The Zen of Creating a Necklace.

Creating necklaces and earrings is like a meditative dance. Intuitively picking components and letting them align in their own harmonious ways.

Have you ever wondered how someone comes

up with a certain design of a necklace?
Or what goes into making a necklace?

When you see a finished necklace, it looks so simple and it wouldn't take long to do. And like there's really nothing to it.

It's true, if you already have a complete design or photo in front of you and all the beads are picked and lying on the table, ready to string.

But it's a whoooole different thing when you start from scratch - no design, no beads and no components picked - and tons of beads to choose from.
Especially if it is to go with a specific top.

A very fun, dynamic client ordered a top out of this gorgeous animal print fabric. She likes things that elongate her - like a deep V-neck and long necklaces.

Saturday night I went through baskets and baskets and drawers full of beads. I pulled out beads and shapes for different combinations.
Then I placed the stones/beads on the tunic to see how they interact with it.
- are the shapes, colors and sizes pleasing?
- do they enhance the tunic?
- do they compete with the fabric design?
- do they get lost in the fabric?
- is there harmony between the fabric and the colors, shapes and sizes of the beads?

I settled on 2 options:
1.) dark red chunky coral, black lava rock, faceted large crystal beads, tiny Japanese seed beads, round smooth black beads in various sizes and silver in various sizes and finishes.
2.) smaller pink coral beads, lava rock in different shapes and sizes, faceted smaller crystal beads, wooden cubes, small glass beads in a pewter color, round smooth black beads and silver in different sizes and finishes.

The dark red chunky coral combo was competing for attention with the animal pattern and the textured weave of the top.
My eyes got cross eyed by trying to decide what to look at. There were individual components - but no whole outfit to see.
The eyes didn't know where to settle - it was confusing.

But I loved the pink coral combo. My eyes relaxed, I smiled and my whole body felt gently uplifted.
Intuitively it had been my first choice when I had thought about possibilities, but I wanted to make sure it was the best option.

My fingers were itching to start.
It was one of those rare occasions, where I had a certain design in mind. And of course it stayed there - in the mind.

My hands and beads went into a different direction than what the mind had wanted to do.

For the dangly part of the necklace I found myself wiring the beads individually and linking them together.
It moves so joyfully - almost like little bells. The belly and solar plexus will be happy to have that kind of joy playing on it.

Then the upper part of the necklace didn't want to have any of that "bells" and dangling stuff.
It wanted the gentle strength and the continuity of the colors, textures and shapes.
Kind of like framing the heart with it. And giving it that rounded strength that comes from opposites - like the pink coral and the black lava, the small smooth glass beads and the rough lava rock. Those opposites create a beautiful yin and yang harmony.

I spent most of Sunday afternoon and late into the night putting the necklace together and making earrings with different looks and vibrations to choose from.

It goes bead by bead. When I feel like there is a light beam, it's good. When I feel like there is TV fuzz, it's not.

For me it's not about just putting pleasing color and texture combos together, but mostly about the energetics of it. What kind of energetics is different each time.
It varies from soft and ethereal to sweet and strong to bold and artsy to casually elegant to sophisticated simple and everything in between.

Playing like this provides endless joy and variations in jewelry to light up women of all kinds of different temperaments.

What do you think about this process? I'd love to hear.

You can send your comment to me HERE.

Have a magnificent time creating. Send me pics of your creations.
Or join our private Facebook Community, Creative Freedom and Joy Club, and post there. It will be so much fun to see what you do!

Monika Astara

P.S.: pass it on to friends who might enjoy getting occasional stories about creativity, a creative life and creative inspirations.

Categories: beaded jewelry making, jewelry making, necklace