A small collection of large ceramic beads has been sitting on my workbench for years.
Occasionally, I would pull the beads out, look at them and think,
"Hmmmmmm."
and then put them away.
Maybe it was the recent bombardment of Easter egg images that motivated me to revisit these beads yesterday,
but I decided that the time to do something had finally arrived.
I chose to make one of the ceramic beads the featured pendant in a new necklace.
Heavy gauge wire was used to make wrapped connections at both the top and bottom.
To help the bead sit nicely, I made brass bead caps that were textured with one of my old chisels.
Before getting to work on fabricating the chain, I perused my supplies, selecting a variety of components that would complement the featured pendant.
Small ceramic beads with a similar glaze help to connect the appearance of the chain to the pendant.
I liked the bright contrast that yellow jasper beads offered.
Tiny flecks of blue/green within the jasper help to make a good visual connection to the pendant.
Hand forged and chisel textured copper rings also offer contrast with their negative space.
Creamy white, faceted honey jade beads were added because I appreciated the difference in both shape and surface texture.
A handmade clasp ties in with the wire used for the wire wrapped connections
and large copper links allow for some variation in the wearing length of the necklace.
These different materials that have been living separate lives at my workbench
come together nicely as one coordinated piece.
This necklace will hopefully be in one of the local galleries before week's end.
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