Monday, November 5, 2012

Red and Black Gothic Chain Necklace


A friend that I make a lot of jewelry for had a number of requests for some Halloween jewelry this year.  This piece is Halloween themed, but could work in everyday wear as well.  The main inspiration were the charms shown in the picture, and that she asked for the colors to be red and black.  I thought that a gunmetal chain and toggle would work well for the darker look.  After I gathered up my supplies I had to determine what type of design I wanted to go with.  I thought that using the clasp as the focal piece would work well, as I knew it would be a longer necklace that would not need the clasp to be opened and closed.  I started simply with connecting the clasp to the main length of chain and then started connecting the dangles to the clasp itself. 


I decided to go with different lengths of chain for some dimension, as well as because I knew the different drops would stand out more if they were a little off set. Since the clasp is not going to be opened and closed, the dangles could be attached directly with a jumpring to the ring portion of the clasp. I complimented the charms with some red and black Swarovski and Celestial crystals.  The aluminum chain I used was lightweight and had links which weren't soldered, so it made opening the links and connecting everything easier.  Plus, because it is a lightweight chain, the piece is still nice and light. 


I had to adjust the cluster a few times, to get it where it wasn't too separated, but all of the drops and charms could be seen.  Obviously with natural movement and gravity, some may cover others and shift, but I tried to get it where all of the charms were facing the same way and the cluster was somewhat staggered to help minimize this.  

The necklace is longer so it can easily be slipped over the head.  In the picture below, it was hooked on the back of the display so that the cluster would be displayed correctly, so the necklace actually hangs much lower than it appears in the picture.  While this piece was made with Halloween in mind, it could be easily used in a number of different situations. 


This is the first time I have used the clasp as a focal piece.  I like this style as it gives it a more casual look to it.  We'll have to see what I can work this technique into in the future. 

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