Year of Jewelry Project - It's Golden

Week 2's theme for the Year of Jewelry Project, It's Golden, sent me searching through my art beads for this curved lampwork focal, swirled in gold and blue. Deciding on a bracelet in freeform vertical netting, I loaded up a bead tray with all manner of gold-hued seed beads and pearls.

An afternoon spent building up five rows of vertical netting would have to be at the top of my list of pure beading fun!

This bracelet looks deceptively easy. The hardest design challenge was to tweak the length and weight of each side with the clasp attached until I could wear the bracelet without the focal shifting to the side or to the back. Much experimenting - tweak, wear for an hour, rebalance, retest - until it is now a put-it-on-and-it-stays-put, no-fuss accessory. And it looks smashing with jeans and a white tee!