Shine Bright, like a Comet, by Caprilicious Jewellery

Hello friends once again, how nice to hear from you again. The days are flying by and the chill of autumn is beginning to bite, no matter how much I try to ignore it and continue to go out in sandals and summer dresses. We are in Britain hoping for an Indian Summer but frantically shaking the creases out of our cardigans and taking our winter woolies out of mothballs. 

I showed you a piece of bead embroidery I was making over the last couple of weeks and it was finally ready to use. I am trying out a new little collection of leather necklaces and bracelets, with embroidery and beads and gemstones. I hope you will like them as I unveil them week by week. I have one for you today, and will have a second in a couple of weeks. It is a rather work intensive endeavour, but nothing good comes easily and I'm happy to put in the effort to make one of a kind pieces, that even I wouldn't try to replicate.

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Of course, I had to try it out myself - the leather is soft and flexible, and the clasp at the back is adjustable so the necklace can be worn close to the neck, perhaps with a strapless evening gown, or lower down over a dress or top with a collar or high neck. The necklaces and bracelets that I intend to use are made in Italy.

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Comet

As you can see, the necklace doesn't sit quite right on the plastic model, probably because It has no back to it - which is why I tried it on myself, and I can tell you, it is soft and comfortable, and I love it. The black slab of agate is surrounded by tiny silvery beads and crystals and at the tip is the tail of the comet, shooting off coloured marquise crystals into a dark night sky.

Aurelia

Aurelia is a necklace made with a pendant and beads I picked up in Bangkok. The pendant is made of old sea glass, and the beads are gently faceted pear shaped chalcedony in a sea foam green. I've added baroque pearls and electroplated ceramic cornflake beads from Greece. Aurelia is a name of Latin origin meaning "the golden one". Aurelia is the shimmering female form of the Roman classic Aurelius, and was very common in the Roman Empire and is also the name of Julius Caesar's mother. It means 'shimmering' and golden, and I think that's quite an apt name for this piece.

The green beads are pleasantly pretty but the heft of the piece prevents it from being a 'girly' necklace - heaven forbid!! I'm not sure how old the piece of glass is in the pendant, but I remember that I was leaving the shop after driving a hard bargain for the beads I'd just picked up and I spotted these in the shop window. Both the shopkeeper and I were exhausted, as was my companion, my long suffering sister in law, and she took matters into her own hands and made him an offer he didn't refuse, poor man, he couldn't cope with much more from us!

That's me for this week, folks. Have a fabulous week, and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then
​xx