Even though I can’t make right now, I don’t want to stay away from my beads. It has given me time to focus on organizing my studio. Although I’ve been spending what in the past would have been creating time in there, progress seems very slow! However, I am enjoying at least being in my studio. I found myself creating recently without meaning to. When I realized it, I stopped. It doesn’t seem to have harmed me; it wasn’t wire wrapping or anything! It gives me lots of hope that for a while I didn’t even notice I was doing it! But I’m very cognizant of not over-doing and delaying my recovery.
I was cleaning out the hodge podge that is the bottom drawer of my bead cart. Before I had a whole room taken over by beading, I had one of those plastic four drawer carts. All of my beads fit in there. Can you imagine? I used to seatbelt the whole thing in the car when I went to visit my parents so when my mom and I were beading together, I would have access to all of my supplies. I still have the cart, but it serves a different purpose. 
When my sister and brother-in-law were in North Carolina some years ago, they went to a gemstone mine where you pan for your own gems. They got a blue topaz they set for my sister’s engagement ring. It’s really beautiful. My sister also brought me some gem shards. I didn’t know how to use them, so I saved them until I did. Several months ago I saw a locket with glass in Candie Cooper’s shop that I knew would be perfect to make the gems into a pendant. I had looked for the gems in that drawer, but hadn’t immediately found them. Cleaning it all out unearthed them.
I put all but two of the gems in the locket (they were too tall for it to close) and then added a few more things to make it look fuller. On advice that came with the locket, I glued the closure shut to make it secure. This is when I realized I was making with my bad thumb.
So I didn’t finish it. If it had been a matter of just finding the perfect exact length of chain, I might have braved finishing it another day. But I have two options, one of which is slightly more work than that, and one of which will have to wait a much longer time or will require a purchase. Here is one idea. 
Mix some vintage chain with some new chain to make a long enough chain for the necklace. The other idea is to put baroque pearl rosary style chain with it. I really like that idea and even have some chain. When I looked at it, I thought the wire was gold, but I was looking in my etsy history to see if I had other pearl chain (without going through more heavy boxes). I found some that said brass wire. I will have to take another look at it.
I’m so happy I’ve found a way to wear my pretty gift gems!
It’s a lovely way to use those precious shards! Isn’t it amazing how quickly we can start doing something without realizing how far we’ve gotten? I do hope your recovery goes well! Best wishes.
Its lovely. I remember having gemstone shards and tiny opals with me and in a notion to preserve them, I put them in a metal rim like this and did the stupidest thing I could have done. Suspended them in resin! as I was just discovering resin. I wish I had the sense to find a glass pendant like you did to keep them safe
This is a wonderful idea! I hope that your occupational therapy is going well and you will be back to beading soon! Are you planning to go to the Madison Bead Show in March? I usually purchase the challenge bead and enter my creation. I would encourage you to do it, too—-you would have a very good chance of winning!
I’m not sure if I’m going to the show. It’s funny – it has never occurred to me to do the challenge, even though I do other kinds. It’s a beautiful bead this year! Although therapy is going well, it’s very unlikely my hand will be well enough to enter. I hope you have fun! I’ll keep it in mind for the future. Thanks for the suggestion.
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