Strawberry Sparkle

by Angela Friesen
(Winnipeg, Canada)

For the most part, I used 're-claimed' beads (I prefer that term to 'green'). So I ended up stringing artificial pearls, and silver, glass and acrylic beads on covered stainless steel with a silver-tone fishhook clasp.

Other than the artificial pearls, I can't say definitively what these beads are, because I've never seen them locally. So this is a completely unique piece.

The clear, 'cracked' beads resemble the crackle druk beads in Fire Mountain Gem's bead catalogue, and the rose beads resemble a type of glass bead I read about in one of Nancy Alden's books.
The patterned oval beads and the purple bicones are most likely acrylic.

Stringing was a challenge, since I was working with an unmarked (no measurement guides) beading board, and the beads had to be shifted a lot when balancing out the pattern.

The earrings were quite easy, with the beads strung on silver-tone, rhinestone headpins, attached to sterling silver ball hook wires, which I prefer and use when I can get them.

Angela Friesen
The Frozen Angel (Angela Friesen) on MySpace