Happy New year everyone. After refreshing greens, Pantone has decided the colour of 2018 as Ultraviolet. This came as a surprise to me as we had colours from the same family namely – rose quartz and serenity as colour of the year in 2016 and radiant orchid in 2014 But keeping up with the JOS tradition where I welcome each New year by decoding the colour of the year, along with a tutorial post, here is this year’s edition. Ultraviolet crystal – DIY pendant tutorial that will help you make a stylish pendant for yourself in minutes. But before that, lets take a closer look at Ultra violet.
Colour of the year 2018 – Ultraviolet
Purple or violet is the colour of curiosity, imagination and future thoughts. It also symbolises mystery and mysticism. In this age of fleeting Whatsapp wishes and social media posts, Ultraviolet evokes a response by slowing down the urgency to respond. It makes you want to put FOMO (fear of missing out) aside to contemplate what it to be in that particular context. In Pantone’s words
“PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.”
Being more “bluer” than radiant orchid the colour will work equally well with reds and yellows as it would with pinks and blues. In terms of a warm/cool balance, it is perfect. Ever since this announcement came out, I have been trying to shop for clothes in Ultraviolet colour without much luck. Purple or violet is not an easy colour to work with and doesn’t suit all skin tones. It is also too calming as paint in interior decor so it might be restricted to bedrooms or meditative spaces.
Ultraviolet in jewelry
Violet glass beads are rare but not impossible to find. There are varieties of acrylic, clay and fabric beads as well. There are many dyed jade/ agate options which will have intense colour. Those wanting dull tints can find it in semi precious beads. Another great option are coated crystals where sun polish, Titanium finish, Aurora borealis finish will leave the crystals with a distinct violet hue. There are fantastic violet coloured gemstones like Tanzanite and Amethyst that you can use in your work. Check out this post for a list of gemstones in purple and violet. Apart from beads, you can use fibre, silk thread, and fabric bits like Sari ribbon in violet. You can annodise niobium to get beautiful violet tints.
Ultraviolet crystal – DIY pendant tutorial
The process of making this pendant will take only a few minute. However, it needs basic wire working skills particularly the knowledge of wrapping beads or briolettes. I am using golden wire and silver chain for contrast to bring out the colour accents of the crystals. You can choose to use the same metal (colour).
Materials
- Titanium coated Druzy crystal– approx 2 in long -1
- Puffed oval faceted coated clear glass crystal – 1
- Pandora style – large hole faceted acrylic beads in blue and purple (1 each)
- 4mm pearl – peach
- Artistic wire – golden copper – 20g
- Silver or gold tone chain or cord
- Tools – Round nose pliers, nose pliers, wire cutters
Method
- Cut 7 inches of wire. ( I prefer to work from the spool inorder to conserve wire) and thread through the Titanium coated Druzy crystal. Choose one that is side drilled and not top drilled for this project
- Leave 3 inches tail on one side and bend both ends of the wire together. Wrap the wire around the crystal 2-3 times. Create a small loop at the end and press to the side of the crystal so that the wire remains in place. This makes sure that there are no sharp wire end.
3. Add the big hole purple bead followed by the clear glass crystal, big hole blue bead and finally the faux pearl
4. Leave 3 inches tail on one side and bend both ends of the wire together. Wrap the wire around the crystal 2-3 times. Create a small loop at the end and press to the side of the crystal so that the wire remains in place. This makes sure that there are no sharp wire end.
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