yellowplum beads ~ contemporary designs in beaded jewelry

I've been hard at work updating my website, yellowplumbeads.net. (It's linked below if you'd like to check it out.) In addition to my brand new look, I have some brand new designs coming in the very near future. Feel free to drop me a line--I'd love to know what you think!

I create my necklaces, bracelets, and earrings using Japanese glass seed beads, sterling silver beads, and Czech glass beads. I select my findings, which are all composed of sterling silver, both for reliability and aesthetic value. For stringing material, I use parachute cord which I have chosen for superior strength, and resistance to the elements. As a result, my necklaces and bracelets withstand time and wear excellently. For this reason, I guarantee each piece for repair or replacement.

While quality materials are extremely important to me, my primary interests lie in craftsmanship and design. I view a piece of jewelry as a set of problems to be solved. It has to be functional-it has to be comfortable to wear, durable, and easy to put on. In addition to problems of functionality, problems of aesthetics have to be solved as well. A piece of jewelry has to be appealing to the eye, which means selecting enticing colors, textures, and shapes and incorporating them into a form which is both attractive and practical. Jewelry as a product allows craftspeople flexibility as to medium. I have chosen beads as my medium for their versatility and because I enjoy the both the visual and tactile experience of beads, and of producing beadwork.

I employ various techniques in producing my jewelry pieces, my favorite being a hand-weaving technique is known as peyote stitch, or gourd stitch. Tiny seed beads are woven together with a needle and thread, one bead at a time, creating either flat or three dimensional forms. This extremely versatile form of handweaving has been used in indigenous North American cultures for centuries. While the technique is traditional, the effect is contemporary and exciting!

If you have any questions about the work you see here, please feel free to ask me. I genuinely appreciate your interest!