have recycled from a necklace bought on eBay, an interesting vintage piece that seemed to be either a choker or maybe a little girl's necklace. At any rate it was too short and the links were getting tarnished. Also the clasp did not work anymore. Then I reused the beads. Actually, I bought it with the purpose of recycling already in mind.

This is La Penombra:

I guess it is easy to see why it is called Penombra. The colours are those you see after a sunset and the heart looks like a twilight sky: blue, gold, crimson, peach. Besides the Murrina heart, I have also used here:

- Twelve small blue vintage wedding cake Murano beads with gold foil and pink forget-me-nots;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different sizes;
- Two round Dorado Swarovski faceted round beads;
- Four medium dragon veins in a shade of pink guava;
- Smal faceted Czech Fire beads in shades of blue, gold, purple;
- Stardust bronze plated round spacers;
- Antique bronze small disc spacers;
- Gold plated filigree bead caps for the dragon veins and smaller ones for the wedding cakes;
- Two antique bronze ornated Bali beads and S-hook clasp.

Some close-ups...


A close-up of the Murrina heart, placed over three stardust beads and crimps to lock it in place. Some of the Swarovski round beads can be seen as well. And the surface of the heart, magnified to show the colors and gold foil, which also reminds me of a galaxy, the xplosion of a supernova, things like that!


On the 1st picture we can see some of the dragon vein beads in detail, along with the antiqued bronze beads and filigree bead caps. We can also see the Swarovski bicones and stardust spacers interspersed with the stardust balls. On the 2nd picture, the tiny wedding cakes in detail and more of the dragon veins and Swarovskis bicones, with a lovely AB (Aurora Borealis) reflection.


Another detail of the wedding cakes, Swarovskis and bronze disc spacers, along with the S-hook clasp.

And to finalise for today, another view of Penombra...

The Juuni Kokuki necklace...

This necklace I finished today was inspired by the Japanese epic anime series, "The Twelve Kingdoms" (Juuni Kokuki), written by Fuyumi Ono. It is a wonderful series and I would recommend it to anyone. The novels are wonderful too. However, only two volumes have been released so far here in our region (and by Tokyopop, of course!).

The necklace is a little tribute to Youko Nakajima, the heroin of the series, coming from Japan (pretty much against her will) to become the Empress of Kei, one of the kingdoms where the story takes place, and which is not located in our physical world.

The predominant colour in my necklace is red, like Youko's hair. And the main bead, a huge cinnabar Chinese carved disc, alludes to the Riboku tree, from where people and magical beasts are born. The story is based in the Chinese (mostly) and Japanese mythology, and is full of action, magic and political intrigue. However, I see all that as a mythical background for Youko's own personal saga: her first steps into adulthood and the changes she has to face in order to become a more assertive and confident young woman - which is comparable to her assuming her role as the Empress in that new world.

Here is Juuni Kokuki...


For Juuni Kokuki I used:

- One large carved cinnabar pendant;
- Ancient gold-plated rondelle at the top of the pendant;
- Small stardust spacers in several sections of the string;
- Chinese cloisonée beads in red and gold;
- Two Japanese Tensha beads;
- Ten small vintage Japanese red millefiori beads;
- Swarovski crystal bicones in shades of ruby red and dorado;
- Fire polished Czech tapered beads;
- Red faux pearls and stardusts near the clasp;
- Antique gold toggler clasp.

Some close-ups below...


On the left, a detail of the cinnabar bead, the large antique gold rondelle to hold the pendant in place and then the stardust spacers intertwined with red Swarovski bicones and followed by the cloisonées. Also visible are the clasp tips, faux pearls and more of the stardust beads. On the right, a close-up of one of the Japanese Tensha beads (acrylic), and more of the bicones. In the background we can peek at the Japanese red millefiori small beads.


Above, the Tensha and the golden and red cloisonées can be seen in more detail, along with the lovely Japanese millefiori, the Dorado Swarovskis and some of the iridescent Czech fire red beads.

And to finalise this post for tonight, another view of the necklace...

The La Campagna necklace...

I have been feeling quite bad at the moment, with a really bad flu. I try to spend most of the time in bed, however, it makes me cough compulsively. Then I have to stay up, because it improves the cough somehow - and the blocked nose etc... I use this time to think about new necklaces and, yesterday, I even made a 2nd one, late at night, very much with the intention of cheering myself up somehow.

I called it La Campagna, meaning "the countryside" in Italian. It is a quirky piece, in shades of green, and pink, very much like wild flowers in a field. Here it is:

It turned out to be not only shorter than my usual, but also much lighter since I have not used any gemstones this time. Instead I have used:

- Three Murano Millefiori beads in shades of green with pink and blue flowers;
- Several oval tapered Czech beads, fire polished, also green-blue with lovely and subtle iridescence;
- Some Swarovski pink bicones in two different sizes to accentuate the pink present in the Murano beads;
- Tiny aqua Czech faceted beads interspersed with bronze/antique gold stardust spacers;
- Two different kinds of Tibetan spacers: one an ornate drum and the other a smaller flowery round bead, all in antique gold-plated;
- Gold-plated flower bead caps enclosing the millefiori;
- An antique gold hook clasp.

Some close-ups next:


Detail of the Murano millefiori surrounded by the complimentary Swarovski pink bicones and a shot of the hook clasp, wire loops, Tibetan flower bead and stardust bronze spacers.


The Tibetan drum spacers, smaller Swarovski bicones, tiny Czech aqua beads and stardust spacers and, on the 2nd picture. another detail of the millefiori with the gold-plated bead caps.


Again, a closer shot of one of my Tibetan round flowery bead followed by three stardust bronze spacers (which I really love to finalise the clasps) and also the tiny aqua beads and some of the tapered Czech fire ones in a bluish-green shade. These really matched the background of the millefiori.

The Carmilla necklace...

