Hades Necklace

Today is a necklace that I've had pictured in mind for a while, but I wasn't sure exactly how I was going to create it.

It's a collar - almost tribal-style necklace using silver-plated connectors, 6mm & 8mm turquoise/blue glass beads and 6mm & 8mm magnetic hematite.

It's brought together with gunmetal-plated cable chain and a gunmetal-plated lobster clasp.

Looking at the finished article, I'm thinking I may have enough materials to do away with the chain and make it into a full collar, or at least make the chain shorter. It might be very heavy though.

The 8mm blue glass beads that I used were part of a mystery pack of glass bead strands that I had from the U.S.  They're absolutely beautiful up close, with a kind of texturing underlay, almost like foil.

I'll have a go at the full collar and I'll repost it if it works out.

=:x

I Heart...Dragons Bracelet

As promised, we start the week with a new addition to the I Heart...Collection.  There seem to be an abundance of necklaces in the collection at the moment and even though that's what I like to create most, I wanted to make another bracelet.  This time I've decided to go with a cuff style.
I love Dragons and I think they are my favourite mythological creature.  Also, my Chinese astrological animal is the dragon, which I share with my Mother.  So I created this bracelet, drawing on inspiration from them.

Happy Birth/Mother's Day!

I don't usually post at the weekend, especially when it's my birthday!  However I was silly enough to be born around Mother's Day here in the UK so today I have to share the celebration of my arrival on this Earth with celebrating the amazing woman who gave birth to me. I don't have much to offer, so I thought I'd add to the ever expanding collection of jewellery that I have made for her.
As you may or may not be aware, I adore semi-precious gemstones and they are my favourite to work with.  I love the random beauty of natural stones.  I was excited when one of my favourite sites [Beads Direct] to get gemstones were having a sale as it gave me an opportunity to work with a stone I've wanted to buy for a while - Druzy Agate:

K (Potassium) - The Metallics Collection (Part IV)

Part 4 of the Metallics Collection.
I've used Ametrine (Amethyst and Citrine) and metallised acrylic beads in this set.  Both are faceted so they catch the light and sparkle beautifully in the sunlight.  The acrylic beads are great because they have the look of metal, without being heavy.   I've been looking to use the Ametrine for a while as it's one of my favourite semi-precious stones.  I alternated the beads, graduating in size on the necklace, to give it a fan effect.  I tried adding the Ametrine to the earrings, but it made them look unnecessarily clunky and I wanted to keep them light.

More photos on Etsy.

Necklace: £40.00
Earrings: £25.00
Bracelet: £35.00

or buy the set on Etsy for £80.00!

Jelly Bean Set

Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement is intended.  These are my own interpretations of various sweets and candy using various beads.  Nothing in the Sweet Tooth collection is edible.  Please try to refrain from eating!

Who doesn't love Jelly Beans?  Whether it's the gourmet Jelly Belly's and Jelly Bean Factory or their bigger counterparts, they are a yummy staple of the sweet community.

Jelly Bean Set

 Obviously like a real bag of Jelly beans each set is going to vary, but you can be sure you will get a good mix of colours.  I've used many different types of glass beads, and also thrown some semi-precious into the mix.  In the set pictured there is Amethyst, New Jade, Dyed Cherry Jade, Bowenite and Onyx. Spaced between each bead are silver ball spacers like you get on top of biscuits and cakes.  But please note that like the disclaimer says - they are not the edible kind and are made of metal!

Jelly Bean Necklace

 Feel free to request a particular colour of "Jelly Bean" for your earrings!  And please tell me if you require nickel free earwires as the ones pictured are black plated.  (Tip: If you do have a nickel allergy and still want these earrings, try coating the earwires with clear nail varnish.)

Jelly Bean Earrings

 The bracelet is on a coil of memory wire so it will fit all sized wrists. :)

Jelly Bean Bracelet

 I bought some adjustable bling ring blanks and have fallen in love with them.

Jelly Bean Ring

 The finished ring becomes a real statement piece - plus it jangles! ;)

If you would be interested in this set or would like me to make you something similar, please feel free to contact me at: kymberligee@gmail.com with "Jelly Bean Set" in the subject line.

Smarties & Chocolate Eggs Set

Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement is intended.  These are my own interpretations of various sweets and candy using various beads.  Nothing in the Sweet Tooth collection is edible.  Please try to refrain from eating!

Easter is coming up and who doesn't love unwrapping chocolate eggs?

 Multicoloured egg-like acrylic beads and silver grosgrain ribbon to tie.  Spaced between the eggs are metal smartie shaped beads inside hammered metal flowers.  New acrylic eggs are bigger than these pictured.

Smarties and Chocolate Eggs Necklace

Acrylic eggs and Smartie spacers

Smarties & Chocolate Eggs Earrings

 The earrings feature a smartie shaped bead (rainbow fluorite bead pictured) inside a hammered metal oval.  The earwires used are nickel free for anybody that has a nickel allergy. :)

Other coloured Smarties are available, so please let me know your preference upon order.

Smarties & Chocolate Eggs Bracelet

 The bracelet is on memory wire, which means it will fit any adult size wrist.  The bracelet pictured is a mixture of foil acrylic "egg" beads, rainbow fluorite "smarties" and sparkling glass "smarties".

Please note that all sets will look different from this one pictured, as I use a random mix of eggs & smarties.

 

If you would be interested in this set or would like me to make you something similar, please feel free to contact me at: kymberligee@gmail.com with "Smarties & Chocolate Eggs Set" in the subject line.

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):

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