Space...The Final Frontier

My dear friend Erin of Tesori Trovati is having this really cool "Inspired by...Space" challenge on her blog for February. Go check it out - you have until Feb 28th to enter.

When I first started thinking about the challenge, I knew I wanted to incorporate this amazing pendant from Bastille Bleu:

I was going to use it as an asymmetrical focal of a necklace and surround it with some individual lampwork beads in different colors to represent different types of planets and other galactic objects. However, the more I played around with the design, the more I realized that, again, I had two different things going on.

One is a very simple necklace to show off the beauty of this incredible focal bead:

And yeah, I know, simple and symmetrical have sort of become anathema in the jewelry world lately, but I maintain that there's always room for an elegant, classic design...I mean, there's a reason it's a classic, right?

So I chose a simple palette of black onyx rounds to represent the vast empty distances of space and added a couple of touches of Bali silver and white shell beads to show the pinprick lights of distant stars. A couple of jet black Swarovski crystals and a sterling silver box clasp set with onyx complete the design.

I then took a series of totally crap pictures in the dark with shadows which I am now inflicting upon you.

The pendant makes me think I'm standing on some distant, empty desert planet staring out at star-sprinkled space while a crescent moon rises overhead.

The other design is proving to be more difficult to execute - getting all those wildly different elements together in one piece without it being garish or overdone is proving to be a challenge.

Which is why I don't have pictures yet, but I will get it done in time for the challenge deadline.

I'm determined!

Be afraid...be very afraid!

KJ

P.S. Erin - do I get extra points for working the crescent moon in?