I used of some older Tibetan beads that I bought in a grab bag of broken stuff a few years back. I would love to know what the pendant on the right side was originally used for. I stuck a quartz crystal point into the cavity and I was going to wrap it with a blessing and some silk, but now I can't get it out. A couple of the other beads look very well used too. The silver skin is peeling off one of the metal beads and the carnelians are cracked and broken. The amber "beeswax" bead was missing one of its silver caps and I found that one of the repousse' caps fit perfectly on it. I put a new bail on the Kwan Yin shrine and glued Her back in where She had just been rattling around inside.
I wish I had the psychic ability to know all about a thing simply by touching it, to be able to read whatever vibrational memories an object might have acquired. Jewelry in particular, worn close to the skin. I wish I knew who owned these beads and if it was hard to part with them or if they were just broken jewelry parts and they were glad to sell them.
Maybe I'll put This neckace up on Etsy with an outrageous price tag. I've had two complaints recently from people who actually took the time to write and tell me that my stuff is "way too expensive". My other listings will look like bargains by comparison. Hmmm.....
Here's another new dangly piece that I'll be listing as soon as I figure out how to describe it:
And a silver necklace that's been just sitting around waiting for a clasp:
And another older piece that I lsted on Etsy recently:
The lapis beads in this necklace really are this deep blue. With the gold flecks in them, they look like the night sky.
You know, I've realized that this has become my job. A job I can do in my pajamas. I am very very lucky.
OH my goodness...those first two pieces are absolutely amazingly gorgeous! I'm drooling over my monitor. I can relate to wanting to keep pieces for yourself. I have found a few very unusual components, at least for me to find where I live, and it's so hard to let go of the finished jewelry pieces! I made a bracelet once with a great antique metal tag from a baggage company...everything used to make it was vintage or antique except one thing and I adored the finished product. I really wanted to keep it, but I also really needed to make some sales at an upcoming art fair so I put a very high price on it,like you talked about, thinking it probably wouldn't sell but at least I'd make some needed money if it did. Well, it sold in the first hour of the fair! I didn't even get a chance to wear it! LOL I figure we can wear them for a while and then sell them...the best of both worlds!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sara! I'm sorry though that you didn't at least get to wear the bracelet you adored. Maybe it would have been harder to part with it then...who knows? You're right about having the best of both worlds; I usually "test drive" my pieces to make sure they're comfortable and have no sharp bits that are going to snag or scratch. When it comes time to let them go, I tell myself I'll make something even better.
DeleteI usually do the same thing with the "test drive" mostly to make sure everything is secure and will hang the way I want it to. I like what you tell yourself about making something even better...I will have to try that. Right now I am taking a break from making jewelry to create mixed media art and starting an art journal. I think in the end it will only enhance my jewelry making skills and get me really excited about it again. I really love your jewelry and always look forward to seeing what new creations you have to share. Peace to your heart, Sara
ReplyDeleteHa! Ha! Ha! You totally made me laugh. People who don't make jewelry can't seem to appreciate just how much time, blood, sweat, and tears can go into a piece from beginning to end. Partly it's society's "get it now and get it cheap" mentality which I think is really sad. People don't appreciate any sort of craft for what it is anymore. I think your jewelry is not just gorgeous, but reasonably priced when I consider all the time that it takes for you to collect all the bits and baubles, make the decisions on what will go into each piece, the time to put it together, and the list goes on. Beautiful treasures to drool over!
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