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Forum Challenge

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Web Forum Challenge #12
The theme for challenge #12: COOL WATERS

Voting was open for two weeks, and Gabriela Luna was the winner with 25% of the vote. She will receive a one-year subscription to the Kalmbach jewelry magazine of her choice.

Thank you to all of the participants. You all did a fantastic job!

Andrea (Original Sin) This necklace was made with silver-lined teal and crystal AB seed beads, Swarovski crystals in two shades of blue, Czech firepolish crystals, metallic German glass pearls, quartz chips, and magatamas for the fringe. The focal bead is a 38mm Murano fine silver lined lozenge. The necklace was worked in twisted Ndebele for the rope, with a transition to freeform peyote to capture and adorn the large focal bead, from which hangs a lush and sparkling fringe. The quartz chips spiral towards the focal and reflect light, giving the illusion of cool running water, while the glass pearl and Swarovski embellishment on the rope mimics bubbles, and adds movement and interest to the bichrome effect of the seed beads.

Pippit Carlington, http://Giftbearer.etsy.com, Hemlock Wreath Reflecting Mountain Stream This piece is woven from a base strip of flat beadwork and built upon with matte blue-green rainbow size 13 seedbead corralling. Interspersed are fine, eye-clean facetted genuine quartz crystal briolettes and 2 mm. round sterling silver beads. Attached is a sterling silver box clasp with several leaves cut into it. It fits a size 6 ½" wrist just right without being too snug or turning around. Fringe stands up nicely all the way around, giving it a really bushy, branch-like look.

Jeri Lynn Endo (alohabc), www.anuenuegems.com My Agua Dulce (sweet water) necklace is inspired by cool memories and sparkling fantasies of summertime fountains. A dainty dragonfly flits over sparkling water sprays worn with an asymmetrical balance, or alights at your shoulder in a traditional matinee length drape. Approx. 28", no clasp. Agua Dulce features aquamarine and color-changing alexandrite Czech glass, pastel Aurora Borealis seed beads and 99.7% pure Thailand Hill Tribes silver hammered rings, wavy tubes and charm.

Marie Fiedrich, Cercatrovajewels.com This beautiful necklace has been designed using lampworked beach glass pebbles and furnace glass in lovely shades of blue, green and citrine. The lampwork beads are secured by sterling silver tubes and shell shaped beads. The shell focal bead is also lampwork, made for me by a very talented artist, so special it looks real! I have used a large Sterling Silver clasp to finish the design, which looks very elegant and rich! The necklace measures 19" without the hanging seashell fob, and 22" including the seashell! This piece will be featured in the upcoming book, 1000 Jewelry Details, from Rockport Publishers. Please use this link to find out more regarding this piece or to view other pictures of this necklace.

Mary Hoffman #1 The necklace w/the oval focal is made w/boro beads that the artist dubbed: "Blue Pearls on the Half Shell" To accent these stunning blue boro beads and evoke light glinting off of waves, I used a lot of silver in beads, spacers, & the maille flowers. Bits of broken glass that have been softened & smoothed by the waves certainly evoke the beach in my mind so I included clear glass beads etched in my kitchen (sigh) instead of by the sea.

Nancy Hoffman #2 The set w/the round focal & earrings is made w/boro beads that the artist dubbed: "Water Slide" For these fun boro beads, I used tiny rounds of clear crackle glass to add extra sparkle, along with bright silver spacers & chain. The etched glass round beads are reminiscent of sea glass. In keeping with the theme of Cool Waters, the ear wires even have a tiny droplet shape built in and the boro ruffles evoke softly rippling water.

Gabriela Luna (moon.jewelry), Caribbean Sea The shades of green/blue in these turquoise and faceted aquamarine beads reminded me of the cool waters of the Caribbean Sea. Accented with hammered coils and soldered links of handmade silver wire, thai beads, silver chain and cultured pearls. It's a 24" long strand that I love as a 3 layer bracelet but can also be worn as a long necklace.

Stephanie Matheson, http://www.freewebs.com/scstephsstuff/ I used an aqua bead mix (glass beads), silver daisy spacers, craft wire to make pendant on jig, headpins, toggles, etc.

Mary B. Pagliarani (homegirl) Being from Massachusetts, Cape Cod is my inspiration. This Starfish was created beginning with 20 gauge 14ktgf wire, then coiled with twisted rope 14ktgf wire. The first layer of beads are tiny Aquamarine Quartz faceted rondelles. The next layer of coiling are an outline of Blue Agate faceted rondelles. (all coiled with very thin 14ktgf wire). The center stone is the Focal point of this piece. It is Antique Cobalt Blue Sandwich Glass (rare) which I tumbled and polished myself. Twisted around the Starfish is more of the 14ktgf rope wire. In keeping with the Cool Waters theme, and my own Nautical theme, I used Blue Greek Leather, knotted for more nautical effect. I made the clasp myself with 14ktgf wire coiled with the rope wire again. The triple rings which hold the pendant on are twisted rope rings in Gold Vermeil.

Kathie Scrimgeour, Underwater Pebbles Every year my family and I travel to the North Woods of Wisconsin where my parents own a cabin on Lac Court Orielles. My entire life I have spent combing the shallow clear waters for the "perfect pebbles" and when I saw this string of unakite I was seeing the pebbles along the lake shore. The Carnelian donuts compliment the colors of my unakite "pebbles" perfectly with Bali silver acting as the glinting sparkles on top of the water.

Liana Tsaturyan (koolbeadedstuff), Autumn drops I took inspiration for this work from nature in place where I live. I live in Karelia - very beautiful region of Russia with approximately 25000 rivers and 60 000 lakes... We have not many hot sunny days here, just few months a year, the rest of the year the weather is cloudy and dull... I called this work "Autumn drops", it's made with Czech and German seed beads. Also I used labradorite cabochon as a center piece and some dyed peacock freshwater pearls. Whole piece imitates lake surface with ripples on water in rainy day...

Elizabeth Webb My piece is named Atlantis. It is made from almond glass pearls, crystal copper swarovski, Amazonite,silver rounds, blue moon spacers and clasp.

Kathi Wheeler, Maiden Voyage This necklace is a tribute to the era of the Titanic. It features a blue lace agate cab which I have enclosed in peyote with seeds, delicas and size 15 seed beads. Other components used are Swarovski flowers, 4mm FP blue crystal, 3mm white pearls and various seeds.