Tags
Bead & Button Show, Creating Unkamen, Nancy Adams, Now That's a Jig!, Round Rabbit, The Whole Bead Show
I have been thinking about this necklace for years. I didn’t have the right materials until now. Let me tell you a story.
I learned about art beads late in my bead journey. When I learned about Nancy Adams of Round Rabbit, I was thrilled to see her work. I fell in love with her ceramic beads. Please note, she does not make beads any more, but she does create handmade items, so check out her shop. Anyway, I saw her beads, and fell down the rabbit hole (so to speak) of her blog. And I saw the pod. I remember thinking, “I just missed it, and maybe she’ll never make this design again.” Then, a few years later, she did!
If you are someone who bought from her, you’ll know that her work just disappeared in seconds. So when I saw the photo of the pods on her blog, I picked out the one I loved, a matte glaze. But I just wanted to make sure I got one, and they are all beautiful. So I bought a shiny glaze when I had the chance. Later the one I love came up, and I got it too! Wow. I was in bead heaven.
So they went in my Round Rabbit hoard, and there they sat. I’ll be honest, every once in a while I get the hoard out and enjoy the beads. Once while I was doing that, I thought how beautiful a pod would look on some large link chain. Simple lines with beautiful materials. I tried matching them with a variety of chain (and I have a lot of chain) but it was never quite right.
Then within the last few years at the Bead & Button Show, there was a competition with multiple designers, and one of the things they were using was the Now That’s a Jig! One of the designers made chain, and I was absolutely in love with it. I wish I could remember who it was or find the video (I watched online; I wasn’t at the show.) I knew that chain would be great for the pod. That’s when I decided to get a Now That’s a Jig! And just about the time I was set to buy one, they went on sabbatical.
So, the pods went back in the box. And then I found the chain. The Whole Bead Show has been having online sales due to the pandemic. I have tried to take advantage of online bead shows and such as much as possible. It’s a great way to support small businesses and a great way to access materials I otherwise couldn’t.
The chain is plated brass but looks like steel, a look I love. I used steel wire to make the pod into a pendant. I tried to make it look organic to match the chain. When I was ready to clasp it, I thought I had a black iron clasp from Creating Unkamen, but I didn’t. So I decided to make a clasp from steel wire. I had a tutorial from that shop, but haven’t practiced. I might remake one later, but it turned out okay. I’m glad I decided to do that than use an artisan sterling clasp I considered. While beautiful, it was not the look I had in mind.
So here is the necklace. I just love it. Waiting for the right materials allowed my vision to come to life.