Building a necklace

Several months ago I chose a bunch of new components from Artbeads.com to review as part of my blogging partnership with them. Yesterday I was finally able to sit down and finish the necklace I started way back then. How the heck does time pass by so quickly?

For this piece I chose a beautiful porcelain butterfly wing bead as my focal. I thought it would be fun to combine it with my own porcelain pieces and see if I could make it work harmoniously. I like the result quite a bit! At first I was focused on the whole butterfly theme and then I decided to just scrap that idea and not pay attention to the butterfly at all. I just focused on the colors and the structure of the wing design and then I was much happier.

I used mother-of-pearl rings and some Czech glass beads along with copper wire to create a sort of celled structure. I did something like this a while ago and have always wanted to explore this idea a little more. The celled structure of the butterfly wing gave me just enough inspiration to give it a go.

I chose this beautiful silk ribbon to tie the whole piece together. Typically I am not a huge fan of using ribbon in my work. I know, sounds weird, especially since I do love how it looks. But for me it is more a matter of longevity. The historian side of me tends to wonder where my pieces will be 100 years from now and this ribbon doesn't really work into that equation. At least in a functional, durable kind of way. However, I'm living in this moment and I am quite happy with the ribbon on this piece. It provides a nice splash of color that ties the piece together and also gives a softer edge to what could potentially be a rather ridged necklace.

Disclaimer: I was sent these components free of charge to honestly review. I was not paid to do this.

Comments

Kella said…
What an interesting design, the cell structure is certainly striking and you combined the ceramic focal with your ceramic pieces beautifully.


I get the left hand side of it but i am having difficulty visualizing the right side with the larger cell structure, any chance of seeing a picture with it on please?
Filomena said…
Love all of these components, but I'm having a hard time imagining how it looks when worn. How do all of the pieces sit on the neckline?
Would love to see a photo of it being worn! :)
TesoriTrovati said…
Such an intriguing design, Nancy! I love how the piece references the butterfly wing...color, shape, texture. Very lovely!
Enjoy the day! Erin
Silver Parrot said…
Glad to know I'm not alone in thinking about the longevity of ribbon in jewelry pieces...yet I still just LOVE how it looks. Kind of a dilemma. I've been hoarding some of those same ceramic butterfly beads - great to see one used in conjunction with your own pieces!
Bill Perrine said…
Whoa!! You ARE incredibly artistic! Katie Nelson is very correct!
Bill Perrine said…
People are going to think Bill is nuts! LMAO! I just realized that he was the last one to sign onto blogger and all the comments I'm leaving keep coming up as him ;o) Better sign off!

Don't give him credit for saying how talented you are....I'll be back to clear this up ;o)
This is more like it! I'll tell Bill that he already left you all kinds of compliments so he has no need to rush to that tonight ;o)
Jen Judd said…
I absolutely love this piece! And I thought right away of the "wave" piece you did a few months ago. It truly makes the most of your new components. :)
Alice said…
That's an amazing piece! I can't imagine the time that went into making it. Like the others said, I'd love to see how it is worn.

That butterfly piece is beautiful, but waaaaaay out of my price range. Sniff sniff.
Anonymous said…
Interesting design, very cool! I too would like to see a photo of it worn, to get a better visual.
So cool! I love the wave piece you did too. Both are very unique.
Cerulean Gypsy said…
OMGosh...Your piece is stunning. I love that I feel I'm looking at something quite new. A design, shape, and look I've never seen it.
Thank you for sharing!!!

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