Tuesday's Treasures: Cleopatra's Blue Goddess Necklace

Cleopatra's Blue Goddess Necklace

Today is such a treat, I've been waiting to unveil this little beauty for over 2 weeks! This is the newest necklace for my NeoAmour designer collection. It is inspired by the enigmatic Cleopatra, ruler of ancient Egypt. The Egyptians are very well known for their beautiful ancient jewelry - many pieces are found to have multiple strands, along with talismans and decorative pendants (seems they were quite ahead of the times in more than just architecture). Jewelry is depicted on many of the ancient tombs. It was a symbol of power, wealth and standing, and Cleopatra's jewelry would have been no different.

This necklace started out with this dramatic and unique focal bead, purchased from Louise of Fireseed (http://www.fireseed.etsy.com). She makes the most amazing beads, and I usually have a hard time sticking to a set spending limit (but it is ALWAYS worth going over budget to get her beads!!). I saw this incredible goddess bead over a year ago and fell in love with it, though I didn't quite know what to do with it until chance brought a few bags of stone beads and the pendant bead all in the same place at the same time. 

I started doing inventory in December (I still haven't finished, don't remind me, haha!), and as I pulled out a few bags of beads to count, they spilled into each other. I was about to curse when I took a second look and, well, Eureka! is the word that comes to mind now. A vibrant mix of turquoise, amber, lapis lazuli (Cleopatra used to grind up lapis lazuli to use as her eye makeup!), black Czech glass beads and brass-plated pewter findings all came together to create this 3-strand masterpiece.

I had been reading a brief history of Cleopatra and was thinking how brave she must have been to have accomplished everything she did. I wanted to make a necklace that would show her love of her country, her bravery, yet also show her vulnerable side. These beads spoke to me and said, "Make us into something Cleopatra would have loved..."

Cleopatra's history is long and the accounts vary depending on who does the telling - many were simply trying to discredit her for their own ends, as was (and is) common. Many said that she was an evil seductress. More likely is that she was a powerful, intelligent woman trying to find a powerful, intelligent man to help her stabilize her rule in a very unstable time.

Cleopatra's Blue Goddess Necklace

The goddess has always been a symbol of femininity and fertility, and I thought that this would be a perfect fit in a necklace for a young Cleopatra. By the time she was eighteen, she had witnessed her two sisters assassinations (they had each tried to take the throne from their father), her father's death, the decline of the Egyptian empire into perilous debt to Rome (thanks to her father) and had been forced to marry her own 12 year old brother. When Caesar came to Egypt to try to sort out Egypt's problems, I can see Cleopatra wearing a necklace like this to symbolize her fertility and womanhood. At that time, one of the only ways to stay safe on her throne would be to have outside help, and a strong man like Caesar would have been just the person to help her (he did, and she had his son, Cesarion).

This is a one of a kind necklace. I can never get the exact same goddess bead again, so if you like this necklace, please get it while you can.

This necklace is now available for sale on my Etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleStudioJewels?ref=si_shop. Please take a look and get it while you can. I may have enough beads to make a matching necklace or earrings, please contact me if you are interested.

Fabulous Friday: A Bracelet Full of Sunshine!

The Celts believed that spirals represented the sun - the more open the coil, the brighter the sun. This is one bright bracelet! Click HERE to see the bracelet (with more photos) in my Etsy store. It is made from 14karat gold filled wire, sterling silver wire and amber. It is all hand formed into spirals and links.

$10 from the purchase of this piece will be donated directly to the Arthritis Society of Canada, which helps people with fibromyalgia as well as with arthritis http://www.arthritis.ca to donate directly - thank you!

Click HERE to see more items in my Etsy Shop, 10% of the sales always goes to charity.

Thanks for visiting!

