Posted on Leave a comment

Necklace with many kinds of vintage fresh water pearls

Multi strand necklace with vintage pearls, seed beads, and metal components lying on a cream-colored fuzzy mat with a blurred light shadows of leaves over it.

I’ve started working on this necklace in the middle of many art shows happening all at once or back to back at the end of 2019. For a while, all attempts to make much progress were very futile.

Then just as the beginning of 2020 started to look a little more promising, COVID-19 demanded major adjustments to both creative and non-creative aspects of what I do, and all I could manage was projects with deadlines attached to them.

It is wonderful when people have interest in your work, yes, and it means even more to me when their lives are affected by the pandemic. It’s just that jewelry you started because an idea looked cool in your head fails to materialize for weeks and months, and then it’s a challenge to recall what you wanted to create. Luckily, I learned to take notes, and this time notes let me work in tiny spurs here and there without losing sight of the final look.

Like it happened before so many times, the original pearls came from the Blackbird Granary in Mt. Angel, Oregon.

Photo of a beginning stage of the designing a multi strand necklace with vintage fresh water pearls of different shapes and colors ~ work in progress ~ Motley Mix Jewelry
Beginning stage of the design
Starting with the side sections
Realizing that the central part could have more strands
Multi strand necklace with vintage pearls, seed beads, and metal components lying on a cream-colored fuzzy mat with a blurred light shadows of leaves over it.
Finally done. Not even a year in the making!
Posted on Leave a comment

Custom set of bridesmaid earrings, with a special meaning

Bridesmaid earrings with Vintage glass pearls and sparkling clear glass
Bridesmaid earrings with Vintage glass pearls and sparkling clear glass

Vintage glass pearls for this set came from the Mother of the bride’s 3-strand necklace. The bride will wear two strands, and pearls from the third one went into earrings for her bridesmaids. They are all close friends of the family and no doubt will appreciate these thoughtful gifts.

The faceted glass rondelle beads are Vintage from my own bead hunting, but by now I forgot where I found them.

The maid of honor gets special earrings and necklace with chains created from remaining glass pearls, and this still requires some planning, but the above earrings have been approved and started their journey to the East Coast.

Updated February 21, 2019

Maid of honor earrings and necklace with vintage glass pearls, mother of pearl shell, and sparkling clear glass
Maid of honor earrings and necklace with vintage glass pearls, mother of pearl shell, and sparkling clear glass

And the set for the maid of honor is done too. I’ve added mixed glass seed beads and some mother of pearl shells to help it stand out a little more. Also, I have lots of respect for brides who make so many decisions about an upcoming wedding and still keep their sanity.