Turquoise Splash

Instructions

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- there's turquoise, and then there's turquoise! If you're color matching turqoise, many factors come into play, including whether it's genuine turquoise or not, and even when it is genuine, color varies according to country and particular site of origin.

Difficulty:

Category: Jewelry

Type of item: Accessory

For: Women

Style: Casual, Whimsical, Cute, Romantic

Materials

30 mm Natural Shell Mother of Pearl flat coins, 6 and 12 mm Genuine Turquoise Rice beads, Swarovski AB Crystal bicones, 3 mm Silver-filled spacers, silver-plated earring post and lever back earring findings.

What was your inspiration?

These Natural Shell MOP flat coin beads were the inspiration for the whole project. They were just so pretty that I splurged and bought a strand of 8 for 99 cents. Seriously, that's what they cost (from an eBay vendor). However, the genuine turquoise and Swarovski crystals I paired with the MOP coins cost a lot more. I just could not find anything else that suited me to provide the right setting for those gorgeous coins.

When it came to making the matching earrings, I had a problem. I have a short neck, so the earrings cannot be too long. Also, those 30 mm MOP coins are a little heavy, and in combination with one or two turquoise beads along with a Swarovski crystal for "bling," they were downright too heavy. So, I made up two different pairs of earrings -- both relatively short and comfortable, but depending on the mood, one for being daring and one for being conservative. [Guess which is which!] :)

What are you most proud of?

When I bought these irresistably pretty Natural Shell Mother of Pearl flat coin beads, I knew it would not be easy to match the splashes of turquoise color in the MOP. But when I did find the right match, the colors in the MOP coins just POPPED!

What advice would you give someone starting this project?

I am certain that there are alternative glass or other material beads that would have worked at far less expense than my choice of genuine turquoise and Swarovski crystals, and yet produced just as attractive a result. In fact, I can see these MOP coins in wrapped loop combination with glass beads and antique-copper chain. I just happen to like working mainly with semi-precious gemstones. However, when cost is an issue, MOP is almost always inexpensive and if you look around, especially on eBay or internet vendors, you can find some very pretty and unique MOP beads in a large variety of colors, sizes and shapes.