Mermaid’s Gown – The Necklace
joy.joyner on Jan 08 2010 at 9:06 pm | Filed under: Recently Finished, chroma, creative inspiration
The second installment in The Chroma Project is ready to share! Well, it’s been ready to share, but I’ve been sick along with the rest of the house. Today was the first day in a week that I’ve been able to get out of the house and ship some packages. It was nice to get some fresh air! I certainly appreciate the weather here after hearing about the rest of the country in the deep freeze. If I could, I’d send y’all some 60 degree sunshine! Enough of that, on with the necklace!
Mermaid’s Gown was the second color of choice in Violet’s Chroma Project. Those of you who have followed my jewelry (or blog for that matter) know that I could create oceanic inspired pieces exclusively and be happy as, well, a clam! With that being said, this piece flew from my brain to my hands rather quickly, and I have to say I’m pleased with the results.
This piece was designed to be worn with the clasp in the front. The clasp is a hand wrapped, sterling silver hook and eye. The ‘eye’ side of the clasp holds a tassel of beads that look as if a deep sea mermaid collected them herself. A tumbled smooth beach stone and an eroded periwinkle shell that has been surf tumbled smooth were both collected at my favorite beach on Monterey Bay. A frond of giant kelp has been woven with seed beads and hangs in the mix. There’s also a faceted drop of aquatic blue glass, some cultured pearls, and a glass nautilus shell. Mermaid worthy, indeed!
The necklace is a single asymmetrical strand of more ocean themed beads. Faceted aqua blue glass, seed beads, and Czech glass are accented with beautiful white keishi pearls, and two different types of blue opal. The opals are milky blue and white, with inclusions that resemble fronds of seaweed floating in the surf.
A note about the opals in this piece. These opals are not the precious fire opals, but are opals none the less. Because of the pourous nature of opals, they have a tendency to change colors when exposed to chemicals, lotions, hairspray, and perfumes. A good rule of thumb for this piece (or any other piece of jewelry) is to put it on after you have finished applying all of your daily creams and such. Store them in a dark place and clcean them with a bit of warm water and a shop cloth. No ultrasonic cleaners or harsh chemical cleaners! Now, I’m sure you’re curious what color they may turn if exposed? A milky translucent brown is the answer. Not terrible, but still not quite the same.
Ok ok! I won’t make you wait any longer, on to the pictures!! *measurements and nitty gritty details are below the images*
This necklace measures a smidgen under 19″ with the tassel hanging another 4″ below that. When I did my test wear for this piece it received lots of ooohs and aaaahs. Did I mention, It’s also super comfy to wear? It is!
As with all of my creations, this is a one of a kind creation. So if you like it, you’d better grab it! It will not be reproduced!
And one last thing, shipping is FREE when you buy direct from my blog!
-- Weather When Posted --
- Temperature: 55°F;
- Humidity: 83%;
- Heat Index: 55°F;
- Wind Chill: 55°F;
- Pressure: 30.16 in.;
Hi Joy, like the pearls you used and what a lovely necklace you created except…the closure, I don´t like that can be seen in front. Otherwise I had bought it *sigh*
Best Claudia
Thanks for the input, Claudia! I know the visible clasp is either a love hate thing for jewelry fans. I enjoy the challenge of incorporating the clasp in a way that makes it part of the design rather than just an after though.
I had been thinking about doing a second Mermaid’s Gown necklace just for the fun of it, and your comment gave me the little push I needed. Luckily I still had the bead tray et up for it. I’m playing with it as we speak!