The seed beads are Czech glass with that rainbow finish I love as it reminds me of copper patinas on metal. I paired the seed beads with some lovely, deep purple Chinese crystals with flashes of the same orange/pink/golds.
One of the biggest challenges was deciding on what button I wanted to use to finish off the piece. I could have gone one of three ways:
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| The colors couldn't have matched more perfectly |
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| The purples in the Czech glass compliment the crystals |
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| Two little tropical fish - metal enameled buttons |
So what did I end up going with you ask?
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| Swimming in their own coral reef garden |
The tropical fish won the day! The blue Czech glass might be a more elegant finish - better suited perhaps to a formal dinner out. The butterfly would have been simply beautiful. But I loved the fun and sass of these little guys.
I just added it to Etsy this morning: this is my first bracelet I've actually added for sale there. Several friends have been pushing me to list some of my larger pieces (besides just earrings) on the site. Their suggestion is to think of it as a portfolio of my work. I'm hoping/planning to add additional larger pieces over the next several weeks. We'll see how it goes.
I've also added a listing for kits in this color way, so you could make your own private coral reef.
This is so beautiful! I love the finish on the beads and the fish are perfect!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous Karen, I love the colors and the fish look right at home!
ReplyDeleteTherese
When I saw this I thought "fish in the reef", then scrolled a little further and saw that you had the same idea -- great minds, eh? It's a really cool bracelet, and the color mix is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteExcellent choice, Karen -- the fish look happy in their beautiful "net" and the larger beads remind me of floats. Good job!
ReplyDeleteOf course the fish won the day- what else could you have chosen?
ReplyDeleteThe colors are lushious.
Awesome work of art, my dear. Those little fish are so cute, Karen, but I think they are too smart to get "caught" in the net. Maybe they'll stick around and admire those beautiful Czech glass beads (my favourites).
ReplyDeleteBy the way, your email last week was just the encouragement I needed to decide to finally start my blog; I celebrated my birthday yesterday by giving myself a gift that I hope will keep on giving: my own place to interact and undertake. Thanks for egging me on!
I love the finished bracelet! The fishies were the perfect finishing touch. :)
ReplyDeletethese fish are fantastic in color and whimsy! as is the whole bracelet & color scheme. Lots to Love with this one :-)
ReplyDeleteSuper cute and stylish.
ReplyDelete