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

Dorothy Ring

I've been dipping into my donation bag again and I've been making some really cool rings with the some of the things I've found in there.  This ring used to be a clip-on earring, I believe.

By using the earring like a cabochon, I beaded around it using tubular peyote stitch with ceylon yellow and brown iris coloured seed beads.

The band that I stitched for the ring reminded me of the yellow-brick road - hence the name Dorothy.

I've done quite a few of these as they are fun to do and it's nice watching old jewellery transform into something new.

=:x

Camille Bracelet

I thought today I would share with you a bracelet I made for myself recently from a tutorial from Spoilt Rotten Beads.  As I said last week, I've been looking into how to use two-hole beads in my beadwork.  I came across these new beads from France called Khéops Par Puca and instantly I was filled with a desire to own as many as I could afford and find out all the many ways I could use them.  As they are triangular, I can imagine they'd lend themselves to all sorts of different patterns and shapes.  I thought I'd better get comfortable with using them before I started hashing up my own designs.

The Kheops I used for this were the California Graphite - half gold, half gunmetal.  I also used Czech fire-polished crystals in iris brown, and the Toho seed beads outlining in the same shade.

To finish off I used a gunmetal clasp.

I also made my mom one, using silver Kheops and hematite beads and coloured seed beads.

=:x

I Heart...Water Necklace

A new addition to the I Heart...Collection this week. The I Heart...Water Necklace.

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.

Beaded Cross Necklace

I've spent this weekend designing and making new items for the I Heart...Collection, but I haven't had time to take any photos yet. Due to some chaotic happenings over the weekend, I'm not sure how regularly I'll be posting this week.
Today's item is a gothic necklace (my favourite theme!) based around a tutorial from Ruby's Beadwork for a beaded cross pendant.

Starfish Earrings

I don't have anything else to show from the I Heart...Collection just yet, so for today's post, I'll be sharing this pair of earrings I made recently.  One of the things I love most about ordering from Jilly Beads, is the free little packet of beads you get with your order.  With my last order, I received these cute little starfish-like beads (glass, I think) and I immediately wanted to turn them into a pair of earrings.

I Heart...Vintage Necklace

Today's item is probably not only my favourite necklace in the I Heart...Collection, but that I've ever created.  This is the ...Vintage Necklace.

I Heart...Language Necklace

So here is the first piece in my new collection - This is the ...Language Necklace.

Molten Metal Necklace

Today I'd like to show you a necklace I've been working on for a while.  The Molten Metal Necklace.

I've had this pendant for a while as I could never figure out what I wanted to do with it.  I came across it again a few months back and after I'd been testing out different beading techniques, I knew I wanted to make a spiral rope chain.  However, matching the colours and creating the pattern proved to be a nightmare.  I never thought silver and copper would be so hard to match!

The black beads were easiest, but it was choosing whether have the silver or copper beads as the core or the accent.  I decided upon these copper-lined crystal beads as a core and accented the black seeds with silver.

As a little something extra, I followed a tutorial on Ruby's to make this beautiful toggle clasp (my first!) and then ruined it by taking the photo before I'd tidied up the excess thread.

 

Oh well, it's still pretty and will be available to buy soon!

=:x

Swarovski Ombre Cuff Bracelet

So this is the last in the set of the Swarovski Ombre.  This was also my first attempt at a wire wrapped cuff/bracelet.  The design was inspired by a tutorial for a watch in one of my beading books.

Swarovski Ombre Necklace

This is probably one the ones I've been most excited to share out of the new things I've created over the holidays.  I bought a Swarovski mix containing various shapes in shades of red.  I played around with them on my design board and was inspired to create an ombre necklace.  I instantly began sketching, however the ombre effect on its own didn't seem enough.  I really wanted to catch the eye.  I began adding strands to add to the effect, but there was still something missing.  Going back to my mixed bag, I noticed the the different sizes and the idea of a 3D ombre came to me.

Christmas Cluster Necklace

This is a necklace I designed for Christmas with a red and green glass bead mix.  I added some gold metal beads too and hung them from a gold plated cable chain.

Mintberry Swirl Necklace

I've really got to think of a better name for this necklace before I sell it!

I've had this pack of lampwork beads that I received in a goody bag (I think!) for while and I haven't really known what I wanted to do with them.  So using my new found beadwork skills, I've transformed it into this beautiful necklace.

More Decorations

I have more decorations to show you before I sign off for Christmas.  I've made a couple of new snowflakes and some wire trees.

Mn (Manganese) - The Metallics Collection (Part VI)

Part 6 of the Metallics Collection is Manganese...

More photos on Etsy.

This is the first set that I actually sketched down the design that I had in my head instead of just making it straight away. 

Manganese necklace sketch

I'm not going to win any design drawing contests, but as you can see from the photo above, it turned out almost exactly as I designed.