I have finished the Carmilla today. It is a very dark and heavy necklace, and named after the short Gothic novel "Carmilla", by the Irish writer Joseph Sheridan le Fanu. Yes, it is a novel about vampires and preceding "Dracula" by 30 years or so. If you wish, you can read it here.

Here it is:

For Carmilla I have used the following:

- One big black obsidian carved rose;
- Ten large dragon vein purple round beads;
- Two oval Indian amethyst wedding cake beads with gold foil;
- Twelve medium Argentinian amethyst beads;
- Six small purple jade beads;
- Eight smaller purple chrysocollas;
- Four Swarovski bicones in purple velvet;
- Antique gold bead caps and stardust small spacers;
- Two small black Swarovski crystal pearls for a finishing touch near the clasps;
- Antique gold flowery clasps.

Some close-ups below...


On the 1st picture, a detail of the Indian wedding cake, much similar to the ones I used for Violeta and Violeta 2, along with the bead caps and pretty dragon vein beads, with their fabulous texture. Right above it, you can see a bit of the chrysocollas and jade beads.
You might think Jade is a green stone mainly, but there are many other wonderful colour occurrences, such as: purple, violet, different yellow shades, orange, pink, fuchsia, red, blues, white etc... It is an amazing stone to work with, always smooth, strong, and not very heavy. I love it.
On the 2nd one, a magnified shot of the obsidian carved rose, very heavy and shiny.


The 1st shot shows the back of the necklace. I had to use two stardust spacers to cover the wire as usual and also crimps to hold the large rose in place. This can be seen in more detail on the 2nd picture at the right. The stardust balls are followed by some lovely purple velvet AB (Aurora Borealis) bicones and two smaller spacers on both sides.
The rose being that heavy, it actually broke the necklace the 1st time and had to re-string it using a thicker wire.


These pictures show the clasp in detail, front and back, along with the stardust spacers and the little Swarovski black pearls. The loop and crimp can also be seen, along with a knot cover that I used in one of the ends to hide a little gap that left the wire exposed at first. It worked great actually, and I turned the cover into a little ball with the help of my pliers. Very cool!

The La Sirena necklace...

"Sirena" is an Italian word that means "Mermaid". I was once again inspired by the South of Italy, and the blue waves and swirls of an imaginary sea where mermaids might certainly be found.


For La Sirena I used...

- One silver-foiled long Murano focal bead with aqua swirls;
- Six medium Amazonite beads that I brought from Brasil last time;
- Four long Czech glass creamy aqua beads;
- Ten Czech crackled glass aqua rondelles;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different sizes;
- Six lovely but very fragile fluorite beads;
- Two round silver-foiled aqua Murano beads in the same design as the focal one;
- Stardust silver-plated round spacers (between the fluorites) and Silver Heishi spacers between the Amazonites;
- Two elliptical silver-plated beads;
- Several tiny silver-lined Czech glass beads;
- Silver-plated Tibetan clasp with a complimentary design.

Some close-ups, as usual...


The focal Murano bead...


One of the round Murano beads, also with the swirls (or spirals) as in the main bead, and the fluorites. These are of a lovely, extremely pale shade of green/blue, almost clear. Actually, the colour is barely detectable. As I mentioned before, they are very breakable and fragile, so, extra care is required when handling this necklace. However, that must be said of ANY glass necklace - not only this one! Between the fluorites, you can have a peek of the stardust tiny balls and, immediately underneath, the aqua crackled Czech rondelles, intertwined with some Swarovski bicones.


A detail of the Amazonite beads, flat Heishi spacers and one of the Tibetan silver beads in the shape of a tiny rose and surrounding the focal piece. And on the right, a close-up of the clasp, which has pretty much the same design as the Murano main pieces and would represent the waves , erm, quite well... No?... I also added some rose beads to the ends of the wire and before the clasps. I think it gives a nice finishing touch and reinforces the structure as well.

The Kaeru no Uta necklace...

The necklace I made today is called Kaeru no Uta, which, in Japanese, means "Frog Song". I made it mostly because my Mother LOVES frogs, and I managed to put my hands on some really lovely Chinese lampwork pendant beads, with super-cute frogs over a leaf. They are very delicate though, and should be handled with extra care.

In Japanese though, Kaeru not only means "frog", but is also a verb, meaning "to return". So, little ceramic frogs tucked inside your purse are meant to bring good luck, and a safe return home. Or even, money! In that sense, they are somehow linked to things or people coming back to their places of origin, even if only by a simple play on the words. It is said that if you have a frog around, it will indeed bring the good things back: friends, money, and so on...

Frogs are also linked to the Summer, and the rainy season in Japan.

Here is my Kaeru no Uta:

For this necklace I have used:

- One Chinese lampwork focal bead in the shape of a leaf with a cute frog grabbing it;
- Small Red Sea coral beads;
- Two big jade beads and two medium ones;
- Several aqua and dark green with black stripes dragon vein beads;
- Some few blue goldstone beads;
- Tiny red Swarovksi bicones;
- Six vintage Czech fire round beads with blue opalescence;
- Tiny faceted Czech fire beads in metallic, iridescent shades;
- Small gold-plated and bronze-plated stardust spacers;
- Antique gold bead caps and clasp in the shape of a leaf.

Follow some close-ups...


On the 1st picture a detail of the lampwork pendant. Note the back of the frog has some gold foil speckles, very pretty and delicate. His tiny toenails are painted blue, which may be the tendency for Spring-Summer, no? You can also see the two small Red Sea coral beads that I used as an accent. Between them, I placed two stardust balls, in order to support the pendant and cover the wire. But they are not visible.

