Bead Color Ideas: Job’s Tears

One of my favorite things about working with natural beads - apart from their sustainable qualities - is the way that they can blend into almost any style or color palette. Unless dyed, natural beads have wonderful neutral colors that go with anything, and they have a unique ability to work with modern, minimalist, and chic styles with the same ease as they do with other natural and organic elements.

This month I went on the hunt for the perfect bead colors to pair with Job’s tears. These pretty little beads are made from Lagrima de San Pedro seeds found in Ecuador, and look quite a bit like pussy willows, but without the fuzz. They are incredibly lightweight, making them perfect for fringe, which also allows them to make pretty music when they sway.

I particularly like the soft pastel gray of Job’s tears, which often appears to be hiding another color beneath. To accentuate this mysterious natural finish, I started with some equally soft and misty colors, with a hint of sweetness. Tropical Honey includes wisteria lined crystal seed beads, and some dark transparent topaz.

To see how these natural beads would stand up to a more modern design, I combined two stark opaque colors that could be either chic or tribal, depending on the design. Shiny jet black and pepper red provide a great backdrop for the gray in Dancing Shoes. This palette really flatters the Job’s tears, while playing down their texture a bit.

And finally, I couldn’t end without pairing beads from the rainforest with exciting tropical colors. The turquoise blue and opaque pale green seed beads are very lively, and allow the Job’s tears to remain cool, like a stretch of white sand. Perhaps we’ll call this palette Laughing Mermaid.

Do you like to combine natural beads with organic elements, or contrasting styles?

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