Monday, May 13, 2013

Beaded Squares of Deco Handmade Necklace and Earrings

Yesterday I was writing about how to make a solid (rigid) double layered square with beaded RAW stitch.  Then I decided to play around with it some more.  And then my eyes fell on some Deco stripes, and this was the result 24 hours later.

Squares of Deco handmade jewelry in RAW stitch
"Squares of Deco" handmade jewelry in RAW stitch
CH0312



Since I have already written up about how to make the basic RAW square, I am just going to post some pics here of this handmade piece and point out a few salient points.

Once the construct of the squares in RAW stitch is understood, it occurred to me that I didn't need to stick with just squares.  The center piece of this necklace is a rectangle instead of a square.

Handmade Necklace - "Squares of Deco"

I also pre-decided where I wanted the connection (closed) jump rings, so I beaded that in as I beaded each component.
Squares of Deco handmade jewelry in RAW stitch

Because of the nature of the construct of the square RAW, the necklace can be worn either side.  You can use any beads of course, but I chose here to have a mix of Swarovski Crystals and Pearl on Side 1 (above), and then on Side 2 (below), it is made with (smaller) Swarovski crystals alone.  So almost automatically you get a Two In One necklace.
Squares of Deco handmade jewelry in RAW stitch
The finished connected squares are joined to a Sterling Silver chain and (optionally) I made some Sterling Silver squigglies for that extra touch of funkiness.
Squares of Deco handmade jewelry in RAW stitch
Squares of Deco handmade jewelry in RAW stitch

Handmade Earrings "Squares of Deco"

Squares of Deco handmade jewelry in RAW stitch
 There are also 2 distinct sides to the earring pieces.  I chose the above as the front side but I could have just as easily used the other side as the front or even have used a swivel so that both sides are freely swinging.
Squares of Deco handmade jewelry in RAW stitch
Squares of Deco handmade jewelry in RAW stitch


Materials
Sterling Silver chain and findings
Swarovski Crystals (XILION bicones and briolettes)
Swarovski Pearls (Neon and Gemstone colors)


Some Notes on How to Make the Square RAW Earrings

You may notice that the earring pieces are not squares as such. As I was saying earlier, once I got my head around how to construct the double layered squares in RAW, I then had more leeway in making variations.

how to make a square RAW handmade earrings

I also pre-decided to integrate the connectors I would need into the piece as I beaded them. (The chain makes it easier and more seamless when I connect later to the earring findings.  Just cut off the excess chain when the component is fully beaded).
how to make a square RAW handmade earrings


Squares of Deco handmade jewelry in RAW stitch

Okay that's it!  I think now I am ready to move onto another shape or technique as part of my Going Back to Basics journey.