First True Sales Pitch....

I’ve highlighted these Carnelian fringe earrings before but today I’ve decided to actually hype them. Salesmanship is not my forte, I dislike spam mail and find myself put off by individuals who are constantly spewing a line of buy, buy, buy. But eventually I do need to sell something and therefore must delve into the despicable...gasp ! Yes, a sales pitch ! For the first time on my blog I’m taking a cue from Michael Mays, that blaringly loud TV "KABOOM" pitchman. Only I promise I won’t be nearly as loud...no need to lower your speaker volume!

I’ve always been fond of this fringe pattern, mainly because it is highly versatile and adaptable.
Here "Carnelian Carnival" is fabricated with 3 different varieties of #11 Delica seed beads: a metallic Copper lined, a hex cut metallic Rust and a hex cut dark Topaz with an aurora borealis finish (also called a rainbow finish). Delica "Dyna Mites" seed beads in Rainbow Rootbeer were used to fashion the triangular shield or base for the fringe. Rainbow rootbeer has become my favorite color in the kingdom of seed beads, it has a richness and luster that compliments all other colors...and I’m really fond of rootbeer floats !
Along with lovely seed beads are rondelles of genuine Carnelian. These carnelian rondelles crown the tops of freshwater oval pearls, I used grade A pearls in a natural (undyed) pale peach blush color.

#15 charlotte seed beads look like tiny drops of hematite, they grace the fringe ends. The triangular seed bead shield is embellished with more Carnelian rondelles, Freshwater Pearls, 4 mm Czech firepolished beads and of course more seed beads. All of this swings fluidly from 14 kt gold filled "Perfect Balance" earwires which I’ve accented with faceted, fiery red-orange crystal beads.

A fantastic color combination that plays remarkably well with many other colors, from neutral beiges, browns, tans and golds to greens, turquoise (gorgeous with turquoise), reds and yellows. They are feather light, have a flirty swing to them, are fun but sophisticated and with the right outfit can be very elegant.

Earrings measure 2.25 inches ( 64mm) from loop of earwire.
One foot note: These are truly more beautiful in person than in any of their photos !

The price $22 including USA shipping fees.
Shipping fees on Foreign shipping can be anywhere from $2.50 to $5 additional, depending upon country destination.
To order you may contact me through my etsy shop-click here if you have questions or wish to order, just let me know of your interest and I will make a special reserved listing for you. If it is a foreign order please let me know the country and I’ll e-mail you a quote on shipping costs.
Payment is easily done through PayPal which accepts all major credit cards and does the calculations for currency differences.

Whew ! Well that advertisement wasn’t too bad was it ? Uh, anybody...was it ?

In Retrospect...Naturally !

In Retrospect I should have named my blog differently...perhaps even; "In Retrospect", though I’m sure that title was taken long ago, as were many other more suitable titles such as "Down the Rabbit Hole" and "Through the Looking Glass".
Humanity has a propensity for embarking upon an adventure and once set sail, we halt, sometimes only a short distance from the dock at other times much further a sea. It is this inherent nature of our species to realize, afterwards, a better course, a fairer passage, we second guess, use hindsight and long for a "do over". And time marches relentless on.

For the past few days I’ve succumbed to Spring Fever, have done very little in the way of designing new pieces of jewelry, haven’t purchased any new beads or findings (truly unheard of for me, a die hard beadaholic). Instead I’ve been found puttering in my garden, pruning away the last remnants of this past winter’s frost damage, planting some seedlings, pulling weeds, and watching in amazement as things seem to grow before my eyes (especially the weeds).

Today I realize that I’ve veered far from my original course with this blog...no I had never meant it to be solely a blog about beading but I did have every intention of sprinkling a few morsels of bead work here and there...much like hidden Easter eggs.
So in all this time of fair spring weather I have created only a couple of new pieces, a pair of seed beaded fringe earrings using rondels of carnelian and tiny freshwater pearls. Though I'm pleased with the earrings, I can’t say that I’m pleased with their photos. I’ve been contemplating rigging up a photo light box, have heard it’s easy to fashion one from a frosted, plastic storage box...note to self; "look into self-made light boxes". I’m also very open to your advice or suggestions on this subject so please feel free to post me your comments.



Have also just completed a lovely beaded pendant using a 40 mm gemstone donut of beautiful red jasper...will have to take some photos to post in another blog entry...but the red jasper donut is quite shiny and causes much reflection of light...need that light box!

What's in a Name ?

Recently made a pair of earrings very similar to these using Delica #11 seed beads, decided to make another pair using different elements.
This pair utilizes Delica #11 round and hex shape seed beads, tiny rondelles of real carnelian topped off with freshwater pearls and micro #15 seed beads in a hematite finish. This pattern has always been a favorite with me and even though it is an old pattern, probably dating back to Victorian times, it is so versatile and can be adapted to suit most tastes. Here the rustic, hand hewn carnelian rondelles give a slight primitive edge to an otherwise very sophisticated and elegant earring.
Ear wires are 20 gauge, 14 k gold filled that I've embellished with orange-red crystals, compliments the orange-red of the carnelian quite nicely.
Haven't really come up with a name for them...maybe Carnelian Carnival...then again maybe not, some might think of carnival as being cheap or tacky, though I was thinking more like Rio deJaneiro ! What would you name them ?





Sophisticated, elegant with just a dash of primitive charm.