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elderarc — Amethyst Fairy Flower Necklace

Published: 2012-09-17 22:08:57 +0000 UTC; Views: 705; Favourites: 21; Downloads: 0
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Description I finally finished this beast of a project! It's doing well on fb, surprisingly. I've never had strangers share my photos before but they are this time.

Bead embroidery around an amethyst cabochon with pink, red iris and copper lined grey beads that look purple. Cream pearls and cream pearl seeds also, handmade copper clasp with a copper extension chain. The necklace has amethyst and crystal beads along with fire polished beads, Czech druks and cream pearls.

This was made specifically for an art show at the gallery and it's on display this month and next month. I dressed my manni in black and it's so pretty with the necklace! They're on a pedestal in the gallery and look so pretty! I'll try to take photos at the reception this weekend.
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Comments: 24

EssiesJewels [2012-09-20 09:39:49 +0000 UTC]

wow thats insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! great shape n colours

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elderarc In reply to EssiesJewels [2012-09-20 19:35:48 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! I'm so glad to be done with it though... it was driving me nuts, lol.

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RetroRevivalBoutique [2012-09-19 17:33:49 +0000 UTC]

B.E.A.utiful work! (^__^)

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elderarc In reply to RetroRevivalBoutique [2012-09-19 17:44:16 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much! I appreciate it.

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cakhost [2012-09-18 12:24:05 +0000 UTC]

When I saw the thumbnail for this, I though it looked a bit like a cookie, due to the cream beads, but seeing it up close is pretty darn impressive! My mother is more into bead embroidery, as you put it, than I am, but I'm willing to respect anyone who does it because of all the time and commitment that one has to put into working on one of these! You did a great job and I hope your show does well!

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elderarc In reply to cakhost [2012-09-18 18:21:16 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much! You're right, it does look like a cookie! The flower has metallic beads so I decided to be unconventional and pair it with pearlized cream beads and glass pearls. It does take a lot of time but this was my first one so I also learned things for the next project. Thanks again!

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cakhost In reply to elderarc [2012-09-18 18:33:09 +0000 UTC]

Your welcome!

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marsvar [2012-09-18 05:32:17 +0000 UTC]

Wow! Were you born with patience or you developed it later?..

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elderarc In reply to marsvar [2012-09-18 18:22:47 +0000 UTC]

Hah! It's actually pretty soothing unless you're working on a deadline. Then it's sheer panic! I had a deadline and worked steadily for a while on this but normally it's nice and soothing. Kind of a mindless, monotonous type of thing like crocheting or knitting.

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marsvar In reply to elderarc [2012-09-19 02:13:27 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, I guess the longer or harder the work, the sweeter is satisfaction afterwards when you see the result

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elderarc In reply to marsvar [2012-09-19 02:20:24 +0000 UTC]

LOL I try to avoid long projects but I wanted to impress the gallery people. I actually think it would be cool on top of a jewelry box or furnishing but the feature was for jewelry.

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marsvar In reply to elderarc [2012-09-19 08:42:46 +0000 UTC]

u still hv a chance to make more in the same style (and sacrifice ur time ) I think it would look great also with a thick round beaded string instead of thin one. Would be even more impressive. Just a suggestion..

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elderarc In reply to marsvar [2012-09-19 17:51:10 +0000 UTC]

Oh yes it would! LOL beaded ropes just kill me though. I usually will do one for about 7 inches and give up. They take soooo looong!

I took the lazy way out on the necklace part due to time constraints but you're right. I do love Kumihimo though! I have several Kumi projects going right now, some with beads and some just with cording. It doesn't take long and that could be an option for any future projects.

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marsvar In reply to elderarc [2012-09-20 02:07:31 +0000 UTC]

Ok, u already scared me! I had a thought of giving a shot to a couple of beaded ropes as they look soooo pretty but hmmm... i'm a verrrry impatient person...
Hey, u made me turn to google! I had never heard abt Kumihimo but it looks interesting. Since I quickly get bored doing same thing, I love experimenting with smth new. Will hv to try it out

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elderarc In reply to marsvar [2012-09-20 04:55:53 +0000 UTC]

Oh, Kumihimo is really cool! I'm lucky to have a bead shop a block away and she sells the bobbins to hold the thread/cord. It works up quickly and I learned how to by watching lots of you tube videos. I learn everything I do on You Tube. I'm entirely self-taught.

I'm impatient too! I have stacks of unfinished projects because I get bored...

Herringbone is faster than Peyote for ropes... netting requires you to hold tension the entire time which gets tiring on the hands. Crocheting with beads makes a simple and quick rope! I like Kumihimo though. Good luck!

