Nine Dragons Collar

Legends insist that the Five Great Desert Temples are guarded by nine dragon siblings; two to each directional temple, the eldest one in the center.  They are fair dragons, now, and certainly would not do harm to anyone who approached without mallice in their heart; but they will defend their land and each other from fools.  The treasure, you see, is what changes with every telling.  Is it gold?  Jewels?  Knowledge?  Power beyond human comprehension?  No one has ever managed to return to tell.

Last time I was in Georgia, I went dragon hunting.  Which is to say that my (very patient, supportive) partner in crime and I spent 15 minutes combing through a huge bin of cloisonne beads just to find these tiny articulated dragons that I had never seen anywhere before.  I had to have them!  They were all just a touch beat up, and I kept one that had been broken (he's fixed now, though).  The ones used in the necklace were cleaned up a little and reinforced, but all of the little nicks and bends were kept.  They've got more personality that way.

I don't really want to talk about how much time it took, because I just plain did not start counting and I refuse to look back and see how many days I was working on it.  The upper part was a very "I wonder what would happen if..." thing that took way longer than I expected due to reinforcing absolutely everything for stability, and then the netting that lead down to the dragons... just kind of happened.  And of course I wanted to practice more with beading around cabochons, so.  Yes.  Um, I don't know what happened, but at least it's shiny?

Normally when I do this kind of netting, I go over every diamond meticulously to get them all to be that perfect diamond shape... but this time, I left a few "loose".  It's a stylistic choice; the dragons themselves look like ancient treasures, so I wanted the rest of the necklace to reflect that.  It's not any less strong or solidly built, it just looks "a little old".  The same "stylistic choice" exists with the ever so slight angling of the fiber optic stone so that it catches the light more easily.  It's supposed to be magic, after all.

The one problem with having a scrawnier neck than anyone you know is trying to model a collar that's technically just a little too big for you even on the tightest setting.  Ah well, I tried.

(For Sale)

Dissidia Charm Bracelet

And now that the gift has found its way to its owner, I can talk about the hell I went through to make this bracelet. *grin* Well, it was... a trial. A very, very big trial. I was juggling techniques, trying to figure out exactly how I wanted to do this and what I wanted to make it out of. I was actually disappointed at first, because a few things couldn't be exactly accurate due to what the clay kept doing/annoying me with, but now... yes, I've had time to step back and appreciate it. I want to make more, but the charms will have a slightly different style. This is definitely one of a kind.

And because I am me, and have to interpret everything, I rather liked the idea of the silver wire wrap around each crystal. It sort of represents Cosmos' energy and influence, the silver working its way through the chain and the eternal loop. ...Yeah, stop looking at me like that.

If you're not familiar, Dissidia is a "Final Fantasy fighter" that I keep meaning to take breaks from but keep picking back up for "just another couple of battles", so that should tell you something.

Spiritual Stones

"The Temple of Time is the entrance through which you can enter the Sacred Realm from our world. But the entrance is sealed with a stone wall called the Door of Time. And, in order to open the door, it is said that you need to collect three Spiritual Stones." - Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

I've made a number of these sets over the years and still manage to constantly be improving the design and stability.  I can also always be commissioned for them.

Spiritual Stones

"The Temple of Time is the entrance through which you can enter the Sacred Realm from our world. But the entrance is sealed with a stone wall called the Door of Time. And, in order to open the door, it is said that you need to collect three Spiritual Stones." - Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

I've made a number of these sets over the years and still manage to constantly be improving the design and stability.  I can also always be commissioned for them.

Big Red Rupee

It made sense to make a red one too, right..?  A charm, a pendant, or whatever bauble is desired, and I'm always taking commissions.

Big Green Rupee

I don't know why, it just made sense at the time: mde a three-dimensional rupee with different designs on each side and "stuff" it so that it's soft and squishy.  I'll bet that makes sense to someone.  It can be a pendant, a keychain, or just a bauble of bauble-y goodness, and I'm always open for commissions.

Itty Bitty Rupees

Double-sided three-dimensional itty bitty rupees!  Well, I'm excited.  They're available as various things, from charms to earrings, and I can always be commissioned.

Gold Rupee

I can't have all those other colors and not gold!  So I thought.  For use as any kind of charm or bauble imaginable, and I'm always taking commissions.