Ice Planet Necklace

The vast variety of beads never ceases to amaze me. They come in so many different materials, colors, shapes and sizes. A bead is basically just an object with a hole, and size isn’t a factor. From tiny vintage 24/o seeds, to giant felted globes - if you can string it, it’s a bead.

The same kind of easy definition does not apply to other round objects that capture our imaginations. In 2006, scientists came together and decided that in order to be a planet, an object in the sky can’t just be big and round. The new, precise definition of a true planet is an object that orbits the sun, is large enough to have become round due to the force of its own gravity, and big enough to collect smaller objects along it's orbit. Because Pluto is not large enough to ‘dominate’ the other bodies in it’s path around the sun, it was bumped from the short list of true planets, and is now one of dozens of dwarf planets in our solar system.

The Inspiration:

Pluto / Charon From Hydra
Image Credit: Dallas1200am.

I wanted to do a piece in a sort of tribute to Pluto - the icy un-planet. It would be a great project to complete as the weather warms up - a talisman against the coming summer heat. As I considered different ways to depict a distant ice orb with beads, I decided to simply use the ice theme and go from there. This is not just due to the fact that it's tough to find a picture of what the surface of Pluto really looks like. Sometimes we just have to use our imaginations!

The Beads:

I started with some wonderfully icy Czech fire polish rounds. These are 4mm in shimmering light aqua AB. I paired them with white-lined aqua 11/o seed beads, and silver lined aqua 15/o’s. Although each shade is slightly different, together they are very icy indeed.

The Beadwork:

Since I had so many wonderful fire polish beads to work with, I couldn’t resist using a little pearl netting. I made four tubes of different sizes, then used right angle weave and a few spare fire polish to stitch them together. With a row of icicles built, I added a strand of fire polish and some sparkling silver-lined crystal 6/o seed beads.

This is one of those pieces that I wasn’t sure would work out until the very end. In fact, even when it was finished I had some doubts about the design. “Is it too weird?”, I wondered. Then I slipped the necklace on and took a peek in the mirror. When worn, it looks great! The pendant has a unique shape, and is just the right size to be interesting but not overbearing.

Blue Icicles Pendant

I would like to thank Beads Direct UK for providing the Czech fire polish beads used in this piece. Inspirational Beading has not received paid compensation for including Beads Direct products or reviews in this blog post. I have shared my honest opinions about the products used in this design.

Copyright 2010 Inspirational Beading and The Sage's Cupboard