"Queen's Ransom"
Bead Embroidered Pendant and Necklace
click on photo to enlarge
Lately I've seen some really spectacular pieces called DRUZY or druse.
In geological usage, druse or druzy is a coating of fine crystals on a rock fracture surface, or within a geode.
Most of the ones I've seen are set with a silver-toned bezel ~ and when I saw this one in my favorite turquoise-green shade set in a gold-color bezel ... I wasted no time in acquiring it. I just knew it would make a very special focal point in a bead embroidered pendant.
Detail below:
To set apart the druzy, I have surrounded it with gold faceted rondelles in a dark gold color.
The row next to it is made up of turquoise colored glass faceted rondelles with a slight dappling of brownish-gold ~ almost unseen, but adding to the overall look that I wanted to achieve.
This Druzy bezel had two gold "attachments" on either side - probably to make it into a necklace or bracelet very easily.
I covered and hid both attachments with an additional turquoise rondelle with three size 11 gold seed beads on top.
The bead embroidery is done on Leaf Green NBB by Nicole Campanella. As always, her beading foundation made the project a total joy. For more information on this fabulous foundation, please check out:
Several rows of size 11 seed beads encircled the bezel, and the final picot edge features tiny size 15 light turquoise glass beads that are transparent with a gold interior finish.
The bale is made from a number of gold size 11 seed beads in the "square stitch" pattern, and also has picot edges with the size 15 transparent glass beads in the light turquoise color with gold inside.
Jazzing up the necklace, I've made three pairs of peyote-stitched toggle bars with an assortment of the beads already featured in the pendant. These are interspersed with gold spacer beads, finished off with a decorative gold floral cap, and finally adding a gold toggle and ring closure.
While many think of turquoise as best paired with silver, I think the combination of
Turquoise and Gold is fit for a Queen's Ransom.
