Africana Beading: A busy week coming in

Wow I am on top of the world
I recently finished a large bead embroidered collar that I have been working on (and off) for some months.

"Drakensberg Necklace"

This necklace makes me think of the Drakensberg Mountains here in South Africa the lines and dark colours remind me of the spectacular silhouette of those mountains as you appraoch them. Drakensberg means Dragon Mountains. The necklace is made with dark brown agate pieces. I wanted to place the diamonds at odd angles to each other so that they would cradle the base of the neck. Swarovski and plain glass pearls are used in the bands, fringes and in the centre. Along with a lot of Miyuki seed beads . I wanted to keep the colour palette monochromatic so that the shape would do most of the talking. Sorry the agate faces are obscurred I kept getting odd reflections on the stones. But I will keep trying for that perfect shot.

I was in facts working on this piece while at the Centurion Craft Show a few weeks ago, where several people saw it. Last week I finally got some good pictures of it (ok the pictures are good relative to my previous attempts). I then showed these pics to some people who might be interested and one customer has said that she wants it with matching earrings and bracelet. So I am really happy about that. Been going through a bit of a quiet period sales-wise, my own fault I havn't been working hard enough at it. So this is just the pick-me-up I needed. Especially as this week is shaping up to be quite hectic. I also got a couple new orders on Friday. My sister-in-law's youngest sister is getting married and I'm making some jewellery for the big day! That deadline, along with the fact I'm supposed to be handing in my dissertation sometime in the next few months, (which is nowhere near finished) explains my current stress. But I will manage even if I have to pull a few all nighters!
And in other news: The meeting of the Crafty Ladies Club on Saturday went excellently. The weather played ball and only misbehaved the following day. Everyone had a great time and lots of crafts were represented. A few people had bead weaving projects, there was knitting, crocheting, even quilting. One lady was covering a backing with cutoffs of upholstery material over which she plans to embroider. the final product will be a gorgeous bag. I definitely want to see that when its finished. Everyone enjoyed the quiet, country atmosphere and great progress was made by all in their respective projects. Some projects were even finished!
So here is looking forward to many more such meetings!