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