In the middle picture, the green dragon veins (teal and dark green) are visible, along with one jade bead at the top (light green) and the blue sandstone beads. These beads have a light golden dust effect that is not quite visible in the picture, pretty much as if they were oiled and then submerged into gold/copper powder. Goldstone is actually a man-made gemstone, not natural, and produced by adding copper salts to glass, inside a furnace. These salts (copper) are responsible for its star-shine characteristic. The gold-plated bead caps can also be seen here.

On the 3rd one, a detail of the tiny Czech fire faceted beads, and right underneath, three of the Vintage round Czech beads. The red bicones, one coral bead and some of the stardust spacers are also visible.


On the left, detail of the back of the lampwork pendant and two of the coral beads, along with those lovely blue toenails! And, on the right, two big jade beads and some of the others (goldstone, dragon veins, coral).


On the left, we have another view of the different Czech beads I used, the small stardust spacers, coral beads and Swarovski bicones. On the right, a detail of the leafy antique gold clasp and some of the stardust spacers I used in both ends.

And, to end this post, a view of the back of the necklace, showing the lampwork pendant and also the back of the clasp...

The Ryu necklace...

I made this necklace tonight, really excited about the ojime beads. This time, it is also a round one, but with a lovely Dragon carved. For this reason I called it Ryu, which means "dragon" in Japanese.


For Ryu, I used:

- The ojime focal bead;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different sizes and shades of red and clear beige;
- Four Chinese golden cloisonée beads;
- Two glass pearls wrapped in golden mesh;
- Four Japanese wooden beads;
- Some Czech fire faceted small beads and Chinese glass pearls in powdered almond;
- Antique gold spacers, bead caps (only for the ojime) and S-hook clasp.

Here are the close-ups:


On the 1st picture, we can see a detail of the ojime bead, measuring less than 1 inch and very detailed. A little dragon with scales and beady eyes! The bead caps are also visible, as well as the copper crimps I used to prevent them from running while working on it, and which also compliment the overall look and colours. On the 2nd one, a detail of the new S-hook clasp, antique gold (plated), and very easy to handle.


On the left, you can see a detail of two of the cloisonnée beads used, the faux peral with mesh wire, some Swarovski bicones and Czech faceted crystals and another small glass pearl, almond-coloured in the right upper corner. On the right, another detail of the cloisonnée beads and Swarovski bicones.

The Chuu-chuu necklace!

Happy New Year! My 1st post for 2009! Holidays have been hectic, as they are supposed (and expected) to be, and I did not have much time for posting or making necklaces. But I will re-start today, and hope to make much more nice things in 2009!

Today's necklace was more or less based on my previous Mori. I almost called it Mori 2, but then I looked at the focal bead and it was so cute that I changed my mind immediately. It is an Ojime bead in box wood, with little mice and leaves carved in. I even thought I might call it Mori no Nezumi (Forest Mice), but then again, I thought it might require a cuter name.

Then I came up with Chuu-chuu. "Chuu-chuu" is the Japanese onomatopoeic word for the sound mice make (which I think of as being "kee-kee"!). Also, it has to do with the little bat in the animated series "Rosario + Vampire", who always makes that squeaky sound at the end of the episodes or, well... Whenever he wants to, really!

The main piece here is the central box wood Ojime bead, which is hand carved and inspired by the ancient Japanese ojime beads - which were mostly made of ivory years ago (long before the ban). These beads are intended to work along with netsuke and inro boxes, as a way to hang items to the kimono sash (or obi). The inro boxes are the equivalent of mini-pouches/pochettes, where you would carry cosmetics, tobacco, money etc. They would hang from silk braids attached to the obi or obijime. The Ojime beads would help to keep the silk braid intact, so it would not frail. The netsuke, in the other hand, would close off the end of the silk cord.

Here is a detail of my ojime...

It is indeed very detailed and intricate, measuring no more than 1 inch. The eyes of the little mice have tiny beads embedded, as you can see here, very lovely.

For Chuu-chuu I have used as well:

- One focal Ojime bead as I babled about before!
- Swarovski bicones and round beads in Dorado. The round ones can be seen in the above picture, surrounding the Ojime;
- Six medium-sized jade beads;
-Two medium-sized dragon veins rondelles;
- Two green-striped round agate beads;
- Four small jade rondelles surrounding two flat oval dragon veins in shades of green-black;
- Six smooth round amazonite beads;
- Brown Czech faceted small beads;
- Some few gold-plated round small spacers and antique gold toggle clasp in a lovely flowery (leafy?) shape.

Some close-ups:


On the 1st picture, a close-up of the clasp I used and some of the gold-plated spacers. In the centre, you can see one of the oval dragon vein beads, a small jade rondelle, the green-stripe agate and part of a dragon vein rondelle. On the 3rd picture, a detail of the lovely Amazonite beads, in shades of blue, green, yellow, beige. All very earthy.


On the left, you can have a detail of the green-striped agate ball and the Swarovski bicones, and also one of the dragon vein rondelles. And, on the right picture, the bicones once again, placed between the jade beads.

And, to finalise this post tonight, the Chuu bat from Rosario + Vampire. Note one of his functions is to cover any shots of the girls' pantsu (aka, panties!)...

The Mizu no Hana necklace...

This is a green necklace, or rather a blue-green one. I decided to call it Mizu no Hana, or "Water Flower", flower from the water. Another necklace of Japanese inspiration. When working on it, I thought about lotus flowers, pearls and a peaceful, Zen-like, Japanese landscape.

I have used for Mizu no Hana:

- One green aventurine carved rose;
- Two large green crystal pearls and two medium ones;
- Several Swarovski bicones and two round Swarovski faceted beads;
- Rice-shaped dark green freshwater pearls;
- Czech dark green iridescent bugles;
- Tibetan silver clasp;
- Silver-plated round spacers and bead caps.

