Jewelry from the Sea

School is almost out for me, so that means I'm looking forward to my summer break. Since I live near the coast, I often look to the beach and the ocean for design ideas. This cute little turtle charm along with some gorgeous faceted gray mother-of-pearl beads were the inspiration for two new jewelry making projects I posted recently.

First, I made the Turtle Time Mother of Pearl and Sterling Necklace using a turtle charm from Artbeads.com as the focal point. Once I had selected the turtle charm, I decided on some gray faceted mother-of-pearl square beads as well because I thought the gray color and iridescence created by the facets would look good with sterling silver. That's where the silver wire and lots of jump rings came into the design. The final touch is an adorable little dolphin clasp.

Then, of course, I needed some earrings to match: Faceted Mother-of-Pearl Earrings. The beads are so amazing that I decided to let them do most of the work when it came to this earring design.

I have a few other summer-inspired jewelry designs in the works. What about you? I know not everyone who reads my blog is in the same hemisphere, but are you making summer jewelry or thinking about it?