Butterfly Garden Set

Despite hating pink and "girly" things, every once in a while, I do surprise those around me by liking something girly.

My American supplier had a gorgeous pendant with a butterfly embossed on it and some beautiful two colour beads (Rose & Peridot).  I had no idea that by combining the two, I'd end up with something this...well, girly: 

Butterfly Garden Necklace

 All of the beads are glass and you may recognise the silver flower spacers from the Calypso necklace.  As you can see, I'm still having fun with wire.  I threaded the wire through the holes in the pendant and wrapped them into spirals of varying size, which I think makes an intresting focal.  

Hanging from a line of small crystal glass beads is the fringe, which I made from turquoise, light green and lilac beads.  The colors are supposed to represent the gradual change of the colour of the sky throughout the day, with crystal clouds on top of course!

Next I alternated the rose and peridot rice beads with the crystal beads, which to me is the dusky pink of the evening sky in the butterfly garden, slowly turning into night. (I'm a writer, I'm allowed to have imagination!)

Round crystal beads with Rose & peridot beads

Finally, to tie it all together I decided to use ribbon, but I didn't want it too wide.  Fortunately, a friend of mine makes the most amazing candles and soaps (please check out her site - One Stop Pamper), and her candles are tied with tiny white ribbons!  So guess where I got these from? ;)

Candle ribbons

One of those, I'm not sure if it's the left or the right is from her Butterfly Meadows votive candle, so it actually smells like a butterfly garden too!

The Earrings took a little more thought.  I'd run out of the rose and peridot beads and I was fast running out of the crystal beads too.  So I decided to carry on the fringe effect from the necklace.  None of the butterfly charms I had, matched the feel of the necklace, so I used these dragonfly charms instead, which are equally as good.  I hung them from the hoop I made from some left over wire.

Butterfly Garden Earrings

Irene's Present

In April, my Gran asked me if I could make her a necklace as a birthday present to give to her next door neighbour.  I then found out her birthday isn't until November!  I showed her the beads I had and we deliberated for a very long time.  Mainly because my Gran, unfortunately doesn't have much of a talent for visualising.  To make it easier for her I asked what Irene's favourite colours were and I could build around that.  My Gran replied that she didn't know, she'd lived next to the woman for over 50 years and still didn't know that much about her!  My head hit the desk.

Anyway, we eventually discovered her favourite colours were red, black and green and I got to work mid August.  When I took the finished necklace to my Gran for her thoughts, she was admiring my bracelet (the one in this post).  We agreed I'd make one as an addition to the necklace for Irene.  


Now I've got photos of the necklace, but I forgot to take photos of the bracelet before I gave it to my Gran.  When I next go over to my Gran's I'll try to remember to get a photo.

My Gran wanted something light and long enough to fit over Irene's head so she wouldn't have to fiddle with a clasp.  I used the rest of the red seed beads I had left from the Americana set and alternated with black fire polished beads.  On the right side I added a copper petal connector, which I manipulated into a flower.  On the second strand is a mix of emerald green seed beads and more of the black Czech glass beads.

As a focal, I peyote stitched black coral and green seed beads together and wrapped it around the strands to make it look knotted.  On the ends of the strands are red acrylic bicone beads and light green Czech glass beads.  I hope Irene likes it.  I'll let you know!


I posted this to give you a glimpse of the customisation process.  This design was loosely based on one I made my Gran for Mother's Day (Sorry I don't have a better photo):

Girls 'n' Pearls Set

I bought some beautiful vintage style findings, cabochons and cameos from America and I've been dying to use them in something.  I mixed them with my great-grandmothers pearls (fake), which gives it this really elegant look.  Although not when I'm using my hot wheat pack to show how it hangs!  I really must invest in some displays!

Girls 'n' Pearls Necklace

Girl with Nightingale cameo on Oxidized Brass setting

Earrings

I've plenty more of these antique/vintage style findings (I went a bit mad!) and I love making this style of jewellery.  You can be sure that there will be more like this, actually for sale soon.

