Eastern Spring :-

EASTERN SPRING

Explore oriental chic with dainty cherry blossoms and charms conjuring up decadent old-world stories.

Cherry Blossom Earrings

Oriental Bag Charm

"Break open a cherry tree and there are no flowers, but the spring breeze forth myriad blossoms"

- Ikkyu Sojun -



Materials for Cherry Blossom Earrings :-

golden silk cord

clear nail varnish

4 x 8mm leather crimps in antique brass

2 x earring hooks in antique brass

size 8 seed beads in transparent hot pink

size 8 seed beads in transparent salmon

2 x 5mm pearls in white

4 x 10mm bead caps in antique brass

2 x top-drilled pink quartz briolettes

2 x 5mm jump rings in antique brass

golden wire cut into lengths of 2 x 25cm; 4 x 10cm

Step-by-step :-

1.  Before cutting the silk cord, apply transparent nail varnish where the cord is to be cut.  Let it dry for a while and cut the cord in two lengths of 6cm each.  Straight after cutting, apply another coat of clear nail varnish.  (This will ensure that the fibres of the cord doesn’t fray too much).  Ideally while the varnish is still drying, use bent nose pliers to attach the leather crimps to the ends of these cords.  Open the loop of an earring hook and connect it with the loop of a leather crimp.  Close the loop of the earring hook.

2.  To make the beaded cherry blossom, thread four hot pink seed beads, three salmon seed beads and three hot pink seed beads on to a 25cm piece of wire.  Cross the two ends of the wire in the first hot pink seed bead, ensuring that one end of the wire is only 5cm long.

3.  Add four pink-, three salmon- and three pink seed beads on to the tall end of the wire and feed this wire back through the first pink bead of this loop.

4.  Continue with this sequence by beading three more loops.  Cross both wire ends in the final pink “center” bead and feed one wire end back through three “center” beads.  Bend the two wire ends towards opposite directions and put aside.

5.  To make the flower’s stem, string a pearl on to the center of a 10cm piece of wire.  Bend the two wire ends below the pearl so they cross tightly and twist them together about three times.  Thread both wire ends through a bead cap, followed by the center hole of the beaded flower.  Slide the wire ends through another bead cap following the beaded flower.  Also bend these wire ends towards opposite directions alongside the loose wire ends of the beaded flower (with the flower wire ends above- and the stem wire ends below the second bead cap).

6.  Twist a stem wire end with it’s corresponding flower wire end for approx. 2cm and connect with the loop of a leather crimp end on the silk cord (opposite the earring hook end).  Complete a wrapped loop with the twisted wire ends and trim excess wire.

7.  Twist the remaining stem wire end with the remaining flower wire end for approx. 2cm and complete a wrapped loop with the twisted wire ends.  Trim excess wire.  String the pink quartz briolette on to the center of a 10cm piece of wire.  Bend the two wire ends at the top of this briolette so they cross tightly and twist them together for approx. 2cm.  Complete a wrapped loop with the twisted wire ends and trim excess wire.  Use a 5mm jump ring to attach the briolette dangle to the wrapped loop of the flower.  Make a second earring to match the first.

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Materials for Oriental Bag Charm :-

1 x cone (leather joiner) in antique brass

7 x 4mm crystals in green

7 x 15mm bugle beads in green

1 x size 8 seed bead

1 x 14mm cloisonné bead in white

1 x 12mm cloisonné bead in red

1 x 8mm cloisonné bead in white

1 x 8mm cloisonné bead in gold

1 x antique brass charm with lattice detail

1 x star shaped antique brass charm

3 x round antique brass findings with wreath detail

4 x round metal spacers in antique brass

2 x gigantic lobster clasps in antique brass

12 x antique brass head pins

4 x 5mm jump rings in antique brass

14 x 6mm jump rings in antique brass

chain in antique brass

Step-by-step :-

1.  To make the tassel charm, string a green crystal on a head pin, followed by a bugle bead.  Make a plain loop above the bugle bead and trim excess wire.  Make six similar more dangles.  Open a 5mm jump ring and slide all seven dangles onto it.  Close the jump ring.

2.  String the seed bead on a head pin and slide the head pin through the jump ring with the dangles, followed by the cone.  Make a plain loop above the cone and trim excess wire.

3.  Use six 6mm jump rings to connect the four metal spacers with alternating links of the three wreath findings.

4.  Use a 5mm jump ring to attach the tassel charm to the center wreath link.  Repeat the same with the two antique brass charms and -wreath links.  String a cloisonné bead on a head pin and make a plain loop above the bead.  Trim excess wire.  Do the same with the remaining cloisonné beads.  Use 6mm jump rings to attach the four cloisonné dangles to the four metal spacers.

5.  The determined lengths of the two chains will depend on the size of your bag this charm is intended for.  After cutting your chain into two pieces of the desired length, use 6mm jump rings to attach these chains to the open metal spacer links.  Also use 6mm jump rings to attach the lobster clasps on to the ends of both chains.

Hint :-  To transform this bag charm into a striking necklace, cut a piece of chain into the desired length to go behind your neck.  Simply connect the two lobster clasps with the two open ends of the chain and … voila!