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Saturday, October 16, 2010

Beadwork: Floral Necklace 2

Floral necklace, beads, nymo, polymer clay


Floral Necklace 2

Oddly yellow beads are the foundation for this palette departure. I have had these beads for many years. They look like "greasy yellow" seed beads, as they have a strange translucency. This effect is called, "Vaseline" glass, which is a darn good description. True Vaseline glass, however, fluoresces under black light and these do not. The yellow seed beads are large and irregular. They are woven into a necklace using a technique called free-form peyote.

The accent beads are my favorite - alabaster. They have a subtle, pearl-like inner glow, with a touch of pink and amber. Mmmm. These are the last of the one tube I found at the gem and mineral show. The tiniest beads are silver lined pale yellow.




This light brings out the amber in the alabaster beads. The next photo shows how they respond to blue by reflecting that color.
I am a big fan of color-shifting glass.

The little purple blossoms and petal coins are made of Premo and Studio clays - both by Sculpey. The studio clay has a matte finish and texture. It feels soft and velvety.


The floral "coins" are slices of a cane, with a single hole made for stringing in this way. I use a large eraser to neatly flatten them without leaving fingerprints. The cupped blossoms are flat, then rolled into a hollow shape with a ball stylus.
The triangular style blossom is formed on a cake decorating tip.
Each floral element is then painted with a thin layer of transparent, iridescent paint.

Branch-like fringe gives this collar-length necklace a nice feel and movement.
The contrast of the yellow and the violet make for an unusual palette.


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