My Shell Spiral - the good and the bad

It all started when I found these fabulous matching abalone shell beads, and decided they would look fabulous as the centerpiece for one of my signature spiral necklaces.

Then I started matching the shells with the various beads I wanted to use in the spiral - I selected some gold freshwater pearls, some grey Czech fire-polished crystals, some beige delicas, and various other seed beads that picked up on the colors in the shells.

The beads I chose all looked good together, and they all complemented, in one way or another, the shell focals. Honest - they did.

So how did I end up with this mess? When the spiral was only and inch or so long, I held it up to the shells, and didn't like how it went with them, but I figured I just needed to stitch a little more, to get a more representative piece. When the spiral was 3 inches long, I hated how it went with the shells, but blamed it on the core beads I had chosen, and rationalized that the core beads would be basically hidden once this fat spiral was completed.

The more I stitched, the less I liked my creation, but for some reason, I just kept stitching - somehow convinced that a good selection of matching beads + beautiful, matching focals would = a beautiful necklace. Maybe because it was 2 or 3 AM by now? I don't know.

Maybe because I've never had one turn out badly before.

So I finished the whole thing (well, almost finished - I came to my senses before I put a clasp on it) and it just looked awful. Seriously awful. The woven necklace just did not go with those gorgeous shells at all. There was no more rationalizing this away.

So I sat down Monday afternoon, and ripped the whole thing apart, and separated thousands of beads into their respective piles, and put them back in their respective containers, and started all over.

I went with a more ecru freshwater pearl, and a mauve core bead, and some peacock colored cubes, and kept the beige delicas, grey Czechs, and rose colored 11s. I added in a beige-y Czech fire-polished crystal, and am much happier! This one looks really nice with the focals.

I have finished about 5 inches so far, and this one will be a

keeper.

I would be finished by now, but I have wasted a lot of time today playing on the computer, taking pictures, and chasing Bailey around the yard in my pajamas.