Making a Briolette or Side-Drilled Teardrop Hanger

Click the title to go to the page. This is sort of what I had envisioned, but being new to making loops or doing anything with wire, my first attempt turned out alot more . . . . Primitive. Which, given a primitive, rough-surfaced and rough-cut briolette, might not be such a bad thing . . . but I was going for elegance.

Obviously the method pictured here works best with side-drilled pendants that narrow quite a bit from their widest point, to their narrowest point at the top. Briolettes and teardrop-shaped pendants making up the bulk of these, although I can see diamond-shaped or squares set on their corner pendants working with this as well.

Enjoy.

Swarovski Purple Hex & Pearl & Siam Variation

This one was a pain to figure out the color gradation pattern, but once I did it became really easy to do. I didn't even plan for the darkest and "lightest" to appear on the outside points; it just kind of happened that way, logically, given how I figured out the pattern. It will have a sterling star toggle clasp when done. See if you can see why a star . . . . Right now it is roughly about 7", and I'll be adding more crystals, about 1/4" worth, and then the clasp, so it will fit my 7 1/2"inch wrist (It'll end up about 8" or so.)

The dark purples are kind of hard to see the difference between them, in the scan. Click on it, then click on the slightly enlarged one, go down to the right hand corner and click on the square that appears. You should then be able to see better the differences in color.

I wish I had more varieties of purple! So there could be more variation amongst the light colors. Still, it turned out very pretty! I don't have a two-strand clasp yet, so that's why it is shown without one.

I thought it was about time I scanned and posted something else I've done; even if it isn't quite finished yet!

Update: I came up with this Light Grey Swarovski Pearl and Siam Swarovski Crystal version late in the day. I'm not sure if it's dorky or cool! I had to enhance it in Elements because the red scanned horribly. It's still not quite right; the pearls are a bit too highlighted and the red is a bit off, but at least it shows red now. Lol!

These are to DIE for!

Again, click the title to go to the page.

The only ones I could possibly ever afford are the smallest circles, but oh my gosh, they are so BEAUTIFUL!

Stunning!

Breath-taking!

My faves of the smallest circles are Malay Sunset IV, Celebes Waterfall IV, Kobe Night Wind IV, Hainan Celebration IV. Malay Sunset IV being my favorite! Celebes & Kobe tying for 2nd, and Hainan for 3rd (4th).

Which ones do YOU like?

I'm Going to Make ME One of These, Too!

Although I might make it longer, and/or change it around so much it'd be different. Lol. I just can't resist tinkering.

Click the subject title to see it, it's the "First Holiday Snowfall" necklace I made 3 weeks ago.

I've got plenty of those crackly beads left, but I'm low on silver melons and I need an 8mm round white howlite. Or more, since I'm considering making a sort of Holiday Blizzard version of the necklace; ie, I'm seeing alot more white, in my mind.

I guess we'll see how it turns out! Or not, because you can't see in a blizzard. Hee!

I'm going to start playing with leather and suede soon. I've got 5-6 ideas, although I can't get the materials for all those ideas at once.

I am really loving some thin curved shell pendants my SIL Becky got recently! HERE. I'm going to have to remember this site. Probably will try some in January!

On another note, I canNOT find 9mm glass donuts anywhere! More like glass rings, I see some glass "donuts" listed on various sites, but those are more like a very thick very oversized rondelle, very fat. The type I'm talking about has a pretty big hole in the middle. In fact, the hole is bigger than the glass "donut"/ring, is thick. At least, it looks that way, and the technique seems to require it. The picture I've seen doesn't exactly show it well, and no resource was listed for these.

Been having fun seeing Vickie Lee's lampworked beads shoot through the roof on Ebay. A set is or just went for like $70 . . . . I've only exchanged emails with her once, but she's a friend of my MIL so I feel sort of personally attached. And, I spent a good portion of last week surfing artisan glass bead sites . . . . I had to keep picking my jaw up off the floor! Talk about wearable ART! It's all my MIL and her friend's fault that I now am addicted to lampworked beads and I haven't had any yet! Well, some mass-produced red with white dot ones, but that's nowhere near on the level I'm talking about now! So. It's their fault, and I'm sticking to it like hot glass on a (what do they call that rod they work the glass with?).