Falling For Fall Leaves

~Another Fall-Inspired Necklace~

I was inspired for this piece while on a walk with my dog. We live in a forested area and right now all the leaves are in various states of changing and falling. It is absolutely gorgeous, especially when the sun hits the canopy at just the right angle, bathing everything in golden autumnal light. Just such an occurrence happened earlier this week during my walk and even the dog seemed intrigued. The leaves all changed from yellows, reds, oranges and greens to luminescent variations of themselves. I immediately thought of this piece and knew I had to make it as soon as I got home. Unfortunately, this was at the beginning of our walk and I knew that I couldn't disappoint the dog, so we walked our walk, and then upon returning home I began to create.
I took 14karat gold filled wire, sterling silver wire, and non tarnish copper wire and formed various leaf shapes - a maple in gold, a birch in silver and an oak in copper. I then hammered each leaf to get it to lay flat and have texture. Then I suspended them from 14karat gold filled chain and added a green tree agate bead, amber nugget, and small garnet bead for added color and texture. This is a larger piece - great for the plunging neckline of an evening dress, or just a nice tank top. It is for sale on my Etsy store now, so check it out by clicking the link to the right.
Everything is still 20% off until the end of September so get it while you can!
Take care,
Meghann

New Dangle Earrings

~Gold, Amber and Garnet Drop Earrings~

The fall's symphony of colors are out in full force here in my forest and I can't help but be inspired by them; the reds, golds and oranges are so rich, warm and inviting. I created these drop earrings by hand forming 14karat gold filled wire into oval shapes and hammering them flat. I then hung amber chips and small garnet beads from the center of each drop. So pretty!
I'm also working on new interchangeable earrings so watch out for those! They are so handy - like having many pairs of earrings in one!
I'm off to create more goodies for you - back tomorrow with more!
Meghann

Bookmarks and Bracelets and Rings - Oh My!

~A Few of the Items I Made This Week~

Well, this has been a busy week: I made the items you see above (plus a few more), as well as stocked my Etsy store with a few others from my website; I also got a few more reference books to inspire me to make some new pieces (keep checking back - they are going to floor you!); plus I made my best friend Stephanie a beautiful bracelet that I will have to make again to show you - it's gorgeous!
I made some great simple rings with sterling silver wire and Czech glass beads, as well as similar ones in gold filled wire. I also made a beautiful spiral ring with amber and Czech glass in 14karat gold filled wire. I made a nice bracelet with memory wire and rhodonite stones with agate and Czech glass beads. I also made a stunning bookmark with a gold plate bookmark, and beautiful patterns of Czech glass beads in lilac, gold and natural pink, and leaves of green. I made so much more, but I don't want to ruin the surprise!
I have so much more to show you, but I have to get these new rings, bracelets, earrings, a cell fob and a bookmark on the Etsy site tomorrow. Check it out! These are high quality pieces at great deals!
Have a great day,
Meghann

Desert Sands Necklace and Earrings

~Necklace on the Left, Earrings on the Right~

Here's a necklace I've had on the site for a couple of months, but I never get to tell the story about it. I was in a bead store last year and I saw this gorgeous, huge carnelian bead in the display case. It wasn't in my budget, but, of course, I had to have it. I had no idea what to do with it, but I bought it anyway and took it home where it sat on my dining room table all night. That night I had a dream. I dreamed of sand, hot under my feet and swirling on the hot wind into my face in golden colours of yellow, amber and brown. I saw the aqua sky, and burning red sun. I woke up at 2:30 in the morning and couldn't sleep - the necklace had planted itself in my mind and needed to be addressed. I drew it for an hour or so, went back to bed and created the necklace that very same morning (though at a decent time of day). I strung the carnelian for the sun with a small spiral of gold wire at the bottom (although I was envisioning the Sahara desert, the Celts see the spiral as a symbol for the sun) for the centerpiece. I then layered gold-plate beads, multi-hued amber chips and yellow aragonite for the sand and spaced them with Czech glass beads in an aqua shade for the sky. I created a custom toggle clasp with more gold wire and strung the aqua beads along it. I then made matching earrings with more Czech glass, amber, gold-plate and aragonite beads (with gold-plate daisy spacers for a polished look) on 14karat gold-filled ear wires. I love this necklace! It is long, about 18 inches or so and the carnelian pendant sits just at the decolletage. It feels really nice against the skin, even the amber, which at first I thought may be rough, but not at all. Very luxurious!

The necklace is available for sale with or without the earrings at http://www.littlestudio.ca/

Enjoy! I'm off to make more jewellery, blog you soon,

Meghann