Reader Photos : beads, beaded, wirewrapped

Coral Bracelet: The Inheritance Set

Antiquity Travelers — Tue, 24 May 2011 00:23:56 GMT

A friend of mine who grew up in Turkey asked me to give new life to strings of coral she had inherited from her mother. The beads are stunning. You can still pick up bits and pieces within that show the natural coral patterns. I brought in color tones from jewelry I saw all over India; including some brass rounds I picked up at the Taj Mahal. The bracelet is made from a combination of coral, gold, orange agate and brass. There is also a matching necklace with the same coral - she had 3 long strings of coral which left plenty of beads to make the matching pair.

Turquoise Necklace: St Tropez

Antiquity Travelers — Wed, 18 May 2011 22:11:47 GMT

While taking my usual train commute into NY City, one of my friends was flipping through a catalogue. She was eyeing a multi-strand turquoise necklace that she really liked, but could not believe what they were charging for the piece. I glanced at it and said, yes you're right that is outrageous .... it really shouldn't cost that much. Her reply "could you make it for me?"

I never make any piece exactly like the picture, which is exactly how I cook. I usually have 3 or 4 open cookbooks on the counter while I 'doctor-up' my own version of a recipe. I got to work on the necklace. Her request was 'please lots of silver' and could you add some suede. Suede? hmm, never tried that before, but ok.

This is the same friend who lost one of her favorite silver hoop earrings and her fiance texted me a picture of the remaining hoop and asked if I could make a new pair. I did the obligatory trip to the silver store and bought a straight up pair of hoops. But then I also grabbed some thick gauge silver (15g) and did my own version of hammered silver hoops. Those were the ones she chose.

This friend said that she wanted the necklace to wear in the summer with her long, simple tank dresses. Looking specifically for a style she would wear on the beach somewhere in St Tropez (her fantasy get-away). What resulted was a wild mix of multi-sized turquoise beads, types of silver (including hill tribe silver), hand-hammered silver connectors and knotted suede. She's been wearing this one with her summer dresses, not in St Tropez but regularly on the train to NYC

There is a matching bracelet: see Turquoise Bracelet: St Tropez Set, but caution ... don't try wearing the two together! It could result in a carni-inspired, turquoise studded get up. And yes, there are matching hoops.

Bracelet: Jasper Rose

Antiquity Travelers — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:04:19 GMT

A hand-made chain of jasper and rose quartz beads with alternating shell hoops. It's set with silver wire and a sterling silver clasp

Neapolitan

Antiquity Travelers — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 14:03:52 GMT

A contemporary hoop with shades of Neapolitan icecream. These are rich, gorgeous browns that cascade beautifully on a hot summer night.

This pattern is exclusively Swarovski crystal beads, that sparkle with a technique called the "Aurora Borealis crystal effect." Swarovski was inspired by northern lights, and worked in collaboration with French designer Christian Dior (1950s) to create this type of bead. The success on the catwalk was overwhelming, and this technique is what distinguishes these beads today.

These earrings are one of my personal favorites. I simply love the way they look on!