I knew I wanted a statement focal, similar to the stunning metal necklaces that they wear on the catwalks and red carpets.  However there were two issues to be addressed.  First of all I'm not a goldsmith or a silversmith, and I don't have access to the materials or equipment needed to make something like this, and I hardly think my little hobby Dremel would be happy to cut through huge sheets of metal!  Second, metal tends to be heavy, and I prefer to make jewellery that looks like the real thing, but is actually wearable.

I discovered these beautiful rumpled rhomboids when I was looking what to spend the £50 gift voucher I won on.  I combined them with these acrylic metal twisted squares that I had left over from another project.  The silver spacer beads that I usually use didn't have the effect that I was looking for, so after raiding my accent bead box I found some acrylic metal rondelle spacers, which looked more like the lopsided circles I'd drawn in my design.

You'll notice in my design, that I only have two silver squares, which didn't hang right, so I added another with some very frustrating wire-bending techniques.  I didn't want the chain to detract from the focal, so I found the smallest chain I could.

The earrings were another problem.  There weren't any smaller versions of the squares that I'd used in the necklace, and yet just one of either the gold or silver looked wrong.  I measured both together with the earwires, and they didn't seem as long as they looked.  Only problem was, that even my longest headpin wasn't long enough.  Luckily I had left over wire from the necklace and bracelet, which I coiled into a spiral at the bottom to hold the squares in place.

As you can see, a lot of work went into this set, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Necklace: £50.00

Earrings: £32.00

Bracelet: £30.00

or buy the set: £90.00

Cr (Chromium) Set - The Metallics Collection (Part V)

Sorry I've been away for so long, but a combination of myself being ill and my Mom's hospital appointments have left me little time to update the Metallics Collection.  I'm back now and ready to show you the rest of the collection!

Part 5 of the Metallics Collection is the Chromium Set:

More photos on Etsy.

This used to be the Electro-Shock Set, but I was never entirely happy with it, and it seems to fit in better with the Metallics Collection.

Chromium can be tinted many different colours, which I hoped to reflect in this piece. This set is a mixture of glass and metal bugles, crystal and seed beads.I knew what I wanted the focal to look like almost immediately.  A graduating fan using small twisted silver bugles contrasted with purple bugles and purple/teal toho seeds hanging from the bottom.
The strands took more planning.  I alternated the long iris twisted bugles with the wavy silver tubes, book-ended with black fire-polished crystals. Somehow one strand of this pretty mix didn't seem enough, so adding another made it stand out even more.

For the earrings, I knew that the graduating fan on its own wouldn't look right, so I simulated the shape of the Americana Earrings and with the chain hanging from the bottom it created this cool trapezium shape.

Buy the set on Etsy: £75.00

Al (Aluminium) Set - The Metallics Collection (Part III)

Part 3 of the Metallics Collection.
I found these beautiful aluminium beads from one of my suppliers, and I thought they would go with some aluminium wire I've had lying around.  So I wrapped it around one of the beads to make a ring and the Aluminium Set was born.  I tried also making bead cages for the necklace and earrings, however it didn't look right, so I left them as they are.

More photos on Etsy.

The necklace is various sized aluminium beads (13mm/16mm/20mm) threaded onto black leather cord and a silver plated toggle clasp.  It's 50cm/19.7" long.

The earrings are 23mm in length with the bead caps.  You can choose which earring style you would prefer.  If you have an allergy to nickel or are not sure, I recommend choosing the Nickel Free option.

Finally, the ring will be custom made, so please include your ring size when you order. (U.K. or U.S. sizings are fine)

Necklace: £35.00
Earrings: £30.00
Ring: £40.00

or buy the set for: £85.00

Waste Knot Ring

Before I post the Metallics Collection, I have a few odds and sods that I'd like to show you first.  I made these just before I moved house, so I wasn't able to post them right away.

I've been making a few button and earring rings lately, first is this exquisite ring, made from a pair of vintage clip-on earrings.

 

It measures about 28mm across. The ring unadjusted is about a size L 1/2 (U.K.) or size 6 (U.S.)
Presented in a magnetic closure box. 

There are only two so get them while you can.

£18.00 (ex. shipping)
Buy now on Etsy!

Fairy Satins 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!

I'm not actually a fan of Fairy Satins, to me they always looked prettier than they tasted!  So I bought some dyed shell nuggets to imitate them.  The necklace is then tied up in a pink satin ribbon.

Fairy Satins Set

 For the focal, I hung a fairy charm from a connector and then threaded AB (Aurora Borealis/Reflective) acrylic cubes with a few random shell nuggets.

Fairy charm

AB Acrylic Cubes and Shell nuggets

 The earrings are similar to the focal on the necklace, except I just hung shell nuggets from the bottom.  The earwires are nickel free.

Fairy Satins Earrings

 For the bracelet, I alternated shell nuggets and acrylic cubes, then added some chain for length.  I may need your wrist measurements to get it the right length.

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 "Fairy Satins Set" in the subject line.