I'm a Double Winner!

The official announcement was made today of the winners in the Bead Star jewelry design contest and I am a double winner! That is, I won first place in two categories, metals and stones. I am especially honored to have been chosen as the winner in these categories, because winners were selected by a vote taken of the public. Thanks to all of you who cast your votes and selected my pieces. Special thanks also to The Bead Goes On and Lima Beads for their generous prizes. I received a $1,000 gift certificate from each of them. What a lucky girl I am!

These two necklaces are my Bead Star 2008 winners...

The first place winner in the stones category is this piece of mine that I call Sand, Sea and Sky necklace. It is made up of aquamarine, chalcedony, impression jasper (purchased from Lima Beads) and Swarovski crystal. In my opinion the most intriguing part of this necklace is the roman glass framed in sterling silver that is at either end of the three strands. I haven't seen the pictures used in the magazine yet, but I hope they did a better job of showing those in the picture than I did.

Fantasy Filigree was the design of mine that won first place in the Metals category. I really love this piece which is comprised of vintage brass filigrees which have all developed various gorgeous shades of brown, red and gold patinas through the years. This type of piece is a lot more complicated to make than it looks. I compare the process of making this to doing a monochromatic jigsaw puzzle where you don't have a picture to reference when putting it together. You just have to keep trying different pieces to see if they fit. Although this one is not for sale, I have created a Fantasy Filigree II that is available for purchase on my website -
hearts desire jewelry.com

The contest was sponsored by Interweave Press. Interweave.com They will be releasing a special magazine featuring all of the Bead Star winners, called - what else? - Bead Star - on Monday, Dec. 15. Some of the winning pieces, including my two designs, have been donated to be auctioned off to raise money for the American Heart Association's women's heart-health initiative. All auction items will be on display at Bead Fest Santa Fe, March 12-15, 2009. Interweave will host a silent auction for five of the pieces live at the event on March 14 and 15, while the rest of the jewelry will be auctioned on eBay from March 6-16. Look for the symbols Auction Item... Ebay and Auction Item... Bead Fest, throughout the magazine to see which pieces can be bid on to benefit this worthy cause.

Instructions for making both of these necklaces can be found in the magazine. If you would like more information on the contest or where to buy the magazine, check out their website, www.BeadStar.com .

-Ann Marie