Tiara Ratu

End-Year Wishes

2011-12-31T20:59:00.000+01:00

As in the next few hours we're entering 2012, I'd like to wish you all a good start in the new year with positive minds and in good spirits. May the year bring a better life for everybody!

Enchanted Pearl

2011-11-30T09:44:00.001+01:00

Something showy, glamorous, extravagant... Something to wear for parties and special events... These descriptions are some of common features of winter jewelry. My choice for the festive cold season is on the contrary. It's a not-too-flashy necklace piece that's perfect for night fun time AND daytime office work.

I remember myself when working in a law firm years ago. I stepped into the office in business suit and with high heels. The accompaniment jewelry I wore was usually a pair of basic earrings. If I wanted to play a little bit of dressing up, I wore a simple choker-length necklace, too. That was all. My jewelry shouldn't be overwhelming my outfit as the purpose of dressing up was to maintain sophisticated look and at the same time assure self-confidence. That's the idea behind the Enchanted Pearl necklace. It's designed to perfectly pair with business suits when worn with the clasp on the back of the neck. But I made it more flexible. When it's worn with the clasp at the front showing the all glitters of Swarovski crystals, it's ready to liven up another look with party dress. Clever idea, don't you think?

Complete details on how to make the Enchanted Pearl necklace is available in Bead – Winter Sparkle Special 2011, Issue 34.

Copper Duo

2011-10-29T16:27:00.002+02:00

My autumn-themed earrings project is published in Bead magazine, issue 33, October/November 2011.

Copper Duo earrings are basically composed of two types of materials: copper findings and Swarovski crystals. But there's a slight twist in color tones of the findings. Bright copper-colored rings are used to accentuate the other antique-looking copper elements. Show them together with the shines of Swarovski crystals, you'll get a fabulous pair of dangles for your ears!

Paisley Glam

2011-09-28T05:42:00.000+02:00

Finally... after waiting for almost a year, I have my Paisley Glam necklace published in Creative Jewelry 2011, a special issue of Beadwork magazine.

As shown in many of my designs, I love using crystals and pearls to create elegant designs. This piece is no exception. I opted Swarovski crystals and crystal pearls to feature a huge paisley printed Swarovski pendant and sprinkled them with Bali silver. When I made it last year, winter feel was approaching and the excitement for christmas and new year's eve was beginning to fill the air; so my mood was flowing with the buzz of these two events. Something elegant, glamorous, alluring. A show stopper.

Even when the December festivities are over, the necklace still adds certain quality to the appearance of its wearer in other formal or semi formal occassions (just don't forget to match it with appropriate dressing codes).

Ring A Ring...

2011-09-13T02:17:00.000+02:00

o' copper,
a pocket full of earrings...

I happened to have a lot of copper rings and connectors in slightly different copper color tones: bright reddish brown and dark antique one. As brown is usually associated with fall season which is coming near, all I could think of was to mix them up for pairs of earrings.

Metalicious Bling!

2011-08-28T05:54:00.001+02:00

I've carried some ideas to work with metal findings and here's one of the results from my experiment with versatile jumprings. If normally I use sterling silver, this time I chose several different kinds of open and closed rings from TierraCast. The quality of these premium alternatives is impressive. Sturdy, excellent workmanship and wonderfully designed in several finishes. I just love the products and already have some extra staples in my jewelry material box.

There are lots of style elements found in this bracelet. I joined hammered rings with rope and double ropes open jumprings, and attached them to a hammered toggle with plain ones. I used black and rhodium finishes in two different hues. I also used big, medium and small sizes for the rings. My goal was to make a chain-look bracelet with flair. I've seen people wearing a big silver chain bracelet but never an assembled rings one. When the bracelet was completed in the first phase, I took time to examine the design. Stylish, eye-catching and maybe it would be fine for men, too. Wow, making a unisex bracelet wasn't on my what-to-create list but I did it! So excited with the outcome, later I asked myself what if it was added with crystals? So I gave some Swarovski blings in, once again, two different types, i.e. lucerna and chessboard, without diminishing the presence of the metals. The final piece looked more lively which I really liked. It fit the bill of glamour, fun and flirty side.

German Lampwork Beads 3

2011-07-31T21:50:00.000+02:00

Ever wonder a baby face in a flower-formed bead? I definitely never imagine one! Sometimes I feel I've seen so often flower beads that share common similarities: flat or raised flower details, or sculpted petals with dotty stamens; and I need to see a change. When I browsed Dora Schubert's website by chance, I didn't prepare myself for an unexpected find: sculptural baby flower beads! A chubby baby face sorrounded with sculpted petals. The idea is clever and original. Each bead is big enough to be worn singly as a pendant. It's clearly a head-turning piece.

Dora's creations are distinctive. She makes details on clean-colored backgrounds meticulously. She does the same with colorful motifs and backgrounds. She has her signatures in making sculptural and non-sculptural beads. When I stop by at her Flickr site, I'm sometimes speechless to describe her extraordinary works.

Double-Duty Necklace

2011-06-30T00:47:00.002+02:00

It's been awhile I didn't make double-duty necklaces: 1) to adorn someone's neck, and 2) to serve as prayer beads. In the past I've made several versions of this style. I started with a short-length adjustable necklace and later made a long one, both using artisan lampwork beads. Besides creating functional pieces, my intention was also to promote lampwork beads in my work. I was a newbie in lampwork beads world and easily got excited when I spotted cool bead designs on internet, in books or magazines. Within a few months, I owned a handful of artisan beads from here and USA! After seeing how unique and beautiful they were in person, I instantly knew they would give some art touches in my designs. Since then I've weighed lampwork beads as equally important materials as Swarovski crystals and sterling silver.

Back to double-duty theme, last year I made necklaces featuring lampwork beads as pendants in different ways. One was hung on one of toggle parts and the other positioned very close to crimped two wire ends. This year I used a sterling connector to hold a lampwork bead pendant.

