Wild Violet Necklace


Sometimes design just evolves.  I wanted to make a toggle set from polymer for a knitted green chain I made.  I started with Premo green, purple, light green, and translucent clay. 
I was thinking: 
floral - wild violets   http://www.garden.org/weedlibrary/?q=show&id=2397
green leaves
tiny formed flowers
green and purple
I also had decorative copper head pins and I wondered if I could incorporate those and make them connect the toggle set to the chain. 
I played with the circle and the cut out for the toggle.  As you can see I ended up with tiny purple flowers raised on translucent circles laying on green leaves.  And they reminded me of wild violets.

The toggle needed to be another leaf with a violet that fit onto the round leaf. After getting the width and length of the leaf correct, I added the decorative head pin and bent it to a circle.  I placed a tiny purple ball of polymer on top of the head and cured it all. 

Toggle set

When I placed it next to the knitted chain, the scale was really off.  The chain needs a big showy toggle set.  So that will be a future project.

This necklace was designed around the toggle.  I looked through odds and ends and tried several combinations.  The ribbon/copper wrapped bead, the polymer clay bead and the ceramic beads looked so good with the light green glass chips that I just had to use all of them.  I added the tiny seed beads and a few copper beads and started stringing. 

Polymer center bead flanked by ceramic beads

 
Ribbon andcopper wire bead

I used two strands of Beadalon on the side of the necklace that has the two green chip chains and one strand on the other side. The necklace is asymmetrical with the ribbon bead curved just at the neck.  The toggle set balances the 3 beads.  The scale is good and shows off the toggle set with the other elements supporting the design. 


It seems I work better designing with the elements in front of me rather than sketching first.  Sketching is not the difficult part.....following the sketch is!  Either way I start designing, I love to watch what happens.  And for once the necklace set is in my etsy store at the same time you are reading about it!  https://www.etsy.com/listing/129704420/wild-violet-necklace-and-earrings?ref=shop_home_active



Painted backside - Nature's Swirl

Labels:
Location: Prescott, AZ, USA

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 19, 2013 at 8:27 AM

    Wow, awesome necklace, and I love how you made the toggle. The violets are dainty and pretty and the cloth and copper bead is dreamy! Gorgeous work, Miss Linda!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda Britt DesignApril 19, 2013 at 8:47 AM

    Thank you Mary Hicks! This was fun to make and I'm so glad you like it. Thanks for the comment!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownApril 19, 2013 at 6:30 PM

    Not only do I love the design of the necklace, but that toggle is seriously awesome Linda! Huge high five!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Monique (A Half-Baked Notion)April 20, 2013 at 9:43 AM

    Love this piece, Linda... I'm a big fan of pretty "backs"!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nelly MayApril 21, 2013 at 5:14 PM

    Wow that is a fabulous piece. The toggle clasp is simply fabulous, like a pond full of lilypads.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Linda Britt DesignApril 21, 2013 at 7:23 PM

    Thanks Nelly May! I'm so glad you like it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Linda Britt DesignApril 21, 2013 at 7:24 PM

    Thanks for the comment, Monique. Details are really important aren't they?

    ReplyDelete

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