Orchid Wedding Jewelry
May 09, 2016
his spring, I had the honor of designing orchid-themed wedding jewelry for a bride who loves elaborate, fairytale jewelry and allowed me a great deal of creative freedom. (She was also wonderfully understanding when I was going through exams and took longer than normal to respond!)
These pieces are made with solid sterling silver, Swarovski pearls, and rhodium-plated silver flowers. I purchased the flower components individually for this design; some day in the future I'd love to create a more expensive line of fine jewelry with handcrafted silver flowers like this. How awesome would that be to work on?
For now, though, this was amazing to design. We began with a series of sketches so that I could gauge her style and how it fit with the budget.
After purchasing any supplies I didn't have on hand, I settled down for hours of work! The silver orchid necklace looks so small and delicate, and in order to make it sturdy and lasting I cut my own teeny-tiny jumprings to ensure the quality was completely up to par. The tiny pearls are wrapped on to the chain by hand.
This particular necklace was more time-consuming than expected-- two full evenings after classes-- but I enjoyed every second of it.
The first bridesmaid necklace features the same orchid-inspired flowers, but also uses my "signature" Czech glass leaf beads! This was the perfect opportunity to purchase a rare version of these beads (there are still a few left for a project or two this summer).
This design pairs the silver flowers with pastel pink Swarovski pearls and tiny lavender crystals.
Originally, the bridesmaids were going to have matching necklaces, but I created this second one on a whim with materials I had on hand. I wanted to realize another one of my sketches and offer it as an option (honestly I assumed that I would simply list it in my Etsy shop). When I showed her the picture, though, she decided to go with one of each necklace design for the bridesmaids!
This one is reversible. :)
Just a behind-the-scenes shot; as I photograph each piece I lay them on the necklace dummy to prevent tangles. When I then went to package the necklaces it was just a little bit of a struggle....
I'm honored to be chosen to design such special wedding jewelry. :) Congratulations to the new couple!
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