Some close-ups:



On the left, we can see the back of the carved rose, where I had to use two cloudy jade beads to hide the wire, as well as one crimp to keep the beads from running while working on it. On the right, one of the big pearls is visible, along with a very ornate silver-plated bead cap, with garlands of flowers, very pretty. Swarovski bicones of different colours, silver-plated spacers, Czech bugles and one jade bead are also visible here...



On the left, a detail of the jade beads, some Swarovski bicones and small filigree silver-plated caps. The other picture shows the lovely fresh water pearls and some of the small silver spacers.

And a final view of the necklace -rolled-up, the way I like!

The Strega necklace...

I made another necklace tonight. I was dying to use some of my new dragon veins beads. Then I remembered that Mark once said I should make something really gothic, very, very dark. Dragon veins are ideal for that kind of thing due to their variety of colours and a very peculiar texture that really resembles a reptile's skin. Or indeed the veins of some magical beast.

I decided to call it Strega (which means "Witch", in Italian). I also had in mind some books by Carlo Ginzburg, Italian historian, notably the brilliant "Ecstasies. Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath", which I read years ago and enjoyed a lot. I was thinking about revisiting it perhaps. All related to witches and gothic, magical stuff, so there you go.

This is Strega then:


I have used:

- 14 bat wings;
- 7 frog nails;
- The tongue of a basilisk;
... oooops, not really!

Seriously now. This is what I REALLY used (easier to find than the above):

- One purple dragon vein agate focal bead, disc-shaped and very pretty;
- Several Swarovski bicones and two small pendants (also Swarovski);
- Four round dragon veins beads also purple;
- Four big dichroic glass beads;
- Two black onyx round beads;
- Two Czech Fire faceted beads;
- Swarovski crystal pearls of different sizes;
- Twenty small obsidian beads insterspaced with silver-plated crimps;
- Some very few silver-plated balls;
- Tibetan silver clasp (my favourite kind).

Some close-ups:


On the left, we can see the dragon veins focal bead. The "veins" are very strong, very marked. Above, a little detail of the obsidian beads and seilver crimps. On the right, we have one of the dragon veins beads and one of the dichroic ones, as well as some Swarovski black pearls and amethyst bicones.


On the 1st picture a detail of the Swarovski bicones and pearls, and obsidian beads. On the 2nd one, the clasp, a S-hook in Tibetan silver. They are very secure and look quite nice.

The Tartuffo 2 necklace...

I made this necklace yesterday and, since it is kind of similar to my previous Tartufo, I called it Tartuffo 2. I know, it's not quite an exciting name, but they are born of the same idea and made on the same day more or less, so...

Here it is. Note it is much shorter than the usual, since some people do prefer shorter necklaces. I personally prefer them longer, but I cannot make necklaces solely based on my personal tastes, so...

For the Tartuffo 2, I have used:

- 1 round lampwork paperweight pendant in shades of purple;
- 6 small purple chrysocolla beads;
- Swarocvski crystals;
- Tibetan silver spacers and clasp;
- Czech fire faceted beads;
- Czech glass beads in various shapes and cuts, including 4 really cute square ones.

Some close-ups as follows...


These pics show details of the lovely square Czech beads, Swarovski crystals and some of the Chrysocolla beads. You can also see some of the Tibetan silver lantern-shaped spacers, the tiny silver-plated balls and also one of the Czech fire faceted beads I used.


On the above, you can see again some of the Czech fire beads, spacers and chrysocolla beads, and also the S-hook tibetan silver clasp, which I quite like.


A detail of the Chinese lampwork pendant, paperweight style, some more of the chrysocolla beads and small silver Czech seeds. I use these to make a smoother curve where the pendant is, otherwise it might look a bit too "angular" and "broken". As you can see, the chrysocolla vary a lot in shade: these two - that I put closer to the focal point, ie, pendant - are pinkier than the others.

Finally, another view of the ncklace, this time also on a black background...

The Tartuffo necklace...

This one has been inspired by food. The taste of black truffles. Italy again, up in the North this time. I think the colours try to convey a certain subterranean, underground quality that we associate to the truffles, or "black gold"...

For Tartuffo I used:

- 1 black and purple lampwork (paperweight style) pendant, probably Chinese;
- Under it, 3 or 4 small Czech seed beads to hold it in place and make a smoother curve;
- Small chrysocolla beads;
- Bigger dark amethyst beads;
- Tibetan silver spacers and clasp;
- Czech silver-lined bugles and opalescent beads in various shapes;
- Czech fire faceted beads;
- Swarovski bicones as accent beads.

As for the chrysocolla beads, I am not sure if they are 100% natural or man-treated, ie, dyed. They have for sure a nice purple colour (not entirely discernible in the shots, I'm afraid), but the texture is kind of rough. I have some green and blue ones in my stock here and, although they look beautiful, I don't quite like their texture, very heavy and harsh.

Some close-ups:


At the left you can see the lampwork pendant in detail, along with some tiny silver balls, lantern-shaped Tibetan spacer and two Czech fire faceted beads. In the right, a close-up of the seed beads used under the pendant. You can also see one of the chrysocolla purple beads.


Details of the Czech beads, Swarovski crystals and various Tibetan silver spacers.


The big amethyst beads, silver spacers and two of the chrysocolla beads. Also, the clasp, one of the accent Czech fire beads and silver-lined bugles.

The Amé necklace...

Amé means "rain" in Japanese. Although this necklace has no Japanese beads whatsoever, the beads I used (Czech fioratto beads, Swarovski pearls and bicones, Czech gold-foiled seed beads) all have a wet, watery feel to them. It is like a string made of water drops. Mark thought so, and I agree. After thinking about it as a rose water necklace, I could not but hear Mark's arguments about it: "it's rain, Andrea, rain".

It is indeed a "wet" piece. Amé, for my love of Japanese things and language.

