Some New Pendants

Well, I was having a hard time getting the lid to close on my "artisan ceramics" and "pendants" containers, so I decided I'd better get busy. I had been thinking of this pendant for a long time-- a graceful rectangular polymer clay pendant by Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Trovati, from her "Forest Finery" series called "Simply Oak":

I wanted to match the gunmetal color on the pendant frame, so I fished out some pewter-colored buttons I've had in my stash forever, and knotted them together with dark brown waxed linen cording.

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Miraculously I had glass seed beads from Fusion Beads in a matte, metallic denim color that EXACTLY matched the subtly varying blues in the pendant, and some sweet little carnelian nuggets.

I finished it off with some no-nonsense silver-plated steel chain.

Next, I dipped into my hoard of Karen Totten ceramic components, and plucked out this little gem:

I circled it for a day, trying it with this bead and that bead, this cording and that, arranging and rearranging. I came back to it the next day, and this was what I eventually arrived at as it grew dark outside:

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Recycled glass beads from Ghana via Happy Mango Beads; two more little glazed lozenge beads by Karen; lovely matte glass seed beads in sand hues also from Happy Mango; ceramic discs in coffee glaze from somewhere like Michael's, I don't remember; sterling silver wire and tiny sterling silver beads; waxed linen cording and leather; and a little drilled beach stone at the end, just for fun.

I started out with way more beads than I ended up with--I kept paring down, paring down, and the sterling wire and beads were a last-minute addition related to covering up some knots. I rather like the extra interest the little silver "bubbles" added here and there. I used double-ended 18 gauge fine silver headpins to fasten the leather into loops, and tossed in some of my embossed beadcaps.

I am especially fond of the nekkid sections of cording--I guess that would be "negative space," jewelry-style!

I have more Karen Totten in my container and I'm not afraid to use it. Anymore. This exotic little "Forest Fossil Ring" was next:

I held it in my hand for an evening, scrutinizing it under a full spectrum bulb, trying to tease out the colors. I eventually decided to combine it with both lighter and darker greens, antiqued copper, and brownish-rose colors, and follow the same basic design scheme as for the previous necklace. Here is the final product, completed on New Year's Day:

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Stones include prehnite nuggets and irregular heishi, red lava, and dragon's blood jasper (the little green barrels). I knotted them onto Irish waxed linen cording in forest green and antique rose, and finished the back with dark reddish-brown leather cording.

I used one of my petaled beadcaps to add interest to the base of the focal, and linked everything together with my embossed copper rings.

I actually think I might be liking this one even more than the other one. I am in love with these lava beads.

I like the visual rhythm the prehnite disc beads give to it. I found these at a bead show, and also got strands of bronzite and Botswana agate in the same cut at that show. I love them. I am hatching a plan for the Botswana agate that might involve Karen Totten again. I'm on a Starry Road bender!