ArtFire

RESERVED. When I was making this gemstone beauty, the name FLIRTING WITH FLOWERS came to mind and it seemed a perfect fit - a truly flirty looking necklace! Because it was created with a handmade Thai flower pendant and stunning purple, green and clear rainbow fluorite, FLIRTING WITH FLOWERS is definitely a one of a kind (OOAK) piece of jewelry. Then when faceted amethyst beads and sterling silver were added, it became an all star knock out! A fun necklace to wear for Fall, it surely is a perfect necklace for year round use.

When I first saw the Thai Hill Tribe flower pendant, I thought "daisy!" and had to buy it - I do have a thing for daisies! Looking closer, you can see that another daisy was imprinted in the middle the larger flower and tiny dots run along the petals. Because the petals are not solid, the pendant has a nice airy feel to it. I love to use Thai Hill Tribe pendants in my work, and, when you look at the workmanship and detail in the photos of this piece, you can see why. Each Thai Hill Tribe pendant is handmade in a traditional manner. The silver used is called "fine silver" because pieces can be 99% pure silver, as opposed to sterling silver, which is 92.5% pure silver. For more information about Thai fine silver, please see more information below.

To lend incredible beauty to the Thai pendant, I decided to use rainbow fluorite rice-shaped tubes as the main gemstone in FLIRTING WITH FLOWERS. The fluorite stones run the whole gamut of purple and greens for which the gemstone is famous. Some stones are almost solid purple, some are clear with purple stripes, some are green and some are both green and purple! What a lovely gemstone! To see a wide variety of color and patterns in the rainbow fluorite, be sure to take a look at photo #6. Each fluorite bead is separated from other components of the necklace by 2mm sterling silver beads.

To play up the purple of the rainbow fluorite and to add a bit of sparkle, faceted lavender amethyst heishe was used. The amethyst might be small, but, boy, does it sparkle! Single pieces of amethyst was used between the first three rainbow fluorite tubes, separated from each other by 2mm sterling beads. After the third fluorite bead, a cluster of 3 amethyst beads was used. The the pattern of single, single, triple was repeated. At the back of the necklace, 2 cluster of seven amethyst heishe was used, separated by a single fluorite tube.

To finish the necklace, a 3mm sterling bead was strung before the sterling silver crimp tubes. Once the necklace was crimped, a sterling silver crimp cover was used over each to mimic a 3mm sterling bead. The necklace was crimped to a shiny sterling silver toggle clasp that has a light catching twisted design - a perfect finish for a fun necklace!

For a better understanding of the relative size of the Thai flower pendant, the rainbow fluorite and amethyst, please be sure to check out photo #8 for a size comparison to a dime.

Thai Hill Tribe fine silver is made by the Karen Hill Tribe high in the mountains of Thailand (in the Golden Triangle area) using traditional techniques. Because they live so close to nature, a majority of Hill Tribe designs have nature-inspired or symbolic designs. Fine silver has a higher silver content than sterling silver - it can be up to 99% pure as opposed to sterling silver whih is 92.5% pure silver. Because of the high silver content, fine silver has a beautiful "old" glow to it and does not tarnish as quickly as sterling silver does.

Rainbow Fluorite is used to help the evolution of peaceful and harmonious spiritual growth; it is said to absorb and neutralize negative energies. Amethyst helps calm fears & reduces stress; it is known as the "stone of peace" and helps increase spirituality & contentment. In Medieval times, amethyst was used to protect the wearer against drunkenness(!). Silver is a metal of love and healing. It is a mirror to the soul, helping us to see ourselves as others see us.


Here is the important information for FLIRTING WITH FLOWERS:

Thai flower pendant: app. 30mm (including bail) x 25mm; fine silver
Fluorite: app. 14mm x 6mm
Amethyst: app. 4mm x 5mm
Metals: fine silver and sterling silver
Clasp: twisted toggle clasp; sterling silver
Length: app. 19"/48.3 cm
Pendant drop: app. 1"/2.54 cm


FLIRTING WITH FLOWERS will come with two informational drop tags: one with the piece's name; the other lists the materials used in the necklace and the language of the stones and metals.

Fabulous, fun, flirty . . . what more can you ask in a necklace? FLIRTING WITH FLOWERS answers all questions with its exquisite, one of a kind beauty!

***Please be aware that not all monitors show colors exactly the same. The colors of the items used to create my jewelry are extremely close to the actual color on my monitor. The colors may appear lighter or darker on your monitor.

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I have always loved to use Thai Hill tribes pendants because of their amazing workmanship. Also each purchase helps in a small way to support a community high in the mountains of Thailand. Daisies always make me happy - and I wanted to create a happy looking necklace. Highlighting the pendant with rainbow fluorite and faceted amethyst definitely makes me smile big time :)

Thai Hill Tribes fine silver flower pendant; rainbow fluorite; faceted amethyst; sterling silver 2mm beads, crimps, crimp covers, 3mm beads and toggle clasp; 49 strand jeweler's wire

Carefully handmade in a pet friendly, smoke free studio (: