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Saturday, April 25, 2020

The Struggle is Real

This will be a short post.  I am finding that moving ahead with new projects is challenging.  As a designer I have (finally!) realized that unless the parts are available for my design in process, there is little point to spending gobs of time perfecting, photographing, illustrating and writing.  I am going to show you something I just made for myself, that inspired a potential new project.  I'm calling it "Crazy."


This was a pretty awesome piece of Mexican Crazy Lace Agate from one of my favorite lapidaries.  I was looking forward to seeing her at the local Gem and Lapidary Workers Show, but of course, Covid19 cancelled that gathering.  Her work is always impeccably calibrated, and that I love, but this piece has a crystalline bit that I think must have been challenging to work with.


I know that is not a great photo, but it does allow you to see the crystalline part.  Like it wanted to be a geode.  :)  It's a substantial piece of stone, and the base row for this peyote bezel was 116 Toho Treasures.  So of course, I wanted to echo that crystalline structure in the bezel and yoke.  I used some 2.5mm Swarovski bicones at the edge and then, given summer on the way, I wanted a light yoke and needed to scale down to a delicate chain.  That I accomplished with a small bail and progressively smaller crystals in a variety of shapes and colors, snugging neatly up to the chain.


This lapidary is local, but has only a PO Box contact.  I may try to ask if she is willing to cut for me for a project for you, but in the interim, I am working with a Swarovski crystal as a base.  The 2.5mm bicones in the colors I want seem to be hard to locate at a good price and in reasonable quantity, but I have not given up yet.

I just wanted to share that I have not entirely given up on writing tutorials and kitting.  But the current circumstances provide challenges.

Stay safe, and keep beading!

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