Aquarelle
Like a watercolour in motion, this 49 cm necklace flows in soft transitions, the sea-foam green gemstone amazonite blending into the softly luminous pink hues of the rose quartz. For more info on the necklace, please click on Details, and if interested in my musings, please go to Story.
The identification of the beads starts from the bead in the centre, moving upwards, with measurement for some of the bigger beads, with metal beads named last.
Length: 49 cm (19.5”)
Weight: 174 gm
Rose quartz pebbles, approx. 26.5 mm long and 19 mm wide
3 faceted rose quartz barrels: 18 mm cross and 13 mm wide
16 mm rose quartz rounds
Faceted bluish-green amazonite rounds: 18 mm
Silver disc spacers and silver round spacers
One round silver bead of tangled threads
Fluted silver discs
Silver toggle clasp
Silver Manik identity disc
I was rather intrigued by the faceted, slightly bluish, variegated sea-foam green amazonite beads from Mr L. I hadn’t seen this colouration and texture of amazonite bead before and liked its subtlety. So, I sat down to design with it quite soon after…
The softness of the variegated bluish-green made me reach for my rose quartz, rather than the blue coloured gemstone beads that I like to work with, with green gemstones. As I played around with rose quartz in different shapes – a couple of pebbles, some short, thick faceted barrels, and rounds, the design turned asymmetric, and I went with it. I added some bright silver disc spacers, a pair of fluted silver discs to frame a rose quartz pebble on one side, and finally, as a touch of whimsy, a silver bead that is made up of tangled threads on the other side.
I love the overall composition – the faceted amazonite from misty blue-green to seafoam is calm and serene, the rose quartz in different forms luminous and lively, together creating a graceful dance of light, tone and texture, with the silver accents enhancing the brightness of it all. A necklace that feels painted in light; and indeed, it felt like a watercolour wash! So, as I searched for a name, I settled on Aquarelle, a French term for a watercolour painting technique that emphasizes light, colour and transparency.
Aquarelle is soothing, graceful and luminous; it looked stunning against a black top and a dark navy dress that I placed it against, and I think it would go well too and have a different effect with lighter tones. Experiment and enjoy!
