Remake, Repair, Redo

My sister had a favorite piece of costume jewelry on elastic string that had lost its stretch.

That is one reason I do not use that material. I use high quality beading wire for the majority of my work . It consists of 49 individual strands of stainless steel wire, bundled in seven strands of seven wires each. The wires are twisted together and coated with nylon. This allows the use of a soft, flexible wire while still maintaining excellent strength. The result: a supple wire with a beautiful, natural drape that's made to last.

The new version of the bracelet will no longer stretch, so she will need to use the clasp to put it on. But it will now never need to be restrung.

I was also recently given this necklace by a friend who wanted something a bit mroe elegant that the plain cord it was strung on.

I played with a few different materials and in the end I selected small rectangles of iolite to accent the color of the stone. They were large enough to balance the weight of the stone while still giving it a more casual feel. I fashioned a small bit of silver wire into a simple pendant hanger.

Some fun trivia about Iolite - It is known as the Vikings' compass due to it's ability to determine the direction of the sun on overcast days. When the legendary Viking mariners sailed the wide ocean, they used thin pieces of iolite as the world's first polarizing filter. Looking through an iolite lens, they could determine the exact position of the sun, and navigate safely.