Just Peachy -- Five Strands of Peach-Pink Coral to Twist or Not

An on-line purchase netted me with 20 strands of 6mm peach-pink coral beads. What to do with them? Multiple strands, of course. And what a perfect spring-summer color to play with. I made several things out of them including this five-strand necklace. I made each strand the same length so they could be twisted evenly into a narrow torsade. For accent, I threw in some light flesh-toned Swarovski crystals and finished it off with a filigree silver "buckle," a piece that I've had probably for three or four years but never had any inspiration to use. The result is a very versatile piece to wear twisted or not.

Three-Strand Blues -- Literally Lapis Lazuli

In the past few months, I have experimented with buying beads on eBay and so far, have rarely been disappointed. These lovely Lapis Lalzui beads came by way of China from an Aussie dealer and I am very happy with them. They made a classic necklace which I finished with gold-filled beads and clasp. Lapis is a mystic stone, conveying healing and serenity. This necklace is simple, uncomplicated and easy to wear.

Spring Green Aedelite, aka Prehnite

A rose by any other name. . . Aedelite is a very bright variation of a pale green stone called Prehnite only the vibrant color of new spring grass. I found this spectacularly matched and graduated, faceted strand on an Australian bead dealer's eBay store. The beads really do speak for themselves. They are not particularly small. The vermeil roundels I paired them with are 12mm and they seem very comfortable with the size of the center five beads which start at about 20mm. I'd never even heard of Aedelite and when I looked it up and the word "Prehnite" came up, I was surprised because traditional Prehnite is pale green without too much blue in it. These definitely are not pale.

Rose Quartz Statement Beads

Usually rose quartz beads are so "polite." Nicely polished, usually round or roundels, pale and lady-like. Not these huge-o chunks that frolic with good humor and obviousness. I loved these beads the moment I saw them and fantacized on how to string them before I got them home. Ultimately, I decided that they really do speak for themselves and need to be set off as simply as possible, so I put them with over-sized daisy-spacer vermeil discs and left it at that.

STARTLING BLUE TURQUOISE WITH SILVER ROUNDELS AND CORAL

Azure Sky Turquoise with Ocean Peach Coral, United by Silver

So. . . here's that beautiful circle of turquoise and coral, done up in an 18" necklace with the unique floral oval clasp. This turquoise is the exact shade of sky blue found in Bisbee turquoise with one difference -- the Bisbee mine in Arizona has been mined out for years and that turquoise has a spectacular copper matrixing. These beads are most likely color-assisted and perhaps reconstituted, found in China, which makes them very affordable. Whether they're "helped" or not, the color is what attracted me and it has created the perfect backdrop for the clasp that I've had for about a year and the sweet pale peach natural coral beads that I paired with it.

The Beginnings of a Beautiful Necklace

The antique carved coraline glass clasp was the inspiration for this turquoise, coral and silver necklace. I found the clasp through one of my favorite dealers and wish I had three more.

Citrine and Vermeil, Like Liquid Sunshine

Citrine is such a happy stone. Its mystical properties dispel anger and sadness and it is said to be a fertility stone (never really proven, however, but that's the lore). There are very few golden yellow stones in the pantheon of gems and citrine (named for its golden citrus color) is classified as a golden topas, known as a Maderia or Spanish topaz. It is a hard stone (Moh number of 7) and can stand some inadvertent knocking around. As a gem, it is glorious. It dances with reflections of sunlight and golden dreams and compliments any skintone. I found two incredible strands at the recent GLDA show at the Mirage in Las Vegas and grabbed them. For this one, I strung highly-polished faceted nuggets with rugged citrine roundels and interesting nubby vermeil beads for contrast and texture. It's been finished with a vermeil S-hook closure.

Black and White Balls, Really Fossilized Agate

Recently, the GLDA -- Gem and Lapidary Dealers Association -- Show came to the Mirage, and per usual, I worked the four days for Zahir Kameyab, the Afghani bead dealer who always has the most spectacular beads. These incredibly tactile black and white beads were front and center and they literally flew off the display table. I grabbed a couple of strands. They're fossilized agate and they're distinctively graphic. This particular strand is of 20mm beads, real gumballs and I put them with brushed silver beads that look like woven balls of yarn. These are perfect for summer time, tans, strapless white dresses, black jeans and white tanks. . . they're universally gorgeous for those whose style is , well, graphic. Price: $300.00.