A few weeks ago, my mom and I were strolling the mall when we were arrested by the necklace below. My mom and I are both nature nuts, with a special fondness for all creatures great and small, so we loved the idea of wearing the entire animal kingdom around our necks. Plus, the way the beads sat perpendicular to each other gave the necklace an unusual totem pole feel.

However, the necklace had a few drawbacks that made me hesitate: 1) It was far too long for my tastes; 2) the bone beads, painted almost to look like turquoise, made me wish that they were gemstone; 3) the standing-bear pendant, though very cool, was just too much for my personal style. For these reasons, I was going to pass up the necklace. My mom, however, guessed correctly that I would regret my decision, so she bought it for me.

My mom’s one stipulation for the purchase was that I use just a few of the beads to make necklaces for her and my younger sisters. The remaining beads would allow me to recreate the totem pole feel in a design more to my own liking. So I set out to achieve both of these goals. Here are the results:

For my necklace, I used sterling sliver wire, chain, and clasp plus Hill Tribe silver bead caps and accent beads (I thought the organic designs of Hill Tribe silver were quite appropriate for this necklace). Then I threw in red and mint jasper rounds, with their earthy tones, to continue the theme of nature.

My mom selected favorite animals for her and my sisters, suggesting that only the very front portion of their necklaces be beaded. I used the same red and mint jasper rounds I used in my own necklace, throwing in some different silver accent beads. For the rest of the necklaces, I tied hemp cord with snake knots.

I finished making these pieces over the holiday weekend, and I feel I’ve taken my first steps toward designing jewelry. While I’ve made several pieces since coming to BeadStyle, I generally rushed through them because I got caught up in the “doing” rather than the “designing.” The result is that I don’t wear, or have dismantled, most of those designs because they do not show to quality that I put into everything else in life.

With the above pieces, however, I took the time to move the beads around, sometimes over many days, until I felt I had the designs right where I wanted them. I shopped for the “right” supplies, rather than limiting myself to leftovers. I even learned a new technique – snake knots – despite the difficult learning curve. In short, I made jewelry that I am proud to wear and to give away because they reflect my time, effort, and imagination.