A Bracelet a Week: My Valentine

I have quite a few new goals for myself this year, and one of them is to stay ahead of the seasons with my jewelry designs. So, even though I’m not a chocolates and teddy bear type of gal, I’m thinking Valentine’s Day already.

This week’s bracelet started with a bit of a guilty pleasure - red velvet Chinese crystal rondelles. One of last year’s resolutions was to stick to buying beads from North America and Europe - with the exception of artisan lampwork and fair trade beads. My stash of accents has gotten considerably smaller - except for druks, which I am now hoarding like a squirrel!

When I discovered two strands of these rondelles in a grab bag from Auntie’s Beads, I had a moment of doubt. Words cannot describe the gorgeous color of these crystals. They’re bright and vibrant, with a deep inner glow. I see them and think of fresh, cold raspberry juice on a hot day. When combined with white ceylon, the red color becomes even more intense.

This bracelet reminds me so much of those classic valentines with the paper lace trim. Plus it was a lot of fun to make. It’s always a surprise to see right angle weave work up so quickly when you switch to large beads. I have a feeling I’ll be taking a lot more notice of my 6/o stash over the coming weeks.

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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