in another’s shoes

We all of us have a particular wellspring that we continually draw upon in our work- sources of inspiration, rules for doing. It can be anything from working a lot/ mostly in a particular colour or group of colours to the kinds of things that one generally makes, or even the preferred way of working.

For me, it’s largely unconscious- I just find myself drawn to greens, blues and purples most of all (although I use materials in almost every colour under the sun), to crystal and glass. Lately though, I’ve been wondering about the merit of introducing something completely different- new materials or techniques, or a new place to craft- to see what would come out of that.

So, thing the first: I challenge myself to create something in a colour I’ve never used before. (The only one I can think of is buttercup yellow.) Thing the second: I challenge myself to find some focal beads I would never normally be drawn to, and create pieces to showcase them.

I’ll post the results of my mini-experiments here shortly.

new pieces

A few new pieces..

As I seem to say every time, taking photos of jewellery is far easier said than done, and I’m in awe of the Etsy and DaWanda sellers who do such an amazing job.

First up, a pink-purple rope necklace, made with a mix of Czech beads. Since it’s fastened with a toggle clasp, there’s a bit more flexibility with how you want to wear it. I love long rope necklaces- the more dramatic the better- but the colour of this softens it a tad.

Next, a Swarovski piece in blue zircon & jet. I love the Baroque pendants and managed to find the perfect bail to set it off.

And the last piece, a pair of earrings using sapphire Swarovski. The chandelier components (sterling silver, of course) have a tiny spiral on them- they’re so delicate and work just perfectly in this piece.

I’ve been hard at work lately, and this is barely the tip of the tip of the iceberg. Keep your eyes peeled for more work soon..