14K gold-filled hoops, 20ga wire with 14K gold ear wires, and apatite and opal stones wrapped alternately around the top of the hoop.
I wandered into Fun2Bead one day when they were having a 30% off sale, and it was a bad, bad thing. In a good way. At 30% off, I felt a little safer in buying beads above my usual price comfort zone. The two blue-greens together just seemed so evocative of that long curve of water just outside the Helmsley Sandcastle on Lido Beach, how the water is never blue like in the pictures, but always always lovely
green... even making these, I felt calmer.In terms of the work, the hoop I made by wrapping around a bottle, for size, and the wrapping was done with 26ga g-f wire. A close-up of the wrap:
In thinking about street price, these would have to be high: both stones aren't cheap, and the pair together (though lopsided, and definitely a learnt-on pair) used up almost the whole strand of both types; definitely can't get two pairs out of just one strand of each. $300 would only be a 50% mark-up, and I'm not sure that even covers the labor time!
What days should you wear these?
APATITE is for focus. It is said to enhance intellect, focus, learning, clarity of concentration and ideas. (It is also said, by some, to foster unconditional love. Never going to turn that down.) OPAL is for inspiration. It enhances imagination, memory and creativity, and also helps release inhibitions.
