Aug 25, 2020

Are Necklaces Possessed?

Yes! A few beautiful rebels beg for a toast with at least two martinis. If you peek into our workshop while creation happens, the conversations might surprise you.

“Possessed” began several years ago when I spotted the Mother of Pearl fringe you see on the lowest strand of the necklace. I loved it and quickly found little bronze, rice pearls that nicely echoed the mother of pearl color. Whew, great first step.

I'm building my sketching skills, but my brain is wired to work visually. I "see" fine fabric designs because of decades sewing couture clothing. I started laying out the design and quickly realized the width of a final design would exceed the capacity of our standard logo clasp. Solution? Design a new clasp.

Our new design elegantly honors our vanilla bean motif. Do you see vanilla beans in the background? The larger size also accommodates many strands. Perfect! We adore the look, finish, and versatility, keep an eye out for it in many future designs.

The process from beginning to end took 6+ months. While waiting for the clasp, my brain kept working. My old brain map, aka intuition, suggested the necklace would pop with gold chains and a wink of green. We found an Italian designer who creates a fabulous double marquis chain, so commissioned the chain from them and then asked a favorite artist to set marquis cut, green tourmalines into it. Six months after that, and after helping two uncompromising gentlemen perfect their bald looks, we were ready to sit down to construct the necklace.

But wait, our hearts craved even more depth. Spessartite garnet, not your easily available almandine garnet, added just the right color and sparkle against the soft patina of the pearls. We ordered gems to be cut, twice. The first order took forever, and we sent them back because they were not up to our standards.

Next, we held our breath and crossed our fingers, toes, and eyes waiting for the second order. Here are what these lovelies look like out of context.

Next, look at them in context. They are fabulous, and they add just the right detail and flexibility on each strand. Here you can see the spessartite nestled next to the golden pearls.

Time for the first martini to celebrate real progress. Yes! But, still not quite there.

The initial design called for golden freshwater pearls. As I looked at the layout, I knew the necklace needed a little more for a home run.

I searched my inventory for golden South Sea pearls. WHO pairs South Sea pearls with Mother of Pearl? Long and short, when a design speaks, White Orchid Studio listens and grins.

Finally, time to get serious about bringing “Possessed” to life for you to enjoy. Any idea how many times each strand was created, finished, torn apart, created again, measured, added from the top to the bottom? You really don’t want to know.

It was “hand me the second martini” time, and a time I would gladly mix a martini for anyone else in the shop.

What fun, what joy to finish and drape my “Possessed” on a neck form to bring her into her glorious presence. Joy, joy, joy, and time for another martini to celebrate? Well, that would be three. 😊

Is it bad to be a martini drinker? NO, as long as you use great gin, three olives, a little dirty, very dry, straight up, please.