Leaves on a Stem

A simple yet effectful design, all in the combination of the components.

Ingredients:
Large faceted acrylic leaves
Sari silk, slightly wrapped by 24 gauge heavily oxidized copper wire
Handmade oxidized sterling silver earring hooks



All my best,
Malin

Cube With Facets or a Wrecking Ball

Large faceted acrylic beads. Over the years I've managed to collect quite a few of them. In different colours and shapes. So attractive I just have to buy them whenever I come across them. However, so far they have rarely come to use in any of my jewelry designs. So the stash of them has gradually built up. With many of them I have only just a pair. So suitable for making fun and exciting earrings.

And finally, over the last few months I have been on a roll with them. Having so much fun. Each pair of earrings in this 'series' has it's own distinctive character, still with the common factor of large faceted acrylic beads. 

Which ever style you use or method of designing the main purpose should of course be that the earrings shall look great when being worn. These ones do I think. To me they are everyday earrings, but with a touch of boldness. Simple and dramatic at the same time. They are long and dangling yet still light weight. Handmade earrings hooks in heavily oxidized sterling silver. I have a feeling I will wear them often over the coming period.

On another note:
If you have read many of my blog posts over the years you might have noticed that my designs often mirror something going on in my subconciousness. This connection I always discover firstly after the design is finished and I take a step back and look at them. It's rather fascinating. Almost like a sort of diary in design.

With these earrings I think it is rather obvious that they could be a version of a wrecking ball. Like in the song by Miley Cyrus. It's not a style of music I generally listen to and the video is a bit too much in my opinion, but that aside some of the lyric lines in that song I can definetely relate to. But mostly there are some things in my life that could do with ...  deserve some serious treatment by a wrecking ball ...

ALL MY BEST,
Malin

Semi precious and semi asymetric

Ingredients:
Carved Honey Quartz
Orange Sodalite (Matte) Rough Face Freeform Flat Oval
Super glittery hematite colored glass faceted ovals

Silver headpins
Heavily oxidized copper wire
Handmade heavily oxidized Sterling Silver Earring hooks

All my best,
Malin

Long with large acrylic or resin

I am happily continuing on the path I've been on lately with long eye catching earrings with large light weight resin or acrylic beads. Varitions on a fun theme that I very much enjoy working with.

Ingredients:
Large black and brown faceted acrylic beads
8/0 matte metallic bronze seed beads
Black faceted glass beads
Vintaj brass large jump rings
Vintaj brass earring hooks
Strung on 4 ply walnut brown waxed irish linen cord

All my best,
Malin

Square And Opal

Lately I've been going through my beads and components stash searching particularly for things that I have had for some time, and really like. But haven't found a way to use them in a way that I am satisfied with. When I first got them I had an idea on what to do with them, but when I tried it out it didn't work how I had had in mind. So now I am challenging myself to think in new ways. How shall I make that bead or component talk in an interesting way? 

Like the square chain in these earrings for instance. It is unusual and I love its look. About 5-7 mm side. I never thought of it as something to use in earrings before. But why not, I now thought. It is made of aluminium, so it is light weight despite it's robust look.

I cut a couple of shorter segments. The pale pink peruvian opal stone faceted nuggets creates an interesting contrast to the somewhat industrial look of the chain. When I design jewelry I am always fascinated by unexpected combinations of different design elements. To make seemingly unrelated things look like they were meant for each other all the time.

Hung from handmade Sterling silver earrings hooks.

I have recently re-opened my Etsy shop. Its been on vacation mode for quite some time now, 

due to reasons :-). So far I have only listed a few things, but I intend to keep adding more pieces gradually over the coming period. 

Please contact me if you are interested in any of my pieces that I haven't listed there yet.

www.etsy.com/se-en/shop/MalindeKoning

All my best,

Malin de Koning

www.beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com

Blessed with Cracks

Aren't we all, though? 

Conventional wisdom has taught us that cracks, imperfections, and vulnerabilities are bad. A sign of sub-par quality. Something to be avoided. 

Well, turn that thinking on its ear. Cracks are an opportunity to be flexible, to expand, to grow. They can also allow us a way to get rid of baggage that we don't need. If we are strong, inflexible, unwavering, and impermeable, then we miss out on so many opportunities. Cracks are a sign that we've been through hell and are here to tell the tale. 

Leonard Cohen, one of my favorite artists and poets, said it so well in "Anthem":

"The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."

 
Today's earrings feature a deliciously crackled and distressed pair of etched "agate eye" beads from Tibet. I burnished them with wax so they have that warm, soft, well-worn-through-generations-of-hands look. As I've been doing lately, I kept it simple, pairing them with faceted milky white ceramic beads from the ever talented Simona of Happy Fallout. Dots of blackened silver solder complete the crunchy industrial tribal vibe that you know I love. My own hand forged copper ear wires and pitted fat headpins complete the look. 

Proudly showcase your cracks, ladies and gentlemen! They are a sign of strength and openness--not imperfection. 

Happy Wednesday, 
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Peanuts/Farfalle

I really love the kind of bumpy row peanut/farfalle beads create when they are put together. This week I made two pairs of earrings using peanut beads.


Ingredients:
Faux amber faceted drops
Powder pink matte peanut/farfalle beads
Green Swarovski bicones
Oxidized copper wire
Handmade earring hooks in oxidized copper


Art Beads:
Polymer clay wheels - BeadsByEarthTones

Other ingredients:
Maroon vinyl disks
Deep blue Swarovski bicones
Powder blue matte peanut/farfalle beads
Oxidized copper wire

Handmade earring hooks in oxidized copper

.............

All my best,
Malin
www.beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com

Different Facets

Hello, I hope you are well. Here are my latest earrings. A combination of different facets. Sparkling happily when worn on the ear (even if I didn't manage to capture the swarowski sparkle in the photo).  

Ingredients (bottom to top):

Pyrite facetted drops

Heavily oxidized copper wire 24G

Yellow thin vinyl discs

Vintage lucite beads reminiscent of hammered bronze

Swarowskis bicone crystals

Vintaj brass earring hooks

All my best,

Malin de Koning