Challenges and contests are what fuel a designer’s imagination helping them to create better. I, for one, never pass up an opportunity to participate in design challenges held on various jewellery blogs. Most of these challenges do not pick winners or offer prizes but rather offer all participants an opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and create new designs. In a typical challenge, the host provides an inspiration image, with or without a colour palette and any rules to be followed while creating designs. Creating only earrings, using art beads or using all the colours of the palette are some of the common restrictions that are posed. In this post, I am going to walk you through one such hypothetical challenge and how I create a Crochet bead necklace and earrings based on it.
Inspiration: The inspiration is a Floral Still life painting of Purple Violets by EA Burbank (Elbridge Ayer Burbank) showing an image of rich violets across warm mustard and green background. The colour palette comprises of dark and light violets, dark sea green, seafoam, mustard and light greyish pink. The objective is to create beaded jewellery using the given inspiration.
Realisation: In this challenge, I am considering only colour and pattern as my inspiration leaving out the more indirect aspects. To make my necklace and matching earrings I am choosing beads in crochet light and dark purple with mustard – gold thread work on them. I also adding aventurine in seafoam and white ceramic beads with floral motifs as compliments. The variety of beads in this design offers a balance of colour, texture and size making the design look harmonious and well balanced. Find the DIY tutorial below.
This tutorial is based on the most used and simplest technique of jewellery making - that is stringing. It involves Stringing beads, spacers and components together and finishing the ends with crimps. Jump rings can further be added to the closed ends to connect the clasp or hook and complete the necklace.
Materials
1.Crochet Round Beads Purple 22 mm - 2
2.Crochet Round Beads Light Purple 22 mm - 3
3.Football Glass Beads Violet 8 mm - 1 strand
4.Ceramic Fancy Round Beads 15 mm - 12
10 Silvertone crimps – 4
Tools – Nose pliers, wire cutters, scissors
Method
Crochet bead necklace DIY
Create Matching earrings
Author Bio: Divya N is Fashion (apparel) and jewellery designer who has been teaching design since 2009. She has been interviewed by leading dailies, regional and national magazines, websites, and has been featured on TV shows like ‘Oh my gold’ on TLC and Interweave jewellery magazines. She creates for and runs the jewellery brand Sayuri and blogs at Jewelofsayuri.
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