The Ryujin necklace...

I have not done much these days, I still feel ran down with my cold/flu. Not as bad as before, but very tired. For that reason I haven't been up to much beading. Today however, when I woke up in the afternoon, I made another necklace.

I decided to call it Ryujin (Japanese for "Dragon King"), due to the use of a carved rock crystal focal pendant, representing a long, serpentine dragon:


For the Ryujin I have used:

- One main rock crystal carved focal pendant in a purple-lilac shade;
- Several Swarovski bicones in amethyst shades;
- Two Howlite purple turquoise beads;
- Six large Dragon veins beads in purple;
- Six small fluorite beads;
- Six small Amethyst round beads;
- Six small purple jade beads;
- Two small purple chrysocolla beads approaching the clasp;
- Amethyst Japanese millefiori beads in round and cylindrical shapes;
- Czech glass beads: metallic teardrops, small round antique gold ones, medium disc spacers, faceted Heavy Metal small beads and tiny seed beads for the pendant bail;
- Stardust bronze round spacers and antique gold Tibetan toggle clasp.

Some details next...


On the 1st picture, a close-up of the pendant with the lovely carved dragon, surrounded by two Swarovski bicones, two violet turquoise beads, Czech faceted small beads and teardrops and some of the Dragon Veins beads. We can also see the beaded bail and, underneath, some of the Czech glass beads hiding the wire. On the 2nd picture, a detail of the turquoise beads, Swarovski bicones and bail.


On the left, a close-up of the fluorite beads interspersed with some Swarovski small bicones. On the right, detail of the fluorites once more, the Czech fire disc spacers, one of the Dragon Vein beads plus some amethyst beads and vintage Japanese millefiori.


The above pictures show the Dragon Veins in detail, along with some of the Czech Fire beads: teardrops, faceted rounds and disc spacer. We can also have a closer look at the flowery clasp and some of the small stardust spacers in antique gold.

The Carnevale necklace...

I made Carnevale today as a way to cheer myself up a bit. Maybe because I have been home for so long and not feeling very well, I tried to pick a theme that could perhaps make me happier, who knows... I also tried some new "techniques" here. Namely, using two twisted, interlaced threads, something like two necklaces together united by the focal bead and some crimps here and there.

It was quite hard, because the lengths of the two strings really need to be measured and well calculated first. I wanted a short necklace, almost like a choker. In this sense, I have succeeded.
Again, I worked with Miyuki Delicas that are very, very tiny. I love them but I'm afraid my eyes are not as good anymore - and that, even after my new reading glasses. Alarming!

Here is Carnevale:

It looks nice. However, I decided to put these two pictures together because the 1st one does not really make it justice, or show it in as much detail as the 2nd one. And in the neck it looks so much better! And like a little curtain, draping over your shoulder bone, quite different from the others. I could perhaps make an extension chain for it - in case people prefer it longer. For the moment it will stay as it is, it's good for a change.

For Carnevale, I used:

- Large Murano sofiatto bead, transparent with red, yellow, green and aqua stripes;
- Two large light Siam Swarovski bicones;
- Red Sea coral beads interspersed with round small red Murano beads and golden Swarovski bicones;
- Small clear Murano beads;
- Gold-lined teeny Czech beads;
- Gold-plated Tibetan flower spacers, stardust bronze round spacers and gold-plated smooth ones, along with antique gold lantern- shaped beads surrounding the big Murano;
- Czech red and gold bugles in one of the threads and inside the sofiatto;
- Several (and that means "lots") Miyuki Delicas in gold shade, size 15 (the smallest);
- Tibetan antique gold hook clasps;
- Gold-plated crimps and metallic gold stainless steel wire.

Details to follow...


On the left the lovely blown glass bead, and the bugles underneath. We can also see one of the lantern-shaped spacers. On the right, a tightly twisted section of the necklace (closer to the clasp), showing the Miyukis in detail, along with some red bugles, Czech gold-lined small seed beads and smooth gold-plated spacers. Right above it, we can see some of the clear Murano beads, one of the red ones and a coral bead, interspersed with Swarovski golden bicones and golden spacers.


On the left, detail of the coral beads, red Muranos, and Swarovski bicones, again along with red bugles, gold-plated spacers and golden Miuki Delicas. The picture on the right shows one of the large Swarovski bicones and more of the Muranos, coral, Delicas and bugles.


