Lately the jewelry blog world seems to going the way of Insect Jewelry. June’s earring’s everyday challenge inspiration is Fireflies and the topic for Art Elements June theme challenge is also Insects. So I decided to combine both and give my unique take (sorry scratch that – Sayuri’s unique take) on Insect jewelry.
Insects and I have a weird and troubling history together. Even as a kid I was never scared of bugs, dragonflies, centipedes or even cockroaches and did not hate them. Though my mom is quick to point out that as a toddler I was scared of paper butterfly shapes that were used as thread bobbins (in the 80’s). However, I do not remember it. The point it, I find insects interesting and fascinating. I am wowed by their shapes, by the way they move and I do not feel like harming them even if I have to. Naturally, the insects find me attractive. They probe, prick, bite me and even lodge themselves deep down my throat. To clarify the last part, a bug flew straight into my mouth as I yawned guided by the mobile back light I had next to me on the bed. And that is why I never sleep with my phone next to me. But that is another story for another time.
Regardless of how much they torture me I like insects and have a collection of bug like components for jewelry components. Naturally, I was happy to break into my horded stuff and make a couple of pieces when I came across these two challenges.
We’re All Ears :: June Inspiration :: Fireflies
For the earrings challenge we had to make earrings inspired by fireflies. I was uninspired;Â It did nothing to get me out of the jewelry design rut I am in at the moment. Why? Because the same creatures that look magnificent at night like little balls of cool fire look dull and brown in the day light. So I changed my approach. I took the concept of luminescence from the night glow and the body structure of the brown fireflies for my design. Also I really wanted to use the beetle wings that I bought at Beadfest. I first came across these Jewel Beetle wings in Neena’s blog Caprilicious Jewellery where she makes stunning jewelry with them. These wings are called Emerald elytrons and they are the Real wings of the Elytra Sternocera beetle. * Update – I finally found these beetle wings on Amazon; it is only available as a pack of 100 pieces but here is the link if you want to consider it #AF
I wanted my earrings to be statement making so I decided to make them 3D unlike the usual chandeliers. As I was looking for connectors at a local bead store, I came across these trapezoid jhumka earring connectors. Looking at them, I realised that I could simply add the wings to three sides of the connector to make it look like an insect. A few lines of yellow paint and a wire earhook later my Beetle Jhumka Earrings were done. I don’t think anyone has thought of combining Jhumkas and beetle wings so far. Naturally, I am quite thrilled about it. However, I am not sure if I’ll wear them, for the wings clank (clash) against each other and sway violently if there is a wind. I am scared that they’ll fall off and I will loose the wings. Photography was also a big pain for I wanted them to look like insects glowing in the dark. The wings just wouldn’t stay put as there was a breeze when I was taking pictures. Still, they seem sturdier than they look and they look pretty 🙂 What do you think?
Insects-June Themed Challenge
While the earrings challenge was limited to fireflies (which I obviously did not stick to) the Art elements challenge is a bit open in terms of inspiration. We could be inspired by moths, bees, caterpillars and more. We just have to use one or more art beads or artisan components. I figured that this was the perfect opportunity to use the Blue Scarab beetle pendant made by Lori Schneider of Bead Addicted. Whether it is Egyptian mythology or Blue beetle Comics the blue scarab beetle is a revered (item) symbol of magic
Coincidentally, I had written about how I got both the beetle wings used above and the bug pendant in this post on Budget shopping in USA. I cannot believe that it has been 10 months since I went to US of A and Beadfest!
When I looked at the front side of the beetle I felt an ethereal, other worldly vibe. So I choose light colored mix of beads – crystals, glass beads, shell and pearls. I also added so gold tints to both the pendant and the necklace. however, if I turn the necklace on is back, the elements are slightly clashing with each other. Any suggestions on what I could do?
Those are my two Insect Jewelry designs. How do you like them? Do you ever wear Insect jewelry or are you repelled by the creepy crawlers? Tell me in the comments.
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