For the Amé I have used:

- 3 Czech Fioratto transparent beads with gold foil;
- 2 small Czech Fire teardrops in Rosaline AB;
- Several tiny clear gold-foiled seed beads;
- Swarovski bicones in different shades of rose and 2 "dorado" ones near the clasp;
- Antique gold spacers and clasp;
- Swarovski pearls in cream rose;
- 2 pink jade round beads.

Some close-ups:


In the picture at the left-hand side, you can see one of the pink jade beads used, the tiny gold-foiled seed beads and one of the Rosaline drops. The other picture shows one of the main Czech fioratto beads, with the gold foil giving it a "wet" appearance, along with some of the bicones and, again, the seed beads.


Detail of some of the Rose AB bicones, and antique gold spacers. Also, the clasp used. Since Amé is much shorter than usual, I have added a gold-plated extension chain so it can be worn longer if desired.

The Ravello necklace...

Still on the (recunrrent) theme of the Amalfi coast, and inspired by the lovely Murano beads, I made another necklace today: the Ravello.

Ravello was one of my favourite spot during our trip to Amalfi: a beautiful town up in the mountains, with wonderful gardens, music in the streets and the best of two wolrds - sea and mountains. Its gardens smell beautiful too, and that's probably why I have selected some beads in shades of green, aqua and teal, just to capture a bit of the sea, trees and sky hues.


For Ravello, I used:

- 3 aqua fioratto beads with gold foil;
- Swarovski bicones in green (erinite, I think, is the shade);
- Swarovski pearls in powder green;
- 2 big green Dragon Veins agate rondelles;
- Small jade beads, round and oval in three different green shades;
- Several small green aventurine neads interspaced with gold crimps as we approach the clasp;
- The usual gold-plated balls around the clasp;
- Two pretty oval aqua crackled Czech glass beads, that look a bit like crystallised sugar;
- Antique gold tulip and daisy bead caps.

Here are some close-ups:



Three pretty Murano fioratto beads in shades of green/aqua. You can also see the antique gold tulips and clasp, the Swarovski crystals and the aventurine beads.



In the 1st picture, a detail of the Czech "sugar" beads, the powder green Swarovski pearls, the erinite Swarovski bicones and some small milky green jade beads.
Iin the 2nd one, a close-up of the dragon vein rondelles, milky green opaque jade beads and powder green Swarovski pearl. And, on the 3rd picture, one of the small fioratto aqua beads with a daisy filigree gold cap and Swarovski bicone.

The Azzurra necklace...

This is the necklace I have finished today. Decided to call it Azzurra (Blue) due to the use of quite a number of blue beads - 3 focal Murano wedding cakes, blue jade, crazy lace agate, dragon veins (another kind of agate), turquoise Swarovski crystals and so on.

It is a blue, South Italian theme, the Grotta Azzurra in Capri, those amazing seas once again. It seems I am quite obsessed with them, no?

Here it is...

I have used here:


- 6 Dragon Vein agate rondelles;
- 3 wedding cakes with gold foil, pink roses and forget-me-nots;
- Swarovski Turquoise AB (Aurora Borealis) bicones in two different sizes;
- Blue jade beads;
- Blue crazy lace agate beads;
- Fluted Czech crystals beads;
- Crystal faux pearls in white;
- Small gold-plated balls;
- Gold crimps between the Czech beads;
- Antique gold spacers and clasp.

Some close-ups:



Impossible not to fall in love with dragon veins. Its texture is so amazing and colours so diverse. Here you can see them in the 1st and 3rd pictures. The crazy lace agate appears on the 2nd picture, along with some lovely blue jade beads. The blue jade is, among the 3 stones, the one with more uniform texture and colour.



Detail of the Czech fluted beads, gold crimps in-between, spacers, blue jade beads and one small turquoise bicone. I have used stainless steel gold wire, that can be seen through the Czech beads.



Detail of the wedding cake/fioratto beads. These are vintage, but in perfect state, no wear at all in the gold foil. Swarovski turquoise bicones are separating the bads, and I used some antique gold bead caps for extra protection here...



To finalise for today, a detail of the antique gold clasp. You can also see the loop I made with the wire to attach the clasp. It is the 1st time I use this method: leaving the crimp and wire apparent instead of using a tip to cover it. I quite like the result: it looks lighter and somehow cleaner too - as far as the colour of the wire does not clash with the spacers and clasp, that is.

The Frutti di Bosco necklace...

I made a necklace today, probably inspired by my desire for lovely Italian food. Which, by the way, took us to Carluccio's in the city centre. By coincidence they have a Frutti di Bosco crêpe in the dessert menu - although I just had a panna cotta al caffé. Yummy; everything very, very lovely...

The name of the necklace is Frutti di Bosco, or simply "berries". I just wanted to make something red, using my wedding cake beads and some of the red gemstones (jade and coral beads).

It is a light necklace, since the coral beads are small and quite light, not nearly as dense as some of the other gemstones (agate, jade and so on). I also did not use big jade beads, but smaller ones, so they would not interfere with the wedding cake Murano beads.

Here it is...


I have used:

- 3 Murano wedding cake beads with gold foil;
- 6 cherry jade beads;
- 6 Swarovski burgundy crystal pearls;
- Several Swarovski crystal bicones in shades of red as accent beads;
- 20 small dark red coral beads;
- Czech red bugles and cystal faceted beads;
- Gold-plated spacers and little balls, as well as clasp and extension chain.

Sounds like a recipe, but I like to register everything I use in my necklaces anyway. May look a bit edible too, but I would not recommend it...

Some close-ups:



On these pictures you can see the one of the cherry jade beads, which has lovely, organic texture, and the little coral ones at the right, interspaced with the small Swarovski bicones.



Just click on the above picture to see the wedding cake beads in detail, with beautiful gold foil and swirls. I also used some gold-plated bead caps and spacer beads. I think the bead caps help protecting the beads from rubbing against each other somehow. I would hate to damage those little beauties!

Detail of the Swarovski crystal pearls...