On this picture, a detail of the Murano beads, different spacers, Delicas, Czech seed beads and bugles.


Finally, a detail of the clasp, which was a bit harder to make than my usual clasps. This is because it is a double string necklace. I had to crimp the ends 4 times (since I have 2 "necklaces" here) and hook the clasp to two twist rings (similar to the large ones used for key-rings). Since these are quite hard and not the least flexible I had to ask for Mark's help. They may not be easy to work with but are very safe. I have a bunch of them and only now, after using it for the 1st time, I understand why they are considered so handy!

La Notte 2 (new necklace)...

Last night I decided to make a new version of my previous La Notte. As I do with all new versions, this one is called La Notte 2. It is not exactly the same, of course, but also departs from the same idea and uses more or less the sane colours. However, where the original displayed golds and dark blue, this instead is all about silver shades.

Here's the new La Notte (2):


For this piece, I have used:

- Murano soffiato (blown) Luna focal bead;
- Several Miyuki Delica size 11 in silver, inside the focal bead and covering the wire (sterling silver plated steel);
- Swarovski bicones in different sizes and shades of silver (comet argent) and dark blue;
- Sixteen lapis lazuli medium beads;
- Six Czech fire iridescent round beads of the same size;
- Several light gray Swarovski pearls in two different sizes;
- Two faceted Czech fire beads in a lovely darkened turquoise shade;
- Round and disc-shaped spacers in silver and black metal;
- Czech fire small "heavy metal" faceted beads and bugles approaching the clasp;
- Tibetan silver toggle clasp.

Details as follows...


On the left, a close-up of the Luna bead. It seems to be foiled, since its surface is speckled with tiny silver or gold dots, like distant stars. If you click on the picture you will see it magnified and will also notice the Miyuki beads inside. On the right, we can see the lapis lazuli beads, the Czech fire round ones and the Swarovski pearls, all interspersed with Swarovski bicones in comet argent and blue.


On the 1st picture, detail of those faceted Czech fire beads I mentioned above, Swarovski smaller pearls and bicones. On the 2nd one a very close shot of the pearls and blue bicones with lovely AB (Aurora Borealis) coating.


On the left, detail of the Czech fire iridescent beads and the lapis lazuli beads. You may notice the gold spots in the lapis, due to the stone's natural impurities. The bicones can be seen as well. And on the right, detail of the buggles, some spacers, Czech fire tiny "heavy metals" and more of the lapis lazuli.

The Moanna necklace

I took more or less three to four days to finalise this, between planning and execution. The Moanna is inspired by one of my favourite films: "Pan's Labyrinth". It is a beautiful, but extremely sad film, which I see as a very strong anti-war message. This film, along with "Grave of the Fireflies" is one of those films that has marked me profoundly. The reason for that strength is perhaps due to the fact that their tragic stories are told from a child's perspective. It makes everything not even stronger, but infinitely sadder. In this case it was Ofelia, or Princess Moanna in her own imaginary world, to where she desperately tried to escape the grim reality of civil war.

Here is my Moanna:

Some images from the tale are present here: the Moon (which was Moanna's birthmark), the standing stones of the Labyrinth (central Swarovski pendant), the faeries (represented by the small butterfly Swarovski beads), the dagger (symbolised by one beige square pendant), the nature of the Faun (earthy shades of green and brown), the war (symbolised by two blood red Swarovski bicones surrounding the middle pendant and some round red Czech beads approaching the clasp).

Here is what I have used:

- Three large Swarovski pendants as focal beads;
- Swarovski stars and butterflies;
- Two small Aquiline Swarovski pendants;
- Several Miyuki seed beads (smallest size) under the pendants and also as beaded bails for two of them;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different shades and sizes;
- Two teardrop brown Czech Fire small pendants;
- Several Swarovski crystal pearls in pale almond;
- Four small taupe Chinese glass pearls;
- Stardust antique gold round spacers, two ornate flat spacers and toggle leaf clasp;
- Red Czech round beads;
- Small Amazonite beads in shades of pale green, brown-beige, aqua;
- Small Czech Fire polished beads in metallic hues.

Some details to follow...


