The *Earth Mother* Necklace

A gift,

wrought of silver and stone...

An ode to Mother Earth,

for an Earth Mother...

The back of the cabochon was too beautiful to cover.


The essence of Mother Earth,


captured in stone...

So I learnt a new technique*,


to let her shine,

to let her breathe.

She is held by a whisper of silver...

A drop of natural faceted chalcedony,


magnificently milky....

...and faceted aquamarines twinkle above her,

like stars on a cloudless night...

An Earth Mother necklace...

...for my very own Earth Mother.

Merry Christmas, Mum.


B.
-xo-


*I taught myself how to create step bezel.  Rather than create a bezel using sheet metal which covers the entire back of the cabochon, I used heavy gauge wire to create a 'step' inside the bezel.  The wire is just enough to hold the stone securely, but thin enough to expose the maximum amount of stone.  Sheesh, it sounds simple when I say it like that! LOL  But to get a snug fit was, well, HOURS of work!!


Oh, and eight soldering joins went into the creation of this necklace! <:-)

Angelus

Tis the season...for making beaded gifts!

This necklace is winging it's way to its new owner as we speak, just in time for Christmas. I have named her 'Angelus' which is Latin for 'angel'...the central motif looked angel-like to me:

It was frustratingly difficult to take a decent photo of this piece. The twisted hematite bugle beads are so sparkly in real life, as are the crystal AB rondelles. Anyway, you get the idea:


Detail of the central 'angel-like' motif:

I wanted the double-sided toggle clasp to reflect the rest of the necklace design. And this is what I came up with. What do you think, does it work?:


The whole design came together so quickly, starting with the central motif, as if by magic. Don't you love it when pieces work that way! :)