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Courting My Beading Muse . . .

I think about beads and jewelry a lot.  Maybe not constantly, but almost.  So when my muse is with me, I must court her so she stays and provides me with inspiration.  Here are some results . . .

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The Band Practice Collection

2/11/2013

2 Comments

 
Round 2 of Suze's jewelry redesign project was delivered today.  She was delighted!  We're calling it the Band Practice Collection because of how it came about.  For several years, Suze taught music lessons in her studio to a group of ladies in their golden years who wanted to learn something new or brush up on old skills. Due to health and other issues, it came to be that all the ladies needed to meet at one home, and Suze delivered the lessons to them.  Over the years, they formed a "group" and called their sessions "Band Practice."  Her payment was a sum of money that they insisted she use for herself only...no bills, no gifts to anyone, just something special for herself.  She saved it up, and this jewelry redesign is what she chose.

She will be at the Spirit of the West Cowboy Gathering in Ellensburg WA February 14-17, and some of the new pieces are for this event.  She is performing and wanted new stage eye-catchers.  So I delivered.  We'll start with her favorite.
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BEFORE:  A typical 60s necklace of an assortment of plastic beads.  
Not very inspiring.  


But Suze always liked my Winged Peace necklace featured in Stringing magazine, so...

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AFTER:
"Western Winged Peace", a custom version of that necklace.  I added bone, ceramic, resin, tagua nut, chain, and a fabuous rusted pendant.    

The yellow beads became earrings with added bone and tagua.



Here are a few more redesigns.  Each uses mainly the beads in the original, but I add glass, metal, or findings from my own stash to "make it right" and to put my own style on it.  Sometimes it needs to be longer (or shorter), or chunkier (or slimmer), or more symmetrical (or a bit crazy).  It all depends on what the beads in the original tell me.  

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BEFORE: It's a 3-strand necklace of various gemstone chips. The stringing material was fishing line, not good for jewelry.
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MIDWAY: The exploded necklace. I separated all the chips and findings so I knew how much I had to work with. I decided to group similar chips together instead of mixing them up.
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AFTER: The finished necklace is about 38" long, plenty to double. I added a sterling toggle clasp, size 13 charlottes between the chips for flexibility, and a gather of coral chips where the cross attaches in the center. Earrings complete the look.
Here is a necklace that just needed to be lengthened into a rosary-style.  So I added quite a bit of glass and some coral.  Suze wanted more red and liked the two colors of turquoise in the original piece.
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BEFORE: Lots of shapes and styles of magnasite beads and some turquoise. The clasp is nice, but there is no flexibility.
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AFTER: This is a very symmetrical rosary-style necklace, about 38" long. I mixed brass and silver and put brown iris charlottes and little silver balls between the beads.
Here is a necklace that needed to be tamed a bit.  It's hard to tell it's the same set of beads!  The blackened copper filigree pendant is fabulous.
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BEFORE: We had cut it up some to check out the shells. So here are the parts. There are two types of plastic beads, some chain, and the shells. The copper chain was an extra.
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AFTER: I grouped similar types of beads by size, larger (from the front) to smaller. Spreading out the shells with smaller beads makes them easier to appreciate. The chain was eliminated except for an extender to make the piece more "layerable."
You can see Suze's style and color palette preferences in the necklaces above.  The next project is a real change of pace.  The crystal links had languished in a jewelry box for far too long.  They had been part of a necklace years ago, and Suze wanted it updated into pieces she could wear.
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BEFORE: A lovely strand of Swarovski crystals in jewel tones and all linked with sterling jump rings. Too short for a comfortable necklace.
I'm sure the ladies from Band Practice would be happy with Suze's gift to herself.
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AFTER: Now it's a 2-strand bracelet with a sterling silver toggle and some dangles from the extra crystals. The mis-matched earrings were a hit with Suze!
2 Comments

Updating Suze's Collection:  Round 1

2/2/2013

4 Comments

 
In October 2010 I met with a friend who wanted me to update her vintage collection of inherited jewelry, gifts, and her own purchases over the years.  She didn't wear it anymore, or never had in some cases, but she wanted to honor the memory of some pieces handed down from dear relatives.  So we met to brainstorm, and in the end she gave me a box of jewelry, some intact and some just remnants, and a list of projects that I completed by the end of the year.  

