First Necklace (and post) of 2009

Couldn't get to sleep and decided to use some 'camouflage' stone I found on the local Michael's Bead Gallery display that caught my eye months ago along with some spacer beads of indeterminate metal - it's got an antiqued brass looking finish and I thought it went well with the dark greens and mottling of the stones.

It was actually the spacers that inspired the design - as I was wondering what I'd use them for (they were included in a strand of glass beads I bought in Fayetteville and I was after the glass beads, not the spacers) because they're rather rough and inelegant, I remembered that I had the camouflage stones and hadn't figured out what to do with them either.

I can't find a description on line of what camouflage stone is - looks like a type of jasper or agate (click for a larger image). The length of this necklace is 20".

Back in early December I posted about a lapis lazuli piece I was working on. I decided to change the design a bit from what I described and here it is nearly finished - just needs a clasp. It'll be around 27" when finished. I'm really happy with the final design, I was never quite happy with using the spiral coil beads I started it with. I think those will end up in a necklace with garnets sometime soon.