Wild Flowers

Every so often I like to step out of my comfort zone and try something new... expand on old ideas and see just how far I can reach. So after painting and working with subtle tones since the end of last year, I decided to change direction last week... for a little while. And here's what I came up with:

Brighter colors, (for me anyway!) in a bolder, chunkier design. The necklace is 18 inches long with a 4 inch extender. Each bead is about 20 mm across and 7-8 mm thick. The detail on the beads reminds me of flowers. Asters, I think. Some said they look more like sliced fruit!

Each of the beads were stamped front and back with a new texture stamp I created. I experimented with different ways of adding a patina to enhance the detail, but in the end I just went with the "natural" clay look with a little antique gold on one of the beads. My favorite part was doing the wire work. I like how it added a rustic look to the bold flower beads.

It ends up this set coordinates perfectly with one of my favorite tops... so it's definitely a keeper! But I'll certainly be making more of these in various other colors - both bright and subtle...