Playtime

Now that I've finished the book and taken a little break from jewelry making, it was fun to take some time and play. Making jewelry just for me helps me explore new ideas and push myself into new areas. This week I had great fun with some unusual Swarovski products from Artbeads.

I had never seen this crystal-wrapped faux suede before, and now that fall is here, I was in the mood to experiment with browns and coppers. I used the smoked topaz and golden yarns blended with indigo-crystal accented copper chain. I really like the combination of soft and hard materials. To finish, I used a topaz rock pendant. For me, it gives the right weight to the design while keeping with the natural theme. What do you think?

Next up, I wanted to experiment a little more with my copper wire. I love the combination of the indigo with the dark copper. Isn't this copper ball just the cutest thing? I made it in the same way you'd begin to ball yarn, and just strung crystals along the way.

Once you start working with new metals like copper, you quickly realize that if you've made a necklace, it's time for coordinating earrings. I'm not a fan of matchy-matchy, but I love to coordinate.

And just because I couldn't stop, I made a silver pair.

If you're a crystal geek, you know that Swarovski has recently discontinued its line of bicone crystals (5301) and replaced it with the new Xilion cut 5328, seen here. I'm happy to report that from a distance, they look just like bicones, but the sparkle is significant. If you have a stash of bicones, you can easily blend them with the new cut. These have a 2x AB finish.

Thanks, Artbeads, for letting me play.