Menu
Caprilicious Jewellery
  • About Me
  • Necklaces
    • All Necklaces
    • Beadwork and Soutache Necklaces
    • Gemstone & Wire Necklaces
    • Bling! Party Wear Necklaces
    • Silver Seduction Necklaces
    • Mixed Media Daywear Necklaces
    • Lagenlook Necklaces
    • Ethnic Inspired Necklaces
      • Out of Africa Necklaces
      • Oriental Inspiration Necklaces
      • Eastern Promise Necklaces
    • Leafy Glade Necklaces
  • Earrings
    • All Earrings
    • Silver Earrings
    • Mixed Metal Earrings
    • Diamante Party Earrings
    • Beadwork Earrings
  • Bracelets
    • All Bracelets
    • Copper Arthritis Bracelets
  • Pendants & Hair Accessories
    • Silver Pendants
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Necklaces
    • All Necklaces
    • Beadwork and Soutache Necklaces
    • Gemstone & Wire Necklaces
    • Bling! Party Wear Necklaces
    • Silver Seduction Necklaces
    • Mixed Media Daywear Necklaces
    • Lagenlook Necklaces
    • Ethnic Inspired Necklaces
      • Out of Africa Necklaces
      • Oriental Inspiration Necklaces
      • Eastern Promise Necklaces
    • Leafy Glade Necklaces
  • Earrings
    • All Earrings
    • Silver Earrings
    • Mixed Metal Earrings
    • Diamante Party Earrings
    • Beadwork Earrings
  • Bracelets
    • All Bracelets
    • Copper Arthritis Bracelets
  • Pendants & Hair Accessories
    • Silver Pendants
  • Blog

The Caprilicious Jewellery Blog

Beautiful Handmade Statement Necklaces and other Fabulousness from Neena Shilvock - Inspirations and Designs From the Week Gone by

Confessions of a Shopaholic's Daughter

6/7/2012

1 Comment

 
It's over folks, and my mother has flown back to her home in India. However, she appears to have one of everything, from every shop she visited in her suit case - and some from those she hasn't, having discovered online shopping. She came here with one medium sized case and a little one, and has gone back with no less than four cases, with 68 kg of luggage, having paid the airline a small fortune in excess baggage charges. Now, I am as acquisitive as the next man, or woman, but fortunately for my bank balance, I can control my requirements for inanimate objects. It will be a loooong time before I set foot in another shop, I can tell you - I am all shopped out!
I had very little time to make jewellery this week, with the last minute flurry of visitors who came by to wish my mother Bon Voyage. I was beginning to have withdrawal symptoms, so I picked up my pliers and tweaked a roll of wire into the one piece made this week under my mothers eagle eye and copious instructions (mostly ignored!).



A short clip of hummingbirds  feeding shot in slow motion for the nature lovers amongst you.
Ode to the Hummingbird  
Pablo Neruda
The hummingbird
in flight
is a water-spark,
an incandescent drip
of American
fire,
the jungle's
flaming resume
a heavenly,
precise
rainbow:
the hummingbird is
an arc,
a golden
thread,
a green
bonfire!


Picture
I found a photograph of a humming bird - I had always wanted to make one, and decided to have a go this week. 
 I searched the internet for other pictures, and finally shaped my bird - mum's comment was 'hmm, it does look like a bird, all right'.

Of course, when I started, I had no idea what its final shape would take - a pendant, or a brooch perhaps?? The old muse of course, had other ideas and it ended up as one of my favourite pieces of jewellery - a statement necklace! 
My mother paints, and was a bit disappointed that my hummingbird didn't look exactly like the picture - I had to explain that the picture was just for inspiration, and that there is no way I could make feathers out of seed beads and wire - I did try though, using Aurora Borealis coated beads, which have a shiny rainbow finish, and shading them, one colour into the other, but a mirror image of the photograph it is not, and never will be.

 I made the wings stand proud from the necklace, to give them some dimension, and curved them so the bird appeared to hover over the white jade trumpet flower  to which I added red Swarovski crystal stamens and a beaded cap to replicate sepals. Wire leaves and tendrils in non tarnish copper finished the plant off, and the hummingbird was set against turquoise blue and silver electroplated beads to suggest the sky. I wanted to end the piece with a leather necklace, but mother felt something more elaborate was called for after all the effort I had put into the focal piece, so I made a Kumihimo braid in blue and white waxed linen and added spiral bead caps - finally, she agreed that it was 'quite nice'.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
I had a lovely phone call all the way from New Delhi, from the lady who commissioned Meluhan Sunset. I made a complimentary pair of earrings to match, and she was delighted with the way the whole set had turned out - and this was from the pictures I posted, she is yet to receive it - always nice to have ones efforts appreciated!

I also have a commission to make Rainforest Symphony Mark 2 - one of my Facebook fans says she fell in love with the piece and has asked for a similar one. I have already started to make the rain forest insects for it, while I wait for the gemstones to arrive from Hong Kong - I always think second pieces turn out well, once all the bugs have been ironed out of the first.

Catch you next week folks, have a good one
xx
Follow
1 Comment
dishasingh link
10/7/2012 12:10:30 am

Post are very interesting,I really like your blog & the way

you wriiten it ..Thanks for sharing this creative ideas.<a

href="http://www.jewelleryknox.com/">Handmade Jewellery

Uk</a>

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Follow
    The Caprilicious Jewellery Blog 


    Picture

    Author

     I'm Neena Shilvock,  and I'm crazily addicted to jewellery.

    I've been designing and making quirky and interesting statement necklaces for over ten years and my passion hasn't cooled off one little bit - in fact it has got worse, such that I  even dream jewellery.

    I'd love to get to know kindred spirits like you, so drop me a line and I'll get back to you, and who knows, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

    ​Write to me at jewellerybycaprilicious(at)gmail.com

    Find me on Instagram

    Find me on Pinterest  

    Contact me

     I would love to hear from you - please leave a comment on the blog or send an email  to jewellerybycaprilicious(at)gmail.com
    Picture
    In Berlin with my sweet better half, Mike

    Free Mini Tutorials

Caprilicious Jewellery

​Designed and Handmade in Warwickshire, UK

Free UK Delivery for orders of £100 and over. International postage available to most countries.
​Layaway plans available, please message me.
About Me
Blog
Tutorials
Press | Publications
Testimonials
​Terms & Conditions
​Jewellery Care