And a final close-up of the clasp and extension chain.

And another view of Frutti di Bosco...

Mori necklace...

This week hasn't been a very productive one, since I caught a bad cold and was in bed most of the time.

Only today I made a new necklace, that I decided to call Mori (or "forest", in Japanese).

It is all in shades of green, main bead being a wooden one with some strass glued to it, and, most importantly, more Japanese porcelain beads (round and tubular ones), green with a feather pattern.

The Mori is apparently a chaotic piece. It is definitely symmetrical, but uses several kinds of material and beads, thus its "desorganised" appearance at first. I tried to depict how a real forest feels like: there is a harmonic chaos into it, or at least that's how I feel it. A mix of birds (the feathers in the Japanese beads), different woods of course (the focal bead), different shades of green, moss, crystals, sediments, even gold, as well as seeds and bugle beads. The light of the sun refracts through the Czech and some few Swarovski crystals. The moss is represented by two round agate beads (orange, brown, black and green swirls). The leaves and resins are all the different beads and their variegated shades of green, as well as the lovely copper clasp.

I have also used antiqued gold spacers, fresh water dark green pearls and two powder green Swarovski pearls.

Mori also has a smell, the smell of my beloved Mori No Sei (Spirit of the Forest), an old scent by Kanebo, which is woody, resinous and fresh - probably smelling like an old and dark Japanese pine forest would!


And some close-ups:



Details of the green agate beads, Czech Crystals and antique gold spacers. At the right-hand side you can see one of the round Japanese beads and Swarovski pearl.



Above, detailed view of one of the Japanese tubular beads, along with the spacers and Czech crystal bead in green and black.



A detail of the clasp in antiqued copper and in the shape of a leaf, along with some of the Czech crystal seeds and beads.

The Yume necklace...

Here is the necklace I made this morning, after a sleepless night. I called it Yume, which, in Japanese, means "dream"... The dreams here are like little globes of light containing images of flowers, waves and leaves...

For Yume, I have used:

- Japanese Millefiori swirl and round porcelain beads, in shades of white and beige;
- Swarovski Simplicity crystals in Golden Shadow;
- Spacer beads and clasp in antique gold/brass;
- Swarovski pearls in pale almond;
- Gold-plated round beads near the clasp and used as spacers as well.

Some close-ups...Millefiori and swirl beads, all Japanese, and also Swarovski pearls and crystals...

Another Millefori bead, round, and small round ones with latte swirls. You can also see more of the Swarovski Simplicity crystals and the antique gold spacer beads - along with the gold-plated tiny ones.

Detail of the clasp...

And another view to finalise for today!

Kokoro necklace...

For my latest necklace, named Kokoro, the main inspiration were the Japanese millefiori beads, in delicate porcelain. Kokoro is a Japanese word that means "heart", but not the physical heart (named Shinzou).

The hear Kokoro designates is a spiritual one: spirit, mind, essence, thoughts, emotions, feelings, the heart you use to "love" someone, to cherish for something. An abstract, poetic concept, meaning roughly "the spirit! or "the essence" of things.

It symbolizes my love for Japan, and what comes to my mind when I think about the meanings of "kokoro". It also has a tangible Japanese "presence" somehow, represented here by the use of Jade, silk and porcelain. I have used for my Kokoro:

- 2 oval Japanese Millefiori porcelain beads;
- 3 yellow silk beads;
- Black Swarovski pearls;
- Several Swarovski crystal bicones including four jet black off-centred pendants;
- 8 yellow Jade beads;
- Small gold-plated balls near the clasps;
- Antiqued gold-plated clasps in the shape of a flower.

I like the result: it is shorter and in a complete different style from the others:

Some close-ups:

One of the Japanese millefori beads, in yellow porcelain with colourful swirls and flower patterns. Main colours are yellow and black, thus my choice of the crystals, pearls and jade.

One of the silk beads I used, surrounded by light topaz Swarovski bicones and Swarovski black pearls.

The Jade beads and Aurora Borealis bicones...

More Swarovski bicones and crystal black pearls...

And, finally, a detail of the clasp I used, antique gold (plated)...

6 Earrings for 6 Necklaces

Well, yesterday I made some earrings for some of the necklaces. It was a bit hard, I must say I much prefer threading 100 necklaces than making one earring. But hey, what's life without a little challenge now and then?

I am going to show a picture of the necklace and another of the earring in a close-up. The thumbnails below are smaller than usual, so, you should (as ever) click on the picture to see it real-size.

Positano Blú

I used one opal, 1 cream Swarovski pearl, one tiny gold-plated ball and gold-plated earring bases.

Violeta

For that one I used Indian wedding cake barrel beads, Swarovski bicone at the top, and to finalise a small gold-plated ball and gold-plated earring base.

Violeta 2

Again, Indian wedding cake amethyst beads, antique gold spacers at the top and a gold-plated ball to finalise. The base is also gold-plated.

Bonbon

Used Indian wedding cake beads, pink faux pearls and silver plated-plated ball and bead caps, in a stainless steel (surgical type) earring base.

Byzantium

I liked this earring the best maybe. Used 2 cherry jade beads surrounded by gold-plated flower bead caps, finalising with a burgundy Swarovski pearl at the top and the usual gold-plated ball. As before, a gold-plated earring base keeps it all together.

Sol Niger

For Sol Niger it was simple: 2 Swarovski golden shadow bicones, one gold-plated ball at the top, a gold-foil Murano bead and base as before.

The Bonbon Necklace...

The 2nd necklace I made yesterday is called Bonbon. It's curvy, pink and looks a bit like a bunch of sugared almonds. Or old-fashioned raspberry bonbons...

Fpr some reason, the camera did not manage to capture the shade as is. Rather than a cherry red, I would say it is an Antiqued Rose hue. Colours are cooler in real life than they appear in the pictures.

For that one, I have used:

- Indian wedding cake beads with silver foil;
- Silver-plated and Tibetan alloy spacers and clasp;
- Cherry jade round beads in two different sizes and slight shade variations;
- Czech small beads;
- Czech Ghost glass beads in pink;
- Small rose Muranos;
- Silver-lined Czech seed beads.

The design follows the scheme of Violeta and Violeta2, roughly. For these 3 necklaces the Indian beads are the main characters.

Some close-ups:

The above picture shows the main Indian bead, which is in the centre of the necklace, as well as some of the silver-plated bead caps and spacers and the Czech seed beads - used as separators. You can also see a bit of the clasp, which is quite pretty and good to use (small hooks).

Finally, the above photo shows one of the cherry jade beads (measuring about 15mm for the bigger ones, and 10mm for the smaller), silver-plated bead caps and silver-lined Czech seeds.

Violeta 2 Necklace...

(PS... I am updating this post since I forgot to mention the use of natural amethysts on this necklace! I think it is important, no?... Andrea/1st Dec 08)

Yesterday was a productive day, necklace-wise, I mean. I made 3. As always, it's great fun. I seriously still don't know very well what I am going to do with them, but I keep doing it. Yes, I would like to sell them. Just not quite sure how and where to start.

Violeta 2 is called that because it is a new rendition of my previous Violeta. I think I did not mention but it is "Violeta" not only because of the colour, but also because it's my Mom's name (and I wanted to "flatter" her a bit!). Purples (and a hint of crimson) dominate here, pretty much as before:


Violeta2 has warmer shades of purples, whereas its predecessor was more in the cool side. On this one I have used: Indian wedding cake beads, plum jade, Swarovski burgundy crystal pearls, Murano and Chinese foil beads, Czech crystal beads and antique gold and gold plated spacers and clasp. And last, but not least, 4 natural Amethyst chunky beads surrounding the main tubular bead.

Some close-ups:

The Indian Wedding Cakes in shades of deep plum. They are quite irregular in their colouring, thus, quite unique. They have copper-goldish foil. You can also see some of the small Czech beads and spacers.

On this picture, you can see the main bead and the Swarovski pearls.

Tomorrow I will post some pictures of the other two necklaces.

Sol Niger necklace...

I made this necklace today. It's dark, but with some speckles of gold to it. I named it Sol Niger or "Black Sun", an alchemical term that represents the results of the Opus Magnum's first stage, the Nigredo, or blackness, darkness.

Ruled by Saturn, it also means decomposition, putrefaction, whereas everything that lives has to eventually die and give birth to a new stage (Albedo). New life arises from this melancholy process. The focal bead represents the inner fire, the inner, occult sun, and the crystals (black and clear) are both the prime matter and the result itself of the alchemical process - the Gold, and the promise of rebirth, which culminates in the last stage: the Rubedo.

I made this to remind a phase of my life, where I was into Alchemy and all sorts of "magic". It was magic. Even if I am not into it right now, it played a major role in my life one day and I am grateful for that.

I have used:

- Czech dichroic beads, black with colourful sparkles;
- A Murano focal bead in mostly black and gold and multicoloured foil;
- Swarovski Golden Shadow bicones;
- Murano small gold foil beads and sommerso black;
- Czech tiny "black bean" beads;
- Gold-plated oval and round beads, disc spacers and clasp;
- 2 small Czech fire beads.

Some close-ups:
















The Murano focal bead, a microcosmic Black Sun, surrounded by Sawrovski bicones (Gol Shadow, a very appropriate name!) and two gold-plated balls.


















I love the way the flash is reflecting in the bicone here, it looks very pretty. You can also see the small gold-foiled Murano beads.


















Finally, a detail of the dichroic beads, one Murano in-between and a Czech Fire above.

The Byzantium necklace...

I made another necklace today and called it Byzantium. I have used 3 Czech wedding cake beads (being one focal), gold-plated spacers, Czech glass golden balls and gold-plated oval small beads, and the most special gemstones: 2 dragon veins round, smooth beads and all the rest in shades of pink/burgundy jade.

It is called Byzantium because of its crimson and gold, almost solemn shades - perhaps smelling a bit like old churches and incense - and the use of Chinese beads (jade and dragon veins agate). These beads allude to the Silk Road, and the role played by Byzantium as the rendez-vous for the merchants on their way to the East, searching for spices, silk, precious resins, gemstones, and so forth.

It tries to symbolically link East and West, or at least the idea I used to have about Constantinople, the Silk Road, and its heritage of churches, gold, stained glass and History.

Here it is:
The close -ups are:

Czech focal bead, 2 spacers (plastic with bronze effect!), gold-plated thin spacers, 2 small cherry jade rondelle beads and the 2 chunky, heavy dragon veins (dark burgundy). The remaining beads are the rose, cherry jade ones in different shapes and sizes.

And finally, the other two Czech beads surrounded by the cherry jade beads:

Blooming Part 2...

On this necklace, I have used again 1 fioratto focal bead (the oval one) and 2 fioratto tubes, as it happened in the Serenissima one . I called it Giardino, for obvious reasons!

I also used antique Czech seed beads (in pink), some Swarovski bicones in peach/champagne, Swarovski crystal pearls in Rosaline, Czech glass beads (leaf, tulip and oval shapes) and poilshed rose quartz beads, besides the usual gold-plated spacers, caps and clasps.

Some close-ups...














Focal bead, Swarovski bicones & Rosaline pearls.











Fioratto tube beads & Rosaline pearls.

Blooming Part 1...

I made two necklaces this afternoon. All in shades of pink, and mostly due to my Mother's request. I hope she will enjoy them.

