Student of the Month! What, Moi??

Hey folks, how are you? Thanks for joining me today. This week I received an email notification that I was on the London Jewellery Schools blog as Student of the month for June!
Well, I've never been proclaimed student of any month, at any time in my life; so I was pretty pleased to receive this accolade. In India where I grew up, my report cards always read 'Could do Better' - it was almost as if any risk of praise falling from the lips of the nuns who were responsible for schooling me was regarded by them as worse than casting pearls before swine, so they never handed any out. Fortunately for me, I thought that 'could do better' was a kind of perverse compliment ( I'm a cup half full type of a girl) and that they were really saying to me that I wasn't a total duffer. I spent my childhood content with that. The London Jewellery School even sent me a certificate, how fabulous is that?

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There is a school of thought that truly believes that reinforcing good behavior while discouraging disobedience and anti-social behavior, generally produces positive results in children. Positive reinforcement helps children feel good about their choices, which motivates them to increase the behaviors that bring rewards. Either the people at my school didn't know this theory or, to be fair to them, perhaps I exhibited no such positive characteristics, who knows?  

Martinique

So, now that I'm 'Student of the Month' I decided I'd better make a piece of statement jewellery to be worthy of that title! I picked out a bunch of abalone teardrops and put them together in a multi strand necklace. When I'd put the necklace together, I wasn't satisfied with the heft of the piece, so I added strands of iridescent blue glass beads to the mix so that they shine gently behind the abalone without necessarily being seen as one of the main entities, and then an added pop of colour with a few fronds of bamboo coral in a bright red that will sit on top of the other strands. The whole piece sits close to the neck like a choker and most definitely makes a statement. My first thought was that it looked like molten lava running down the side of a volcano, but my husband named it Martinique, so that's what I called it.

I told you last week about the pearl lariat necklace I made for Lisa, and that she wasn't too happy with the hooks on the earrings as she prefers studs. I sent off for some studs and when they arrived, I made this pair up for her. I hope she likes them - I can, of course remake them with just the pearls as dangles if she wishes. 
The studs are pretty and set with a single CZ and the earrings are light, so every box is ticked, or so it would seem!

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I also made up her strand of corals - she wanted a simple choker necklace, but I couldn't resist adding a beautiful, oversized lobster clasp - what's the point of going to a jewellery designer to have a necklace made up if there isn't a designer touch added to it? Anyone can string beads, but the addition of a beautiful clasp really brings a necklace to life - what do you think??

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This clasp is a beauty, and relatively expensive. I bought just the one especially for this necklace, but I think I fell in love, I went out and ordered a few more for my stash.
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The weather has played ball all week, and I've spent a lot of time outdoors, replanting the pots and filling in bare areas that have appeared here and there in my borders. 
This has meant less time to play with beads and baubles and clay, but who cares?? I'm having too much fun.
That's it for this week folks, have a lovely week, and I'll catch you next Friday, same time, same place.
Until then
​xx

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