I happened upon a site with a variety of lampworked dolphins. Since I ADORE dolphins, I'll be keeping that one in mind as well. I like that he's done some non-traditional colors (stuff way out there, beyond the logical blues, etc.). The FORM (ie, the position, attitude, etc.) that I like the best, is in the middle of the top row. Don't count the single one at the top as a row. I like the colors, too, but I also really like some of the more funkily colored ones as well. I also like positions you don't usually see, such as the two hanging by the tail, although the lower of those two, there is something about the way the side fins are done that is just off. He needs to improve that form, a bit, but if he does, I'll really like it. It's too bad the form in the top row, is the only one of it's kind on the page! There's so many to see!

I don't like the ones that look like they have some splotches, or almost splotches, in them, but most of the rest are cool. There's a few, that look too cutesy I suppose, especially when he goes for an extremely traditional coloring like the blue top/light bottom one, with the sharply delineated color. The eyes and snout on these can't help but look too cutesy on something so realistic seeming (even if dolphins aren't really blue lol). I'm also not too sure about the ones with two hanger loops, but I'll keep looking. I haven't decided if I like those or not.

I wonder how much it'd cost to get some custom lampworked "seaweed" done to go with a dolphin or two.

I SO want some gorgeous art glass to work with, a set or two. Glass bead lust, if you like. And I LIKEY!

TTFN!

I just got some GREAT ideas for some Necklaces!

All three, using leather. One with some cool chain and other things on it, and one with some well it's difficult to describe but ooo It's going to be NEAT and DIFFERENT! The third being some clusters of three pearls knotted 1 1/2 inches apart on some coordinating leather. Or suede. Not sure yet.

I just wish I could find some silver stuff in a matte finish, especially a 4-6 mm wide long box chain (sometimes called long (heavy paper) box chain. Like a paper chain you used to make as a child, except it's open rectangles, instead of circles. I'd SO love to find this in a matte finish. Heck, even in regular bright silver. Or antiqued. Urg. All I can find is some 1.5mm stuff and that just WON'T do!

Still, I don't need that for the neat and different necklace. I'd still like some matte silver components, but I'll settle for bright silver if i have to. I was inspired by some stuff I saw at the store, but of course I'm changing it and putting my own ideas into it, my own twist and stuff.

But ARG! I've lost one of the vials of my sterling headpins. And I neeed the 24 gauge to do the clusters of pearls. I wish there was a tool, that you could squish on to the end of a piece of wire, that'd "make" the flat head of a headpin.

Yippee! I think Beck (hi!) is going to think these are cool! Plus I might string some pearls on a strand hanging from some leather too. Leather and pearls, I'm just loving it!

Yeeehoo.

I've been featured on someone's site!

Actually, it was a beading post from my main blog, Piebolar, but it was done before I had this blog.

See this site, here, where they put a post of some necklaces I did!

Dolphin Ring to interchange 8mm beads into!

OOoooooo! Look what I found surfing today. Took me a minute to see the "dolphin" shape wrapped around the bead, but it's there. I like! And it's on sale, whee! Three sizes of what they call enhancer clips, but will work as enhancer bails, there as well. I'm hoping the largest will go over a decent size bead (4-6mm).

Dolphin ring that I can put 8mm beads into and switch them out!

Venetian & Murano Glass Focal Beads, Pendants, Etc.

OHMYGOSH! I cannot stop gazing in AWE upon all the marvelously stunning beautiful beads and pendants on this site!

I especially like the Missori, Aventura, striped, swirled, Zirco (or something) lacey pattern, Klimt-style, and SO MANY MORE! The black/white hearts, the Nicola ones with raised swirly and dot patterns (esp in cream/red, and cream/black), and OH SO MANY MORE! Just the hearts category ALONE could keep me happy for years!

While there are things up in the $30-$40 price range, there's some good-size and beautiful stuff down in the $5-$15 range (if I love it enough, even a $20 pendant is not that badly priced, especially considering all the handwork that is done). But OH so many in the $10 range, which is MUCH better priced than alot of the other gorgeous pendants I see out there.

