I can see clearly!

Most of the time, my design inspiration comes from a feeling evoked by a place I have visited or photo I have taken.  Sometimes it's a serendipitous artistic flub that inspires me, while at other times a fantastic stone calls out to me.  The latter is the case with Clarity.  The stone pendant is known as a Mexican crazy lace agate.  Its fantastical beauty is the result of how the stone is sliced to reveal the swirling and striation of color.  While most stones of this type are fiery and bold in coloring, this stone struck me for its more subtle and harmonious effect.  Its soft colors reminded me of a great day on the lake and thus inspiration for a necklace was born.

What better semi-precious stone could echo the yellows in the pendant than citrine. I love citrine for its complete versatility in jewelry making.  From a deep rich golden coloring to its barely there yellow coloring, its beauty is often revealed in the manner in which it is cut.  In this set, I used two cuts of citrine - a fancy carved melon shape and a smooth polished round.  

With that decided,  I looked again at my pendant. I was once again transported to my "day at the lake" metaphor, realizing my necklace needed grounding literally. I looked to find elements that reminded me of soil and water.  Faceted and smooth tiger eye were exactly what I was looking for as well ass chunks of softly colored blue aventurine.  Something was missing though-I needed that sparkle.  I needed to find a way to emulate the sun's effect as it hits the water making it come alive with even the briefest hint of wind. What twinkles better than foil lined gold seed beads!  And then I had to tackle the pattern...

It just happens...I put everything out in a mish-mash in front of me and with very little premeditation, the design just happens.  To me the stones  dictate where I am going with the design. It isn't a design strategy that I would normally recommend, since the failure rates are generally pretty high. However, it can be magic when it works out!

I hope you like the results of this artist's rambling.    Behold - Clarity!  or "day at the lake," which ever works for you.

              

             

btw - I needed a dragonfly,  it just fit the theme.

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Clarity Necklace and Earrings Set on Etsy