Tuesday, February 23, 2010

R&T Goodies and an Unrelated Rant

Rings & Things sent me an awesome package of goodies to play with this month (which was very nice of them considering I am behind on designing something with LAST month's stuff - but I will get there...eventually).










A fun group of pearls in different shapes, colors and sizes. I love the dark teal rounds and the cranberry keishi pearl.






This is a yummy concotion of various sizes and colors of shell pearls mixed with some very sparkly crystal rondelles.










These shell pearl and crystal mixes come in different colors. Normally, I'm a "blue" kind of girl, but I'm really loving both of the mixes they sent me and can't decide which one to play with first!



In other news...is it possible to seethe in frustration? I know you can seethe with anger, but does that term work for frustration, too? If it does, that's what I'm feeling. I had this great necklace all designed and ready to go. All I had to do was put a clasp on it. It was easy and effortless - y'know, one of those ideas that everything just "works" the first time? I had all the right beads in the right shapes and sizes, had the right findings, everything was really rolling along.



Or so I THOUGHT! Y'see, I bought two strands of blue glass nugget shaped beads at Michael's for this design. They were exactly the right size and shape for the design and the blue color matched the blue in the pendant I'm working with perfectly...IN THE STORE. It also matched perfectly during my lunch hour in the office which is when I was putting the design together.



Got home last night and went to put the clasp on and all of a sudden, those blue beads?



Not blue any more.



They are now LAVENDER. And I don't mean a bluish-lavender. I mean really strongly almost purple kinda lavender.



WTH?



(and no, I was not drinking at the time, just in case you were wondering)



Further experimentation reveals that these beads are blue under fluorescent lighting (like at Michael's and in my office) but lavender in daylight and under the lights in my house.



Do I have ANYTHING else in my stash that can match or replace them in the design?



OF COURSE NOT!



Everything is either the wrong color or the wrong size and shape.



AAAGGHHHHHH!!!



I do this hobby for fun, right?



KJ

11 comments:

Lorelei Eurto said...

This color issue has happened to me before. It totally sucks and resulted in a thwarting of the entire design. I hope you can find a good substitute!!!

SummersStudio said...

I love the lustry colours of the things that came out from R&T. The colour shift under flourescent happens to me all the time. I take my little basket of goodies over to the window, wave nicely at the clerk, and have a look in daylight. Blues are the worst for this.

EmandaJ said...

yep,it happens. I have this great pair of earrings that I love to wear just because they do change colors in different light. Sorry yours threw a monkey-wrench in your works.

Emanda

SueBeads said...

That's the deal with lavender glass! In some lights it's blue, and in some it's purplish. Sorry this frustrated you so!

TesoriTrovati said...

I have heard of shape shifters, but color changers? Bummer.... And yes, you can seethe with frustration (I do it daily at the day job, but it is more like a simmering just below the surface threatening to bubble over at any time.). At least you didn't get the clasp on...

And your pouches have two different colors! I got all purple/lavender. Love them!
Try to enjoy the day!
Erin

Michelle said...

It's alexandrite--I know Swarovski makes the color....and the closest blue is their Lt. Sapphire. Cantalope (also Swaro color) changes 3 colors...weird tan, lt lt green and coral. I thought I was nuts the 1st time I picked them up. The shop owners (who are friends) watched me walk back and forth w/the container 4 times b4 they said anything! LOL. Sadly, Swaro is discontinuing these 2 colors--at least that's what I heard.
Hope you found a great substitute!
Bead Happy!
Michelle

Cynthia said...

I have seen colors shift, due to lighting - I purchased an outfit, which looked fine in the store. When I went to wear it, it didn't match at home. I find that if I take things to a window and look at them in natural sunlight, they usually look ok, which was the case with the outfit. I decided to wear it, and it matched at the office (thankfully). To salvage your necklace design, maybe you can work in some tiny beads that are closer to lavender-blue, and offer an explanation when you go to sell it. It will match in an office/ public place, which is probably where most women wear nice jewelry anyway!

Unknown said...

We have that happen too. The natural light is one color, the flourescent is another. We have glass for lampworking that does that.

Dave Robertson said...

Oy, color-changing beads. I know R&T has noticed this with certain beads, and added some info next to them in our store / catalog. Check these out: http://bit.ly/9lrGU4

:) Dave
at Rings & Things

Flowersbyfarha said...

Yes, color is all about light absorption and reflection. Remember how white light goes into a prism and comes out a rainbow? What comes out depends on what went in.

Taking items to window for natural lighting when possible is helpful and general best bet--but remember what lighting you will be vending or wearing the item in, too! (For my displays, I always bring my own lights, with Daylight bulbs to offset those ugly florescent and mercury vapor used in many venues.)

You can probably get filters to take with you to store when it's an issue. Theatre folks routinely carry around booklet of gel swatches and a flashlight when shopping so they can test items under the lighting they will be using in production.

So, now--joy of crafting-- you have the beginning of yet another project. :-)

Naomi said...

How annoying! I have had that problem with some red beads I bought that are very dark-in some light they look black! I did find that pairing them with certain other (more clearly redd) beads makes the red-ness of them stand out more than when they're on their own . . . not sure this helps for a design you've already created, though!