My college years were more or less the four most miserable years of my life so it isn't often that I pay homage to my alma mater. However, when I saw the two-toned 3mm fire polished Czech beads in yellow and blue, I immediately thought of the jonquil AB Swarovski bicones and 3mm Magatama Toho beads in my stash. I realize that probably doesn't mean much to folks who don't bead. The bottom line is that the pattern evolved into a summery flat spiral in the my college colors.
(You can find the listing for this
flat spiral bracelet here.)
This particular flat spiral actually has a lot more dimension that the standard flat spiral weave because it uses 4 different types of beads (and some are intentionally asymmetrical), but it still flows very nicely. This bracelet does look different from various angles, though. Don't let the name of the technique mislead you- this is a three dimensional bracelet that is interesting to look at even from the side!
One of the problems I ran into while designing is that I ran out of the two-toned Czech beads. Those are sold by the strand and I didn't want to buy an entire strand because I only needed a few more to make the bracelet a standard length. So I improvised by using the seed beads in a modified right angle weave on either end of the flat spiral as a decorative way to attach the bail and lengthen the overall beaded length at the same time.
Another lesson learned by selling one of a kind beaded bracelets online is that it always helps to have an extender chain. So I added one inch of sterling silver cable chain and added a faceted moonstone briolette dangle to the end. (I think it makes it easier to put a bracelet on when the side opposite the clasp has some weight to it.)
Even though the moonstone appears flat white in the photos, there is an iridescence which is picked up by the blue tones in the beading. I'm really happy with the way this pattern turned out.
Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, handcrafted in Hawaii!
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