Heart watch and Time for love

This year I was truly excited by Valentine’s Day beads and components from one the suppliers I've dealt for almost a year, Artbeads.com.

I've newer done watch bands, but when I found out the Marcasite Heart Watch Face on their website, I changed my mind. Thinking of coming Valentine's Day I decided that it would be a great reminder that it is time for love! This heart watch face adorned with marcasites, a very interesting mineral; sterling silver clasp of the same style, hemalyke beads and Queen of Hearts Fire Designs furnace glass beads promised to be a good match.


My Marcasite Heart Watch is done, I like it. What about you?

Disclosure. Being a reviewer of Artbeads.com products and a participant of its blogging program I received all Marcasite Heart Watch Face and Queen of Hearts glass beads free of charge. This post reflects my honest opinion; and Artbeads.com is not compensating me for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

Hot copper warms me up!

Is it Russia? Is it Siberia? Oh, no! That's Alexandria, VA, on February 6. In D.C. metro area a snowstorm totals around 1.5 to 2 feet are common, with some places up to and past 30" or 36". Unbelievable! And I'm glad, that these severe days I'm warmed up with the stuff I received from from Artbeads.com.


For sure, Valentine’s Day beads and components can make happy any beadworker because of coming holiday, but copper elements did warm me up this weekend when I worked!

Don't wonder please, as a focal of my first copper necklace I used Copper Heart Toggle Clasp; and I added a mix of copper beads, bright and dark copper color seed beads, copper coins from oriental countries, jasper donuts and leopard skin jasper rounds, some other elements, and I'm done! Hot Copper Mix Necklace is ready.


Close-up of Hot Copper Mix Necklace.


The focal of my second necklace is a regular Copper Heart Shaped Leaf Pendant; Delica beads and teardrop beads with AB coating were a nice addition, they helped me create Copper Heart Leaf Necklace.


Close-up of Copper Heart Leaf Necklace.

Disclosure. Being a reviewer of Artbeads.com products and a participant of its blogging program I received all Copper Heart components free of charge. This post reflects my honest opinion; and Artbeads.com is not compensating me for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

CZ means Cubic Zirconia

It sounds like you claim to keep silence, "CCCCCCCC..." This sound reminds you of a bee buzz, "ZZZZZZZZZ..." If you put this letters together, it will be something strange, "CZ". Let's open Wikipedia for "CZ", and the first result returns you "Cubic Zirconia". We read, "Cubic Zirconia (or CZ) is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide. The synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. It should not be confused with zircon, which is a zirconium silicate. Because of its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, synthetic cubic zirconia has remained the most gemologically and economically important competitor for diamonds since 1976."

To tell the truth, I knew about Cubic Zirconia, but haven't tried those "diamondy" beauties until I received Cubic Zirconia Beads from Artbeads.com. They have a beautiful choice of CZs of any kind: beads, pendants, teardrops and so on. I decided to use faceted teardrops in my design.


According my idea, the necklace should have been pretty light and elegant, to wear for any occasion, and I added Amethyst, Garnet, Peridot, Olivine and Yellow CZ Faceted Teardrop Pendants to the main chain made using amethyst faceted round beads, seed beads and peridot chips. I wish I have wider CZ pendants color range, but for now it's fine. Ahhhha... Next time I'll try to combine those teardrops with Russian leaves...

The first picture displays my finished necklace, which I haven't named yet, and the second one - its close-up. What about name? Any idea?

Disclosure. Being a reviewer of Artbeads.com products and a participant of its blogging program I received all CZ Faceted Teardrops free of charge. This post reflects my honest opinion; and Artbeads.com is not compensating me for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

Flex Your Creativity: winners announced!

December started with good news that came from Soft Flex Company, the company announced the winners of the Flex Your Creativity Beading Contest, and my Bridal Flowers Necklace won First Place and Grand Prize. My another piece, Pearl Fireworks Necklace won the Seventh Place. Thanks to all who voted for me! My warmest congratulations to all winners, finalists and participants! WoooooooHooooooooo!!!

Winners List

New life of old earrings

Recently a friend of my friend has brought me a pair of old vintage earrings (Sterling silver, labradorite and pearls) and asked me to create an unusual piece of jewelry using those earrings.


Create a new pair of earrings using the old ones? Oh, no! I decided to keep the old design, and put the earrings together on a blank beadwoven bracelet. I picked up seed beads matching labradorite and pearls for the bracelet, and added a few seed bead branches with amethyst rounds, pearls and some gemstone chips. So, here we are!

Lady Winter Necklace

Here is another Russian pendant, handpainted on a piece of black onyx and featuring a small part of the whole painting Winter, by Alfons Mucha.


And here is my another necklace featuring Russian pendants, its style completely differs from my Picasso's Dream Necklace. Not only shape, but technique and materials are different: I combined free-form and Russian leaves, as media I used seed and bugle beads, and a lot of Swarovski crystal pearls.


At last, here is a close-up of my lovely Lady! Maybe, too much gold, maybe I needed to add some silver color pearls, who knows, what would be better!

Tropical Blossom Necklace

I had a dream - to create a necklace using mostly Swarovski crystals. Of course, with seed beads together! Artbeads.com declared October as their month of Swarovski, and I didn't want to loose such a great opportunity. They have over 5,000 different items from Swarovski including beads, pendants, rhinestones, buttons, chain and more. In other words, everything you need to design the most dazzling jewelry!

I received from Artbeads.com different Swarovski crystal beads (Margarita Bead Jet and Margarita Bead Siam of different size), rivolis (Rivoli Siam, Rivoli Padparadscha, Rivoli Black Diamond), and amazing Aquiline Pendants, added bicones I've already had, and started working.


I must confess, it was a pleasure to work with Swarovski! Though I'm not a fan of bright sparkling beads and elements, I can sometimes afford to work with such materials, right? The name was born easily: Tropical Blossom! I think, it's fine for my necklace.