Crazy About Cloisonne Jewelry

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You could say that I've been on a bit of a cloisonne kick lately. I've always loved these colorful enamel beads but my love went into high gear on a recent trip to NYC. I spent almost 4 years living in Manhattan and truly miss it. Don't get me wrong, I adore my life here in Boston with my husband and I've gotten spoiled by all the space and actually having a yard! But there is something about the energy in NYC. Some of my closest friends still live there (including a beading buddy) so I get lots of excuses to visit. On one of my recent trips, my partner in bead-spending and I went shopping in the Bead District. My favorite stop was Beads World USA - I could have spent hours and lots of money there but I managed to restrain myself (a little).

Anyway, my friend and I found a huge section of cloisonne beads for sale and we had a blast browsing. I finally narrowed down my selections and picked some beauties. When I got back to Boston I had a blast turning them into earrings. I wound up making 7 pairs and most are accented with Swarovski crystals (another favorite type of bead). They're all listed in this section of our store but I've added a photo of one pair for instant gratification. I love the color combinations in this pair and the cloisonne design has a lovely floral and butterfly pattern that instantly drew me in.

Cloisonne is form of metalworking with enamel that is most commonly associated with China. Many different types of objects can be made of cloisonne but as a jewelry-designers I'm obviously most interested in beads. Making cloisonne beads is a complicated, multi-stage process that results in a beautiful and unique product!

Another unique take on cloisonne - most of the beads I find are bright colors but I loved the more neutral colors. I found a pretty Swarovski crystal to go along and a classic pair of earrings were born!

Here's one example of a different type of cloisonne. I like the earrings in the photo because it's a less traditional look. I love the star pattern, it's fun and contemporary and not something I've seen on cloisonne beads very often. I truly love the more traditional patterns but it's also nice to branch out into something different!

These earrings are eye-catching and fun - I recently bought the beads for these in NYC and fell in love with them immediately! The 8mm and 5mm round light green cloisonne beads have a design of pink and white flowers and blue accents. The design on the beads is outlined in a gold color. 4mm Swarovski bicone crystals in light rose and gold vermeil spacers complete the look. French hook earwires are gold-filled with gold-plated eyepins and headpins. Total length of earrings (not including earwires): 1 3/8" /3.5cm

Check them out online at Weiswomen Creations. $22