Frosty Mugs

I finally sat at the jewelry design board long enough to get a necklace and earrings made earlier this week. This necklace started with a set of lampwork glass beads I found at a bead show in Des Moines last spring and they were made by Tanya McGuire. It's great meeting the artists who make lampworked beads. I admire their skill and ability to work with fire.

This set was etched for a soft look. Each bead has a swirl of silvered ivory. While designing the necklace, the lampwork beads made me think of root beer floats, creme soda, and dark ale - so that's how I came up with the name "FROSTY MUGS". Some designers name all their pieces, but not me. I guess I could work at it more.

Sometimes I labor for hours over a design before the final stringing, but this one came together relatively quickly. I needed that encouragement while getting ready for Nevada Uncorked on Oct. 6th. I used freshwater pearls, Czech glass, Swarovski crystals and sterling silver to complete the design. I made a couple pair of earrings to coordinate and have more beads that would work for others, but it was time to work on another necklace.