Experimenting | Bridal & Custom



Original Design

For sometime now, I've had plan for a twist on a simple drop necklace (like the one above) that would dress it up & make it especially suitable for special occasions. As I wanted to keep the colors simple, I knew that the difference would have to be in the wire links themselves & how I put the jewelry together. After looking through some of my own designs & testing out shapes with wire, these swirly links resulted.

Contrary to my first guess, these links proved to be rather sturdy (when you make larger links & don't increase gauge, you usually lose structural strength & durability). In the test run, they wore well under normal use, without any signs or stretching or losing their shape.

I'm currently working on another version that has sparkling crystals instead of the classic pearls. I chose to use Swarovski Crystals & pearls because of their wide range of colors & hues, making it simple to customize to any taste or color scheme.

 

What do you think of the new links?

Style Experiments - Removable Pendants

~ Peach Braided Necklace ~
{with lovely vintage shell pendant}

While I've explored different ways of making jewelry that's easy to change (adjustable lengths,  interchangeable pendant options, & different ways to wear), it's been some time since I last came up with something that has potential for working with many design styles.

It all began quite simply; I wanted to expand my jewelry line with more multi-strand necklaces. While I like lush statement jewelry, I had something lightweight, summery & versatile in mind. Something that deserved a bold but simple pendant in the removable style that had been running through my head lately....

Pendant in hand, I went to Design Seeds for a summery palette with that aqua blue & found this:

~ Frosted Summer ~
taken from Design Seeds

Definitely summery but in frosted brights rather than the usual neon tones of summer. I added in matte clear spacer beads to keep the strands looking & feeling light along with golden metal accents to contrast the chilly tones. The dandelion pendant is suspended from a twisted wire ring that slides over all six colorful strands to be removed.

Whether it's worn with the lovely Humblebeads aqua dandelion pendant or simply in it's colorful multi-strands, this necklace is delightful & matches just about everything!

What do you think of removable or interchangeable pendants?

Color Palettes | Tuscan Hoops

~ Tuscan Hoops ~

 Hoop earrings seem to fascinate me. I think it's a combination of fun & the perfect size for testing a new color palette on a small scale.

I subscribe to Design Seeds & when I saw this palette, I knew that I had to make a design based off of this. So, these hoop earrings were just right for trying out the color combination. 

Tuscan Hues by Design Seeds

What inspires you?