From the Top Drawer

I’m guessing that every beader has a place for that unfinished bracelet, the pendant you may give away later, the necklace that didn’t quite turn out like you wanted but you can’t bring yourself to take apart, the cuff with colors that just didn’t do it for you, the beaded earrings that have no match and a great multitude of beaded beads from that weekend when you obsessed just a bit too much.

For me, this place is the top drawer of a little set of drawers beside my beading table and as a designer, it is often overflowing.

I was looking through it the other day and found a version of my Cleopatra Bracelet that I still love but it was relegated to the top drawer because I used a clasp that I felt was all wrong once I had finished.

I used all silver and gold beads and it feels just like some sort of exotic, silky ribbon but looks like a wide silver and gold herringbone chain. Here are the beads I used in case you want to give it a try. I won’t show you the clasp :)

• about 600 #31 24 Karat Gold Plated Delica beads
• about 200 size 1 (3mm) Toho #711 Nickel Plated Silver bugle beads
• about 150 size 13/0 gold plated charlottes that I used in the 3-bead accented edging in Steps 16, 21 and 26 instead of 3 Delica beads