Not the Same

Unless it's something huge, every time I think I've come up with a new idea, I try to rework it with beads that I know I can get again (at my local bead store usually), or with beads that might be better or more common or more typically sized - some finishes, especially on seed beads, can affect their size. For example, Toho's permanent finish beads (both galvanized as well as gilt-lined) tend to be slightly larger with slightly smaller holes. Sometimes it doesn't make that much difference, but sometimes it really does.

The focal I made yesterday used Czech size 8 seeds which tend to be smaller (shorter from end-to-end along the hole) and Chinese faceted round beads. These scare me a little as their holes are often sharp, so I'd rather avoid a design element which will result in a finished item with a somewhat abbreviated life expectancy, if at all possible.

So I made another, using Japanese permanent finish gilt-lined size 8 seeds and Czech fire-polished beads and honestly, I'm not sure.

 I don't know if it's because I don't like the violent colour contrast or whether the different beads made a real difference, but all I can say for sure is that I'm going to have to do this one more time, which is ok I guess, as it's not a massive investemnt of time if it turns out to be not ready for it's close-up after all.

And this fragment of a cuff (apart from my colour choice, which doesn't sit right with me) ended up not including some of the design elements which I was so very certain were integral - and yet they were not, and I'm quite pleased with it overall.

I like the open spaces, and I think I can make it into a necklace too, always a plus. It also makes a wonderfully lightweight earring that's still a bit of a show-stopper.

One success and one meh. I'm ok with that.