Cornucopia
Cornucopia brings together soft celadon serpentine cones and warm red and golden yellow agate in a beautifully balanced, rhythmic composition that feels refined and uplifting. For someone drawn to jewellery that conveys warmth, abundance and effortless sophistication. For more info on the necklace, please click on Details, and if interested in my musings, please go to Story.
Price: SGD $313
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: 46 cm (18") Weight: 115 gm
Red agate: 16 mm
Serpentine cones 14mm long by 14 mm at base
Yellow agate: 13 mm
Gold coloured metal flat discs and openwork beads
Gold filled crimp tubes
Gold coloured metal toggle clasp
Gold-plated silver Manik identity disc
I could never resist a bead in a shape that I didn't have, and that was how I ended up with the pale celadon green serpentine cones. I didn't do anything with them for years though, as I couldn't think of a suitable design and rather regretted acquiring them.
One day, I happened to be looking at images of cornucopia and was attracted to the symbolism of abundance and nourishment attached to it. And was suddenly struck by what I could design with the serpentine cones! Yes, I thought, a necklace called Cornucopia. The serpentine cones felt like the 'horns' in cornucopia, and the red and yellow agate seemed like good choices as symbols of fruit. I wanted to keep the design relatively restrained rather than being overly exuberant, and it was a matter of repeating the 'cornucopia' throughout the design, though eventually, I decided on the serpentine cones converging on an 'agate' in the centre.
The design felt a tad bland however, with just the gemstone beads, and the addition of the flat gold discs and the openwork gold beads really elevated the composition, lending it sophistication. The warm colours and the gold accents mean that Cornucopia would go well with a lot of colours, from pastels to darker tones like navy, charcoal etc. I placed it against a lavender pink, and it looked lovely. Experiment and enjoy.
