This summer, I had the honor of making jewelry for a bride and her bridal party. She is also a friend, which makes it even more amazing! :)
Each ensemble was made from Swarovski pearls, crystals, and rhinestones. The chain, wire, and clasps are all gold-filled; gold-fill is many times less expensive than gold, but is far thicker than gold-plate (and does not wear off). It has the added benefit of being sturdier than ordinary gold!
The brides's necklace is the jewel of these sets. The teal crystals are the bride's Something Blue, and also match the bridesmaid dresses. I was able to find gold bead caps to add elegant visual interest.
The bride's necklace is actually made from two separate necklaces of different lengths; after the wedding they can be separated for everyday wear.
I spent many enjoyable hours wirewrapping the bead patterns into the chain. The wirewrapping technique is the same I use for the "indestructible rosaries" and means that this necklace will last far beyond the wedding day without any risks of breaking due to snags (don't we all hate when that happens?).
The bride and bridesmaids all wore matching earrings with small pearls, rhinestones set in gold, and teal crystals.
The bridesmaid necklaces were simpler and adjusted for the height of the neckline. Here, Swarovski pearls float on ultra-thin strands of fiagro gold chain. They are made with the same sturdy wirewrapping technique.
When I was taking pictures before packing these pieces up, I set the bridesmaid necklaces on my necklace stand while photographing the earrings. I thought the layered effect looks rather nice!
Of course each bridesmaid necklace has the matching earrings.
I had a little bit of chain left over and made a surprise minimalist bracelet for the bride.
Just a detail of the gold chain.
Look at how the crystals catch the light! :)