If you would like me to make you something similar to this, please feel free to contact me at: kymberligee@gmail.com with "Girls 'n' Pearls" in the subject line.

Fun with wire & beads

The last few weeks I've mainly been testing out new techniques and having fun with new designs.  These aren't for sale, but they give you an idea of what I've been doing and what things you can expect to be coming to X99 Jewellery.

Celtic loop ring

Purple & grey Lattice Bracelet

The lattice bracelet is customisable, as I'll show you later with one I was commissioned to make for my Gran.

Updates at X99 Jewellery

Long time no see, yet again!  I'm sorry I've been away for so long but one of my cats has been injured and I've had to keep a watchful eye on him, because he keeps taking off his wound collar and making his injuries even worse!  He's a lot better than he was, but he's still receiving treatment.

I haven't had a lot of time to update the site because of this, even though I have new things to show you.  They're mainly things I've been designing for myself, but I do have a couple of new items for sale as well as a few ideas in the pipeline.

I've completed my third commission for my family.  My Gran wanted me to make a set for her next-door neighbour's birthday in November.  I've taken pictures, so you can see what they look like.  I've also made another necklace for my Mom, or rather, I was making a new necklace for X99 Jewellery and she commandeered it!  Don't worry, I have charged her for it! ;)

In other news, I've been updating information around the blog.  I now have a better idea of what postage will be since I signed up to the Royal Mail site.  I still don't know exactly, as the weight of each item will be different (of course) and it also depends on where I'm sending it to.

I'm hoping to invest in some busts and/or displays, so I can properly show you how my jewellery looks, as you'll see in the next updates, I'm making do with my hot wheat pack for the necklaces and a glass tumbler at the moment!  It all comes down to money, doesn't it? *sigh*

I promise there will be new items up soon!

x Kym x

Industrial Steampunk Set

I said I was going to do more steampunk styled jewellery and this is what I came up with:

While browsing some designer jewellery, I came upon a spectacular design by Paco Rabanne, featuring chains, metal loops and black pearls.  I loved the simple looking construction which on closer inspection, you realise how intricate it truly is.  I've just bought a load of steampunk cogs and vintage chains, so I decided to simulate the design.  It kind of reminds me of a ribcage, especially the way it hangs, which I think adds to the steampunk effect.

As I layed out the materials for the design, however, I realised I wouldn't have enough of some of the cogs to finish the earrings as well.  But such is the beauty of steampunk, I grabbed some other metal rings I had and mixed and matched with different chain and various shaped cogs until I had this gorgeous "inner workings" look.  The "black" beads are actually dyed coral, and I love the way the vintage hammered chain contrasts with the normal silver chain.

Finally, I used a metal push clasp with a black acrylic bead to match the coral beads.

The earrings were a little trickier.  I'm not sure if the metal pieces are that were used on the Paco Rabanne ones are smaller than the cogs that I have used, but if I had copied the design exactly, I think they would have been hanging past your underarms!  The earwires are nickel free.

But this wasn't about copying, it was more or less doing what I always do - Taking a piece that I like, and putting my own flair on it to make it into something that I love, and I hope you will too!

This is obviously a one-of-a-kind piece, as I'm not Paco Rabanne, and don't have access to all these materials again! ;)

SOLD!

Peacock Set

I've had this peacock feather (bought when I was a kid) lying around, and it's always getting lost.  So I thought, why not make something out of it that won't be so easily lost, so I made this for myself.

 

First I cut the feather as close to the plumage as I could, but I didn't throw the other bit away.  I'll show you what I did with that later.  I wrapped copper wire around the top and around a copper jump ring several times for security. 

 

I used the many different coloured semi-precious stones I had to emulate the graduating colours of the feather itself.  I started with Goldstone flecked Bluestone chips on either side of the feather pendant.

I didn't have any purple beads that matched the shade I wanted, so I went for turquoise instead.  This is "S" shaped Blue (dyed) Lemon Turquoise.

