Last year my book club re-read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it the second time around. (The first time I read it was in high school.) When I was asked to make a winter-inspired jewelry design, I knew I wanted to use that book since I remembered a scene towards the end where Jane is wandering outside in the cold. I was surprised when I opened the book and found that winter was mentioned in the very first chapter.
Inspiring Words
Here are some of the words from Chapter 1 of Jane Eyre that inspired this necklace:
" . . . the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so somber, and a rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question. I was glad of it: I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie . . ."
Later in that chapter, Jane is sitting near the window reading in the room with her cousins who are acting hateful towards her:
"At intervals, while turning over the leaves of my book, I studied the aspect of that winter afternoon. Afar, it offered a pale blank of mist and cloud; near a scene of wet lawn and storm-beat shrub, with ceaseless rain sweeping away wildly before a long and lamentable blast."
My Necklace Design
For this necklace, I wanted to capture the image of Jane deep in her imaginary world of books, but also looking out at the bleak winter world outside. To do this, I combined a brass filigree pendant and links, which have the romantic, Victorian feel of the novel with some of clear, icy Swarovski crystal beads, a few pearls and glass beads, including two Venetian glass rounds and a lot of matte dark gray Czech glass drops that look like dark raindrops—or tears.
Design Tips & Notes
- Focal: The filigree flower I chose was on the small side (23mm). To enlarge the focal, I simple added some teardrops and a crystal bicone from the loops in the filigree.
- Teardrops & Jump Rings: The tiny (4x6mm) teardrops worked well with the 4.5mm 21-gauge brass jump rings, but you may want to order a couple of extra beads for whatever project you're making. I found I had to go slowly when inserting the jump ring into the teardrop so I didn't break them. There were a couple (2 out of 40) where the jump rings wouldn't fit, no matter how gently I tried to nudge them into place. You could try a bead reamer to gently open the hole or set the beads aside for a stringing project with smaller wire. But overall, I was very pleased with how well these worked together, since I did not have a design backup plan!
- Colors: I loved these glass pearl teardrops I chose, but I didn't end up using them in this necklace. They're labeled as "light blue" and they do look bluish when alone, but when combined with the other beads, they looked more green. In a similar way, when I saw the alexandrite teardrops in their packaging, I worried that they were too purple. But they look more clear in the photo (see the photo of the focal close-up) with just some faint purple overtones.
- Clasp: Tie the clasp to the focal. I don't always do this, but it's nice to sometimes find a special clasp that matches the focal. For this necklace, I was happy to find a brass box clasp with a tiny crystal center.
- Affordability: You don't need to spend a lot of money to make a very nice custom necklace. Everything in this necklace—eye pins, beads, chain, jump rings—can be purchased from Artbeads for around $30!
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Coming Next Week
I'm not sure yet what I'll be writing about for Friday, but next Tuesday I'll be announcing a fun swap challenge. Hope I see you then!