I created netted X’s & O’s as a contemporary version of a Ukrainian-style ‘gerdan’. A keyhole opening was incorporated into the netted collar in place of every other traditional ‘X’. It is an easy variation on the open diamond of the large Triple ‘V’ Jewel because we are using larger size 8 seed beads for instant gratification.
The diamond drop earrings developed naturally as I was figuring a clever way to finish the netted collar. They follow the same principle, but are tapered to attach to an earring wire. The “diamond” is the keyhole opening; the “drop” is the chevron bead.
The beauty of this piece is not just in the colour placement of the seed beads, but in the choice of the novel focus beads. Everything revolves around them.
Millefiori Mosaic X’s & O’s
Once the Summer 2012 colour inspiration was given, the search was on for the perfect beads which embody the entire colour palette. A road trip to T&T Trading in Lansing, MI yielded the perfect ones.
All the colours were incorporated in a millefiori mosaic bead. The beauty of the “thousand flowers” (‘mille fiori’ in Italian) is readily visible because of the way the cane was sliced. Since these millefiori disks were limited, I looked for a bead which would compliment it if alternated along the keyhole edge. Several strings of drawn chevron beads materialized in the same palette. These too were made by hand, so slight variations in each bead are normal.
Read more in our Summer 2012 issue.
Designed by Maria Rypan
Rypan Designs
416.247.1993
www.rypandesigns.com
