Teachers' Day

Last week when my daughter asked me to make an opera necklace for her favourite teacher, Mrs S for Teachers' Day this weekend, I experimented with many colours and designs for woven beads before coming up this 45 inch long necklace!
My daughter wanted it in blues and greens with some orange because her teacher is very cheerful and bubbly. I also added Black Onyx beads with Hematite beads, Swarovki crystals and Miyuki glass seed beads. The dark colours on the necklace really brings out the colours of the beads, don't you think? I hope you like it, Mrs S!

What a Rainy Day!

Yesterday we had one of the heaviest rainfalls in Singapore. Lots of floods especially in the low lying areas. Our son had a doctor's appointment downtown and when we were done, the rain was so heavy we could not even walk to the bus stop. Our daughter had just been released from school and called me because it was impossible to even walk out of school. My husband, bless his heart, decided to pick her up and drive us all the way home even though he had to go back to the office! What a day!

This is a pair of ear-rings I made using Ndebele and Peyote techniques. I love them SO much, I'm going to make more in all sorts of colours!

This week I've been obsessed with woven beads! They look much better in real life, partly because the weather has been cloudy and rainy making photo-taking a slight challenge.

The necklace is about 18 inches long. I liked it so much I made another one in green!

This green necklace is shorter, about 16 inches. Like the purple one, I used different sizes of Swarovski pearls and Czech fire polished beads.

Living by the Sea

This 19-inch necklace was a joy to make. The lovely seashell flower pendant, the lovely green "seaweed" looking cat's eye beads and a touch of burnt orange to remind us of corals in the sea just tie together so wonderfully, don't you think?

Caterpillar bracelets

Believe it or not, these are two bracelets joined together! You can wear as bracelets (either by itself or together in a twist) or join them up to form a nice 16-inch necklace!

You can collect them in any colours you choose!

Classic Opera

Here's a lovely classic opera length necklace I made with aluminium beads (which don't tarnish and are light weight) and Swarovski pearls together with glass seed beads.

This necklace can be worn in 4 ways! 1. Straight on 2. Tie a knot in front 3. Pull two ends together and use a pearl shortener clasp to get a double strand effect 4. Pull two ends together and twist then use a pearl shortener clasp.

So in reality, it's really versatile! A favourite for this week.

On Eagle's Wings

Last week in church we sang a song which reminded me of the Bible verse in Isaiah 40:31, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."

I came upon this beautiful rose quartz eagle a few weeks ago and decided to make a necklace out of it. Whoever wears this will be reminded that God is our hope and whoever sees it worn will also be encouraged.

The weeks will be filled with homework, exams, rehearsals, sickness, hospital visits, travelling spouses, slightly disobedient children, project work, assignments etc. May all my friends out there continue to find strength in the Lord's promises!

My Berry Lariat

It's been a really hectic week with my daughter's exams and numerous orders on my jewelry business side. Today I am breathing a little easier after completing all my orders, although exams extend to the end of the week.

I spent the week stringing pearls for a customer, designing and creating 10 pairs of gemstone ear-rings, repairing and re-stringing necklaces for another customer, designing a couple of opera necklaces, and also completing some interesting designs. One of them is My Berry Lariat. If you look closely, I started the lariat with buds, then flowers and a mixture of unripe and ripened "berries." This lariat is a bit whimsical and is especially for those who love nature and also love to make a statement.

I am now working on a lariat with another colour theme.

Ear ring #5

This pair of ear rings was made with star shaped seashells, Czech flower glass beads, Swarovski crystals and pearls and teardrop shaped glass beads.

Ear ring #4

A shift in colours as I used some of my stabilised turquoise beads, cat's eye beads, Czech fire polish beads and Swarovski crystals and pearls.

Ear ring #3

This one is made with Tiger eye gemstone beads, cat's eye beads, Swarovski crystals and pearls, Czech fire polish beads and aluminium beads.

This pair of ear rings remind me of autumn with brown, green and orange colours.

Ear ring #2

I made this pair for myself using the same concept, except I made it fuller (which made it heavier!). I used freshwater pearls, Czech fire polished beads, Swarovski crystals and pearls.

Ear Rings Galore!

Last night, while watching TV with my family and eating pizza as our nation celebrated her 42nd birthday, I made ear-ring after ear-ring in different colours and using different beads but with the same idea of design.

This is made with cat's eye, Swarovski pearls and crystals as well as aluminium beads.

Spring time!

I am very pleased with my work today. The 99.9 silver leaf pendant was my project for a silver clay class I attended last year. Since then I couldn't decide what to do with it and viola! today I was inspired to put it into a necklace.

This is an asymmetrical 19 inch necklace with spiral rope, cluster beads and flower shaped seashells. I absolutely love the colours, don't you?

St Petersburg Lariat

This lariat is 40 inches, with a 3 inch drop. I used the St Petersburg weave with glass seed beads and Czech fire polished beads.

The drop consists of freshwater pearls and Czech fire polished beads.

Black and White

This is an almost 8 inch bracelet done in double spiral weave. I used the classic black and white Miyuki and Toho glass seed beads with a copper centre held together by a ball clasp.

Celebrate

I got these lovely aluminium beads last week and decided to put them with Swarovki pearls to make a necklace. I love the subtle colours of pink, gold, silver and copper together.

This necklace is 17 inches long with a 925 silver clasp gold plated in 14K. The beads are graduated which means the centre has larger beads and pearls. This will look very nice on any blushing bride or with a classic black outfit for evening wear.

My Secret Garden II (SOLD)

I made a set using a slightly different pearl colour combination than the first My Secret Garden. The necklace is 16 inches and the bracelet is 7 inches.

When I make repeat designs they are almost always never the same.

