Necklace set | Pewter toad pendant, Burma jade rounds, 1960s Japanese glass beads, sterling hood and eye clasp

Notes on this piece: I found several pond-themed lead-free pewter charm and pendant designs by Green Girl Studios. Initially I tried to come up with a design that incorporated all of these, but decided it was too much — many charms and too much weight. This little toad charm deserved its own necklace in homage to the tiny toads that emerge from our pond each summer. Combining soft Burma jade and lime green vintage Japanese beads evokes the sense of a cool pond on a hot day.

For the Outdoor Adventures Maker Challenge, I thought about past outdoor adventures — camping with my parents, as a Girl Scout and leading Girl Scouts, hiking with my students through a stream or through the woods, walking mountain and desert trails with family — and about how to portray these adventures with my jewelry. I realized that lot of my outdoor "adventuring" is in our own backyard observing our small pond and waterfall through changing seasons. When the ice melts the tiny mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) reappear, goldfish re-emerge, and in spring the toads begin to sing (sounding like ducks in distress) producing coils of eggs that hatch into thousands of tadpoles. This year two bullfrogs appeared out of nowhere and managed to produce a smattering of much larger tadpoles. There are other occasional visitors — a mallard duck duo, a kingfisher, a roadrunner, hummingbirds splashing in the waterfall. And in summer the tiny toads, pinky nail-sized (see photo #2) and only a small fraction of the number of tadpoles, begin to leave the water to explore land. If you're lucky you might see a dragonfly or damselfly larvae emerge or even witness its transformation to maturity. On summer days they flit over the waterlilies, meeting, mating, and glimmering in the sun.

My designs are inspired by the beads, by their color, shape, size and origin.

I’ve been buying/collecting beads for over 20 years, focusing on early and mid-century glass beads, but including semi-precious and other stones, freshwater pearls, contemporary artisan lampwork and ceramic beads. I work with sterling silver, bronze, or copper clasps and use sterling or gold-filled findings. 

In my first years of bead jewelry design, I had to see and/or touch the beads to know what I wanted. After years of experience, I can confidently shop online (fortunately, during these times) and have a growing list of “go-to” artisans, vendors, and brands for my supplies. 

My design descriptions include a list of “ingredients” used in each design.

Some designs come together quickly and organically. Others are re-worked several times, even if I’ve already attached the clasp with crimp beads and crimp covers and need to completely re-string.

Designs are often “retro-classic” as my OOAK designs are bead-centric with a nod to mid-century costume jewelry, rather than inspired by current fashions in jewelry designs or color trends. Add a pinch of whimsy and my personal take on color palettes.

I work on felted bead boards to calculate the length of each necklace (usually “matinée” length 20-24”) and to hold the beads I’ve selected for my design. Sometimes I change my mind mid-design and put away many of the beads I’ve been working with, then search for or order others. I usually work with 49-strand .018 or .019 gauge bead wire, which allows stringing back under a half-inch or so of beads after the crimp bead and clasp are attached. I work by creating my design on the wire, rather than try to lay out the complete pattern, as it’s important to see how the beads will hang and to pick compatible spacer beads.

I use sterling or gold-filled ear wires and headpins, and often create “mis-matched” earring pairs.

The weight and length of each necklace are listed in case you have a preference for lighter or more substantial pieces. (I enjoy both.)