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Total matches for chainmaile: 24
Bite Me
I think I spent as much time waiting for supplies to arrive as I did actually putting them together. It started so simply, this: finally using some beads that I had been keeping together for... years... as well as a few new ones I'd traded for recently, and I'd wanted to try something new with the multi-strand thing. Then, as is The Way of Things, Getting Ideas made it all a little more complicated, and some things I'd wanted to make use of didn't work out, so I got different ones, and finally this is a thing that's complete!
I was initially inspired by diamondback rattlesnake patterning and then just kind of meandered from there. Obviously I enjoyed adding "fang" beads and some "droplets" of red pearl at the bottom, but the actual title of the necklace drifted into being a little before that. Gotta entertain myself somehow, you know.
Really happy with how this turned out even if it did take F O R E V E R to space out every individual row to fall exactly where/how I wanted it to. Nine rows of beads, where seven of them had to work perfectly with the one above and below it, but the top and bottom gave me a little wiggle room up until the very end when everything got attached to the clasp. Which, by the way, is successfully comfortable against the back of my neck. But, it's been designed specifically so that the clasp can be changed at the buyer's request, because it took me quite a while to decide on a slide clasp as opposed to various types of multiple trigger/spring clasps. It was an adventure I'm not sure I want to repeat, is kind of the point, but I'm still glad I did the thing.
Currently available to buy!
Programming Harmony
I finally justified the beads I picked up at an antique store! Ahem. Well when I ran across a couple of circuit board pieces encased in resin, I kept digging for a few more things, then set it all aside for a while. Desert Bus for Hope 2019 was apparently just the right time to dig them out again, add a bunch of other things I had to the mix, and come out with this. Even cyberpunk uber-hackers need a little flash, right?
As for the name, the poem All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace by Richard Brautigan had a bit of an impact on me, long long ago when I was just discovering that science fiction had an endless clinging hold on me.
Light Remains
I've tried repeatedly to summarize the person who inspired this, or to put our friendship in simple terms, but I've come to think that's basically impossible. I will simply say that there is a light so bright and sustaining that I feel the need to share it in whatever ways I can.
A personal piece, shall we say. Deeply so; before the greedy bastard called cancer showed up, my friend Zellie was eager to encourage creativity and expression. She made a particular impression when it came to sending me random things to use and be inspired by, and one of those happened to be a collection of beads. The silver and abalone beads, along with the blue AB "crystals", were some of them. I'd been wanting to do something special with them for 9 years, and here finally everything came together.
As for an explanation of the pendant, something about Carbuncle had always reminded by of Zellie. She loved "ocean colors" and enjoyed "adorable monsters", but also Ruby Light and Aura were just... very much her. Sustaining, protecting. Without specific spoilers, when FFXV's Carbuncle and the Platinum Demo came around, it all very much aligned. So I used the abstract shape of Carbuncle which has shown up in official merchandise, and filled it with tiny abalone chips I've had laying around for probably quite a few more than 9 years, matching the necklace band itself. I thought the other beads, some stainless steel chain, and a little stainless steel chainmaile were just the things to finish the piece off.
And for the curious, please do feel free to check out Lightning Spliced by Zellie Blake, her only completed novel. To this day, all profits go to the American Cancer Society.
(For Sale. One half of the profit will be donated directly to the American Cancer Society.)
Abundance
It's a simple wish: may we all take care of, and be cared for. A circle.
Otherwise known as: I had to complicate a perfectly fine chainmaile bracelet with a few other ideas. This is a matter of actually having set up to do something completely different, but still having jump rings and beads on my desk, so it... just sort of happened. I don't know, I like it.
(For Sale)
Reminiscence
I stumbled across the stone itself by accident, as is usually the case with these things, and... well, seraphinite tends to look so much like shiny etched feathers. So I snatched it up and put it aside for a while, finally starting to get the project going and-- There was a chocobo and a convention and a move and a whole lot happening before I picked it up again and somehow continued exactly where I left off. ...Then I made a chainmaile chain for it too, because. Well. I just did. Reasons.
I love how this silly little "I wonder if I could..." idea turned out. It was so ludicrous at the time, and yet. It worked out very well, allowing the light to bounce off of and through the stone itself to really maximize the shiny. And then I made chainmaile for some reason, I don't know.
(And if you happen to get a mild Sephiroth vibe from this... I won't tell if you won't.)
(For sale.)
Drifting Away
For those who feel at home when the storm stirs up the sea.
You could call this sort of an "on a whim" piece; I'd had the highly polished and drilled agate for quite a few years. I was digging through things when I came across it again, just kind of grabbed it and went with it. Stainless steel chainmaile seemed natural enough, nice and strong and relatively "light" due to the simple design.
(Sold.)
Little Black Heart
Why wear your heart on your sleeve where no one will ever see it?
I came across a stunning golden seraphinite cabochon and could not resist setting it in stainless steel with one tiny black labradorite bead accent. And there's that byzantine variant again, but it's wonderfully sturdy while being very comfortable against the neck. And, y'know, purdy. The name comes from the song I was humming while I was taking pictures.
(Sold.)
Company Loyalty
The life of a SOLDIER is a stressful one. You have to deal with missions, secrets, and the constantly changing definition of "monster" way too frequently, so it's nice to just be able to treat yourself to something sparkly and fancy. Surely you deserve that at least, right?
I'd wanted to do a companion piece to the Shin-Ra bracelet for the longest time. Then Desert Bus for Hope craft time happened and I was buried under chocobos for a couple of months. Or so. This one's been reinforced similarly so it's incredibly strong, though I decided to add a dash of something a little different and mix chainmaile with my beadwork. In all, double the sparkle! The bracelet itself can currently expands from just a bit over 6 inches to 7 inches, but if you have specific size needs then I can always be commissioned for another. (Sold.)