Pink of Health (SOLD)

This 17.5 inch necklace is made using the St Petersburg weave technique. I added Czech fire polished beads, 11.0 glass seed beads and 15.0 glass sead beads. The lovely pink Rhodochrosite centrepiece is flanked by two Hematite beads. One of my favourites!

Above the Storm

Another 17 inch necklace in spiral rope incorporating Amazonite chips together with Czech fire polished beads. I made a woven bead using enclosing a Swarovski pearl.

Elegant

Here's a really elegant looking 17inch necklace. I used the twisted tubular Ndebele technique withToho glass seed beads in copper and silver. The 925 silver knot clasp is flanked by two Swarovski crystal pearls and silver beadcap.

Fantasy Garden Rainbow

This lariat must be a favourite among many of my friends. I've made them in all colours imaginable and added all sorts of gemstones to match!

The main lariat is 23 inches done in spiral rope. There are 3 strands of 5 inch "drop." One of them is for twisting around the others to secure them together. I used freshwater pearls, coral twigs, turquoise chips, peridot chips, rose quartz chips, cat's eye beads, Swarovski crystals, amethyst beads, sodalite beads and Czech glass beads.

Mother of Pearl and Black Onyx

Isn't this a lovely necklace? I used St Petersburg weave incorporating 11.0 Miyuki glass seed beads and fire polish beads with Swarovski crystals. The centrepiece is one of my favourites. A nice, elegant, classic look, don't you think?

Comfort

This is a 6 inch bracelet, exactly like Praise except it's in blue, a really calm and comforting colour. I used a 925 silver rose hook to pull the piece together.

Praise

A 7 inch bracelet worthy of anyone's praise! I used 11.0 matte purple glass seed beads for the base in a netting design. The piece is completed with 4mm Swarovski crystals in peridot, rose and fuchsia colours. The crystals really catch the light and will look lovely in the evening.

Another "Minty" called Pirouette

Another 7.5 inch bracelet. This time I used 8.0 Miyuki glass seed beads for the base and lovely 11.0 pink glass beads for the embellishment. To add a twist to this I also added pink freshwater pearls. Isn't it lovely? A 925 silver flower toggle completes the piece.

"Minty" called Arabesque

This is a 7.5 inch bracelet. I used 8.0 purple Delica beads for the base and 11.0 purple iris glass seed beads for the embellishment. I also added a 925 silver S hook which is plated with 14K gold. Really nice for an evening outing.

Minty called Adagio

Another 7 inch bracelet in light and medium mint green. I started with a ladder stitch for the base and embellished with the lighter shade for the top. A 925 silver toggle completes the piece. It's a simple but elegant looking bracelet. If I've time, I will try to make a few more in different colours to see the effects!

Gratitude

My dear friends,

Thank you SO much for all your good wishes, comments and suggestions for my blog and most importantly, jewelry! All your ideas are important to me, so keep them coming!

Today I will post some of the bracelets I made. I hope you enjoy looking at them (and perhaps wearing them one day?!) just as I enjoyed making them.

This is a 7 inch bracelet in green, purple and copper glass seed beads. I made six spiral rope rings and joined them with peyote strips. For the clasp I made a woven bead using a 8mm green Swarovki pearl with copper glass seed beads and fire polished beads. This is one of my favourites!

Contemplation

A lovely 15 inch spiral rope necklace with Ametrine, freshwater pearls and peridot, held together by a pretty rose shaped 925 silver clasp.

Classy Garnet

This 14 inch necklace looks really classy and is suitable for evening wear. The drop is 3 inches with garnet chips, Swarovski cubes, beads and hearts. Held together by a 925 silver square clasp.

Coral Kumihimo

This is another Kumihimo braid using glass beads, coral beads and a lovely glass centrepiece.

Mother of the Sea

An 18 inch necklace done in spiral rope incorporating mother of pearl chips which catch the light and looks beautiful even with a classic black dress. Clasp is 925 silver plated in 14K gold and has an antique look.

Restoration Kumihimo

This is a 28 inch necklace with a 5 inch drop. I used 8-strands of seed beads and weaved them into traditional Japanese braid called Kumihimo.
For the drop I used Swarovski crystals, Czech glass beads
and mother of pearl coin beads. It is a substantial necklace and would definitely cause a few heads to turn!

Purity

This is a 20 inch white spiral rope lariat which consists of 4 and a half inches of freshwater pearls, Sodalite beads,Czech glass beads and mother of pearl coin beads. I used 14K gold plated tiny beads to add a bit of shine. Will make a beautiful necklace for a wedding dress!

Also available in black.

She Sells Seashells

This 16 inch neutral spiral rope necklace has a lovely centrepiece of 4.5 inches made with freshwater pearls, coral beads as well as tiny seashells!

My Secret Garden

This 18 inch spiral rope of freshwater pearls, seeds beads and fire polished beads is held together by a cute seed bead flower toggle to complete the garden look!

The colours of hunter green, gold, yellow, fuchsia pink, purple, lime green, peach, and natural give a fresh feeling to the beholder as well as the wearer. I'm planning to make matching ear-rings using the flower.

Marine Life

This 16 inch necklace reflects a cool feeling or green and blue, doesn't it? I used size 11 Miyuki and Toho glass beads as well as drop beads for the spiral rope. The pendant is an antique silver finish and held together by a 925 silver clasp.

Back in Business!

My dear friends,
I'm so sorry I've not been updating my blog. Now that things in my family are settling down, I'm back in business! Do check back often to see my creations. If you like something, do drop me a line.
As you know, I work primarily with Miyuki and Toho glass seed beads as well as incorporating gemstones and other high quality beads in my designs.
Here's a lovely turquoise chip necklace using the spiral rope technique. I'm making ear-rings to match.