Sometimes I'm inspired by something that doesn't exist.
My Autumn After Dark necklace in the fall issue of Stringing is a great example. I've always seen announcements from magazines looking for party-worthy jewelry for their December/January or winter issues. For fall, however, most of the jewelry designs published seem more earthy and office-appropriate.
When I sat down to design for the fall issue, I wondered what kind of autumn necklace would be appropriate for a night out—a party, a fancy dinner, a club?
Crystals seemed an obvious choice for evening wear. Who doesn't want to sparkle at night? In my stash, I had two large leaf-shaped crystal pendants that I'd purchased online several years ago, intending to create earrings. When they arrived, the pendants were larger than I expected and didn't work well as earrings. When I started thinking about necklace designs, I decided these crystals would make perfect ends for a lariat.
I added more crystals in fall-inspired colors, along with two types of gunmetal chain. Copper chain would have been the more obvious choice—it's a great metal for fall—but I felt the gunmetal chain gave the necklace an edgier, more "nightclub" feel.
Meet the Stringing Blog Carnival Designers |
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1. Kristy Abner 2. Kelly Angeley 3. Marianne Baxter 4. Ruby Bayan 5. Carrie Beckwith 6. Melanie Brooks 7. Gaea Cannaday 8. Lorelei Eurto 9. Amy Haftkowycz 10. Beth Hemmila 11. Tari Kahrs 12. Stephanie LaRosa |
13. Michelle Mach - YOU ARE HERE 14. Denise Yezbak Moore 15. Kelly Morgan 16. Sharon Palac 17. Anne Perry 18. Lisa Petrillo 19. Erin Prais-Hintz 20. Molly Schaller 21. Erin Strother 22. Heather Trudeau 23. Jennifer Judd Velasquez 24. Jennifer Zeiger |
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