Baubles of Blue

I got these interesting blue beads in a wholesale lot of different strands.  I bought the lot for the other strands, these were just a surprise in the bunch.  Although similar in color family and the fact that they seemed to mostly be faceted rondelles, they were all random sizes, mottled in color, irregularly shaped but somehow they all belonged together.  Their "flaws"  brought forth a feeling of antiquity and their deep cobalt blue hues made me think of Old Mexico. 

Living in San Diego, I used to take frequent weekend trips across the border to enjoy the Baja Peninsula, it's cuisine and it's culture.  Fresh fish tacos in San Felipe have forever ruined my ability to enjoy the ones here.  There is just no comparison to the walk up taco stands in Mexico, a cold Pacifico with a Mexican Lime, and camping on the beach.  The whole experience combines together, along with wandering through shops and admiring pottery, talavera tiles, hand blown seeded glasses, all vivid with color, predominately cobalt blue.  And Mexican Silver.

The color of these beads and their textures and just overall appearance made me think of all of this and I wanted to make something that spoke to my old memories.  I had these great antiqued silver bead caps, and I have been getting these nudges from someone that I need to make a bracelet, so I did.

I made a chunky bracelet with these lapis blue beads dangling off a silver chain.  I still have a collection of smaller ones I had originally intended to cluster around the base of the bigger ones, but I quite liked the look that these had on their own, and the way they cascade around my wrist, casually falling where they like.

And I even broke out my hammer, mandrel and steel block and made a toggle clasp!