I also experimented with a very large ring. I was thinking of a prayer beads necklace that would easily slide on a door/window handle or a small hook and I came across a really big lead-free pewter ring (about 32mm in diameter) from TierraCast. I'd read lots of positive comments and feedbacks on internet about this brand and so I thought it was time to prove them. The outcome wasn't disappointing. I should start stocking more TierraCast elements now.

Another recent experiment was a short necklace with Swarovski crystal pearls and copper findings. The photos of famous ladies like Elizabeth Taylor and Princess of Wales Diana wearing pearl necklaces had inspired me to create a simple, timeless, elegant piece. Classic style. And without knots. While generally pearl jewelry are strung knotted, my version of this style was replacing knots with small spacers and crimp beads.

The result may look deceptive. I bet no one would ever think in first place that this necklace is actually prayer beads!

Creative Jewelry Special Edition

2011-05-29T12:14:00.000+02:00

My Purplelicious Garden necklace is selected for Creative Jewelry 10th anniversary edition that compiles 165 inspiring projects and interesting articles from past issues of the mag. This special edition is out now.

Failed Experiment

2011-04-27T18:20:00.003+02:00

Do you believe that one's mood affects her/her work? I do!

This necklace was made when I (1) wanted to use leather for a change in my jewelry work; (2) didn't stock end crimps that fit the size of the leather; and (3) wanted to use leftover sterling silver chain accidently found in my stash. Having one big beautiful polymer clay focal, assorted crystals and silver findings ready on my table, I was thinking to make a fun, casual necklace. Here is the result: a failed experiment!

At first, I defended myself the necklace was wonderful. The design was similar to my two other designs Joy and Lemonia Drop with a little variation in the closure. I knotted the leather ends to attach the lobster clasp and its ring. But I had a funny feeling. Something wasn't really right to complement the focal. The more I stared at it, the more I felt bothered. While I found the pendant (focal and its chain dangle) was perfect, the knotted leathers half ruined the overall look of the design. They appeared to be a bit bulky and gave an impression of sloppy finish. Maybe next time I would use the knotting system when my mood sets for tribal adventure or metal power or leather trends or something else when knots are good way to show all the elements in a piece. So I reworked the design and...

it turned out to be completely different! The necklace looked more fun and stylish. Much better than the first. This is what I think the importance of being brave to accept failures and explore other design possibilities to achieve the most desirable result.

Lost and Broken

2011-02-22T01:47:00.004+01:00

That’s right. I’ve lost one piece of my earrings – possibly it was dropped when I was running errands. Then I’ve found one glass disc of my necklace broken when I was about to store it. The necklace is one of my projects published in a US special issue magazine Creative Jewelry 2010.

One of the must-have features I seek from lampwork beads is colors. Rare (no longer produced) color types, odd color combinations, colors that make beads precious. When no one seems to be interested in that kind of colors, I might be the one who would feel the opposite. I think it’s great if I can make jewelry with special beads because this would make the wearer feel special, too; feel different (in a positive way) from the crowd. Even if I don’t turn them into jewelry, it would be still good as I have one-of-a-kind beads that not many people may have.

The earring’s floral round bead has luscious, creamy, caramel-like orange base. I don’t know the name of this color and I don’t know if it resulted from a mixture of two glass colors or came from a single color glass rod. To me, the color base is not ordinary and is rarely found on the market. Or maybe I miss to spot it when it’s available? Anyway, when I purchased the beads, I decided they weren’t for share. I turned them into earrings for myself.

The colors of the lampwork discs are interestingly unusual. The combination doesn’t follow general guide on color mixes and is not my favorite palettes either, and yet I bought the whole set of the discs simply because I was sort of challenged to make their colors noticeable. I knew I could get the most pleasing arrangement of colors for eyes to see by putting each disc on the right place, and I proved it right. The discs made their way to Creative Jewelry 2010 as a Funky Wonky Necklace.

With one bead gone and one broken, I still don’t know what I’m going to do with the rest of existing beads.

If Only...

2011-01-31T10:42:00.000+01:00

I believe every design has a purpose. Why this bracelet has a triple string of small pearls? Why that necklace uses many big beads? Why this pair of earrings are made long and in bright colors? Why this and that and so on. Only the designer of that piece has the answers.

Similarly, I knew what I wanted to achieve with this long necklace. I wanted the floral motif lampwork beads to be the focus of attention. They’re full of multi pastel-colored petals and some with a cute lady bug too – something not to be missed! To keep the attention stay in place, I intutively knew I should make the design clean and without many embellishments. So I used dark oxidized sterling silver chains and Swarovski crystals to create a contrast between black and white. Voilà, the contrast made the soft colors of the flower beads pop! A few accents of Bali silver spacers, bead cap and toggle completed the look. Now, who would miss to spot any look-at-me details on this necklace?

If only my winter had all these colorful flowers… I can only wish.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-30T16:17:00.000+01:00

We’re reaching toward the end of the year. Time flies quickly! I remember last year around the same time I was busy with moving process from an old appartment to a new one. Now I’ve been spending relaxing days with my husband and kids since they’ve started their holiday. Get up late, do something that we don’t usually do in normal days, no morning rush, no appointments, have peaceful minds… It feels wonderful to have a short break like this, away from hectic daily routines, even only for two weeks.

One of my have-to-do plans during this holiday is to update my Flickr gallery and I’m glad I did it last night. Most of the photos have already appeared in this blog but I added a few pictures of recently completed designs for eye candy. Go and have a look!

To wrap up my blog entry in 2010, I would like to wish you all happy holidays and a better year of 2011.

Cheer Up!

2010-12-21T14:37:00.002+01:00

It all began with a shortage of materials. I didn’t have enough chains and interesting clasps but that shouldn’t stop me from completing a project. So I connected two types of chains and ended them with a round basic clasp. To make the end parts more interesting to look at, I added owl and heart charms.

Next, I didn’t have charms that might go nicely with the cupcake pendant. No worries! Crystal dangles would do a great job to liven up the back parts of the necklace.

What if I attached colorful crystal dangles on the front side of the necklace? They shone just enough to accentuate the big flower focal.

And what if I used different crystal shapes in colors I picked from the heart’s color combination? To me, they looked perfect.

The rest was a fun exploration of mixing and matching colors and materials. I combined two kinds of chains, scattered small colorful crystals mimicking the colors of the pendant and embellished them with Bali silver findings.

Visually light, whimsical, colorful… I’ve been making many necklaces with this kind of design. Perhaps it has something to do with the current season. We still have several months to go through snowy winter and haven’t experienced the coldest days yet. We need colors to brighten up the days and I believe the necklaces would make a sweet smile on anyone’s face.

Inspirational Colors

2010-12-04T07:54:00.000+01:00

Winter is here! Snow has poured for the past few days and everything on the ground looks mostly white with murky grey sky on the above. Not sure when I’m going to see sunshine or feel the warmth of it. I’m more of spring/summer type of person and to see gloomy spiritless scenery like this everyday, I’m beginning to look for colors. Bright, cheerful colors like this:

or this:

Last Saturday, 27 November 2010, the Munich-based Indonesian-German cultural organization Swadaya Indonesia Muenchen held an Indonesian Cultural Night (Indonesischer Kulturabend) presenting the theme of Indonesia: the Beautiful Unknown. Regrettably I couldn’t make to come to the show but the photos that are posted in here already make up for my absence. I entertain myself with the vibrant colors of diverse dance costumes. They’re so happy, lively, giving me unexpectedly some inspirations for my next jewelry projects.

All photos are by courtesy of Moriz.

No jewelry pictures this time.

Autumnal Flavour

2010-10-19T22:54:00.002+02:00

These pieces were made to cherish the current season. Copper and topaz colors are the highlights.

Collector's Style 2

2010-10-14T13:46:00.001+02:00

More of collector’s style designs.

The bracelet below is made of Ring Bead (5139), Galactic Bead (5556) and Bicone Bead (both 5301 and 5328).

This bracelet consists of Wing Bead (5590), Round Bead (5000) and Bicone Bead (5301 and 5328).

There’s always a concern about my work being copied. Swarovski products (beads and findings) are now sold everywhere around the globe and it’s easy for people to buy the same materials and duplicate my designs without my knowledge. However, I doubt exact duplications are possible since I have my own recipe to mix and match many different sizes, colors and types of Swarovski products and give them details with metal elements (and other jewelry-related items). I strive to create disctinctive pieces that depict my style and leave no room for reproductions by people other than me.

Collector's Style

2010-09-27T01:54:00.007+02:00

I’ve revisited my past bracelet designs (Amethisa, Karina and Aquatica) that feature several shapes/types of Swarovski crystals in a variety of colors and sizes. This bracelet is composed of Twist Bead (5621), Cosmic Bead (5523) and Cubist Bead (5650) – all in crystal copper color; plus Round Bead (5000) in red and Bicone Bead (the old type 5301) in greens to accentuate.

　
I’m sure I’m not the only one who adores the sparkle of Swarovski crystals and this kind of design is a great way to fulfill one’s wish or need to collect any shapes, sizes and colors of the crystals.

Fall Party

2010-08-31T23:53:00.015+02:00

Again… I have another project published in Stringing magazine, issue Fall 2010.

These earrings appear on one of the mag’s earrings gallery pages and I think the design is pretty straightfoward to reflect the characteristics of fall. The colors bear earthy warm tones in copper/brown, orange and yellow (not really shown in the photo) with a little drop of pink. The leaves are the ultimate sign of what normally happens in this season: leaves turn orange/red/yellow/brown and start to fall from trees.

Initially, the earrings were intended to be worn together with this necklace. Only because I didn’t have flower charms or beads that might go well with the flower-motif lampwork beads, I used leaf charms as my last resort. This minor discrepancy was I thought acceptable because leaves and flowers shared the same theme: plants. So when both earrings and necklace were worn, they would still look in harmony.

By the way, if you take a closer look at the necklace, it actually has a rich color combo. Gold, bronze, orange, yellow, copper, red, brown and pink. Perfect for a party in fall!

Pink Laguna

2010-08-29T23:54:00.012+02:00

For some people, inspirations can come from unexpected places or objects. Mine is from a photo frame.

Two weeks ago I was thinking of new ideas for this big floral focal bead and always got stuck with my search for right colors of the crystals to match. The next thing I knew I should discard the color schemes. The necklace was made for a lady in late 40s and I didn’t expect to see color combinations that fit more for little girls and teenagers (for example, some colors used in this set). Just when I was about to give up my attempt for that day, the photo frame idea came to mind. Decorated frames I'd seen in crafts books or gift shops. Imagine this: a picture in a black-colored wooden frame with a few little beads randomly glued on its sides; or a cushioned frame with stiched beads around it. The beads don't have to come in similar colors to those in the picture. They're there for the frame. So here’s my interpretation with this frame idea.

A beautiful pink lampwork focal on dark-oxidized sterling silver chains accented with Swarovski crystals and a Bali silver toggle. The focal’s colors pop. The darker shades of the crystals represent grace and dignity. The firefly toggle adds a dash of cuteness. One of a kind.

Luxe Feelings

2010-08-08T23:35:00.009+02:00

It’s always a pleasure to work with beautiful materials.

I’ve recently made some new designs with lampwork beads, Swarovski crystals and sterling silver, and this time I’ve felt a tremendous thrill to see the results. They’re full of blings and glams giving such luxe feelings to the wearers.

Many times people come to me and say that it’s sometimes difficult to find the right clothes to go with jewelry pieces I make. Well, the simplest and best thing to do is to choose soft plain fabric in a single color. To start with, try blouses, shirts or dresses in black and white as they’d be great with any colors. Or pick one color that’s similar to the colors of the jewelry for another option. Try also clothes in one color hue like blue, brown, purple, green, etc, that would coordinate nicely with the overall color combination of the jewelry. These are a few easy ways that I’ve tried for myself and worked wonderfully when it comes to choosing what to wear (clothes and jewelry); so I think they might work magic with you, too. Feel free to try!

Click here to see other designs. Some are sets and some necklaces.

Funky Wonky & Purplelicious Garden

2010-07-23T12:49:00.009+02:00

I should’ve updated my blog earlier but the summer heat has kept me away from my computer. The temperature has reached above 30 degrees and I feel like living in a big oven night and day. So hot and humid! If only I had an aircon installed in my place, oh… that would be very very nice.

So here’s the latest news. I have two necklace projects published in Creative Jewelry 2010 magazine: Funky Wonky and Purplelicious Garden.

The Funky Wonky necklace features Mallory Hoffman’s multi-colored lampwork discs which are not perfectly circled. But this imperfection is something I’d like to show off in my design. Since the discs have layers of colors and dots around their edge which make them look distinctive and interesting, I wanted these elements to get noticed when the necklace is worn. So I strung each disc on a bright silver chain and connected each chain with a jump ring. It’s a pretty simple project to make.

The other necklace is Purplelicious Garden. It's a show-stopping piece that displays a big lampwork focal bead by Crystal Brashear surrounded with Swarovski crystals and peacock-colored freshwater keishi pearls. The focal bead is particularly beautiful. I fell in love with its delicate flower motifs and color scheme even though purple isn’t my favorite color.

If the photo above isn't convincing enough to prove my word, take a look at these earrings. I've made them with smaller beads of similar floral design. Aren't they lovely?

Chain & Metal Style

2010-06-27T01:47:00.009+02:00

Chain and metal style is getting more popular. I’ve seen many fabulous designs using layers of chain and mix of metals from copper, brass, bronze, pewter and gunmetal. These non-precious metal types are favoured for their economical price and thus making them ideal subtitutes to gold and silver. Their colors ranging from brown to yellow to grey tones also add special charm to jewelry pieces.

I started to mix metal components last year when making a pair of earrings to match the Earth Dance bracelet. I needed to see how the design would look like if I attached copper pin dangles to vermeil ear wires. I avoided non-sterling silver type for the ear wires to prevent myself from getting allergic.

My first tryout wasn’t up to my expectation but I was pleased to learn that mixing brown and gold colors would lead to an acceptable result. So I moved on to another earring project featuring caramel-like colored lampwork beads. I had tried vermeil headpins to hang the beads but felt their colors didn’t really blend. Brown copper pins looked better to hang them and I let the gold touch shine from the vermeil lever-back earring wires.

Since then I’ve done more chain and metal experiments in my work. If you check out my Flickr gallery, there are a few bracelet designs that explore variety of copper findings (Ivory Swirls, Potpourri, Romantic Bloom). Other designs use more of sterling silver in different finishes: bright, light oxidized and dark oxidized. I admit sterling silver is still my preference and the different finishes of sterling silver give me wider possibility to create quality wearable pieces.

Publication: Aurora Necklace

2010-05-31T23:54:00.007+02:00

Good news! I have one necklace project featured in the current issue of Bead magazine complete with step-by-step instructions.

This Aurora Necklace is composed of four material types: lampwork glass beads, Swarovski crystals and crystal pearls, sterling silver. The bumpy dotty beads are made by a UK artist Jeanette Fletcher. The idea behind this necklace was to highlight the wonderful motifs and colors of the lampwork beads. I found them very interesting and decided to mix and match them with crystals for sparkles and crystal pearls elegance. To accent the design, I used Bali sterling silver spacers, beads and toggle. The result is as appeared in Bead magazine, issue 23, June/July 2010. Check it out!

Color Study

2010-05-30T15:41:00.008+02:00

I’ve been in a playful mood with big beads. I mean really big beads, as big as 4cm in size. The bigger, the better!

For one thing, large beads would get noticed due to their size. If they’re hung on a single chain, they’ll be a statement piece. People would see them undistracted. Then, another good thing, the presence of colors, motifs, textures, shapes and other features applied on the beads would be visibly recognized.

Recently I’ve done color experimentation with three large focals. Captivated with the multicolors on each focal, I was intrigued to make simple long necklaces based on their palette. I’ve stocked up Swarovski crystals in rainbow of colors and I thought finding the matching colors of the crystals to be paired with the focals would be a fun challenge. It would be impossible if I couldn’t find some. And yes, I was right!

There are yellow, orange, dark pink, sparkling brown, dark green, light green, red, turquoise, and white. I reflected all of them in variety of crystals except brown. Leaving out one color wouldn’t disgrace the overall look of the necklace. The complete design of the necklace is shown in here.

White, green, orange, red, blue, black, yellow… What a mix of bold colors! Here I tried minimalism. I wanted one color to play dominantly, so I picked bright red as the dominant color accented with green and blue without overwhelming the presence of the heart focal. If I used this method with other colors from the focal palette, the result wouldn’t be much different. The focal bead would still be a centre of attention. Click here to see the necklace in full.

Now I wanted to expose this focal with unmatching colors of the crystals. The variegated brown and blue give the flat-sided focal an earthy feeling and I searched different colors that bear a similar feeling. Red magma – the new color from Swarovski – is the one. When I put all the beads together, they clicked right away. See the entire necklace in here.

Most of the findings used for these necklaces are oxidized sterling silver. Dark-colored sterling silver makes the beads’ colors pop and is also a wonderful alternative to black cord.

German Lampwork Beads 2

2010-04-30T10:36:00.007+02:00

I’m a fan of lampwok glass beads. When I don’t do anything with my kids or work on jewelry projects, I take my time to marvel at the work of lampwork bead artists. Their skills and creativity to produce something wonderful and interesting in small-sized forms and assorted shapes and colors often makes me wonder: how do they make them? How does, for example, Michou Pascale Anderson combine many colors that turn out to be so irresistibly cool? I personally admire her color style. Bold, bright, eye catching. Not only is she good with colors, she also makes beads with different motifs from birds to water creatures to flowers and many more. Another example of my curious thought: how long does Silke Buechler spend to finish one bead with such a beautiful color combo and lots of fine details? I can’t help but say ‘wow’ to myself everytime I look at her exquisite work in her website’s gallery page. She sure has her own style to create one-of-a-kind pieces.

In my previous blog entry I wrote that artisan beads bear their own uniqueness. Michou and Silke’s beads prove to be like that. Unique. For me it’s become a love-and-love connection to keep checking back their work.

Click the artist’s name and you’ll be directed to their website.

Changeable Earrings

2010-04-17T17:08:00.014+02:00

Try this: changeable earrings. One earring findings for more than one earring dangle. Does it sound interesting?

This is not a new idea but it’s a smart way to wear earrings. I’m pretty happy to have found the leverback sterling silver ear wires that are specially designed for changeable dangles. Simply slide a dangle onto a piece of ear wire and clip its leverback (a closure attached to a curve ear wire) to secure. Quick and easy!

In general, flower motif beads appeal to anyone especially those who just begin to appreciate lampwork glass beads. Thus I’ve made several dangles featuring many kinds of flowers created by various lampwork bead artists. Since I intended them for everyday wear, their designs are pretty basic as shown in the next photo. Sure it’s always possible to make dangles with more delicate and more elaborate designs for the changeable earring style.

And here’s another thing. Changeable earrings are great as a gift. I usually put one set of ear wires and two dangle pairs in a beautifully-presented box for any occasion from birthday to friendship to farewell (and any other dear moments). Who wouldn’t be pleased to receive two pairs of lovely dangles in a single package?

Everyday Wear Earrings

2010-04-12T00:25:00.012+02:00

Start your day with a bit of sweetness in your ears!

Wear a simple pair of artisan work earrings and find out what other people would say when they talk to you and inevitably take a glimpse at your ears. The chances are (a) they’ll find your earrings interesting and get curious of what they are; once they ask questions about the materials of the earrings, you’d probably be excited to give them the answers and possibly end up in a friendly chat about many other topics (I can tell you this because I get into this kind of situation many times even with total strangers!); or (b) they don’t give much thought on how you look or what you wear; in this case, you just stay cool and feel confident that you look fabulous with the earrings you have in your ears.

Seriously, artisan beads bear their own uniqueness. Each artist has his/her own artistic taste and skills, and the beads that come from the artist’s hands represent his/her style. Thus, no two beads are exactly the same. The one-of-a-kind quality of the beads that gracefully hang in your ears add charms to your look.

These earrings are made for everyday wear. They’re pretty basic and light. I’ve also made a few more simple designs with flower lampwork beads, metalic lampwork beads and freshwater pearls. Check them out in my Flickr gallery!

Bright Warm Days!

2010-03-30T00:20:00.011+02:00

I realize I haven’t put much attention to my blog and Flickr gallery lately. I did update them but not as many times as I’d expected. My mood to do any jewelry-related stuff seemed to be set in frequent silent mode during this year’s winter. Seeing snowy ground and lack-of-sunshine sky in the wintry chill for more than three months was distressing enough. Rather than immersed myself in jewelry work, I opted to cook or read or play with my kids. Thank heaven the winter is now over! It’s been a wonderful warmer weather for the last three weeks and I feel I’ve got my creative spirits back. There are a few new designs completed since days have turned bright and hopefully soon I’ll post them on my blog and Flickr.

When All Eyes See...

2010-01-23T14:24:00.009+01:00

What you wear.

See more of past earrings designs in here.

Hello 2010!

2010-01-01T02:17:00.017+01:00

Happy New Year 2010 everyone!

How fast time has flown since my last post in 2009. December last year was really a busy time for me. I moved to a new place and hurried up to get things organized hoping that I could feel a home-sweet-home atmosphere within a week or two. Boy, I was wrong! There were always issues that I had to handle with great patience and that left me with no chance to update my blog until today.

Besides having a new place to live in, December 2009 also marked publication of my first earrings project in a British magazine Bead issue 19, December 2009/January 2010. The earrings showcase wonderful artisan lampwork glass beads made by Lorna Prime and paired with Swarovski crystals and sterling silver findings. When I made them, I ensured that all elements would get noticed and the design is simple enough even for a beginner to follow. Better get a copy to prove it!

Two Sides with Chain

2009-11-26T10:41:00.012+01:00

This long necklace will turn many many heads! Who can resist not to look at four boldly decorated lampwork glass tiles and the blings of Swarovski crystals that are as big as 8 mm?

The artisan tile beads are similar to those used in the other Two Sides pieces (bracelet and necklace) and it took me almost a year to finally come up with another idea to work with them. Since they came from the same strand, the colors are pretty much similar: violet, bluish purple tanzanite, yellow lime, green light olivine. It’s really a fresh color combination that may brighten one’s day especially in the dull cold winter!

Scent of Fuchsia

2009-11-22T23:52:00.013+01:00

Puffy, glossy, shiny, big, eye-catching… What else can I say about these polymer clay pillows? They’re stunners! Their presence is bold enough to make this necklace a heart-winning piece.

Originally the pillow beads were beautifully strung in a bracelet. They were paired with Swarovski crystal bicones and rondelles for sparkles and Bali silver elements to accentuate.

The bracelet was unique in its own right. Only later I felt that the floral pillows were a little too big for wrist of my size. It would be perfect for someone with a bigger wrist but then the length of the bracelet would be a little short for her. Either way the bracelet was no good. So I dismantled its parts and turned them into a necklace. I kept the colors similar to those of the bracelet as I loved how they combined together. If you look closely at the necklace photo, I only changed the types of amber-colored crystals and metal findings and added one more pillow bead and a few sparkles on the middle part. And to give the necklace a bit more character, I linked up the short parts of rolo chain with split rings. A little extra work? Yes, but it was worth doing!

