You Lovely Little Yellow Opal You Need 2 Designs - Mission 2 Simple Yet Interesting

Mission 2 - Simple Yet Interesting

Blog on the versatility of using pendant groupings in your jewelry designs. This is a 2 part blog series.  Click Here for Mission 1 - Earthy Jewelry Design.

The majority of my stone comes from my wonderful friends at Dakota Stones.  I have truly found the most interesting and unique cuts, varieties and drills.  Plus they are 5 minutes from my house....okay I know I have said that before......BUT THEY ARE 5 MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE.  Jeff Elvin the owner is truly on the side of the designer....before he heads out on one of excursions to hunt for stone he often sends me a message asking for ideas and wants to know what designers maybe looking for.  Guess what.......everything that I have asked him for he's brought home.  Not only are they interested in what us artists are up to they are just fun!!!!!!! 

They had some really fun advertising at the last Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee.

Anyone with a sign like this is after my purse strings!!!!!!

It is so fun to go to their warehouse.  So if you can ever make it out to their warehouse sales that he has 2 times a year............IT IS WORTH THE TRIP.  Get on their mailing list so you can get the details.

Click Here To Head Over to Dakota Stones.

So now on to the business at hand!!!!  I made this Earthy Design below for my first part of this mission.  The general consensus on my blog and on Facebook was to keep the dangles so that is what I am doing.

Island Sunset can be purchased here.

My next task was to come up with a simple yet interesting design for Mission 2.  Simple is a little more difficult for me to make as all the endless possibilities come to mind.  It has value and is a great way to have the stone take the lead rather than the design.  There is the saying less is more and I am a firm believer in that.  So I do design in both realms.   

Sunny Dispostion Necklace can be purchased here. 

(I remade a second necklace for sale...instead of a dragonfly it has a Hill Tribes Fine Silver Flower....same link)

Sunny Disposition Soft Tribal Necklace is simply strung on Beadalon wire with the lovely Yellow Opal, Pineapple Jade, Bone, Hill Tribes Fine Silver Dragonfly and Sterling Chain and hook.  Compare the 2 designs and ask yourself.....Which Design Appeals To You Most?  I bet in the realm of my readers we get a vast array of opinions based on their personalities and style preferences.  I would love to hear from you on which you like and why....so I hope you will comment below as I truly love to hear from my customers and my jewelry associates in crime.

This design is simple yet elegant and the Yellow Opal takes the stage.  Note that I haven't lost my earthy bent in the process of making this.  I have different customers and as long as I can be true to myself I love to design in all realms.  This is why I AM NEVER BORED with jewelry design.

Sunny Disposition Earrings can be purchased here. 

(I remade a second pair for sale...same link)

I even threw in a simple pair of yellow earrings.  I took the smaller stones at the back of the strand and simply wire wrapped them with the Pineapple Jade and set them on some simple handmade sterling silver earring wires.

Look all the Yellow Opal beads I have left!!!!!!!!  Amazing isn't it!  I have at least a necklace or two that I can make and even some earrings. Contemplating a bracelet not sure....hmmmmm it's an interesting location for drill hole for a bracelet.

My point is this ......... these pendant sets are truly versatile!!!!!!  Cost effective if you are a jewelry designer.  Yes you may look at the price and shy away but in the end look how many designs you are getting out of it.

I HAVE A SUPRISE!!!!!!!!

At Dakota Stones last warehouse sale I nabbed a strand of Kunzite Pendant Bead Set in their CLEARANCE BIN.......yes you must dig through that!  Crap now I have some competition.

These are just some of them below as I already made the below design.

Kunzite is a lovely stone.  Not a stone that I would originally gravitate toward mostly because it has a pink sheen in it and I don't typically design in pink.....but it is really growing on me.  So it is very much like Kyanite in its iridescence.  It has some lovely pinks, light greens and creamy whites in its shimmer.

This strand was a little more unusual in that all the edges were rounded.  HINT HINT.....UNUSUAL. That is what I always go for when I buy.  

This does not meet the SIMPLE YET INTERESTING part of the BLOG.......ok maybe the interesting.  I threw this design together last night as nothing on the television was grabbing my attention but designing another necklace.

Polynesian Queen Necklace can be purchase here.

(This necklace recently sold but I have a different one in the works)

This is a new design for me and I am really liking the play of the texture over the smooth of the Kunzite.  I like the soft and hard mix, its interesting to me.  This piece is hand knotted with 4 ply waxed linen in Kunzite, African Turquoise, Carved Jade and I added a handmade copper clasp.

This necklace is on reserve but I added the link so you could view the photos.

These pendant grouping are versatile and cost effective for designers....the above photo of the Kunzite is what I have left over from the strand after I made Polynesian Queen Necklace.

Want to see my latest....here is my store.

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Thanks for coming to read my blog..... I know its been sending out cricket noises for awhile......guess I'd rather design jewelry than blog.  I would love to have some new followers, as that is sending out cricket noises to.  You can follow on the right side of the blog.

Its all about creative play......till next time.

 kiss kiss ------- Kristin

You Lovely Little Yellow Opal You Need 2 Designs - Mission 1 Earthy Jewelry Design

Many of you know that I love love love Dakota Stones.  I am so fortunate to have them about 5 minutes from my house.  

So I was on my way to see how my girl Tia's vacation went and like in the movie Up I did a "SQUIRREL" when I saw the above Yellow Opal Pendant Strand.

Dakota Stones knows me well.....I usually go right from their warehouse to my jewelry studio and make quick work of their awesome stone.

So when I was contemplating what I would make, of course the typical design always comes to mind.  There always lies my dilemma.  What to do?  Do I treat it in the usual way by what you see here or do I try something unique.  I love earthy design first and foremost but I also see the value in the simplest of design to show off this lovely stone.  So I decided to make 2 designs out of this to show you that these pendant sets are so versatile.

This is Blog 1 Mission Earthy Design.  

I didn't have hole size on my side on these pendant sets so my original design idea wasn't going to work.  I was afraid to enlargen the hole with my Eurotool Electric Bead Reamer as Opal is typically a little more delicate.  So I played around with the design and how I was going to group some of the pendants in an interesting and earthy way.  After quite a few attempts....here is my start.  

I did consult with Staci Smith on a few design points.....thank you Staci!  It is always helpful to have some kindred spirits in your corner and she is one of them. So I knew I was going to do the above so the next question was......What are the sides going to look like or am I really at the sides yet?  So I layed a strand of Citrine that I also purchased at Dakota Stones and I am like Hmmmmmmm.  Kind of liking that.

I have been playing with some bib style designs with my tying lately.  

This necklace can be purchased here.

I thought I wonder if I can do a modified bib style design with these pendants......the wheels are churning!!!!!

So here is what I came up with for my first design.

Island Sunset Tribal Necklace can be purchased by clicking the photo.

I am still debating on one point....the dangles at the bottom.  Have them or not.  Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.  I can easily cut off the bottom beads so one could see more of the Yellow Opal. Hmmmmmmm??????? What do you think?

It has a lovely lay on the neckline.

So stay tuned for my next blog using these Yellow Opal in an interesting yet simple design.

You can find my designs here.

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