On the 1st picture we have (from top to bottom): one of the small Aquiline pendants in Olivine, the Avant Garde pendant with a Miyuki beaded bail, two blood red Swarovski bicones and the main focal bead: a large Aquiline pendant representing the standing stone in the Faun's cave. Details of some of the Miyuki seeds can also be seen, covering the wire. I used two different shades: a silver one for the bails and iridescent bronze for the wire. On the 2nd picture a close-up of Moanna's crystal moon, with its silver beaded bail.


On the 1st screenshot, we can see the Moon's beaded bail, followed by one clear crystal Star, one bicone, small Aquiline pendant, a second bicone and a teardrop Czech Fire small pendant. On the 2nd one, the other green Aquiline bead, a second star, the Avant Garde pendant and the main Aquiline surrounded by two Swarovski bicones in ruby red. Those beaded bails are not too easy to make, perhaps because I have no practice. The Miyuki are tiny and break easily, especially when you have to use the pliers to hold the crimp and close the loop.


Detail of the red bicones and some of the tiny Miyuki seeds used for covering the wire. Also a close-up of the clasp.


On the 1st picture, another detail of one of the small Aquilines and green bicones, the Czech teardrops and one of the pale almond Swarovski pearls. On the 2nd pic, we can see some of the Swarovski crystal butterflies and the small Chinese glass pearls in taupe.


On the 1st picture, we can see the butterflies in different shade and the Chinese pearls once again, along with one big Swarovski bicone in brown. On the 2nd one, some of the small Amazonite beads, Czech Fire faceted beads, stardust spacers and the ornate bronze spacers. On the 3rd picture, another view of the Swarovski pearls, this time interspersed with the red Czech glass beads.

"And it is said that the Princess returned to her father's kingdom. That she reigned there with justice and a kind heart for many centuries. That she was loved by her people. And that she left behind small traces of her time on Earth, visible only to those who know where to look. "

Guillermo del Toro - Director, "Pan's Labyrinth"

La Sirena 2 is now a set...

As I said before, I made La Sirena 2 by request of a friend. She also wanted a bracelet to match, and I have prepared it last night...

Here is a picture of the set:

And the bracelet alone:

It basically follows the same design, except that the fluorites have been replaced here by six lighter small Amazonite beads in shades of blue-green. This is because due to their fragility, and the fact that we tend to bang our hands every now and then, they would most probably break in no time.

Another thing I did was to use a magnetic clasp, which is much easier to handle. It's the first time I use one of those, so, my friend will be "testing" it for me and see how it goes. If necessary, I will change it to the usual lobster clasp (much more complicated to deal with though!).

La Notte necklace

As I am still trying to recover from my flu/cold, I have not really been very productive. The ideas come to my mind and I just cannot find energy to make much of it. Today however, I made another one. Just because sometimes I obsess about certain beads and cannot really rest until I lay out something. This piece is called La Notte (Italian for "the night"), and is a different colour from all other necklaces I made so far.

I wanted to convey the idea of how nights looked like some years ago, when the city lights would not obliterate the shine of the stars and we could still see the Milky Way in all its glory. Not anymore, alas, unless we are far out in a remote spot in the country.

For La Notte I have used:

- One large Murano sommerso globe as the focal bead, and two more oval flat discs as auxiliary beads;
- Two large rutilated quartz round beads, with gold stripes;
- Several Swarovski bicones in different sizes and coordinating shades;
- Several Swarovski pearls in two sizes, Tahitian Look shade;
- Several blue sandstone beads with gold speckles, really tiny;
- Antique gold stardust spacers and crimps separating the smaller pearls;
- Two ornate antique gold spacers;
- Antique gold bead caps and tiny saucers for the Sommerse;
- Antique gold S-hook clasp.

Details as follows...


Details of the Sommerso dark navy beads with gold speckles, and some of the Swarovski pearls.


Above, details of the lovely quartz beads with gold flecks. I am not sure if they are natural or man-treated. Either way, they are gorgeous and smooth, very unique. The last shot shows a detail of the blue sandstones. The tiny "stars" are copper impurities. This is a kind of man-made stone, very pretty and composed by glass mostly (and other minerals). They look like they were immersed in star dust. The photos are unable to capture their whole luster, unfortunately.


Details of the clasp and stardust antique gold spacers. On the 2nd picture, we can see the Swarovski pearls and blue sandstone, along with some more Swarovski bicones and one of the ornate spacers. What I love about those Swarovski pearls is their tiny holes that are great for stringing, since they are very regular and well-drilled.