A Valentine Jewelry Set

Carnelian is one of my favourite gemstones (the others being peridot, opal, aquamarine, and turquoise). There's something so warm and satisfying about it. I have an antique carnelian Art Nouveau-style gold ring and a heart-shaped carnelian pendant on a gold chain that I love to wear. Years ago I bought a secondhand necklace of carnelian chips/beads, combined with worn gold-tone beads, online. It was shakily assembled, so I restrung and reworked it slightly with new gold tone beads, but I was never happy with it. I did it a second time with brass-tone beads and still didn't like it much. For its third re-working I decided I'd get rid of all the metal beads and just go with red beads in different sizes and shades. I bought one string of dyed fire agate beads at Michaels with a 55% off coupon, and then a second necklace of varied plastic red beads at Value Village, took both necklaces apart, and went to work. (I thought I took a photo of that thrift shop necklace, but if I did I can't find it.)

And here's the result, which I am quite happy with. These pieces are a mix of carnelian chips, carnelian beads (the larger red beads you see in the necklace and earrings), dyed fire agate beads (the large golden orange beads you see in the necklace and earrings), small red plastic beads (such as the ones in the bracelet), and red plastic seed beads (used as spacer beads).

I love the play of all the shades of red. I like the look of chips separated by spacer beads. I had plenty of beads to work with and liked the necklace, which I made first, so much that I made earrings too, and a week later began thinking that maybe I'd also like a bracelet. I still have more carnelian chips and red beads left, but am out of body parts I'd care to decorate with such pieces.:)

As long as this project took, I now have the perfect pieces to wear on Valentine's Day, and just in time.