Butterfly Inspired Peyote Stitch Cabochon Beadwork Necklace

Gorgeous dichroic cabochon

In December of 2014, I fell in love with this stunning glass cabochon for its swirling colors, and set about making a necklace that would do it justice. "What do we do with a shiny little glass cab to set it off just right?" I asked my muse. And she didn't disappoint me.

The pendant part of the Butterfly Inspired necklace

This design evolved while I was working on it and I didn't know in the very beginning that it would go to butterfly territory : ) These little discoveries are what make beading so much fun! The photo above shows the design of the pendant, loosely inspired by the shape and patterning on butterfly wings. I love the design and look forward to doing more like this. I think next time I'll exaggerate the actual shape and patterning of the wings.

The first thing I did was examine the cabochon in various types of lighting to see its true colors. The wonderful thing about dichroic glass cabs is that they change with the light, which makes them an exciting, dynamic part of the whole piece.

This is how the pendant drapes when worn.

I pulled together a collection of beads that included the soft pinks, blues, elegant black, and a bit of golden yellow. Since butterflies are flirty, I wanted the fringe to be a little bit fun so I used various bead shapes, including rounds, Czech glass dagger beads, teardrops, some beautiful iridescent glass leaves, and a couple of tubular flower shapes.

Flirty fringe!

The fringe is sewn using a length of FireLine about 5 feet long. I learned a great tip from a fellow beader - to find the middle and pull the thread halfway through. Wind up one half and secure it (the left half), while working the right-hand side. Then unwind and finish out the left-hand side. Each strand of fringe is knotted at the top for strength because we know we like to play with it : )

This photo shows the double strand twisted necklace.

As with most of the pieces I make of this style, I like a seamless design, so the necklace part does not include a clasp, but slips nicely over your head, allowing the pendant to sit about mid-chest. I also like simplicity in the necklace part, so I like to pull out the colors I've used in the pendant and make a double strand twisted rope of beads. I go through each strand twice with 4 lb FireLine, and each end of the four strands is knotted three times, so it's very strong.

The back is covered with soft forest green ultrasuede.

The backing is always the part that I do last, and I love the soft feel of it as well as the sense of accomplishment when a piece is truly finished : )

There she is! Butterfly inspired.

This necklace includes beautiful black onyx teardrop beads which lend strength and support during stressful times, and help to center your energy and align you with your higher power. It is available in my Etsy shop Dreamkeeper Creations.

Necklace length - 25 inches
Pendant length - 4 inches
Total length - 29 inches

32 hours of great work for just the right person : )

Thanks for visiting!

Namaste,
Jen