The components we had to work with this month were these lovely little hollow copper lentil beads made by Joanne Tinley of Daisy Chain Extra fame.
The fates seemed to be conspiring against me for this months challenge though...I always knew I was going going to struggle for time with all the things going on but this was exacerbated by the fact that the first bead Jo sent me never arrived and the second only made it here late last week...all a little frustrating when you think that Jo only lives about 25 miles from me!
The upshot of this was that when I finally set to work yesterday I had no option but to keep things simple to make sure I got the piece completed but, in the end that turned out to be no bad thing. Jo's bead is fairly small and as I wanted it to have some 'presence' I felt the piece need to be quite delicate.
Since I've been working with bronze clay I've not used copper very much but after rummaging in the depths of my bead stash I found this pretty patinated copper pendant from Leann Weih of Summers Studio that I've had for years. It's quite light so I thought it would sit well with Jo's bead without overpowering it.
Jo also sent us some tiny charms with our beads and I combined these with the bead and the pendant to form a long focal element which I hung from a simple fine copper trace chain. I actually liked this just as it was but while I have no qualms about keeping things simple, I felt I hadn't really done much for a challenge piece. So after staring at it for a couple of hours I decided to add some light embellishment to the chain in the form of tiny turquoise rice beads and this was the final result.
I think there is a nice balance to the focal section which gives each piece equal prominence and I love the continuation of the chain with the heart dangles..
The necklace is actually quite long but I've pulled it back in this last picture to get a better perspective.
All in all I'm pretty pleased with it - it doesn't break any new ground but it's light, comfortable and eminently wearable and most of all, it think it does show of the beauty of Jo's bead. I hope you like it too.
You can see what the other participants made using the links below.
Carolyn (Carolyn's Creations)
Jess Green
Niky Sayers
Jo Tinley
Jennifer Cameron
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Susan Kennedy
Linda Landig
Melissa Meman
Kristen Stevens
Francesca Watson
Lesley Watt
Lesley
Lesley that is so beautiful! I love LeAnn's focal, and the colours are gorgeous together. Thank you for making such a lovely necklace with my bead!
ReplyDeleteI love this necklace, Lesley. It is perfect in every way. LeAnn'a focal is gorgeous and really showcases Jo's bead, without overshadowing it. I love the way you used the little charms and I think the addition of little beads in the chain was brilliant. I'd wear this all the time. Super.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! what a perfect design to showcase the bead.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! And I agree, it is eminently wearable and a lovely way to showcase the warmth and richness of Jo's bead!
ReplyDeleteI am in love with this necklace Lesley! That focal is perfect with Jo's bead and I love the addition of the heart charms and the pop of color in the chain. I would totally wear this!
ReplyDeleteSo elegant, and I love copper and turquoise together... they are best friends!
ReplyDeleteLOVE Copper and Turquoise together. A beautiful perfect match!~! You just gave me a great idea for my Bead Soup too!
ReplyDeleteLesley! What a stunningly beautiful creation! Truly, design is not about putting a lot of stuff into a piece, but about finding that perfect balance. You totally achieved that, from the rice beads, to the heart drops. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteStop with the apologies! ;)
ReplyDeleteYour brief was to create a piece showcasing Jo's bead! You are spot on! We aren't trying to re-invent the wheel, and it doesn't seem such a challenge when we are repeatedly sent lovely things to work with!
I love the colors. The dangle adds a nice sense of movement. And I am glad you added the gems on the chain, a nice color element/continuity!
So elegant! I love the colors and the dangles, and love that you went with a longer style - it really suits. (And I agree with Jenn - this doesn't seem like much of a challenge when the pieces we're sent are so fabulous!)
ReplyDeleteLooks like your delays brought out a pretty wonderful design. It is definitely very wearable - the kind of necklace I would find myself reaching for time and time again (helps that it's in one of my favourite colours too ;)
ReplyDeleteLesley!!!! So gorgeous! In such a short time. You amaze me!!!!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous Lesley!
ReplyDeleteNice nice nice, Lesley! This necklace is so gorgeous. I love the colors and the design too. I'm looking forward to the 3th BSBP reveal. Do you have seen, the reveal is postponed to April 22th.
ReplyDelete