 I then threaded different sized Antique Bronze metal beads onto pins and bent them into a marquise shape and hung these pear shaped - Turquoise (dyed) Picasso Jasper beads from them.

 There's two thin lines of brown either side of a bright green before it fades into the beautiful dark green colour on the feather.  So to emulate this, I got to use my new brown acrylic beads and lime silver lined seed beads.

 Finally I ended with one of my favourite semi-precious stones - Malachite.

 And it's all connected with an antique bronze barrel clasp.

 So what did I do with the rest of the feather?  I stripped it and made earrings!

 A couple more malachite chips and Capri blue beads for distinction...

 

and voila! Peacock earrings.

 

I have no idea what the price is as I was just having fun.  I can't replicate this design at all, it's just something I made for myself.  I do plan to do more work with feathers though, so keep checking back!

Americana Set

The 4th of July is almost upon us!  In honour I've made this set based on the American Flag.

The pendant was donated.  I'm not sure whether it's glass crystal or quartz. 

The pendant hangs from multi-layered cobalt seed beads and metalised acrylic star beads.

Next, are two layers of red seed beads, and between them a string of quartz chips.  The rest of the necklace is strung on a single strand of clear silver lined seed beads and connected by lobster clasp.

The earrings are a new design I'm trying out.  I made a square hoop using the cobalt seed beads and hung a star in the middle.  Hanging on the bottom are alternating red and clear seed beads to represent the stars and stripes.  The earwires are nickel free. :)

If you would like more information about this set, please feel free to email me at: kymberligee@gmail.com

My Beating Heart Set

A new one-of-a-kind set made with bought beads mixed with recycled beads and rose quartz nuggets.

The pendant is this beautiful metal heart...

This is a marble type bead that I found.  I'm not sure what it came off, but I've had it ages and could never find anything to do with it.  The other recycled beads are these milky glass round beads...

The rest of the necklace is comprised of these glass marbled rose beads...

The beads are wrapped in twisted antique silver knitted wire, which gives it a romantic feel.

The matching earrings are based on dreamcatchers.  Pink acrylic bicone beads are threaded on silver wire which is haphazardly wrapped and bent around square wire that I've made into oval hoops.  The earwires are nickel free.

From the wire, I've hung these white faceted glass hearts.

If you would like more information about this set, please feel free to email me at: kymberligee@gmail.com

3 Poppies Necklace

New for June!  I've finally got my alternate petal colours, so I decided to show off the red daggers in this design.

I created this pendant from three "flowers" that I made from Czech glass daggers wired around an opaque black glass bead.  The finished "flowers" are then tied together and hung from a length of leather cord.  The cord is connected by a gunmetal lobster clasp.

Other petal colours available: rose pink, red [pictured], clear, topaz, peridot/light green, black, green, amethyst, amber, royal blue, turquoise, gunmetal, pale pink, lilac, aqua, sky blue

SOLD!

Calypso Necklace

I'm designing more summer jewellery and here is the latest installment:

The Tagua Nuts are back, this time in fuchsia pink!  I wanted a bright, colour clashing necklace that really stood out.

I added these pretty flower spacers and used the beaded star bead caps to cover the large holed Tagua nuts.

Next we have these turquoise and black Greek ceramic beads and in between those are lime green acrylic beads with an AB coating (reflects various colours), which were taken off an old bracelet. 

I thought I'd show you a close up of what one of the bark blemishes look like.  As you can see, it only adds to the uniqueness of these beautiful beads.

Finally; the necklace is strung onto leather cord, and connected by a lobster clasp, although it is long enough that it should fit over most heads.

There is a limited supply of this necklace.  Once they've gone they've gone.

SOLD!

Wavy Cage Ring

I was playing around with aluminium wire the other day and ended up with this really cool ring:

I manipulated the wire with my pliers and ended up with this wavy pattern.

I finally have a ring mandrel so I'll be able to recreate this.

Email Me for more information!