Silver wire wrapped bridal necklace with lavender purple stones

I get many requests for custom orders, but a couple of months ago, I got a very special request: my friend, Timothea, asked me to design her wedding necklace. The happy bride-to-be is tying the knot in May and asked me to make a one-of-a-kind piece for her.

Timmie was open to any type of design, but did want me to include a purple stone because her dress has a purple sash. I showed her some different ideas and she chose a teardrop-shaped lavender focal made of crazy lace agate. The stone is dyed; the purple isn't its natural color, but she was more interested in its appearance over the purity. I used silver plated wire for the rest. Again, no materials were expensive, but beauty doesn't have to be costly.

Last year, I designed a bracelet and fancy headpiece to wear to my friends' wedding, but this was actually my first go at making a full-on bridal necklace. Before choosing a design, I studied a photo of Timmie's dress and looked at some pictures of other existing wedding pieces. Timmie's dress is pretty simple with a plunging neckline, so we decided to go for a longish Y-shaped piece to mirror the outline of the bodice. I eventually came up with this design:

Yes, I twisted and created every one of those curls in the filigree design. I don't even know how many Swarovski crystals were included, but I went through almost an entire pack of 144! I originally planned to use just one purple focal... but this is for a wedding. Why not go for two?

The biggest challenge was finding a way to center the stones in those filigree frames -- but to hang the stones in a way that they'd stay secure and not dangle and flop. I ended up threading the wire all the way through the stone and working that portion of the wire into the filigree design.

I have to say, Timmie was the most laid-back bride -- definitely NOT a bridezilla. I sent her photos showing her the piece during each stage of its creation and she kept encouraging me to continue. It felt good to have so much freedom and creativity.

The necklace is now safely in Timmie's hands as she counts down those final days to her wedding. Congrats, my friend! It was an honor to make this for you.

Check out more of my wire wrapped jewelry designs -- or request your own custom piece -- at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Silver wire wrapped and crystal flapper jewelry inspired by Great Gatsby

This June was a very exciting month for us. Two of our closest friends, Scott and Christopher, were married ... and I was their matron of honor!

The guys had their wedding at The Old Field Vineyards, way out on Long Island's North Fork. Most of the wedding guests spent the weekend in Greenport. We stayed with the guys and their families at the Harbor Knoll B&B. It was wonderful! I'm a native Long Islander, but had never been out to this area. It's beautiful and we plan to get out there again sometime soon.

The guys originally planned to have a casual wedding, but decided to go with a Great Gatsby theme after watching the movie (The recent version with Leonardo DiCaprio). This meant that the wedding party members had to dress in theme-appropriate outfits. The men (and Christopher's "best woman") wore vests and caps, while the ladies donned beaded shift dresses.

I had some drama finding an appropriate dress that fit well and fit the theme, but I had a blast designing my 1920s style flapper-inspired jewelry. They had some gorgeous accessories back then! I'd never made a hair piece or cuff bracelet, but I looked up various designs and got to work. After laboring for many, many, many hours, here's what I came up with:

I think I used an entire spool of silver wire for each piece. I didn't count the number of crystals and pearls on the headband, but there were dozens. Happily, both pieces held up well and caught people's attention!

I'm thinking of making more wedding items like this for sale, only they're so time consuming to design and would be pretty expensive. Still, many people love Gatsby-style jewelry, so it might be worth a try.

As for the wedding, it was perfect. It was held outdoors, right by the water, and the weather was fantastic. My speech went well and best of all, the guys were so happy. All in all, it was an outstanding weekend -- one we'll never forget.

I wish we had another special occasion coming up; I'd love to wear that headband again. Meantime, check out my jewellery at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Silver Bridal Teardrop Necklace With Swarovski Crystals

I love weddings and have been fortunate enough to have had several this year. It's funny because I'm 37 and most of our friends are married so I wasn't expecting to have so many at once. But it seems like all of our remaining single friends decided to wed at the same time. I'm all for parties and happy occasions so I've had fun celebrating with them.

A big part of weddings, of course, is the bride's jewelry. Attending so many nuptials inspired me to create a wedding series, which I based somewhat on my friends' gowns. The trick with wedding jewelry is that you want it to be gorgeous, but it shouldn't overshadow the dress. It should enhance the gown and fit the style.

I designed this teardop necklace to be worn with either a strapless gown or one with a sweetheart neckline. It hangs above the cleavage line so it's the perfect fit for that type of dress. The design is very simple, but ends up creating a complex line that looks almost like waves or feathers on a peacock.

To make this necklace, I sculpted each teardrop, beginning with the crystal. First, I wire wrapped the Swarovski crystal, then shaped the silver into the teardrop. I added a pendant with three crystals in the center and finished off the chain with larger Swarovski crystals.

The look is classic and elegant -- but a little funky, too! Plus, it's affordable. Perfect for any bride who wants to look her best, but not blow a fortune on wedding bling.

To buy my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs.