Necklaces

20 Saturday Jun 2026

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I made a couple of necklaces.

Necklace with green blue pendant with octopus on it and blue and green gemstone beads.

I love the look of this octopus enamel pendant by Andrew Thornton. It looks like maybe it was found as part of a treasure of a sunken ship. I used a strand of apatite I also got at Allegory Gallery. The colors are prefect.

Necklace mixing larger simple cut tourmaline with rose/tan lampwork and small tan spacers.

The simple cut tourmaline and artisan lampwork were on the same Allegory Gallery live. I thought they’d go well together, and they do! I added some light spacers to lighten up the darker strand of tourmaline and to bring in the lighter parts of the lampwork. I still have a nice set of the smaller beads from the tourmaline strand and one lampwork bead left for another project.

Getting Back to Making

24 Sunday May 2026

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Sometimes when you haven’t been making a lot, it can be tough to get back to it. I joined the Allegory Gallery Creative Make-Along this past Friday. That is always helpful in not only making time for creativity, but boosting it as well. It’s fun to chat with other makers, see what they have going on, and perhaps getting tips on a project or just about inspiration in general. I really thought I would just clean in my studio a bit and hang out, but I ended up making most of a necklace that I finished afterward.

Wooden Om pendant with black and cream beads in a necklace.

I had this Om charm out on my table for a little bit meaning to use it. I got out some beads that I thought were a nice mix, but when I started knotting them together, they just were not doing it for me. (I wish I had captured a picture!) I decided I needed something more neutral. So I went back into my stash and picked up just the colors in the pendant. I love the long black Czech glass. It’s difficult to see in the photo, but they have a little feathery texture.

Wooden hamsa hand pendant on a white and copper metal round with brown/cream knotted beads in a necklace.

Then once I start making again, it feels good, and I want to keep going. I also had this little wooden Hamsa hand on my table from Allegory Gallery. I’ve been buying patterned metal rounds to use with other pendants for more interest (or for earrings – there are a lot of good uses.) I put Vintaj marble patina on this one to bring down the bright copper. Then I knotted some matte beads and metallic delicas for the strand.

I have a long weekend with Monday off, so I might even make some more!

Artists for Animals Auction

26 Sunday Apr 2026

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I usually have a bunch of things I’ve made for the Artists for Animals Auction over time, and then a few weeks before the auction starts, I round that out. The auction starts tomorrow, 4/27/26, and when I looked today I had exactly one thing made. But I spent some time in the studio and got several other things made. So while I won’t have as many items as usual, at least I hope to make a little money to donate to my chosen charity Madison Cat Project.

Earrings with copper and green textured drops, rustic copper and black beads.

These are the earrings I already had made with Kimberly Rogers of numinosity polymer headpins, rustic copper and black metal spacers.

Then I made a necklace with a pendant my sister sent me by Northwest Pottery. She intended it for the auction. It’s such a pretty pendant I almost wanted to keep it, but I would rather raise money for the kitties. I hope other people like it too.

Necklace with pendant showing a forest and various green, white and brown beads.

I have things in a box earmarked for the auction, but I often don’t use them. However, since time was short, I did get out the box to see what sparked an idea. I had looked at some things I saved on Pinterest and then looked in the box to see if two ideas meshed into a design. I had saved some pretty leaf earrings from Jewels of Sayuri. They were fold-formed metal, but the idea of keeping them simple and letting the leaves shine is the idea I used with some polymer leaves.

Earrings with orange/yellow leaves with gold accents.

I just added some small Austrian glass pearls gifted to me by Susan of Susan Dolphin Delaney on etsy. Check out her beautiful jewelry.

Earrings with stylized stars with mottled tan, blue, and green color with open metal beads in tan.

Last but not least are these earrings with hand colored pewter star charms by Inviciti. I added painted metal beads, some messy wraps and done.

I did end up making one other pair of earrings, but my phone was elsewhere, and I didn’t want to have to go get it to take a picture. So if you’d like to see those, come visit the Artists for Animals Auction. It starts Monday, 4/27/26 and runs through Sunday, 5/3/26. There are all sorts of hand made items (not just jewelry) and each artist choose the animal charity they support. My sales support Madison Cat Project. Hope to see you at the auction!

Designing Again

19 Sunday Apr 2026

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I haven’t been designing much lately. I took a little time today and was really just cleaning in my studio, but I ended up noticing a few things that might go together and then ended up putting together a different necklace.

Strand of large round tiger eye beads, a strand of large round magnesite beads and a ceramic dog pendant laid out in a possible necklace design.

