Saturday, May 10, 2008

Black onyx agate pendant


I'm trying to adjust to working with stones (seeing I've about broken the bank buying them) and am presented with all kinds of new challenges: How to embellish without drowning the look of a very striking stone, how to make a very strong necklace without making it heavy-looking. I'm critical of this piece - not sure I've got it just right. It was very difficult to match the snowy crystal shades & ultimately I settled for using black beads and beads close to the blueish shade just above the middle of the stone. The black & blue-grey bead embellishment is worked through a sterling silver chain, so the beads themselves bear no weight and I won't worry about breakage. I love this kind of agate and have two or three more being shipped now - one of them in particular has an astonishing pattern - and that one, I think, will be done with only black beads.
Update: Bottom tassel removed. Too frou-frou for the piece. An additional onyx bead added to the bottom instead. Live and learn, huh?

3 comments:

Pat de Verre said...

Bonjour LJ,
this pendant is absolutly stunning and i love so much the necklace you make to hang and embellish it. Great result.

Romi said...

You do gorgeous work!

LJ said...

Pat, Bonjour! Thanks. It's a very simple piece but I so love the stone that I couldn't frou-frou it up.
Romi, Welcome and thank you.