The 1st one I called Rose Sommerse, aka, Submerged Roses. I made a bit of a pun using the name of the glass technique of some of the beads, and the fact that they are rose-coloured and have a rose motif to them in the fioratto ones. The glass technique is called "sommerso". This method melts different layers of different colours (usually two) under clear glass. I also used wedding cake (fioratto) pink beads, as shown here...

Details of the Sommerso beads, in shades of pink and gold (aventurina)...

And the wedding cake ones that follow. These are very irregular and I even had to re-thread everything after it has cut the nylon thread! For safety I used gold-plated caps on every single hole of them:

Besides the Murano beads, I also used some antiqued glass pearls, gold-plated caps, 2 tiny Swarovski bicones and the usual gold-plated beads.

The second necklace I will still photograph and post it tomorrow!

Serenissima necklace

Yesterday, I have finished my blue necklace. I decided to call it Serenissima, as a little tribute to Venice - where Murano is, and all those beautiful glasses come from.

"Serenissima" means "the most serene" and refers to the title given to the republic of Venice - La Serenissima - which lasted over a thousand years (until the end of the XVIIIth century, precisely).

I used blue beads, trying to imagine Venice on a crisp sunny day, surrounded by the waters and the sun light reflecting on its surface and on the glass.

I have used 3 blue wedding cake beads (Murano obviously), Czech crystals, tiny faux pearls and gold-plated beads/spacers and clasp, as well as some tiny opalite beads (the blue ones at the end, a real pain to thread due to their almost invisible holes):

This necklace is shorter than the previous ones, thus, I made a little extension chain with some links I have here and one knot cover. I will have to replace it for the links are a bit big, and I also want to add a tiny bead to it. I only had links on that size, and also did not have any golden pins to make the bead, but I am going to buy some on Saturday, hopefully!

Some close-ups below. First, the focal bead, in aqua blue and similar to the black one in the Amarena necklace...

And, finally, the two little tubular beads, that are very pretty and delicate...

And, finally, another view here - I love "rolling" the necklaces when taking pics!

The Amarena necklace

I have decided to name my necklaces. This morning, I have finished my Amarena, or "cherry" in Italian. Why an Italian name? Because of all the Murano beads, of course, and because I love that country. Why "cherry"? Because of the two big pink beads surrounding the focal bead:


It was very hard to make it. Mostly because I firtsly threaded it with a silk cord. It turns out that I had to redo everything because I missed one or two black beads and then the cord ended up too short, and so on. Also, it is hard to thread with silk since it is too soft and you need to use a needle. But that's not quite the problem: due to the friction of the beads, the cord may end up frailed, and the fibers start to unravel. A pain. That's why I decided to do it again with a nylon wire - as it's usually done, it seems!

Some details:


The above is the focal bead, a wedding cake Murano in black, really big and pretty. The ones beside it are the cherries!

I also used...

This is a Japanese Tensha bead, which is made of acrylic and has a lovely shiny design with a floral motif. They surround the medium Murano beads and the cherries.

And this is the clasp:

The clasp is a small toggle one, gold-plated.

I basically used here:

- Murano beads - all black ones, cherries and focal;
- White-foiled beads (probably Chinese);
- Czech Ghost white beads;
- Tensha beads;
- Gold-plated toggle, spacers and discs.

A red necklace - the Fragola

(PS... I am reposting this entry as to include the necklace name... Andrea, 26th Nov'08)

Another update on my necklace adventures! Here is the last one, that I made on Sunday night... Decide to name it Fragola, which means "Strawberry" in Italian...


Again, I mostly used Murano beads (as least the 3 big ones), gold-plated and bronze little balls, and Czech crystals. Well, 2 Swarovski bicones as well - but they are tiny.

The picture had to be taken with flash, since it was way too dark here last morning - even with all windows open. Gray, rainy Irish weather!

Here is some more views, just in case...


And a little close-up (this time, no flash, but still visible)...

New necklaces!

(PS... I am reposting this entry as to include the necklace names... Andrea, 26th Nov'08)

Here are two necklaces that I made yesterday:

Portofino

This one was made using 4 aqua Murano beads, silver-plated spacers and focal bead from Bali, cotton thread in the same shade and knots to hold the pieces in place.

In detail...



The knots cane be seen (barely) under the spacer beads.

And the second one:

Violeta

This one I made using 3 lovely vintage Wedding Cake beads from Murano, gold-plated and bronze-coloured little balls, polished Czech beads as spacers, and other Czech iridescent crystal beads all over - including the tubular ones and the faceted gold ones. All vintage. The Czech beads I have recycled from two necklaces I had bought 25 years ago. They were intact, as new, really. The new necklace is all in shades of dark blue and amethyst/dark purple.

Some details as follows...



The above are the Wedding Cake beads. They are much prettier in real life, under sunlight, when you can actually see the true colour and the light refracting though it.

The iridescent Czech beads in a close-up...

And, finally, the clasp...

Le Japon Artistique

My Dad gave me a book years ago, an encyclopaedia of Japanese Arts, when I first entered the University, in 1979-80, some time before he passed away I think... It's an amazing collection of 3 books dated from 1888, by S. Bing, an art dealer specialised in Art Nouveau and Oriental art. It may be the oldest books I have and, unfortunately, way too heavy to bring it home to Dublin. It's called Le Japon Artistique.

When I was younger I used to sit down at a table and copy some of the patterns reproduced there. It's an invaluable reference. I just found out in my last visit that there is even a chapter on "manga", showing old manga reproductions. Not the manga that we know nowadays, but the manga as is, ie, "irresponsible (whimsical) sketches", inside the large section dedicated to Hokusai. The collection is exquisite, and has everything one needs to know about Japanese Art up to some years after the Meiji era. Lots of text, black and white and coloured plates. Hard it is to preserve such an old book. It is in quite good state, however not perfect. Rio's humidity is to blame for its not-so-perfect condition, but still, if you handle it with care and love you'll gain an endless number of delightful hours. A gem...