Jackpot!

There's a local auction where I live that goes on Friday nights, so every Friday afternoon when I come back from running errands, I stop in to see what's up for auction. There's a lot of yard-sale 'stuff', some vintage things, electronics, and usually several pieces of furniture, which is what I go to see. I'm in the market for a good desk with drawers and a shelf unit, and it's possible to get a really good price on decent furniture.

Usually I'm only interested in the furniture (everything else bores me) but yesterday I spied something I never thought I'd see--jewelry supplies, and lots of it. Boxes of tools or glues, zippered cases containing hanks of beads, packets of silver and coils of wire, two whole cases of seed beads (bead store Czech, not craft store Chinese), containers of sterling findings and components, and portable storage boxes containing all manner of faceted glass and Swarovski crystal.

I determined that I was going to buy at LEAST one case, even though I had never bought at a live auction before (and I was apprehensive, as the niggly details are really counterintuitive). But I went, and I bid, and I got a pair of $13 specialty stepped loop-forming pliers for only $5, two cases of sterling findings for $5 apiece (I was stunned that no one bid higher--I guess they didn't look very closely, or didn't know it was sterling) and another containing crystals for $5. Other beader women were there, outbidding me on the cases of seed beads. Every woman for herself, right? I'd say 'all's fair in love and beading' but that's not true, and also, it's a terrible cliche and overly cutesy for me.

The auctioneer moved on to a different table, leaving one case left unsold--the case containing glass, seed beads--and, I remembered, one case full of crystals, the one I wanted the most. Instead of just accepting that this wasn't for sale anymore, I asked when it would be auctioned--and the woman I asked happened to be the owner of the supplies, who worked at the auction and was willing to sell it outright.

Another lady was interested in buying it, and she made an offer. Even though it wasn't officially an auction anymore, I took a chance and made a higher offer (after making sure it was kosher to do so; even though it was in an auction house,  I didn't want to step on toes by bidding when it wasn't officially an auction anymore). The first lady countered, and I countered again, winning the auction for $30 (lower than the amount I'd decided beforehand I was willing to pay). I knew that case had at least twelve containers of crystals, each valued at about $4, plus the other case of glass beads in a useful 4mm size (though the crystals were really what I wanted), so overall, I figured I was paying maybe 50% of the retail price (and normally I wouldn't be able to afford that much crystal even at 50% off, but I had some birthday money from relatives I'd been saving).

Well, when I opened up the beads later to look at them again, I found out what I'd forgotten--that each case contained not twelve but twenty-four containers! Twenty-four of glass and seed beads, and twenty-four of crystal! Not only that, but also.... there was a third container I had forgotten, filled with more of the finest crystal beads in the world! That must amount to around an 80% discount.

Yeah. Jackpot.

Now, on to pictures.

Here is all the sterling out of the two boxes. There are fancy beads, smooth beads, big beads, small beads, findings, earring components, earwires with fancy beads on them, leverback and french hook earwires, and two kinds of bead caps. This right here is probably at least a $50 value retail. I left most of the silver in the original bags, which had the store prices written on them. It's always good to know the retail value of one's supplies.

Here is WOULD be a picture of my new collection of 4mm firepolished Czech glass beads--except the goblins that live in my computer evidently ate the photo, because I can't find it anymore. I may put up a photo later.

 

Here is the first set of crystal, from the $3 box I got earlier in the auction.  I transferred my new beads out of their boxes, into little bags where they won't rattle. I also like transferring, as it allows me to handle my beads without having to figure out what to do with them just yet. It's a bit like meditation for my creative process.

 

Here is the full box of crystal bicones, with some of the firepolished glass on the upper lid. That's a good 4x6 inch box right there.

 

Here is the second box of  crystals.

 And here is the entire collection of crystals after I transferred them into bags and consolidated the matching colors from bags in the earlier photo.

