Saturday, May 9, 2009

Serpentine Necklace

Saturday = Creative Freedom!

I had a great time this morning working on two different designs for the same silver plated serpentine necklace from Rings & Things. I took a half day off yesterday and when I got home, a package of beading supplies was in the mailbox. Could a Friday be any better? It really made my day! I spent a little while last night brainstorming and digging through bead containers so I'd be prepared this morning to create!

I came up with one very simple design using one of my favorite swarovski components in light aqua. I ran an eye pin diagonally through the swarovski bead and connected the loop to the very center of the chain. I then just clipped off the eye pin so I could make a larger loop on the other end to gather around the chain itself. This created a frame for the component and sets it off nicely in that little loop. The silver of the chain is very bright which worked perfectly with this bead.

The other design incorporates that simple little peace sign that I mentioned a while back and have been a bit infatuated with lately! :) I wired the peace sign to the wooden bead and knotted light khaki hemp cord through each of the 3 holes at the bottom of the wooden circle. This wasn't my original thought when I bought those beads, but I thought it turned out sort of cute, sort of hippie-ish, which are two outcomes I tend to strive for when making jewelry.

I took off the clasp briefly so I could run the large-hole silver plated round over both ends. The silver round moves up and down so you can move it closer to the neck if you like wearing choker-length necklaces. Or, you can move the bead close to the wood bead, as in the photo, if you like a longer necklace.

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, these designs sort of represent my often-contradictory personality. By day, buttoned-up member of the establishment, by night (and especially weekend), free-spirited flower child.

I'm posting a tad bit early today since we want to get a good spot at the drive-in! Have a good one!

5 comments:

The Beading Gem said...

What a clever framing idea with the chain! Sometimes it just takes a little ingenuity to come up with something totally different. Pearl

ohdawno said...

Great ideas! Love the different looks you can get from one chain, of course I'm partial to the one with the peace symbol.

WireMySoul said...

They're both really lovely. That was a really ingenius trick with the crystal! Way to go! ~Jan

Dave Robertson said...

The peace sign inside another bead is a groovy idea!

--Dave
(@Rings_Things on Twitter)

Unknown said...

You had me at "creative freedom"! Gorgeous pieces :)