Remember the Ancient Spirit necklace? Someone has purchased it. A man. "Is it a present for your girlfriend?" I asked. "No", he said, "I want it for myself."
Okay. I truly loved the idea. But. I asked my husband to be my model, put it round his neck... and thought: "Wow, looks great, only the lipstick is missing!" It really didn't work for a men's neck and shoulder area. No way. Believe me.
So I asked my dear customer if he would allow me to rework it for him. "Okay", he answered, "but please keep it playful, keep it asymmetrical (but balance out the weight on both sides) , keep the ribbon part and the three strand part with beads and wirework, the scarab and the sea urchin spine. And make it a bit longer. Is that a problem for you?"
YES. It definitely was. Even more regarding the fact that I have next to no time these days.
But a challenge is a challenge is a challenge, right, Jo?!
So the first thing I changed was the color. I kept the pyrite but chose a thicker wire for it. Instead of the shiny czech glass beads in orange, red and lilac, I chose matt indonesian glass beads in black and grey tones with some stripes of red and other colors in them.
What followed was a long process of trial and error. What I liked was not what he wanted, and what he wanted wouldn't work for a man's neck, I was sure. Too fine, too filigree, too everything.
But then, in an e-mail, he asked: "What about a piece of a chain armor?" I was electrified. Immediately I knew that this was the missing link, the thing I had searched for all the time without knowing.
Here is what I came up with. Still not really the classical men's necklace ;) It looks great round my husband's neck. I love it, even my husband loves it... and my customer loves it too.
Just imagine it round a men's neck instead of the skinny model's neck.
I must admit that I would never have thought of a beaded three strand part for a men's necklace, and if I would have taken ribbon, it would have looked different from what you see here. It's his work more than mine. But still I'm proud.
And working on this necklace gave me so many ideas for more necklaces with
Dorcas' incredible raku scarabs, that I have already purchased another three from her.
