A Necklace for Judy's Doctor

My friend Judy LOVES jewelry - buying it for herself, and giving it to others.  She's a staunch supporter of Home Shopping Network, and there's always a stack of Avon and Ross&Simons catalogues on her coffee table.

When Judy found out, some years ago now, that I like doing beadwork, she immediately hauled me off to the nearest bead store and spent several hundred dollars on beads and findings which she promptly handed over to me.  She had a year's worth of Christmas and birthday gifts in mind, plus several projects for herself.  And I was the lucky one who got to make them.

It was the beginning of a happy partnership and the first of many trips to the bead store with Judy.  She buys the beads, chooses the primary stones and length for each necklace, and I do the design and assembly.  The system works for both of us:  I get to use better materials than I could normally afford, and she has the pleasure of getting and giving something custom-made.

Judy likes big, bold necklaces, preferably with sizeable pendants, and long complicated earrings to match.  My tastes are more minimal and run to the small and unobtrusive.  So designing for her has been good for me.  It pushes me to try different things.  Sometimes I simply can't work with the particular combination of stones/shapes/sizes she asks for, so I follow my instincts and dig something else out of her stash.  Usually we both end up happy with the finished product (only 1 remake in about 7 years, not counting a few length adjustments).

Our latest project is a case in point:  this necklace for Judy's cardiologist (did I mention that Judy is in her 80s?).  Judy had picked out the amethyst chunks and wanted them paired with some moonstone.  I played with the beads for a while and nothing seemed to work, so I did a little stash-diving.  Pulled out some citrine and green quartz, and baby amethyst rounds left over from another project.  Bingo!  A necklace that looks like spring.

(Aren't amethyst and citrine lovely words?   They look as nice as they sound.)

Earrings to match.  All set!

Judy must have liked what I did.  The day after I delivered this set to her, she called and asked for a matching bracelet.  I hope her cardiologist likes it as well.

This post will be linked to Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage.

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