Andante - a mixed media necklace

Andante

The idea for this piece started to form in my mind when my husband became involved in restoring an antique player piano. The keys called to me in ways that I couldn't explain. I cried when I thought about the elephants that had been destroyed to make these objects of beauty. My tribute to those majestic animals is to prevent some of those keys from ending up in a landfill. 

Note ~ The only ivory that it is currently legal to use in the United States is either ancient fossilized ivory, or old recycled ivory like these keys. 

Copyright 2021 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. 

Gaea Emerging - a mixed media bead embroidered necklace

Gaea Emerging

Wool roving, seed beads, pearls, aventurine, jade, copper 

In making Gaea Emerging, I developed a two-layered solution to the problem of stitched-on embellishments getting lost in the texture of the wool roving when felted wool is used as a background. The centerpiece of Gaea Emerging is a CopprClay pendant that I made, fired, and patinated. The organic feel of the piece led to the name. 

There are some step-out photos and basic instructions at the link.

 Copyright 2021 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. 

Ancient Waves - a mixed media bead embroidered necklace

Ancient Waves 

Ammonites, jasper, Swarovski crystals, seed beads, and pearls 

Here are some step-out photos of the process at the link :-) 

Copyright 2021 Cyndi Lavin. 

All rights reserved.

Dark Lady - a mixed media bead embroidered necklace

Dark Lady

An antique purse that was well beyond repair provided the steel-cut beads and the chain used for the closure of this recycled bead embroidered necklace. All of the black beads, from the fringe to the smallest glass charlottes are recycled antiques as well. The steel buttons have been attached in such a way that their shanks have been preserved. 

 Copyright 2021 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. 

Orinoco Flow - a mixed media bead embroidered necklace

Orinoco Flow 

My daughter pointed out to me that this piece uses several very primitive symbols, like concentric circles and jagged lines, which often represent watering holes and the rivers that connect them. So I picked Orinoco Flow as the name. It has turquoise, amazonite, and pearls, and gold wire along with the glass beads. 

If you'd like to see a couple of process shots, visit the link!

 Copyright 2021 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. 

Blossoms of the Moonlit Waves - a mixed media bead embroidered necklace

Blossoms of the Moonlit Waves 

Are they flowers or are they sea creatures? Maybe they are both, as the name suggests! Made from sugilite, charoite, Swarovski crystals, seed beads, and pearls.

If you'd like to see all my process shots, visit the link!

Copyright 2021 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. 

Midnight at the Oasis - a mixed media bead embroidered necklace

Midnight at the Oasis 

"It's midnight at the oasis, send your camel to bed," sang the incomparable Maria Muldaur. My friends and I used to howl with laughter as we sang along! Now I find myself nostalgic for the song if you can believe it. 

This bead embroidery necklace uses complicated clusters of graduated stacks of seed beads to create the texture. The photograph just doesn't show how dimensional it is. If you'd like to see all my process shots, there's a three-part post on my blog that starts at the link. 

Copyright 2020 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved.