Crystal AB Briolette Earrings

I'm in love with these crystal AB foil backed briolettes.  I made these earrings quite a while back, but I'm just now getting them up in my Etsy shop. 
I've made a double sided St. Petersburg chain and enclosed the briolette at the bottom of the cascade. 
The color play of these briolettes is fantastic. See my Etsy shop for pictures of them in different light and with different color background.
Now it's time to get started on Christmas ornaments. I've made two patterns so far this year, an angel and a snowflake. I have plans for a star, another angel and a drum. Better get busy. Christmas is just around the corner. Yes, I know Holloween and Thanksgiving come first, but I rarely manage to make holiday patterns for anything but Christmas.

Briolettes and Rice Pearls

I'm still doodling with my luscious beads from my November order from ArtBeads.Unfortunately my muse hasn't returned with that idea I had for the unikite cubes, but the briolettes made a gorgeous pendant and earrings set. Yes, both pictures are of the same set. The way they pick up light from their surroundings is fantastic.

I've long been an admirer of Hatsumi Oshitami's modifications to St. Petersburg chain and have worked some pieces using her techniques. I decided to us an inverted double St. Petersburg chain (I think it looks a little like crocheted ripple stitch) to make a partial frame for the briolettes. I extended the stitch a little with some of the 4mm Swarovski bicones so that it would drape around the top portion of the briolette. I hung the pendant from a silver Figaro chain and used silver colored hypoallergenic ear wires for the earrings.

The pendant isn't quite finished yet. I have a sterling silver hook clasp for it, but no silver jump rings. They are readily available locally, but I'm not going shopping until after the first of the year. Christmas shoppers and after Christmas sales shoppers are crazy.

As I told you I was a little disappointed in the peacock rice pearls because the color I received didn't even come close to the color in the picture online. Of course I realize that different browsers show colors differently and some light shows up the iridescence better. Not to be deterred, I found a perfect way to use them. I think they add the perfect contrast to the blues and silver in this playful twist and wiggle bracelet.

When I get a chance to get some silver jump rings, head pins and more silver ear wires I think I'll use some more of that Figaro chain and put rice pearls at the ends of various lengths for a cascade type earring.

I received these beads free of charge from ArtBeads.com and this is my honest opinion about them. ArtBeads does not pay me to blog about or endorse their products.
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On another note, I think I may have another beader on my hands. :) I've been picking my 4 year old grand daughter up after school and keeping her until her mother gets home. Nana's house can get pretty boring, so I went searching and scrounged up some of the older plastic beads I started learning with, and some ponies and crows that my youngest daughter had bought to make dream catchers many years ago. Grand daughter started out wanting to "sort" them, but I found some string that was perfect for her to string some on for a necklace. She's worked on it 3 days now. I think she may finish it Monday. Granted she's got a lot to learn about color and balance, but it just tickles me pink that she wants to do what Nana's doing.

November ArtBeads

I received beads from ArtBeads.com this week. I'm just now getting around to showing them off.
Starting up in the right hand corner and going clockwise, Swarovski bicones, crystal ab, briolettes in two sizes, gemstone toggles in rose quartz and scenic jasper, peacock rice pearls and unikite cubes.

You just can't beat the sparkle of Swarovski bicones. They light up just about any design. Take a look at my latest design "Elegance Squared" at BeadPatternsBoutique.

These beautiful flat briolettes from Swarovski's "Crystalized" line will become a necklace and earrings when I come up with an unusual way to display them. They absolutely blew me away! I don't have the luxury of a bead store that I can walk into and examine everything, so I'd only seen pictures of these beauties. Look at this picture! These are the same briolettes on different backgrounds. I knew they were designed to pick up light and color from the surroundings, but this is just unbelievable. (Yeah, I'm showin' my "country bumpkin" :))

When I saw the picture of the gemstone toggles I couldn't quite figure them out but they were so unique I just had to have some. I hope you can see the picture clearly. They have holes in the side of the ring so you can fasten your necklace or bracelet without making a bead loop through the center of the ring. It will give a much more "integrated" look. I've already got plans for the rose quartz, but I'm not sure what I'll do with the scenic jasper.
Quite frankly I was disappointed in the peacock rice pearls when I opened them. They looked blue/green iridescent in the picture and they appear almost black to charcoal gray in most light. If the light is strong and shines on them just right they do have a very definite rainbow quality to them, but I couldn't capture it with my camera. Not quite what I expected, but they are pretty. I haven't got any plans for them just yet.

Last but by no means anything to scoff at are the unikite cubes. They are surprisingly uniform for gemstones. I had a cube design in mind when I ordered them, but it has drifted away into the far reaches of my mind so I'll have to try to entice it out (maybe with chocolate?). Whatever I decide to do with them it will be beautiful because the stones are beautifully polished and relatively uniform.

Have you been to ArtBeads.com yet? If you haven't, get on over there. they're having a 10% off sale until the end of the year. All you have to do is use this coupon code when you order. SCF10P-ARTBEADS-0424

I have received the beads shown above from ArtBeads.com free of charge for evaluation. This is my true opinion on these products and I am not paid by ArtBeads to blog about them, I just like to share.