I actually designed that necklace on the spot when I went to one of my usual accessory suppliers. It turned out just as envisioned it to be and was very happy with the final product.
Mona asked if I could design another set for her and her sisters-in-law. She gave me a color story: green and blue, and yellow and blue, and asked me to design based on these hues. The moment she told me about it, my mind started to conjure up images, and immediately got a pencil and crayons, and started to sketch.
I started with the green and blue designs. Between the two, blue was the more classic color, so my design was predominantly blue with green accents. The stones which had these colors were jade and blue agate, and those immediately went into the design. For the pendants, I thought of an alhambra pattern and a blue circular stone to balance it.
After discussing the design with the jewelry maker, she gave some inputs on the design, particularly the pendants. Instead of a plain circular pendant, she added some brass accents that fan out from the circle. It turned out better than I expected.
The interplay of the blue agate and jade gives the necklace added visual impact.
And the alhambra pendant came out really, really nice. I'm in an alhambra phase right now, which is a sign that I should go back and visit Spain sometime soon.
The second blue and green design follows the same concept. But instead of having the jade in the middle of the necklace, it went to the side to give the necklace an asymmetrical vibe. For the pendants, the initial design called for a diamond pattern and a circular pendant.
The finished product was very true to my initial vision.
A nice interplay between green and blue.
Plus a diamond pattern that's very moorish in its look and feel.
The yellow and blue necklace was trickier. After looking at the available stones, there was this yellow jade that caught my eye because it looked so elegant. After placing it side-by-side with the blue agate, the yellow looked like it would be drowned out. So, I asked Mona if it's okay to just stick with yellow jade, and she agreed.
After seeing the finished product, I was awed by how elegant it came out. Yellow jade automatically went up there with my other favorite semi-precious stones.
In keeping with the Chinese theme of the jade, one of the pendants I chose was a yellow jade symbol for protection. It was a subtle nod to the theme of the necklace, and it added an old-world feel to the accessory.
Overall, the necklaces went way beyond my initial vision. It's amazing how things change for the better between concept and execution. The accessory maker was also gushing about the designs and final product, and that's always a good sign.
Another sign that the necklaces were really eye-catchingly beautiful was this anecdote from the accessory-maker/owner.
After the pieces were completed, she put them on the display case and took photos of them for purposes of documentation. While they were on display, two women - a famous character actress and a famous designer - wanted to buy the pieces off the rack. The owner had to tell them that they were specially-designed and pre-ordered, so they couldn't be sold. They insisted, but she relented.
The actress and designer even asked if they could be duplicated, but the owner said that since they were unique designs, she could only make one of each. Before I left, she complemented me on the necklaces and told me if I had ideas for new designs, just show it to her and she'll execute them.
Maybe I should take that sketchpad out one more time.
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