Over the summer, I came across a multicoloured crystal necklace displayed in a shop window. I immediately felt this piece of jewellery was tailor-made for me—a colourful, chaotic variation of the classic tennis necklace. The original piece is from Swarovski’s Gema collection. After learning its name, I did some further research on the organically-shaped, vibrantly coloured crystals. I reluctantly and carefully unclasped the jewellery and began planning to create my own beaded version!
me wearing the original necklace for reference!
I only recently sourced some smaller Swarovski crystals of congruent shapes to create an interpretation of the original necklace. I still wanted to keep the irregular, asymmetrical flow throughout the piece. I mixed these “perfect” crystals with natural pearls, glass beads of varying shapes, and rose quartz stones. One of the local bead shops provided a classic paint palette to organize various beads in whichever way you want—I loved this idea! Utilizing this paint palette with the beading tray made the process easy, quick, and organized.
a few of the beads I picked up for this project:)
Another change I made was instead of randomizing the colours, creating an eclectic array of hues—I opted for a more organized gradient of colours, sprinkling pink throughout as a neutral. Adding a neutral tone to a piece is beneficial for creating balance, and this colour will vary depending on your aesthetic tastes and wardrobe. I chose this light pink since I often wear a variation of this shade!
after finalizing the arrangement of the colours
If I were to remake this piece, I would implement more unusual hues and shades of each colour for more dimension. Even though I will never replicate this necklace exactly, I am happy with the final product! Like my rainbow lanyard, I love how this necklace exhibits colour and interest from all angles.
the final piece!