OooooooooooooooOooooooooooooooo! Lovely stuff!

Sorted 1440 Assorted Colors 3mm Swarovski Bicones Lately?

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

That about sums it up.

Oh yeah, and the hunched back, squinted eyes, and muffled "dagnabbits" or their equivalent (okay, so I say CRAP!) every time you drop one on the floor . . . . Especially the topaz color, as they blend in with the carpet . . . .

But OOOOOooooo they are sparkly! A white scoop full of these, is just too "yummy", in that beadily delicious way.

Still, 1440 3mm translucent beads, of various colors, sorting them into color families, handling each and every one . . . . . Oy!

"We Gather Together" Necklace Set

Keep in mind the Carn-elian scanned WAY dark. To lighten the reds in Adobe Ele-ments much would mess with the creamy yellow. The yellow isn't exactly right but as close as I could get when adjusting in Adobe Elements. It's more yellow in person, but not TOO yellow. A nice dusty autumnal yellow. Picture the yellow and carnelian necklace as Indian Corn, which is it's title, and that will help.

The middle necklace is Indian Summer, and the bottom necklace is Autumnal Pond.

Carnelian, Aragonite (the yellow stone), and Denim Lapis. The yellow is creamy without being bright. Here, it looks more either like a creamy pearl or something, but it stands up well with the Carnelian, which here looks more like garnet, but it's not that dark. It is still dark IRL, but a definite deep orange-tinged red. And the Denim Lapis is a nice, medium denim color.

23, 21, and 19 inches, roughly. With extenders, you can space them out more randomly (as I don't like three necklaces to be all spaced exactly the same apart). The designs, though, kind of needed to end where they did. The middle one, because longer would have been too long to go with the longest necklace, and shorter would have been too short to go with the shortest. Going shorter on the Indian Corn, the shortest necklace, would have been rather short (it may be 19" but when using thicker stones like this, about 6mm for the whole necklace, it seems to "wear" shorter, ie, the circumference of the stones makes it sit closer to your neck, at these short lengths.

Anyhoo, I'm tempted to not even post it since the carnelian scanned almost black-red and the creamy yellow of course is hard to scan right. But without the proper lighting and a few small diffusers, reflectors, etc., this is the best I can do for the moment.

Yummy. Much better in person, a nice autumnal scheme.

Late Fall in Utah necklace

I didn't set out to make a Southwest-feeling necklace, but the dusky orange with some blues, reminds me of late fall here in Utah.

It's about 32" long, which on me has the leaf falling right smack dab centered um how shall I put this? Right between well. You get the idea. Anyway, I kinda like it falling naturally there, it's a natural spot to rest.

The Swarovski crystals sparkle nicely, like the sun glinting off of the Great Salt Lake on a Fall afternoon. The silver tube beads also remind of the reflection from the lake.

There's a fairly long section without crystals in the upper half of the necklace; I'm trying to decide if I need to adjust.

I hope it'll let you click on it for a larger view; some pics I upload allow that, and some don't.

It seems to right now, be working.

Problem is, I REALLY love this necklace and want to keep it, but I've hardly submitted any jewelry with pendants to the reseller . . . . . I actually do "owe" myself a necklace out of this batch, though. I figure I should keep one out of every ten necklaces, and figure that as "marketing", since by wearing them I may get inquiries. I've gotten compliments and remarks on the one necklace/bracelet set I've kept so far. I actually might owe myself TWO out of this batch, but we'll see.

Welcome to My Beading Blog . . . .

Here is the first triple grouping of necklaces for layering I've designed. I call it Winter's Crystalline Nightfall.

Click on it to enlarge. If that's working right now, UGH. Sometimes you can further enlarge using an icon that will sometimes appear in the lower right-hand corner.

The shortest is about 17", the middle is about 20", and the longest is about 24".

These just came to me fairly quickly. They look MUCH better in person, with the pearly sheen, and then the crystalline sparkle of the clear crystals, with the silver spacers peeking out between various pearls and crystals.

I've been posting so many beaded creations lately on www.piebolar.blogspot.com, I thought I'd give them their own blog, plus discussion of beading here would be great as well. It'll still come up on my main blog, though.