These two strands – very nice quality tiger eye and magnesite – are from Allegory Gallery. I was putting them away, and I looked in a box of ceramic beauties I recently got from Emanuela Stoyanova of Krivondela and found this perfect dog pendant. Emanuela’s work is so whimsical; I just love it. I need to decide how to put this all together, so that is a project for another day.

Necklace with onion shaped clear crystal pendant, round green garnet beads, green stone tube beads, gold spacers and gold toggle.

Then I came across this onion cut crystal pendant. I went through my gemstones to see what to put with it. I was tempted to use garnets and multi tourmaline, which was beautiful with it, but that’s sort of the necklace I always make. So I decided to do something a little different. I looked at some light amethyst, but it wasn’t enough of a contrast with the pendant. So this green garnet and some kind of gemstone tube was perfect. I added gold filled spacers for a rich look and a gold toggle. All beads, the pendant, and the toggle are from Allegory Gallery.

I did get some cleaning done as well!

Spring Green and More

30 Monday Mar 2026

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I’ve gotten out of the mode of regular making and then regular posting, even when I do make something. So I have multiple things to show made over time. First a bracelet.

Wrap bracelet with pastel and silver beads and silver bird and pink floral charm.

This is based on a Candie Cooper project. I made the bracelet and then didn’t have the correct color spring ring clasp. I tried some other clasps, but it didn’t work, so I ordered spring rings and some other things I needed from Fire Mountain Gems. The silver and Czech glass beads are from Allegory Gallery, as is the bird charm. The floral bead charm is ages old from my stash.

Necklace with pendant having a green background and yellow bird, yellow and green beads, and green floral toggle clasp.

The amazing focal in this necklace is by Andrew Thornton. I also got the green gemstones and the green floral toggle from Allegory Gallery. I was trying to find a yellow bead that I liked for this, and I found these cute little vintage glass almost floral looking shape at Bead Paradise II. It was fun to have a project so perfect for the toggle so I had an excuse to get it!

Necklace with large black and pink beads and medium and small black beads.

This isn’t so spring focused as the last two, but I love it. I have really been enjoying larger Czech glass, and the pink and black ovals are lovely. I added in some larger black faceted beads and finished in back with some smaller ones, black extender chain and a black lobster claw. The beads are all from Allegory Gallery.

These were all fun to make.

Studio Time

15 Sunday Mar 2026

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I’ve gotten in a little more studio time lately. It feels good.

Necklace with gold pendant featuring an owl with stars and moon, small black and gold beads.

I got the starry night owl pendant and black spinel from Allegory Gallery. I added golden druzy beads and vermeil spacers. It’s a lot more sparkly than the picture. I really like it.

Necklace featuring rectangle turquoise pendant with a variety of colors of round stone beads.

I got the turquoise pendant from Allegory Gallery and put together a variety of gemstone and clay beads for the colorful strand. It turned out nice!

I have two more necklaces in process and a couple of earrings projects laying out. I’m also cleaning my studio a little each time I am in there. It seems as much as I put away, I get an equal amount out. I’ll just keep at it!

Chunky Funky

05 Thursday Mar 2026

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I made a necklace that someone called not my usual style. I love that! It’s always nice to challenge oneself and make something different.

Necklace with blue, black, white and purple glass beads and silver.

I’m not a huge lampwork person, but I thought the purple and black beads were fun. I was going to use them with some amethyst. They were sitting in a strand on my table when I was unpacking these snuggle drops (that’s not their real name, but that’s what they do!) I thought they would look cool together. I think they do. I like the chunky look. I added some silver in the front. Not my usual look, but fun nonetheless.

I bought all the beads from Allegory Gallery.

Small, Medium, and Large

22 Sunday Feb 2026

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I made three necklaces of different weights, both physical and visual. I had them in mind for a while and finally had a bit of time to make them. I bought the materials from Allegory Gallery and often thought of the designs when I had one item and then bought another to go with it.

Delicate necklace of small yellow beaded chain with a sterling silver owl charm.

I got both the beaded chain and the sterling silver owl charm by Beth of Hint from Allegory Gallery. I love delicate beaded chain with a beautiful charm.

Necklace with ceramic pedant (that looks like wood) of a woodland spirit paired with faceted pietersite (blue and brown) beads, blue stone tubes and silver accents.

My medium necklace features a Diane Hawkey woodland spirit pendant. I used a beautiful strand of faceted pietersite and some blue tubes (sodalite?). Those beads, the pendant, the chain and clasp all from Allegory Gallery. I just added a few silver spacers.

