I began with the thickest (and longest) chain as the foundation of the necklace, it was the heaviest and also the strongest so it could support the weight of the rest of the necklace, without being too overpowering (both in terms of link-age and weight!) I attached a few sailing-inspired charms (anchor, ship's wheel) and a some special pieces - like the chinese fish pendant and the mother-of-pearl-esq shard that hangs in the centre. The clam shell on the left is made up of two shell charms joined by wire, that can be opened to reveal a little pearl hanging in the inside. I made a pair of earrings that feature this idea and will be shown here later - I just love the idea of secret jewels (or in this case pearls!) you know it is there and you can tell people or keep it a special secret!!! [You know this reminds me of a pair of shoes I got years ago in Clarks - Mum kept asking me if I was sure they didn't hurt and to be honest they could have made every single one of my toes bleed and I would still have wanted them because they came with a key and this key, once inserted into the heel turned a little turntable so that you could see a picture of a rose or a 'diamond' showing through a small window on the sole of your shoes - brings a whole new meaning to the concept of 'Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes' - as an (gulp!) adult I now wonder what on earth was the point of having pictures of roses and small 'diamonds' on the soles of your shoes? Knowing how proud I was of them I have no doubt that I probably crawled about on all fours so people would notice them - seems strange now - especially because the top (read-visible) side of the shoe was so dull! White with maybe a flower motif somewhere but just nothing compared to the secret underneath - and that is probably where this hidden pearl, secret surprise, utter delight probably stems from - so thanks for that Mum - see what you have created!?!] Anyway where on earth was I? Oh yes, back to the necklace. I made the blue chain out of metal wire which is surprisingly maleable (or is that ductile?) and lightweight and then attached it to the main chain (it's fun to rhyme!). Above the clam shell is a little blue twist (I thought it reminded me of a wave? - or maybe that was just my over-active imagination?!) and a ring with tiny bells on it, to add a little jingling sound! i then attached the finer chain and hung more seaside charms (dolphin, crab and wee clam shells with blue sparkle beads). 
I wanted to use the metal heart as the catch as I have done with othere necklaces but the chains were just too heavy and kept pulling it apart so in the end I hung it beside the 'made with love' charm and used a regualr lobster-claw catch to hold it all together! Though I have just realised i put the catch on the wrong side - Doh! Rookie mistake!!!
Beautiful! (Nice necklace too!)
I added a wee 'MADE WITH LOVE' charm and an extension chain with a little heart on the end to add a little flourish to the bracelet because I believe all sides of jewellery (front and back) should be pretty to look at. For example, when your necklace (inevitably!) spins round so the catch and the pendant are side by side, instead of detratcing from the overall effect, a pretty catch or an extra we
They are colourful and lots of fun - perfect for the summer! I'm not too sure what the heart and flower charms are made of but it always reminds me of shells, which only re-inforces their summer-y feel! Ohh I do love the summer!!
This one is probably my favourite, shorter, neater and better proportioned. I laid the colour combos out in a rainbow (red-orange-yellow-green-blue-purple-pink) and used mulitcoloured pearls as the basis, here are two close-up pics, one with a flash and one without, I'm not sure which one I prefer as they both highlight different attributes of the beads, but see what you think:
I love the earthy, tree-y feel of the leaves and the peppermint-y colour of the Swarovski crystals and the pearls (I've just got a craving for peppermint creams...wonder where that came from?...) The leafy beads and charms really tie in the nature-theme, while the flower and drop charms give the earrings a slightly edgier(sp?) feel so they are not too matchy-matchy.
Handsome Prince is not too sure about the blue crystal with the copper wire but I think the contrast is very striking! I might make another one in the future using paler, more complimentary colours (like the little peachy crystals flanking the blue ones).
I really like the heart-shaped clasp, it just lifts the whole bracelet - gives it something a little special! Here is a closer pic of the 'chainmail' effect, it was looks more sophisticated than it is. It is pretty easy to make which makes it a very good beginner piece!