Publication: Earth Dance

2009-10-20T10:59:00.017+02:00

I’ve been busy for the last two months doing all kids-and-family-related stuff and, of course, making some new jewelry designs. Unfortunately, I can’t show them to you right now as they aren’t yet photographed. Nevertheless, I have another good thing to share: my work in Stringing magazine!

This "Earth Dance" bracelet appears on page 61 of the Fall 2009 issue of Stringing.

It is composed of Jennifer Jennings’ flirty ruffle glass discs that captured my heart from the very first moment. The wavy shape brings a sense of motion and in particular, the dark ivory-colored discs have chocolate swirl on them. I thought these were interesting elements and should be featured in my work. So I lined them up in slight different sizes and interspersed them with sparkling Swarovski bicones. If normally I use sterling silver in my work, this time I accented the bracelet with copper findings which appear to blend nicely with the fall color palette of the ruffle discs.

Show me PEARLS! (2)

2009-08-01T11:33:00.005+02:00

It seems the pearl bug has got into me!

This is another freshwater pearl necklace I’ve made within past months along with Mermaid’s Glow and Pearly Spell. How did I start the design?

The creamy white pearls used for this necklace are of fantastic quality. Round, smooth, lustrous, thick-nacred. Simply adorable! But the inspiration actually came from the sculptural flower focal. The combination of delicate petals and vibrant colors in sunny orange, white and red made the flower more interesting to look at and a one-of-a-kind item. So I recreated the Around the Green style which I felt best to present its charm and the loveliness of the pearls. I added tiny faceted carnelian rondelles and a pair of Bali flower spacers to give interspace between them. And to complete the design, I used Swarovski bicones and flower sterling toggle. Done! The finished piece is so loveable. It's elegant yet classy for any occasion.

Show me PEARLS!

2009-07-29T11:23:00.013+02:00

Next to Swarovski crystals and artisan lampwork beads, I have a special love for… pearls! Yes, pearls!!

These naturally-colored creamy peach keishi pearls are beauties to die for! They are thick-nacred, lustrous and have smooth surface for the most part. I love them so much and couldn’t think of a better idea than bringing them into spotlight of everyone’s sight as they deserve it. To make most of their fabulous appearance, I used up almost the entire pearl strand (there was only one pearl left as the wire didn’t go through its tiny holes) but alas the length was a little too short for a necklace considering the size and type of the pearls. So I added a few Swarovski crystals in silk color to reach a desired length and a small set of floral lampwork beads for extra visual interest to the design and voila! There are two ways to show off the pearls. When it’s worn like shown in the photo, you’ll get the look of timeless elegance. When it’s worn with the clasp on the chest, you’ll get the elegance style with additional sparkles and modern feel. Curious? Click here to see what I just described.

I’ve used similar type of pearls for another necklace displaying beauty of elegance and glamour. The design aims to feature the luminous purplish-pinkish tone (and a little bit of creamy peach too) of the keishis so I set them in the middle between variety of Swarovski crystals in coordinating colors. The result is like this.

I Go Light

2009-06-22T22:08:00.011+02:00

In one of my earlier posts I wrote that I’d use more polymer clay beads in my work and here’s one!

Look at this super cool colorful floral round! Isn’t it adorable? I love everything that appears from this awesome polymer clay bead. I love the cute flower patterns, the fabulous mix of colors, the bicolor bumpy spots around the edge and the smooth shiny finish. The quality of work is amazing and what’s more is that it brings smile and happy feeling whenever I see it.

Once in a while I’d like to branch out from my usual style and this time I'd go light with my designs. So that’s what I did with this bead. I made it as a pendant that has a flirty chain tail with colorful drops of Swarovski crystals and a Bali silver flower dangle at the bottom. The pendant is hung on a black-colored cord with adjustable clasp. I couldn’t feel more than pleased to see the result. Yes, it’s a pretty simple style and it would be a perfect adornment when worn with casual clothing. Believe me!

I’ve made another similar cord necklace featuring a lampwork glass focal by UK-based artist Jeanette Fletcher. You can see it in here.

Publication: Stringing, Summer 2009

2009-06-16T23:41:00.014+02:00

It’s official now!

This Let’s Play Rugby set is published in the summer 2009 issue of Stringing which hits newsstands today. It’s the third time for me to have my projects published in print and the first in an American magazine. The other two projects appeared in a British magazine Bead.

The set features the fabulous glass work of German artist Ute Neumann. To me the lampwork beads mimic the shape of rugby balls and the colors are bright and bold making them perfect for summer. I genuinenly love them!

Blue Sparkles

2009-06-14T01:22:00.020+02:00

This aqua blue necklace is stunning! It's made of several different colors, types and sizes of Swarovski crystals.

This piece is simple, light and sophisticated, and sparkling too. It goes nicely with dresses, blouses or even a shirt and blue jeans. It can also be worn short or long as it has additional chain for adjustable sizing. I personally love the look of this necklace and the idea of flexible wear. And I’m sure the person with this beauty around her neck would feel like a star of the moment.

Go to my Flickr page to see the necklace from higher side.

Wavy Petals

2009-06-07T22:57:00.011+02:00

Do you see the biggest glass disc on this necklace pendant? It’s metallic blue and I really like it. The color changes in different lights from dark blue to violet to coppery gold. Awesome!

So badly I wanted to feature the metallic sheen in my jewelry, I decided to make a pendant comprising several wavy discs in different colors including metallic ones. There are metallic blue, transparent red and opaque green as shown in this photo. The other side of the pendant have metallic brown that looks a bit pinkish, transparent red and opaque pink and they all can be seen in here.

Floral Beauty

2009-05-20T02:15:00.007+02:00

I love the colors in these lampwork lentils: white, pinkish peach, purple and green. The flower motif is simple but the color combination is fresh and inspiring making it perfect color sample for Spring!

I just realized that I’ve collected more lampwork beads with floral pattern than ever before. They’re all interesting and I think they deserve to get some attention. That’s why I made a simple design for this earring pair just to make sure all eyes focus on the white floral lentils.

Click here to see another earring design highlighting the beauty of floral lampwork beads.

Beads Perles Interview

2009-05-16T23:27:00.010+02:00

About a month ago I was approached by Beads Perles for interview and here's the result.

Beads Perles is a Spanish language blog that features artists who devote themselves to creating jewelry and I'm pleased for the opportunity to be featured in it.

Spring Mood

2009-05-15T15:48:00.009+02:00

I’m in the mood to make earrings and this time I’ve created a few with polymer clay beads.

A while ago I bought several polymer clay bead sets from various artists and for these projects, I used deep purple rounds from Sherri Kellberg and colorful lentils made by Carola. Both have flower pattern, spring-theme colors and are unique in their own right. But wait! There’s more. Sherri told me that the beads have dichroic accents that make them look spakling like a rainbow. Can you see it?

Oh yes, it’s not the first time for me to use polymer clay beads in my designs and I think I should use them more often. The reasons? They have similar features like lampwork beads: variety of designs, shapes, colors and sizes. They can also be made glossy/shiny to resemble glass beads. But most importantly to note is that they’re lightweight. Having them many – say more than three - in a bracelet or necklace won’t hurt the arm or neck of the person who wears it. That sounds good to me, so why not trying to make more designs with them?

Biconia

2009-05-07T14:20:00.016+02:00

Look at the colorful bicone dangles in the middle part of this necklace. When they’re strung like that, aren’t they like a barrel?

This necklace is simple in design. It’s only made up with Swarovski crystals, Bali silver findings and sterling silver chains. It rests nicely around the neck when worn shorter or longer. It also goes well from formal business suits to plain dresses to casual polo shirts with denim skirt or pants. But actually it’s more than a simple design. It’s a piece of conversation starter. Read on.

Besides the barrel shape I noticed by accident, this necklace has all the essential elements that would draw attention. Firstly and foremost is of course the sparkles of Swarovski crystals that won’t be missed from anyone’s sight. Secondly, their shapes and sizes are big enough to get noticed. Thirdly, the constrasting colors between the clear moonlight flat rounds and the colorful bicone dangles are so evident. These Swarovski features alone would be interesting topics to start a conversation. And to keep the conversation going, I linked the crystal strand with oval-like sterling silver chains and completed one end of the chains with a sterling silver balloon clasp and the other end a group of colorful dangles. With these little details added, this necklace (and the person who wears it) would earn even more compliments.

See also this necklace from different angle in here.

German Lampwork Beads

2009-04-24T16:49:00.020+02:00

I adore lampwork glass beads. They please my eyes and entertain my soul. They can be my inspirations when I need fresh design ideas; momentarily take the pressure away when I’m on a tight deadline to finish a project; bring me smile anytime during my hectic hours of the day or when I’m in a gloomy mood; and of course make me feel good when I wear them.

Since I live in Germany, a country where one of reputable glass material brandnames Lauscha is produced, I’ve googled to find lampwork beads made by local artists. Among many German lampwork bead makers I've spotted, I’am fascinated with the artisan works of Anja Basan of Anastasia Beads, Melanie Moertel and Manuela Wutschke. They have their own way to interpret objects found in life and present them in miniature works of art. I’m always in awe to see their endless creativity like, for examples, how Anja potrays seasons and underwater life in her glass focals and bead sets. They’re oh so magnificent! I sometimes wonder how Melanie could come up with unique elephants and fairy characters in her glass work. They’re truly original ideas. I also have no clue how many hours Ms. Manuela spends to create a delicate bird in a small-sized glass space but for sure she must have done it patiently and meticulously.

The facts that their beads are one of a kind and become collectible items make them highly priced in ebay auctions. I’m no longer surprised if bidders don’t mind paying more than one hundred US dollars (or even a thousand dollars!) for a single set as they’ll get beautiful jewels that they can treasure in many years to come.

Click here to see the artists’ websites:
http://www.anastasiabeads.de
http://www.melaniemoertel.de
http://www.manuela-wutschke.de

Sunny Rose

2009-04-18T23:24:00.014+02:00

I’m very happy with this year’s spring. We’ve had beautiful weather for the past two weeks. Sometimes cold, sometimes windy, but most of the time warm and sunny. I just hope the weather will get warmer and warmer until summer so that I can take the kids out more often to enjoy sunny days.

Speaking of sunny days, I guess it’s very clear why this necklace is called Sunny Rose. Look at the colors of the sculptural lampwork flower focal: vivid opaque yellow of the petals, transparent green leaves and a mix of bright blue, dark blue, bright yellow of the stamen. Oh, wait here! Blue color for the stamen?

Anyway, initially I wanted to have the crystals in several different colors to complement the focal but then I was never satisfied with the results, so eventually I decided to play safe by using only a single color of Swarovski dark sapphire with a few bright-colored accents. When the necklace was finished, I kept saying "oh, ah" to myself as I didn't expect to see the effect of the color combination I'd made. The contrast between dark blue of the crystals and bright sunny yellow of the flower focal was so striking that would no doubt make people’s head turn. Trust me!

Colors in Life

2009-04-16T01:04:00.011+02:00

Crystal clear white
Light yellow
Light purple
Light pink
Light blue
Light brown
Earthy green

They’re basically colors that one can find in real life. That’s why I named this custom-ordered necklace Colors in Life although my husband who processed the picture for my Flickr gallery preferred the British version ‘Colours’. Go ahead, check this name in my Flickr!

Now about the materials. Besides the small and little bigger crystal bicones, there are more than 30 Swarovski crystal drops lining up on the front side of the necklace. They’re colorful and of course sparkling, and I’m quite sure that they won’t be missed by every eye. For additional visual interest, I used a cute sterling silver dolphin clasp and elliptical chain with extra little dangles on the back part of the necklace to complete the design.

Whether to see the necklace from the front or back side of the wearer's body, it would look equally interesting. Definitely a piece of attention getter!

Hibiscus Delight

2009-04-08T13:19:00.026+02:00

I usually keep one lampwork bead that I like best from particular bead sets for myself. I like to marvel at the bead’s patterns, colors, details or I may have a personal feeling attached to it – just to name a few of the reasons. And every now and then I let one bead or two go from my lampwork bead collection. Why? I have found equally beautiful materials to match with that bead and therefore it’s time to share it with everyone else. Like the Hibiscus Delight bracelet below.

It began with the potato-shaped creamy white freshwater pearls I used in Pure Bliss set not long ago. I felt the pearls were truly gorgeous which led me to think up of a design for other pinkish potato and tiny white keishi pearls I had in my bead bowl. It was right after a sudden urge to check my lampwork bead box I knew I should pair them with one of my favorites: the hibiscus lentil made by German artist Andrea Venschott. I love this bead’s play of colors. Pinkish peach hibiscus with vivid yellow stamen… green leaves with delicate brownish stripes… two little white flowers with a single pale pink dot in the middle… altogether they really pop against amethyst/purple background. Very interesting!

I think all these little beauties (freshwater pearls and hibiscus lampwork bead) deserve equal attention from anyone who sees them and so this time, I strung them with less Swarovski crystals and extra Bali silver daisy spacers. The outcome? A simple yet elegant piece without loosing its crystal bling!

Click here to see the full picture of the bracelet.

The Goldie Look

2009-03-27T09:41:00.051+01:00

Goldie theme seems to be everyone's favorite! It has a simple appearance with just enough portion of glamour and bling.

Originally I wanted to highlight the 24K gold-foiled Italian (Murano) glass beads in a lighter design without using many crystals (as I normally do in most of my work) and the bad part was that I didn't really know how to achieve it. It was after a few back-and-forth browsing of jewelry related books, the idea finally popped in my head. The result was the first Goldie necklace in which the Italian beads were paired with deep blue and bright red Swarovski crystals on bright gold-colored wires.

Early this year I had a custom order for Goldie necklace and earrings set and I simplified the necklace design by reducing the number of crystals. I also opted bright blue and green for the colors of the crystals. The resulting piece filled my expectation well. It still retained the substantial presence of gold shine and crystal sparkle.

And recently I completed another request for Goldie necklace. The design was based on Goldie 2 and the colors followed Goldie 1. In other words, Goldie 3 was a combination of two earlier designs.

Having made three similar necklaces, I don't think I'll get tired of making more of this Goldie line. It's fun to make and surely a beautiful piece.

Fairy Rose

2009-03-23T06:50:00.028+01:00

Naming a piece of work is not an easy task and it proves right for me. There are times I can create appropriate names with ease; other times I can go completely dumb!

This time I can't find any better name than Fairy Rose bracelet. Looking at the pastel colors of the artisan lampwork focal, they are a mix of pink, peach, white and green with a hint of yellow reminding me of colors in fairy movies, princess stories or even girly princess dresses. A name that relates to one of these features would be fine I thought and right after I completed the bracelet, I knew what to name it.

It's officially spring time in here and this bracelet is one of the designs I've made recently to welcome the warmer season. It has feminine look with the scuptural rose that really pops against the soft-colored background and the flirtly dangles that move joyfully on one's wrist. Simply beautiful!

Pure Bliss

2009-03-17T15:05:00.030+01:00

What a joy to be able to hold and marvel at fine beautiful freshwater pearls!

I was very pleased when my pearl order from one of Asian countries arrived. The pearls were roundish (potato shape) in creamy white color and all had smooth surface (no pits, no bumpy spots, no scratch), uniform size and thick nacre. Simply perfect! And this Pure Bliss set was the result from pairing these beauties with Swarovski crystals. The pearly glow and the crystal sparkles seemed to blend nicely and created an overall look of simplicity and elegance with drops of glitters.

Click here to see the set in full.

Fresh Start

2009-02-19T10:55:00.017+01:00

Finally...

One of my 2009 resolutions is to re-activate this blog that has actually been here awhile thanks to my dear friend Niken who gave me the idea of blogging sometime ago. She has created her own blog at http://www.rumahniken.blogspot.com/ prior to making a similar one for me. She also has two other blogs dedicated to polymer clay and interior designs and both sites are directly linked from the rumahniken blog. Feel free to visit her blogs but I should let you know first that they're written in Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language).

Having completed re-designing this blog, I'm pretty happy to be finally able to write something. So here it is.

This short necklace is named Dara's Heart and currently displayed in Beading Daily's Reader Gallery for Heart-Felt Designs theme. The story behind the making of this necklace is what I'd like to share with you. It was last year when my daughter Dara asked me for beads to work with. I immediately gave her one of my favorite lampwork glass beads: a big fluffy heart-shaped focal made by a German artist Andrea Venschott. It has bluish color with hints of white, yellow and green. The color combination is lovely but at that time I decided to stop working with this gorgeous focal bead because I couldn't find matching colors of Swarovski crystals to justify its beauty. Soon after my daughter hold the bead, she quickly chose the complimentary colors of the crystals in various bead sizes and shapes. The result was beyond my expectation! The glitters of light pink and yellow paired with the opaque looks of green mint and chalk white blended nicely with the colors of the focal. Moreover, the variety of sizes and shapes of the crystals gave a dynamic look to the design. I simply couldn't believe myself that my 7-year-old girl created this color mix as she'd never showed her interest in making jewelry pieces. Since then I've occasionally asked her opinion when working on new jewelry designs. Who knows she will come up with a better idea than mine.