For my girlfriend's birthday I wanted to make her something special. I ordered one of Nigel's incredible frond style beads and made a necklace out of some ribbon and various jewelry making supplies.
This is my first attempt at making jewelry and it's a nightmare. I stood before walls of tiny, seemingly flimsy materials and just stared for probably two hours in a panic because I'd gotten in way over my head. Every little piece has a purpose that's completely unknown to me, and they vary so slightly that it was nearly indecipherable. I asked other jewelry making people in the aisle and all they could tell me about was stringing beads on wires because they did it for fun with their 12 year old daughters. Eventually I divined a solution.
I bought a length of satin ribbon, some keychain-style sterling silver links, toggle clasps, two sterling silver earrings, and ribbon clasps. The ribbon clasps were gross so I had to attach them, glue them on the underside of the ribbon, and cut a small hole for the links to pass through to connect to the toggle. The bead itself is held on by the two earrings.
Well, she likes it a lot, so success! Here's a photo of the finished product.
Unfortunately the ribbon frayed a bit when I cut it. Also, the glue discolored it a little, both of which are visible in the photo. The nice thing is that Nigel's GORGEOUS BEAD is the centerpiece, which means it's infinitely variable with different kinds of necklaces.
In fact, my girlfriend is very excited because we were supposed to go to the beach today, but it's too overcast. Instead we're going to go get a few different kinds of silk ribbon and some other supplies to make a few more necklaces so she has options to wear it around. Not pictured, a matching pair of earrings that I found at the local jewelry boutique.
