'Tis the Season for Statement Jewellery

Hello readers, here's this weeks bulletin from Caprilicious for lovers of statement jewellery everywhere. Twelve shopping days left to Christmas - I love the festive cheer in the shops. Mike and I don't celebrate a religious festival, but the homemade (no, not by me) mince pies are safely in the freezer waiting patiently for Christmas dinner. I've just braved the cold wind and rain and brought in some ivy to replenish our wreath for the front door and Mike's on starters orders to fetch the rest of decorations in from the garden shed this weekend.

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For those of you who don't like the crowds in the shops, you have time till the 20th of December to shop online - Caprilicious will post your parcel to the recipient of your choice with a Christmas card from you. If the recipient will feed me a mince pie and Mike a carrot, we will even drop down their chimney with their present on Christmas Eve.
 Let me do the packing and posting for you while you put your feet up with a glass of mulled wine. Here are the Christmas dates from the Post Office for inland mail in the UK:-

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Thursday 18 December 2nd Class and Royal Mail Signed For®
Saturday 20 December 1st Class and Royal Mail Signed For®
Tuesday 23 December Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed®

 I had time to make a necklace and a pair of earrings with Indonesian Jewellery beetles wings. The necklace is very simple, and the colours in the wings are so gorgeous that the set was snapped up straight away. I happen to have another length of chain left as well as the earring findings, so I thought I might try and make up another set - I adore that colour.

The WIngs of Love

The Asp

The Death Of Cleopatra by Hans Makart

The most written about asp was the one that Cleopatra used to commit suicide - she clasped it to her bosom when she thought she had been deserted by Marc Anthony - she chose this method because its bite was said to cause sleep and a feeling of heaviness without pain, and because the asp could be smuggled into her chambers easily in a basket of fruit. 
This necklace is made of 3 lengths of wire, with a fourth, fine wire used to weave them together. A few crystals later and Hey Presto! Alakazam! - an asp snaking around your neck.

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Multistrand Necklaces

My neighbour gave me a broken string of pearls to repair for her - I was required to knot them to match a second string in the necklace. I sent away for some silk for it, the remnants from which I used in these delightful pieces. I got an opportunity to use some very pretty clasps in my stash and I really enjoyed making them. 
These are my favourite statement pieces - because they pose a conundrum at the very end - how to finish them neatly and professionally. Each one of these throws up it's own particular challenge. These silk used in these necklaces allows them to drape well around the neck.
 These necklaces can be worn in many ways, depending on where the clasp is positioned.

Peaches and Caramel

Pretty peach pearls and toffee coloured carnelian nuggets held by a hand carved rose made of black lip shell.

Allure

These rose quartz teardrops are extra special because they are translucent, and the clasp is also pink quartz - the focal agate is in a luscious shade of raspberry.

Lunar Alliance

To my tiny mind, this is what the surface of the moon looks like - I love the Mabe pearl in the clasp - a blister pearl with part of the nacre from the freshwater mussel in which it was cultured - seriously stunning.
By the time I finished these, I could knot a necklace with my eyes shut.

Mojo

I have had these tiny turquoise seed bead chains for ever - they looked great  when put with multi color gemstones from my stash.

Soirée at the Seaside

Shrubby Pimpernel - Anagallis monelli

A beautiful solar quartz cabochon was set in a wire and seed bead surround in a necklace of opalite - three lampwork flower beads strewn around the necklace and a dragonfly clasp placed eccentrically turned it into a party - the lampwork flowers are rustic and remind me of the little blue flowers that grow in the sand on beaches everywhere - that is why this particular soirée had to be located at the seaside.

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Flower Festival

Last week I made a flower cane - I cut the ends off, but was loath to throw them into the 'scrap pile'. I sliced them further, cured, sanded and buffed them, and inspired by an Italian who has a website she calls Alkhymaeia, I made a couple of earrings using wire and slices of flower cane. You have to agree that I was right not to throw these bits of clay away.

That's me for this week folks, have a fabulous weekend and I will catch you next week, same time, same place
xx