Pro rescue for amateur beaders, Part Two
After concluding her short-lived, unsatisfying adventure in beading, LauraH turned over her cache of quality gemstone beads to pros for a fix. I posted on her first reno project last fall, here. She had a few more pieces en train, and today, over a year later, they're in the windows.
Turquoise and pearls
Left: Laura made the original necklace of turquoise, chrysocolla and silver beads; the result was too static for her style, and rarely worn. She had, however, invested in good material, and so there it sat until I mentioned she was not living far from two jewellers who had rescued a clunky, heavy necklace I had made.
Top right: The jewellers mixed her beads with pearls from a sweet strand her parents gave her at around age 21; a much looser design. Now she has a current, casual piece that's "Laura", and carries the sentiment of their long-ago gift.
Bottom right: They made a second turquoise necklace (from other turquoise beads) to layer or wear as wrap bracelet.
Above, Laura wears the handmade hook clasp to the side. A beautiful clasp becomes a focal point, not just a fastening.
The pro chose serene simplicity, with the custom clasp as the lone added element. (For beginner beaders, over-design is a common tendency, especially when standing in a bead store brimming with enticements.)
Lesson: You need not use all the material you have in one piece. Forcing a design to use every last bead is unwise; better a few unused bits than a busy, incoherent piece.
A 'stretch' for lapis
Laura also imagined a new life for her lapis beads. I would do nefarious things to own an Artworks Gallery bead and pearl bracelet, shown (at left) in rutilated quartz with a 22k brushed gold bead and a golden South Sea pearl. The same chic design caught Laura's eye, too!
Laura's repurposes her lapis, with a new Artworks Gallery handmade 14k gold bead and a 12mm South Sea pearl. This is a judicious use of additional fine materials.
Jewellers who make their elements, such as Pam Chandler and Don Collins of Artworks Gallery, are ever harder to find, and you do have to give them time to make the custom findings. Another sign of superior jewellers: they work as carefully with your own materials as with theirs.
For her patience, Laura has exactly what she wanted: versatile jewellery proportioned just for her, and alive with the vibrant colour that is her signature, whether on her lovely person or in her lush garden.
Warm thanks not only to Laura, but to all who share their reno projects. I post these to show how to revive still-beautiful material, and how the sentiment and memory of a sentimental gift transforms when restyled expertly.
Turquoise and pearls
Left: Laura made the original necklace of turquoise, chrysocolla and silver beads; the result was too static for her style, and rarely worn. She had, however, invested in good material, and so there it sat until I mentioned she was not living far from two jewellers who had rescued a clunky, heavy necklace I had made.Top right: The jewellers mixed her beads with pearls from a sweet strand her parents gave her at around age 21; a much looser design. Now she has a current, casual piece that's "Laura", and carries the sentiment of their long-ago gift.
Bottom right: They made a second turquoise necklace (from other turquoise beads) to layer or wear as wrap bracelet.
Above, Laura wears the handmade hook clasp to the side. A beautiful clasp becomes a focal point, not just a fastening.
The pro chose serene simplicity, with the custom clasp as the lone added element. (For beginner beaders, over-design is a common tendency, especially when standing in a bead store brimming with enticements.)
Lesson: You need not use all the material you have in one piece. Forcing a design to use every last bead is unwise; better a few unused bits than a busy, incoherent piece.
A 'stretch' for lapis
Laura's repurposes her lapis, with a new Artworks Gallery handmade 14k gold bead and a 12mm South Sea pearl. This is a judicious use of additional fine materials.
Jewellers who make their elements, such as Pam Chandler and Don Collins of Artworks Gallery, are ever harder to find, and you do have to give them time to make the custom findings. Another sign of superior jewellers: they work as carefully with your own materials as with theirs.
For her patience, Laura has exactly what she wanted: versatile jewellery proportioned just for her, and alive with the vibrant colour that is her signature, whether on her lovely person or in her lush garden.
Comments
I’m partial to the lapis bracelet. This is a good reminder to leave it to the pros.
Abigail: It is that way with any hobby we jump into naively, with enthusiasm. Some persons have talent and the rest of us bump into our limitations. But even if we are not destined to be first-class chefs, beaders, or garden designers, our forays help us appreciate those abilities in others. Someone will love your stash.
Leslie M: While hardly anyone would wade in and try to set stones (like your peridots), beads seem easier, and some of my friends and readers here have done satisfying renos. But it is not solely a matter of skill, it is the eye. Even « bead project » books I scan can present busy designs that look eccentric and not in a good way.
Lily: Exactly. I’ll be posting on that as we head into craft show season.
lagatta: Yes, you have mentioned that necklace before. If conflicted about wearing, you might know someone who would like it.
This jeweller also does renos. I saw a few ideas here...
https://www.facebook.com/Marc.Howard.Jewelry.Store/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARCYtxMWlCK9WI720iUTVlXeh6tUsaMDk3TLS-gZ4BW0DMjIkEKd_9o4zVMJqUP0OO_f6iEODGmCozbH&hc_ref=ARTVb-coq_9EkTLxgzxYIU94wA3AVcHQ7eA12vBVE2n5lCP6g4tUaxXqo56J2T99agw&fref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARCd2av3v_KkQ0xXAmyhj8H0zvAPcF9Gxn7SGCWo1mC8TnKDBCgW8gUWDzFGYI3F9WH0nVFtAyeodHwL60X_OgJQs7N45vCX7PqWfvRd2COQDfrl5KigxvjRs4jWVwupPeNASyBs0h7MzLP-gPFlNCD3ADuNANueQrvKJUiZlFVUvHykeskRwVN8xkr58iDzzVnAfGas6yri9l_1QNIp9xzaupeI1O1jQkt-TiEo_05l7Urd7QoyGdtzUeb8x1a2siygmaBHKktvUD7VvZpdbQoVRSX33wxnHqEkkySQzJB_FMYNKdIID63d4chnWRCf19aHByx0xLu9KxR4llR2cfxMEg