How often do you remake one of your jewelry pieces? One recent necklace made me think that I should do that more often. Sometimes while in the creation process I cannot see the small changes needed to take a necklace from okay to wow!
Pearl Posies Necklace
Before
I liked the color combination of aqua, mint green, and peridot in this early version of my Pearl Posies Necklace. I also liked the little scallops formed by the pearls. It reminded me of those round Peter Pan collars on little girls' dresses.
But there were things that bothered me about the design, too, such as the strand of brass round chain. I liked the chain, but I didn't love it. For one thing, the large chain seemed to take up too much real estate. My eye kept being drawn to the chain, rather than the scallops of peridot pearls. The round chain link shape also seemed wrong with the soft ovals of the pearls.
The second problem was more important because it made the necklace unwearable. I had chosen a brass magnetic bar clasp, which I liked for its sleek, unobtrusive look. But the clasp kept sticking to the chain and made it impossible for the necklace to hang properly.
After
Sometimes I find that it's best for me to put a necklace or bracelet away for a few weeks or months before attempting a redesign. That way, I'm looking at it with completely fresh eyes, almost as if it was created by someone else.
When I looked at this necklace again about a month later, I could see that substituting pearls for the chain and adding a toggle clasp was all I needed to do to make this necklace work. The pearls add a softer touch to the necklace and the toggle clasp works with the old-fashioned feel of the piece.
This do-over was a great reminder that you don't always need to start completely over when a design isn't working. Sometimes you just need to make a few minor changes.
Find the complete instructions for this necklace in the February 2013 issue of Bead Trends. All materials are from Michaels.
Have you redesigned any jewelry lately? Is there any jewelry sitting in your "do over" pile?