Statement necklace with rustic larimar (bright blue) pendant, larimar beads and rustic silver beads.

My large necklace features a larimar pendant from a Lora Lunsford trunk show at Allegory Gallery. I like it when Allegory Gallery owners William and Andrew show items that might go together on their lives. It gives me good design ideas. They showed the rustic metal beads with this larimar pendant as I recall, and I bought those to go with it. Over time I bought larimar rounds and tabs, also from Allegory Gallery. I finished the necklace with a handmade clasp by Gaea.

It was great to get into the studio.

Two and 3/4 Necklaces

08 Sunday Feb 2026

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I made the first necklace (3/4 of one because I didn’t finish it yet with a clasp) during an Allegory Gallery Creative Make-Along. I made it for their Bead in the New Year Day 25 – Create an every-day wear piece. I could see someone just wearing this piece everyday as part of their uniform.

Necklace with tan and caramel colored glass beads, gold spacers and gold chain. It has no clasp.

This necklace features a pendant by Lora Lunsford from an Allegory Gallery trunk show. I used rhodocrosite and smoky quartz gemstones with an Allegory Gallery fine pewter clasp.

Necklace with pink and black pendant, pink round beads on one side and dark brown round beads on the other.

I started this necklace for the Bead in the New Year prompt of Day 20 – use African and metal beads. I just finally finished it. The horn tubes, snake eye beads, large metal/turquoise and large glass bead in the pendant and some of the other glass beads are from Allegory Gallery. The tassel is from Woman Shops World.

Necklace with various African glass beads, horn tube beads, metal and turquoise bead as pendant with a tan tassel.

Allegory Gallery – Bead in the New Year

04 Sunday Jan 2026

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I always enjoy Allegory Gallery‘s Bead in the New Year calendar of prompts. It really gets me thinking and helps me be creative. I’m going to try to do something for the prompt each day, though I will sometimes be working ahead and sometimes be working behind.

Day #1 – Make a pair of earrings

Earrings with textured drops in orange, gold and green with rustic black and copper beads.

For these earrings, I used beautiful polymer headpins by Kimberly Rogers of numinosity, black metal spacers, and rustic metal beads. Love these!

Day #2 – Design a new bracelet

Bracelet with brass bar, various metal beads, black, dark red, and turquoise beads.

This is a simple stretch bracelet. The beauty part of it is that I’ve wanted to use a metal bar in a bracelet for a while but had never done it. This prompt helped me get it done. Now it is ready for stacking.

Day #3 – Create a non-symmetrical necklace

Necklace with small pendant featuring orange and brown bird, orange/yellow and dark red beads on one side and long brown beads with black spacers on the other.

I’ve had this little bird charm on my desk planning to put it into a charm necklace. (I have a billion charms planning to put them into a charm necklace that never gets made!) I’ve been cleaning off my desk, and there were a couple of Allegory Gallery kits with beads perfect for the little charm, so I used those for the necklace. The toggle clasp is from Allegory Gallery‘s fine pewter line.

Day # 4 – Finish a project that you have started

Dish full of a variety of green beads with a necklace with a fancy star shaped glass pendant in a variety of greens on green wire cord with gold findings.

I got a Patti Cahill lampwork pendant at the same time as I got a Czech fire polished glass mystery bag in green, green Austrian crystals, and green seed beads from Allegory Gallery. All of the beads went with the pendant so well, I got stuck in wanting to try to use them together. I kept trying different ideas, but they were not working. This prompt gave me the push to move along to something that would work. I used WoolyWire to make a bail and then strung it on SilverSilk, both in colors that are perfect colors for the pendant as well. I think it turned out very nice.

Day #5 – Use natural fibers

Necklace with large wooden pendant featuring a cat in purple with accents of gold and orange, rough amethyst beads, rustic copper beads and colorful cotton cord at the back.

It’s not the 5th yet, but I’m working ahead since I don’t have a lot of time during the week. I absolutely love how this turned out. I’ve used both cotton cord and waxed linen. The cotton cord was originally going to be a bracelet, but it just didn’t lay right. I was in my bead closet, and the Allegory Gallery box was on the floor with the lid off with this wooden pendant with Andrew Thornton‘s artwork laying on the top. It has a lot of colors that the cotton cord does. I had thought about using the cord in the front to hang the pendant off. That looked nice, but what looked (and felt) even nicer is having the cord in the back and the rough amethyst in front with rustic metal. This looks great on.

I’m going to enjoy making things for the rest of the prompts. I’ve already gotten out materials for Day 6, and hope to have another week of makes by my next blog post.

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