I'm not only a hoarder, but also a marinader. When I happen to get a pretty strand or piece of beadables, and stumble upon a brilliant idea regarding it (and I rarely buy a beadable unless I'm struck with a brilliant idea regarding its future at the first glance), I tend to shove said beadable under lock and key in my treasure trove. I'm not quite sure, whether this tendency is due to an innate pessimism regarding the excellence of my ideas, or to an innate optimism regarding the growth and multiplication of shiney things. The former, I suppose.

This idea has been waiting for its manifestation since Christmas 2008, when I got the fresh water pearls in a swap. The final push was given by the theme for this months Helmetti challenge, "b & w", to which I entered the piece 7 minutes before the deadline. It's real tough to let go, sometimes.

Black tie is compiled from 3,5mm and 2,5mm white fresh water pearls and a fairly large and heavy faceted black onyx pendant on Accu-Flex. Sterling parts, naturally. I meant to knot it on silk, but the heftiness of the pendant would have soon stretched the silk, so I decided to give up on the glamour a bit for the sake of longevity. 

I really do like the tension between the heavy and light here, as well as the architectural art deco shape. It's also surprisingly versatile, looking good with a t-shirt as well as a fancy top or a jacket (yes, I tried). And what do we learn from this (again)?  Shiney things look so much better on than in a stash it's really quite a crime against pretty to marinade.