Where do you get your ideas? #1

Every so often, every designer is asked 'where do you get your ideas?' and the answer is never just one thing. Sometimes my patttern of inspiration goes like this:
Many years ago, I purchased this silver chain necklace. Rarely am I moved to buy ready-made jewelry, but the singularly unique design of this chain held my interest, and years later, I still wear it. All the different textures, sizes and shapes of ring all coming together in a single unified chain makes for a perfect piece of jewelry that's just my style: simple, yet interesting. A few years ago, I felt a design percolating, inspired by the necklace, and in early June at the Bead & Button show, I knew my dream would be realized when I walked into the Blue Buddha Boutique booth. Blue Buddha caters to chainmaillers, so they carry all manner of jumprings, as well as anything that looks like one--like glass, rubber and crystal rings. I bought purple aluminum jumprings and medium blue glass rings (two items I'd been wanting for ages but never had a good project to justify the purchase) and when I got home, I got busy.

I linked the blue glass rings with silver jumprings I already had, connecting the sections with loops of silver chain, over which I slid the purple jumprings, which make a subtle musical sound as they slide over the chains. Then I put in an aqua blue crystal pendant I'd gotten at another booth.

A leap forward in colour theory and execution!

These earrings represent a leap forward in both color theory AND designing on the fly. Usually I wouldn't think to pair hot red-orange, aqua, lavender, and orange (never mind how much of each to use), but I noticed how well my hyacinth AB2X bicones harminized with a tube of lavender-lined 15s that happend to be lying next to each other, and that's what got me started. Peering closely at the surface effect of the AB finish, I noticed that in addition to lavender, it had a bit of aqua in the color play. So, rejecting a stronger shade which might compete with the crystal, I dug out my single pair of dyed light aqua quartz rondelles, which had been waiting for months for the right project. Then I pulled a juicy pink-lined seed bead shade as a supporting player, and at the last minute, frosted silver-lined orange seed beads. At that point I had little idea what I'd do with them--usually a bad sign that I'll spend an hour or two rearranging my bead selection, and after attempting a prototype with a few stitches, decide it's 'not right' and put the beads away. But this time, the elements came together! I started with two units of right-angle weave, modified in places to fit the aqua rondelle in the center. Maybe effects of that last Jimi Hendrix cd were lingering, because I knew what to do then--I pulled out my orange seeds and added them to the top corners for just a glint of brightness. I put a single pink-lined seed in the center of each long side, then remembered a design element I'd never done before--the cross-RAW-unit line of seed beads. It was time for more lavender! Exiting a top bicone, I strung a line of tiny lavender beads, and went through the hole of the aqua rondelle, on the side facing away from the bicone hole I'd exited. Then I repeated the process in reverse for the bottom half of the beadwork, exiting the rondelle and entering the opposite hole of the bottom bicone. To finish the beadwork, I put small jumprings into the top orange seed beads and attached a short length of chain. They're attached to small silver clip-on hoops.

Where The Leaves Turn Red

A few months ago I traded with another beader for a thrilling LOT of padparadscha 8mm swarovski cubes. It was a challenge to my creativity to be sure--I rarely if ever used that shade, and have difficulty designing with cubes, as their expense means I never buy/use them. Finally, I hit upon finishing beads by coiling wire around the roundnose pliers, instead of merely finishing with a loop, and it seemed a suitable way to use the cubes. Simple, but with the devil in the details. Each cube link is connected to the next with not one, but two jumprings. This necklace has a wondrous weight, and luxurious feel to it, and I am in the process of making it into one of my newest class offerings.

I've been published!

This is so incredibly exciting! For the first time ever, my designs are published in national magazines! The current issue of BeadStyle features my Copper Fan earrings, below:

And my Moon Mother Talisman pearl necklace took honorable mention in the Pearls category of the Interweave's BeadStar contest, so it's published in the just-released 2009 issue of BeadStar magazine. Go on, get yourself a copy and share in the celebration!

Keep an eye out for the upcoming special issue of BeadStyle devoted to pearls--one of my bracelet designs is featured! I want the design to be a surprise, but will say it involves multiple strands and crystals.