I am a self-taught jewelry maker and designer who enjoys creating jewelry for “everyday elegance” – i.e., the piece looks great with jeans and a t-shirt, as well as a “little black dress”. Many of my pieces involve wire-working and glass beads. I also incorporate kumihimo braids into my designs. Some of these braids are made strictly with silk, cotton or rayon cords. I add beads to the braids to not only enhance the braid’s color theme, but to unify the focal bead with the braid. Texture is an important component of my designs.
All the kumihimo braids are made with the traditional 8-cord round spiral design. For this first necklace, I used a wonderful focal bead by Harold Williams Cooney. The bead is part of his Colorado Trade Bead series. The magatamas I used are the 4 x 7 mm matte metallic patina iris and matte metallic khaki iris. The Sea Urchin necklace design itself is featured in Karen de Sousa’s book, Braiding with Beads.
“Boa Meets Porcupine”: 8/0 delicas in matte metallic patina iris and 4 x 7 mm magatamas in matte met khahi iris for the focus.
“Aqua Bracelet”: 8/0 delicas in crystal aqua-lined and Tierra Cast large-hole pewter beads and aggregate stone & glass for focal bead.
“Pinecone” bracelet: 4 x 7 mm matte met khaki iris magatamas with magnetic clasp
“Gone Fishin'” front toggle necklace: Patricia Healey copper fish toggle with my handmade wire squiggles. The braid is done with 8/0 delicas in trans green/blue iris…they really do look like fish scales! One of my favorite designs to make with either delica seedbeads or 8/0 seedbeads is a front-closing toggle necklace like this one. The metalwork by Saki Silver, Patricia Healey and Green Girls Studio –among many artists (don’t want to play favorites)– is amazing and deserves to be the focal point of the necklace. Again, these pieces are wardrobe-friendly.
Discovering the wide array of seedbeads available from Caravan Beads has taken my designs to a new level. I love working with delicas and magatamas in matte metallic finishes.
See more of Kathleen’s work on her facebook page.