Before I started to learn to bead weave and got hooked on it, I used to play and string different kinds of beads to make necklaces and bracelets. I also remember that I used to make a lot of earrings, combined with wire working, but now I don't make them anymore. Bead weaving is much more fun for me! It is like painting or sculpting, two things that I also like to do, but with beads. So, in this necklace I combined my old and currant passions – stringing and bead weaving.
I used Tiger Eye round beads, gold resin beads and a beautiful Volcano cherry quartz (manmade) focal bead – all strung between 2 Herringbone ropes, made with Miyuki triangle beads.
I also used beautiful natural stones, that I am not quite sure of their kind. I immediately fell in love with those beads when I saw them in the store in the Gemstones section, and decided to buy them even though no one at the store could tell me what they are.
I asked one of my beadweaving students who used to work in the jewelry industry to try and identify the stones, and she said they are Amethyst. I think she is right, because in one of the photos, where the light goes through the beads, you can see the purple Amethyst color. If you have a guess of what they are, I would love to know what you think.
But no matter what they are, don't you love the rough cut, the little cracks and the deep color they have?
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Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteyet another stunning piece!!!! beautiful!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree with your student: those look like amethyst nuggets. The only other thing I can think of is a dark garnet, but I suspect those would have cost you so much that you would have remembered ;)
ReplyDeleteI love this "new" style of yours. You combine the two elements of stringing and beadweaving so very beautifully. You have a great eye (and very skilled hands)!
Very pretty! Love it.
ReplyDeleteOh, WOW! How fabulous!
ReplyDeleteHmm.. from a geologist's perspective, those look way darker than any amethyst I've seen.. I would identify them as garnet from the pictures. Now what you need to do is get a really really thin slice (called a thin section), put it under a microscope in cross polarized light, and if it's opaque black, then it's garnet, but if it's more of a gray, then it's a variety of quartz. Oh dear.. I'm a nerd. :)
ReplyDeleteBut it's a beautiful necklace, whatever the stone is!
but then.. it could just be the light and how it's faceted. The facets look more like how a garnet actually grows, but in your middle picture, I'm seeing more of the purple. So it could be be dark amethyst cut to look like garnets. :)
ReplyDeletebut on the other hand, the luster looks more like the resinous luster that garnet has than the glassy luster that quartz has.
ReplyDeleteoh dear, I really need to stop. :) But you piqued my geological interest!
Whatever the nugget is, your necklace is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteNjema, don't stop!... LOL Everything you explained is very interesting. I only wish I had the tools and knowledge to check the beads like you suggested :)Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you Carol Dean and all fellow Etsy Beadweavers members!
No matter what the stones are, the piece is lovely!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marlaine :)
ReplyDeleteThe necklace is just gorgeous!!!! It doesn't matter what kind of stones they are... Just beautiful.. :-)
ReplyDeleteLolo :-)
WOW this is just amazing - I love the coloring and the design - WOW
ReplyDeleteIt's an amazing piece Smadar! So elegant!
ReplyDeleteSmadar, this is such an elegant piece. I love it.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful design and colour combination. I like this necklace very much :)
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot lolo, jean, anna and clinkscalesarts :)
ReplyDeleteDora, thank you very much! It's nice that you have stopped by :)
Very wonderful !!!!!:)))
ReplyDeleteWow ! Your necklace is just GORGEOUS !
ReplyDeleteStunning necklace...
ReplyDeleteCheers
Absolutely lovely Smadar!!! You're so right about the rough cuts and cracks. I like that look :)
ReplyDeleteLouise
There is a japanese expression 'wabi sabi' which, in short, means the beauty of an imperfect object (or peson a.s.o.) - I just love this necklace!!
ReplyDeleteCould it in any case be tourmaline?
I have a couple of stones very near to this colour and, they are very 'wabi sabi'-tourmaline ;-)
Beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is so beautiful ! Very elegant!!
ReplyDeleteThank you all very much for the warm comments!
ReplyDeleteThank you Louise, and Mags - Tourmaline can be another option, but still, I'm not an expert. I will take the stones to someone who is to have a look..
Gorgeous necklace! I've passed a couple awards onto you! More info is available on my blog, http://www.kaysk9s.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete- Kay
Thank you, Kay, both for the compliment and the award.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful necklace...
ReplyDeleteI love it!
You are a real artist!
Very gifted...very talented!
Congratulations
LOL ( Lots of Love)
marylo, la rêveuse
Thanks so much, Marylo :)
ReplyDelete