Gift #739: Fall jewelry, or more feathers and leaves

Well, it’s the last day of November and I’m rather depressed about saying goodbye to the fall months.  The Christmas tree is up and the pumpkins were removed from the front porch today (which is one of the saddest moments of the year).  I comfort myself in that they had a long glorious life and I appreciated and loved them while they were here.  Today I wanted to share with you two sets of jewelry I had made this fall and have enjoyed wearing on walks in the woods and travels about town.  “Feathers and leaves” seemed to be a personal theme this fall.  I collected lots of both during autumn months and have been appreciating the blurry lines between falling leaves and flying birds.  I even blogged about it earlier this fall here.  So it comes as no surprise that “feathers and leaves” became the theme of the jewelry pieces too.  The focal points in both sets are the pendants, which I bought from a bead store in Cincinnati when I was there in August.

This first piece came together very quickly and easily.  I loved the agate etched leaf pendant and knew it would make a beautiful fall necklace.  I paired it with a strand of agate rounds, antique brass leaves from my stash, brass spacers, and seed beads.  It’s simple and elegant.

Earrings are simple and a bit understated because I wanted the focus to be on the necklace.  They echo the same design elements of the necklace.  I love the rich, fall colors in this set.

The second necklace/earring pair features feathers.  A painted feather on wood pendant is the featured element of this necklace and I wanted to pair it with a strand of Czech glass rounds in colors of burgundy, pink, yellow, and cream.  I didn’t want a solid strand of the beads though, so I decided to make a beaded chain with the Czech beads interspersed.  After making a double length of chain, I strung the pendant onto a large jump ring and added a brass leaf and hook as a closure.  I designed it so that the leaf could be worn in the back like a traditional closure, or along the side of the necklace for asymmetrical interest.  I added some Czech beads and a bird charm to the pendant and finished it off with a bit of seam binding ribbon that I had dyed.

The earrings are dangly, feminine things with little bird charms and Czech beads again.

So there’s a brief look at how I tried to capture the essence and beauty of whirling leaves and flying birds this fall.

Blessings to you,

Sarah