Pearls and Amethyst Drops Necklace

The Amethyst drops in this necklace are faceted glass drops, but I still think that they make a lovely necklace! (Probably because they match the Swarovski crystals almost perfectly.)

My Favorite ...

Well we all go through stages, growing periods and our tastes change and develop – clothes, drinks, men – beads & jewelry included. I work in a bead store (how many of us serious beaders don't, at least part-time in order to support our habit/addiction!) and now that Michael's has opened in the mall across the street, my boss, Vicki is fond of saying, "We all started at Michael's and then we grew from there!" Hence her calm demeanor in the face of what could (and very well may) be a very serious situation for our business in an economy that isn’t doing well to begin with… and now we have competition so close you could skip there?

But I digress. I had wanted to tell you about my “new favorite”! Over my last 20-odd years of beading, I’ve had many! You know, you’ve been there, seen them, DONE them, worn them - even given them as gifts! You go into the local bead store, ask what’s new, “Look what just came in this morning!” You promptly purchase one, no, two, and in some cases 5 of whatever came in the latest Fed Ex Ground box. And then of course you have to scurry back around the store, because you aren’t sure that in that vast bead stash you have at home you have enough accent beads to go with all of your new acquisitions – and even if you do, heck they’re last season’s colors/beads/shapes, so they won’t go with what you’re buying today. (And besides, they’re probably the wrong shade of aqua anyway…)

What was I talking about? Oh yeah - my favorite… So as I walk through the store every day, running my fingers across the strand of graduated, polished Tiffany Jasper, admiring it’s many varied hues and depth of color (can you tell I love purple?) and wondering if it will go with the new top that I just bought and how will it fill in with the Amethyst drops that I just bought yesterday, or will that be too much deep purple? Or should I take a closer look at the Blue Lace Agate with its smooth and silky pale bluish hues that would look so beautiful with sterling silver. But then out of the corner of my eye I spy all of those strands of pearls hanging there, just begging me to make them into necklaces, bracelets, anklets, earrings – mixing them with Swarovski crystals (nothing but the best for my babies!) some semi-precious stones and maybe a few treasured lampwork beads will be the perfect focal pieces. Then again, those bright, rich blues and greens of the chrysophase… mmmm… How yummy that would be all by itself or just broken up with a few crystals! On the other hand, maybe I should just pick up a strand of citrine rondelles to complete the carnelian necklace and bracelet set that I’ve been working on. But since it’s almost finished, I’m ready for the next project – aren’t those African Opal nuggets gorgeous!?! And I really need to find something to help stretch out the gorgeous strand of turquoise free-form slabs & chips - how about some small black onyx?

So I’ll bet you’re sitting there asking yourself “Come on already, so what’s your favorite???” Well, truth be told, it’s whatever I’ve got in my hand at the moment that you ask! I’ve always had a love affair with color and texture, so it’s hard for me to pick out just one color, just one bead, just one shape as a favorite. I love them all – I love putting them together in ways that look pretty/interesting/edgy/stunning. Let's face it, if it's a bead and it's on my table, I love it already!

So what's yours???