Fruit Salad Necklace

Distant Cousins
Photo Credit: Jameson Best.

Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are a great example of nature’s best offerings coming together in one place. Our favorite produce is often the most colorful, which is no coincidence. Not only are these foods delicious, but they are exceptionally good for us, too. Nature always manages to draw us in with her vibrant reds, greens and yellows.

The Inspiration:

I remember reading about Tagua when I first became interested in beadwork. I was instantly drawn to the material, not only because of its good environmental reputation, but because of its unique beauty as well. It was months before I finally got around to buying a few slices, and once I had them sorted and stashed, I completely forgot about them.

While looking for materials for another project, I came across my little collection of Tagua pendants, and decided it was time to finally put one to use. So I picked a nice pear-shaped piece in lime green, and set it on my workspace as a reminder to make something exotic as soon as the opportunity arose.

The Beads:

The shape and color of the pendant I chose reminded me so much of a piece of ripe fruit, that I decided to run with the idea, and chose beads to suit. I picked transparent orange and yellow 11/0 seed beads, with silver lined chartreuse 8/0’s for accents.

The Beadwork:

Since the pendant was drilled front to back, I went with V-shaped St. Petersburg chain, and anchored the pendant to the beadwork with a pink roundelle. With the beads all together, the fruity theme comes right through. I think it looks like a bowl of sliced papaya, kiwi and pineapple. I like the way the Tagua pairs with the tropical colors. This necklace has me yearning for summer!

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading