This necklace was a challenge to make! I wanted to incorporate strands of cord in with the beads and was unsure how to fasten them all together neatly.
I ended up using a 26 gauge wire to bind the cords together, then I stitched seed beads over the wire with thread so the wire wouldn’t show. Finally, I strung the strands of seed beads from the ones I stitched to the wire.
I used an antique brass floral feature that I set off to one side and secured with a double-sided eye pin.
I have been making jewelry since I was a child. I first learned Native American styles of bead weaving from a bunkmate at summer camp and by junior high I was known for selling jewelry to my teachers and classmates out of a fishing tackle box.
Many of my designs are often structurally based on bead weaving stitches, but I also use a lot of chain and wire in my more recent designs.
I find inspiration in nature, art history, fashion history, design from other cultures and in my eclectic urban surroundings.
