Hematite Necklace and FNSI

I've always adored short necklaces -- they are not quite chokers, though I love those, too.  I'm still looking for the perfect cameo to wear on a black ribbon choker I've been wanting to make for years, but I'm patient.  I've been known to wait many years for just the thing I'm searching for to trundle along looking for a home.

I like short necklaces  mostly because I often don't like things dangling from my neck -- and more importantly, I think it looks cool.

The beads on this one are hematite -- my favorite stone.  I bought them years ago as part of another necklace that has long since disintegrated.  I made them into a previous necklace, which also gave up the ghost a year or two ago.

This time, I used waxed cotton cord to weave the main part of the necklace, mostly in an effort to make something that I liked that would hold up longer than the other two have.  This is the style of jewelry I like most -- pretty simple, made with natural materials, but tasteful and understated.  The core of the weaving is a braided beading thread--very strong and practically unbreakable.  My scissors doesn't even want to cut it.

I actually made the bracelet first, testing out the materials and just the right way to attach the split rings at the ends that hold the clasps.  It has a magnetic clasp that is really not quite strong enough.  It doesn't spontaneously fall off or anything, but a really light tug will make it come apart.  I left it on, though, as I'm not particularly attached to the bracelet.  It's a "wearable muslin" so to speak, so my heart won't break if it gets lost.


I was surprised at how little time it took to make these.  Just a couple of hours and they were done.  And now I have my favorite hematite beads back  :o)

As for the Friday Night Sew-In, I just finished tonight's homemade chicken soup.  So, in about an hour, I'm going to put on some music, pour a glass of port, and finish putting the buttons on Jalie 2111 men's shirt for my husband.  Then, I am either going to 1) cut out a new dress shirt for my oldest son, or 2) trace an above-the-knee (I'm too old to call it a mini skirt) pleated skirt for myself.  I haven't decided which.