Suze Spencer Marshall is an award-winning musician, entertainer, music teacher, and record producer in Vancouver, WA whose western musical roots go way back to the 30s and 40s.   We first met at her house where she showed me fabulous collections of her stage wear: vintage western shirts and boots, lovely velvet jackets, and beaded garments from the early 20th century.  With these in mind, and knowing that she wanted what would look fabulous on stage, we planned the remakes.

Here are a few before and after pictures of what was done:
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BEFORE:  Black satiny glass and a wonderful cross that belonged to a loved one just begged to be redone.

Suze wanted it long to layer with other pieces.

Originally it was stiff and too short to wear easily.  Luckily all the original pieces were usable.

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AFTER:      I added more black glass and sterling silver findings and lengthened it to about 36" plus an extender for some versatility.

Small silver balls between the black beads make it supple.  

She wears this one a lot and gets raves!

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BEFORE:  Moonglow 1950s beads worn by mom probably

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AFTER:

Suze wanted a set for travel and personal wear.  There were plenty of beads for a 3-piece set.

So I added clear glass, a lovely beige-y color, and copper findings, her favorite.

Again, small beads between the bigger ones makes this work.

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AFTER:

The necklace is about 23" long and works alone or layered, one of Suze's favorite looks.  This would look great with a longer copper chain with a pendant.

Copper bead caps, toggle, and counter-balance in the back are featured.  

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BEFORE:

A very classic design, perfectly fine, but not what Suze wanted.

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AFTER:

With the addition of a brown turquoise and sterling silver, this necklace is updated.

The bears are wired dangles, and the necklace is shorter.

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AFTER:

There were plenty of fetish bears and other beads to finish the set.  I added sterling silver and a few turquoise beads.

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BEFORE:  

Very traditional, nice turquoise and silver.

Suze wanted it shorter and more RED!

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AFTER:

Red coral is added, but the other beads and silver are kept.  

But making it shorter gave Suze a bracelet and earrings.

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BEFORE:

Long necklace of pearlized glass beads, German glass, and old-style bead caps.  

And one  clip earring.

Needs work.

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AFTER:

I grouped similar beads together and arranged the colors in a way that flows.  

Matte gold-finish findings work well.

Two earrings on vermeil wires.

Those are five of the original remodels I did for Suze.  There were more, some with white glass pearls and very traditional, some with black nailheads in a netted design, some with glass chips that just needed more room between the beads so they could move.  All were fun.  As I work on Round 2, I'll show you the process.
4 Comments

    About Me . . . 

    I am a beader. 
    I love it. . . all parts of it:  planning projects, buying beads, accumulating tools, reading articles, organizing my studio, auditioning designs, researching other artists, and hopefully inspiring myself to continue courting the beading muse. 

    I have been designing handmade beaded jewelry since about 1995, 
    and always my focus has been on What Women Buy for Themselves  (although I have LOTS of customers who are men too!)

    All pieces are designed and made by me in my studio here in Camas, Washington.
    Czech glass in bold colors is my main "fabric."  In addition, copper, brass, vintage German glass, handmade lamp work beads, and copper and silver wirework are mixed with metals, gemstones, pearls and found objects in one-of-a-kind designs.

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    Published Work
    in Stringing magazine

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    TURQUOISE & TAGUA: Winter 2009
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    CORAL CONFLUENCE: Fall 2010
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    WINGED PEACE: Spring 2012
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    SERENDIPITY: Summer 2012
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    MARIA: Tagua Nut Bracelet Spring 2013
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    SADDLES & SAGE: Gemstones and Glass Necklace Summer 2013

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