AJE January Component of the Month Reveal

I was just tickled pink to find out on January 1st that I was one of the lucky winners of the January Component of the Month over on the Art Jewelry Elements blog.  What a great way to start the new year!

I was super excited to see what Jenny Davies-Reazor would be sending me.  Here's a picture she posted of her focals in process.  You can see all of her blog post over on the AJE blog HERE.

Here's the one I got.  I love the dark, denim blue with the lighter shades mixed in.  Believe it or not, this isn't a color I find myself using all that often so this was a good stretch for me.  The dictionary paper has a lovely aged look to it... I don't know if that's natural aging of the paper or something with the resin process Jenny used.  Either way, it gives it a nice antiqued effect that works perfectly with the frame design.

The word on my pendant is "vision."  Here's how the Oxford online dictionary defines it:

• The faculty or state of being able to see; the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom; a mental image of what the future will or could be like; an experience of seeing someone or something in a dream or trance; a person or sight of unusual beauty.

While the word "vision" may not have actually inspired the design I came up with, it was on my mind while I was playing and creating.  I'm certainly grateful for the gift of being able to see... and when my eyes start to cross from too much "up close" work I worry about the day when clear sight is more elusive.  I have come to have a pretty clear vision for the future with regards to some aspects of my life... less so for others, but that's likely how it goes!  I'm hoping that my finished creation will be a sight of beauty to some people!  Ok, not exactly deep thoughts, but that's what I've got!  

I really wanted to keep the focus squarely on Jenny's gorgeous pendant but I didn't want my necklace to be too monochromatic.  (Those of you who follow me regularly, know that this is something that I often struggle with.)  I looked through my Pinterest board "Pretty Palettes" to get some ideas for mixing it up a bit.  What I found was that in the palettes I've collected, darker blues were often mixed in with oranges, yellows, or tans.  

After pulling some bead possibilities together I got started by making wire-wrapped connectors with some Lapis rounds that I've had forever on each side of the pendant.  I used Vintaj brass wire, chain, and other findings since I think that's such a perfect look for the vintage feel of the pendant.  I used a couple of blue beads (one ceramic, one lucite) from a destash grab bag that I bought from Andrew Thornton, and added in some Czech glass, a Vintaj filigree bead, and a nice little Red Creek Jasper rondelle.

This is a blog hop.  To head on over to Art Jewelry Elements blog and check out what everyone else created please click HERE.