A Wedding Shower With A Twist

Of All The Beads
Newsletter

August 2009

Hazel Brutsché

Upcoming Events

September 12th Ballston Arts & Crafts Market: Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM in Wellburn Square; click here for directions.

October date TBD: It's our second anniversary! Celebrate with me at my Fall Trunk Show and enjoy a 20% discount on all inventory. Watch for details soon.

Website changes are on the way: Watch for online shopping, a metal allergies page, customer stories, and more.

A Wedding Shower With A Twist

This newsletter is all about the custom orders I've worked on lately. In June, I was invited to attend the wedding shower of Customer MJ -- one whose wedding jewelry I made earlier this year.

MJ explained to me that she wasn't interested in traditional wedding shower gifts. Instead, she wanted her friends to contribute mon

ey towards a custom design I would make for her. This was a novel idea to me, but it took on more meaning for me when I attended the shower and met her friends.

Her birthstone is topaz, so we settled on a blue topaz and white pearl design. She wanted a short, double-strand necklace with matching earrings. At the shower, I brought the stones I'd be using, plus a few different design ideas, and some clasps for her to look over.

She made her selections, her friends got a peek at the gift they were buying for her, and I had what I needed to make this very special gift.

Of the various repairs I did last month, one of the more unusual pieces was a woven necklace adorned

with carved mother-of-pearl leaves in graduated sizes. The clasp needed to be reattached, but in this case, with a needle and thread rather than the usual metal components. Click on the closeup for a look. The customer explained to me that the necklace was her mother's, and although she doesn't know where her mother bought it, she says it's the only necklace she remembers her mother wearing. Intriguing.

Here are some of my other recent custom jobs:

Three pearl necklaces of different lengths, meant to be worn together; each have different types of pearls and chain, yet they make an amazing statement when put together. And don't miss that fabulous mermaid clasp!

I also made a Y necklace with fluorite and quartz, designed to match a traditional Vietnamese dress, an Ao Dai. It was made with muted purple fluorite, and soft

shades of green and blue fluorite, with white quartz and sterling spacers. The necklace is finished with a lovely dogwood sterling silver clasp. Click the image for a closer look.

--Hazel

NEXT MONTH: What's up with Wedgwood jewelry?

You can see through 2 of my newest creations! Click on each image to see more.

They're bead frames, and they inspired me to mix up red and green sesame jasper in one, while red and blue coral play off the aventurine blue in the other. The blue is 32 inches long and the red is 26 inches.

Solar Quartz: I couldn't wait to make something with these awesome beads. Click the images below to see the necklace and earrings I've been wearing everywhere. There's much more to come from these beauties:

New Finds

This unusual strand of sodalite (below) caught my attention immediately at a bead show I attended last month. I finished it with a toggle extender clasp so you can wear it at just the right length.

Sodalite is often referred to as "poor man's lapis," since it resembles lapis lazuli, but is much more affordable.

Shop Of All The Beads by appointment at 502 Great Falls Street, Falls Church VA 22046.

Call 703-901-3738 or email me to schedule an appointment.

Of All The Beads » Hazel Brutsché

	Of All The Beads Newsletter	August 2009 Hazel Brutsché
What's New	Upcoming Events September 12th Ballston Arts & Crafts Market: Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM in Wellburn Square; click here for directions. October date TBD: It's our second anniversary! Celebrate with me at my Fall Trunk Show and enjoy a 20% discount on all inventory. Watch for details soon. Website changes are on the way: Watch for online shopping, a metal allergies page, customer stories, and more. A Wedding Shower With A Twist This newsletter is all about the custom orders I've worked on lately. In June, I was invited to attend the wedding shower of Customer MJ -- one whose wedding jewelry I made earlier this year. MJ explained to me that she wasn't interested in traditional wedding shower gifts. Instead, she wanted her friends to contribute money towards a custom design I would make for her. This was a novel idea to me, but it took on more meaning for me when I attended the shower and met her friends. Her birthstone is topaz, so we settled on a blue topaz and white pearl design. She wanted a short, double-strand necklace with matching earrings. At the shower, I brought the stones I'd be using, plus a few different design ideas, and some clasps for her to look over. She made her selections, her friends got a peek at the gift they were buying for her, and I had what I needed to make this very special gift. Of the various repairs I did last month, one of the more unusual pieces was a woven necklace adorned with carved mother-of-pearl leaves in graduated sizes. The clasp needed to be reattached, but in this case, with a needle and thread rather than the usual metal components. Click on the closeup for a look. The customer explained to me that the necklace was her mother's, and although she doesn't know where her mother bought it, she says it's the only necklace she remembers her mother wearing. Intriguing. Here are some of my other recent custom jobs: Three pearl necklaces of different lengths, meant to be worn together; each have different types of pearls and chain, yet they make an amazing statement when put together. And don't miss that fabulous mermaid clasp! I also made a Y necklace with fluorite and quartz, designed to match a traditional Vietnamese dress, an Ao Dai. It was made with muted purple fluorite, and soft shades of green and blue fluorite, with white quartz and sterling spacers. The necklace is finished with a lovely dogwood sterling silver clasp. Click the image for a closer look. --Hazel NEXT MONTH: What's up with Wedgwood jewelry?
You can see through 2 of my newest creations! Click on each image to see more. They're bead frames, and they inspired me to mix up red and green sesame jasper in one, while red and blue coral play off the aventurine blue in the other. The blue is 32 inches long and the red is 26 inches. Solar Quartz: I couldn't wait to make something with these awesome beads. Click the images below to see the necklace and earrings I've been wearing everywhere. There's much more to come from these beauties: New Finds This unusual strand of sodalite (below) caught my attention immediately at a bead show I attended last month. I finished it with a toggle extender clasp so you can wear it at just the right length. Sodalite is often referred to as "poor man's lapis," since it resembles lapis lazuli, but is much more affordable. Shop Of All The Beads by appointment at 502 Great Falls Street, Falls Church VA 22046. Call 703-901-3738 or email me to schedule an appointment.

Of All The Beads » Hazel Brutsché