Elements of Antiquity Design Challenge

I was selected to participate in a Design Challenge from Elements of Antiquity! It's open ended - no real deadline that I'm aware of. I am supposed to post photos of what I made here on my blog. No problem!

As usual, I did not take any photos of the loot they sent me, but I will point out the components in the photos below. I was not asked to comment on the items I received, but I would like to say that the quality of all the components is quite nice. Everything feels substantial, not flimsy or lightweight. This was a challenge for me, in that I am so used to working with only dark brass. Switching to silver colored components was a challenge for me, but one I enjoyed.

First up is a bracelet. The Elements of Antiquity component is the gorgeous filigree bracelet bar. It is slightly curved, and is quite heavy. It is not bendable (not that I want to bend it) and holds it's own with all the flower beads. All the flowers are various Czech glass beads I've acquired over the years. I thought it would be fun to create a playful mix of shapes and colors. The clasp is magnetic, so it's super easy to get on my wrist. As anyone knows that reads this blog, I don't make many bracelets, so this is kind of an accomplishment for me. It actually turned out the right length, and fits my wrist quite well.

 This bracelet looks good from every angle!!

 Smell my flowers!

Next up, just it time for the holidays, a reindeer pendant. He looks like he's a reproduction of a vintage piece. I glued the green and red rhinestones in his eye, and on the wreath around his neck. I know not everyone celebrates Christmas, but I do. And I love wearing Christmas jewelry. I have a large collection of vintage holiday pins (brooches). This pendant has such a nostalgic feel, it will fit right in to my collection. I created beaded links with red and green glass beads, and rhinestone spacers, very blingy. The reindeer is probably 1.5" wide, so I thought it needed to be on a longer necklace. This necklace is fairly long, hits mid chest.

 A closer look reveals all great details - he's even got fur.

The star charms were probably the hardest thing for me. I figured I'd make earrings with them, but I had trouble pairing them with something. Everything I tried created too much competition. I wanted the stars to be the "star" (pun intended). Then, I looked down on my desk, the blue enameled frames that had been there the entire time, caught my eye. The stars looked great with the blue frames. I hung them from twisted jumprings to add a little extra swing.

 

 Lock and key earrings - I received the tiny skeleton key and lock. I searched my stash for locks and keys, and came up with a similar black key and a black door knocker. The embossed keyhole makes the earrings look more matching, even though they have different items dangling below.
Love these: translate to *mine*.

 

These Roman coins are so detailed. I wanted to show them off, so I put them on top of a brown brass filigree, and made a dangle for below. The Czech red flower repeats the shape of the coin.

 

 This is a close up of the coin. You can really see the details, and how thick the coin is in this photo.

 

 The last piece I made was this simple necklace. Unlike the other charms, this one (the peace sign charm) was not part of a set. I made the beaded link, to give the necklace a little more substance. The chain is vintage, and is about 24" long, with a lobster claw clasp..

 

 This close up shows the texture of the charm better. It has a hammered looking surface, as you can see. That pony bead in the middle of the beaded link must be 15 years old - I knew I would use it eventually!!

 

Thanks for looking. I hope you enjoyed this post!