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marsvar In reply to elderarc [2012-09-20 08:48:31 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! Yeah, I'm a self-taught crafter too I wouldn't mind attending some metal-smithing course but none here around
May I ask for a suggestion for best string/thread for bead-work?

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elderarc In reply to marsvar [2012-09-20 19:51:38 +0000 UTC]

It varies widely depending on who you talk to but most prefer Fireline. Spiderwire has a new beading thread, too, and my students use it but I haven't tried it yet because I already have so many threads. I have a friend who uses high strength fishing line for everything and her works are amazing!

It depends on the usage: I'd recommend Fireline or Spiderwire for stand alone things like bracelets or necklaces.

I love Nymo for bead embroidery because you use a lot of thread and you don't really need the strength of Fireline for sewing to fabric. Nymo is inexpensive and comes in lots of colors but I'd recommend getting their thicker one and avoid the really thin ones. I don't recommend cotton type threads at all... they stretch a lot, tangle and kink up and can weaken over time. Even with Nymo I wax the thread to help because it can stretch some but overall it's a fantastic medium strength thread.

I just started using a new thread with my embroidery and it's called SoNo. It was developed by a bead artisan in Japan and it's not only pretty strong (it's somewhere between Nymo and Fireline) but it comes in a larger amount in their spools, which run around $5-$6 USD. It should hold up well in small projects like earrings and perhaps a bracelet if it's Peyote or something but I wouldn't use it where you'll get lots of tugging and I haven't tried it with crystals. Still it's a great thread but it comes in limited colors at the moment.

For loom weaving, my friend recommended C-Lon for the warp and weft threads. It's pretty strong and inexpensive and I think it's stronger than Nymo. You can buy it in sizes from fat almost rat-tail cording to thin ones for beading and I just bought all my students 2 spools each of C-lon size D for their looms. I think size D....

For myself, though, I just bought 2 900-yard spools of Silamide thread for my looms! Silamide is supposed to be a beader's favorite and I've been told it's good, and I use a lot of thread and the spools were $7 for 900 yards so not too bad! I've not used it yet but it did come recommended.

For stringing you're better off with the cable type, metal bead wire but I have used 6 lb Fireline and run it through several times.

On the advice of my friend, I do use fishing line for things too. I found a wonderful 4 lb test line that is thin and pliable and similar to Fireline but at $1 a spool. It's a local brand though. If you decide to try it, check your line for flexibility. You don't want it really stiff unless you need it stiff... I like really flexible line. Also tie a little knot and see if it unravels... some lines don't hold knots well. I have up to 16 lb test and I really like Berkley best...Trilene in a red spool. They make Fireline, too, btw. I don't use it for everything though.. it's awful for herringbone and Peyote stitch but it's wonderful in spiral stitches and flat spiral, etc.

Hope that helps! It's all up to experimentation to which you'll prefer. I generally start with the cheapest and work my way up. The most common lines I use are Berkeley brand Trilene, Fireline, Nymo and SoNo.

Wow, I wrote a book!

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marsvar In reply to elderarc [2012-09-21 04:22:24 +0000 UTC]

Oh yeah, that's a book, and a good one! Really useful, especially because it's all from experience! Thank you so much! Now I just need to go hunting for the threads and start experimenting. I do have some local threads here in India but their quality is so bad that I don't want to waste money on them. I even order my stainless steel wires from USA. May sound insane but that's a reality.

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elderarc In reply to marsvar [2012-09-21 06:31:15 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome! Always happy to help. I believe it; I've had Indian seed beads and they're pretty awful compared to Czech or Japanese. Good luck!

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marsvar In reply to elderarc [2012-09-21 08:23:17 +0000 UTC]

Oh yeah, I do have some Indian seed beads. The size varies just too much and even shape They're cheap though If you need for stringing, they work fine as some deviation of size n shape doesn't harm when they just lie on a string, in fact I even like it, but for bead crochet etc where need fixed size, it just won't work. What you can get here for good price are gemstones, but again, have to watch quality... That's a big issue here. That's the main reason why I often end up getting my supplies from abroad.

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elderarc In reply to marsvar [2012-09-22 00:22:49 +0000 UTC]

Oh yes, they're great for stringing.

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marsvar In reply to elderarc [2012-09-22 04:48:17 +0000 UTC]

In fact, I used Indian seed beads in one of my projects with iron tiger-eye recently
[link]

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elderarc In reply to marsvar [2012-09-22 05:57:19 +0000 UTC]

those beads don't look bad, though. Nice job!

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marsvar In reply to elderarc [2012-09-22 06:04:41 +0000 UTC]

aaah, i just remembered that these ones were not the local ones... haha! any way, they were of all the possible sizes and shapes

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