Cheer Up!

It all began with a shortage of materials. I didn’t have enough chains and interesting clasps but that shouldn’t stop me from completing a project. So I connected two types of chains and ended them with a round basic clasp. To make the end parts more interesting to look at, I added owl and heart charms.

Next, I didn’t have charms that might go nicely with the cupcake pendant. No worries! Crystal dangles would do a great job to liven up the back parts of the necklace.

What if I attached colorful crystal dangles on the front side of the necklace? They shone just enough to accentuate the big flower focal.

And what if I used different crystal shapes in colors I picked from the heart’s color combination? To me, they looked perfect.

The rest was a fun exploration of mixing and matching colors and materials. I combined two kinds of chains, scattered small colorful crystals mimicking the colors of the pendant and embellished them with Bali silver findings.

Visually light, whimsical, colorful… I’ve been making many necklaces with this kind of design. Perhaps it has something to do with the current season. We still have several months to go through snowy winter and haven’t experienced the coldest days yet. We need colors to brighten up the days and I believe the necklaces would make a sweet smile on anyone’s face.

Publication: Aurora Necklace

Good news! I have one necklace project featured in the current issue of Bead magazine complete with step-by-step instructions.


This Aurora Necklace is composed of four material types: lampwork glass beads, Swarovski crystals and crystal pearls, sterling silver. The bumpy dotty beads are made by a UK artist Jeanette Fletcher. The idea behind this necklace was to highlight the wonderful motifs and colors of the lampwork beads. I found them very interesting and decided to mix and match them with crystals for sparkles and crystal pearls elegance. To accent the design, I used Bali sterling silver spacers, beads and toggle. The result is as appeared in Bead magazine, issue 23, June/July 2010. Check it out!

Scent of Fuchsia

Puffy, glossy, shiny, big, eye-catching… What else can I say about these polymer clay pillows? They’re stunners! Their presence is bold enough to make this necklace a heart-winning piece.

Originally the pillow beads were beautifully strung in a bracelet. They were paired with Swarovski crystal bicones and rondelles for sparkles and Bali silver elements to accentuate.


The bracelet was unique in its own right. Only later I felt that the floral pillows were a little too big for wrist of my size. It would be perfect for someone with a bigger wrist but then the length of the bracelet would be a little short for her. Either way the bracelet was no good. So I dismantled its parts and turned them into a necklace. I kept the colors similar to those of the bracelet as I loved how they combined together. If you look closely at the necklace photo, I only changed the types of amber-colored crystals and metal findings and added one more pillow bead and a few sparkles on the middle part. And to give the necklace a bit more character, I linked up the short parts of rolo chain with split rings. A little extra work? Yes, but it was worth doing!

Show me PEARLS! (2)

It seems the pearl bug has got into me!

This is another freshwater pearl necklace I’ve made within past months along with Mermaid’s Glow and Pearly Spell. How did I start the design?


The creamy white pearls used for this necklace are of fantastic quality. Round, smooth, lustrous, thick-nacred. Simply adorable! But the inspiration actually came from the sculptural flower focal. The combination of delicate petals and vibrant colors in sunny orange, white and red made the flower more interesting to look at and a one-of-a-kind item. So I recreated the Around the Green style which I felt best to present its charm and the loveliness of the pearls. I added tiny faceted carnelian rondelles and a pair of Bali flower spacers to give interspace between them. And to complete the design, I used Swarovski bicones and flower sterling toggle. Done! The finished piece is so loveable. It's elegant yet classy for any occasion.