Thursday, April 26, 2012

Wedding Jewelry - Pearls

My friend Barbara loves to give jewelry to her friends.  I love to make jewelry.  We make a good team. 
Barbara wanted to bless her friend with a set of pearl jewelry for her wedding.


These are 6 & 8mm Swarovski crystal pearls in cream color, seperated by size 15 seed beads in gunmetal.  They give the strands a beautiful drapy feel, and a richness of color.
The necklace is two strands in the front - the bottom strand is all 8mm pearls, and the top strand is alternating 6mm & 8mm pearls, to give the necklace some interesting texture, but retain a very classical feeling.  In the back, there is only one strand of the 6 & 8mm pearls.  I found a beautiful sterling silver two-strand clasp that I took apart to make the transition from one strand to two strands of pearls.  The connection has a elegant classical feel to it.





The bracelet is a double strand of pearls, with the same 8mm strand on bottom, and 6 & 8mm strand on top.  The stitched closure is done in seed beads, to give it some substance and style, and keep the amount of metal to a minimum in this set, as the bride has a metal allergy.

The earrings are wonderfully laser-cut sterling silver leverbacks, which I painted with two coats of jewelry protector designed specifically for people with metal allergies.  Next, there is a single pearl, and dangling from that a small cluster of pearls on a short length of chain.

This whole set is classic and elegant for the wedding day, but can be worn again and again.  Wear the necklace with a business outfit, or the whole ensemble for a night out on the town.  Dress up a pair of jeans and casual top with the earrings and bracelet, and you are all set.Go traveling with this one set of jewelry, and you will be ready for any occasion. 






Wedding Jewelry

My friend Barbara had a whole box of different shapes and sizes of these great Swarovski crystals.  The color is called Siam, it is a deep red, very rich in color and saturation.  She asked me to make bracelets and matching earrings for her friend's wedding.  Each one has over 150 crystals of different shapes and sizes, wirewrapped to a great piece of rollo chain, and closed with a lobster claw clasp.