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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
2 Comments
lizykat
2/12/2013 12:26:22 am
OMG Toni...these are fabulous do-overs!.... I can only imagine how much fun it was to look, think, assess options, take apart, add to it, and complete your vision....good thing your Muse was along for the ride, give her a raise!!!
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Toni McCarthy
2/12/2013 01:29:47 am
She definitely needs a raise! She worked some serious overtime. Suze brought over lots of new old stuff for makeovers yesterday, so in the next few weeks/months, I will be asking Musette (I think that's her name now) to sit on my shoulder (or just above my cubbies looking down on the progress.)
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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 . . .