I had a commission before Christmas, to make a bracelet for my friend Andrew's sister. She had looked at my jewellery and nothing quite fit the bill exactly - she liked elements of lots of things, but there wasn't one individual piece that was quite her. So Andrew asked me to make a bracelet for her.
She especially liked this necklace:
 |
| Nesting - still available, by the way! |
but wanted a softer colour palette - natural tones; delicate peaches and pinks with golden overtones. Not a colour palette I work in often, not because I dislike it, I am just so drawn to vibrant shades the more natural ones often get overlooked.
It's taken a while for the clasp to arrive from America - January has been a slow month for the post for some reason - but it arrived at the end of last week, and I set to soon afterwards. Here's what I came up with:
I know it's a little uncouth to enthuse too much about one's own work, but I must say, I am thrilled with how this one turned out! I have only recently begun shopping with SwoonDimples (where the clasp from the bracelet and the pendant from the necklace are from) but I am just thrilled with the quality beauty of Heather Millican's work. Sometimes it can be intimidating working with higher priced components, but when you get it right, it's so worth it! I also love the cheeky wee bird I included - handmade by a women's co-operative in South Africa. I bought a set of five in the summer, at the Edinburgh Craft and Design Fair. I love it when you get a commission that pushes you in an unexpected direction, and you fall in love with something new. I will be returning to these delicate tones.
10 comments:
Enthuse away, you have the right, its beautiful! and the little bird is sooooo cute, it makes the whole piece for me :0)
It's beautiful, and I love those colours. And, Claire's right about the bird, he's super - really caught my eye!
I had seen a picture of this bracelet on FaceBook already, and I REALLY like it. Now it is so nice and interesting to read about how it came to be. I think it is an absolutely beautiful piece. You have worked those softer colors so perfectly! And not only that, I love the combination of beads you have chosen, and the multi stranded-ness. Everything about it really. The bird is super cute.
That is marvelous! I love the colors and components. I have Swoondimples favorited on Etsy, but so far I haven't splurged on a piece. However, I really love that clasp :-)
What a lovely 'story' behind your inspiration for this gorgeous necklace - I am sure that it will be treasured. There is nothing quite like having an original piece of 'art' - except of course, having a unique treasure, with commponents from around the world, creating such a stunning necklace.
Thanks for sharing the backstory of this gorgeous bracelet. She'll treasure this, I'm sure. Even with the muted tones, you've incorporated so many interesting components to make it special.
We tend to be our own harshest critics especially in relation to commissions as they are so personal, so it is fabulous when we can celebrate and share something we truly love.
Wow this is lovely :) Working outside your colour confort zone obviously did you some good!
I know what you mean when you say it's difficult working with beautiful components. I've only recently started working with art beads and am building up a little hoard! It's not that they are uninspiring - certainly not - it's just a challenge to come up with a design that seems worth of someone elses skill and effort :)
I personally believe that if you're excited and enthused about your own work, other people will follow suit! I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing; just a different form of self promotion :)
I'm with Smitten though--You DESERVE to enthuse! Both pieces you've created are downright stunning.
I LOVE the wee little bird hidden in the custom design; I actually had to go back and look for it after I read about it ^.^
Nice textural neck-less. Color and objects are beautiful.
pilgrim jewellery
Post a Comment