Making Jewelry I Like

Here's a photo of a necklace I made several weeks ago. It's a contrast between the black and the yellow green with the dark blue and the yellow as a contrast to the other two colors. Contrast is important, especially with this kind of necklace. Of course, the whole length could be one color or two similar colors, but then it wouldn't be so eye-catching.

Of course, eye-catching is not what everyone wants. I personally like to wear accessories that are eye-catching, that stand out, that people make remarks about. But I don't think everyone feels that way. And I know there are times when I'm not in the mood to spend a lot of time talking to people about an eye-catching piece of jewelry that I'm wearing. Because that is what happens. If you wear something eye-catching, people will comment. Sometimes I stop to talk about my jewelry, and sometimes I just say "thank you" when they compliment me and don't bother to tell them that I made it myself.

I know that some of my jewelry is the type that not many women chose to wear. They don't want to wear something dramatic. And a lot of women think, mistakenly or not, that they can't wear a large and/or dramatic piece of jewelry. I hear women say that all the time when they see the enamel pendants that I've made, that they can't wear something that big or they won't wear something like that and do I have something smaller.

The choice I have to make is: do I make enough different kinds of jewelry that everyone will find one they love or do I stick to the dramatic pieces? I tend to prefer the dramatic myself although a fair number of my pieces aren't so dramatic. There is one thing however that I do know about making jewelry. I have to make what I like myself. As soon as I try to make a piece in a color scheme that I don't like, or a style I don't like, I can't finish the piece or I can't get it to look right. So I'm forced to make things I like myself and would wear. Otherwise, the piece just doesn't work out. And then people don't respond the way they would if they can sense that I love the colors and the materials.

Today I spent most of the day on one necklace made with various colors of green seed beads as well as pearls and yellow-green Chinese crystals. I got the pearls yesterday and started to make what I thought was a bracelet last night. Today, it turned into a necklace. The idea I had for the bracelet didn't work out. The necklace is coming along pretty well, but I think I will reserve final judgement until I see the finished piece.