Funny’s Fine Jewelry: Great Christmas Gift — or Indulgence

Funny just came up with a new sideline: gorgeous beaded lariat necklaces! Perfect as a Christmas gift, or better yet, as a gift for yourself—because you deserve it.

I saw one of these at an arts fair a few weeks ago and, since I learned to work with beads some years ago, realized I could make them. So I dove into the old crafts drawer that has languished ever since I lost my job and had to focus all my time and energy on teaching and operating two businesses, and then it was off to a couple of purveyors whose commerce I once habituated.

Yes…two of them were still in business, although during the Recession That Was Not a Depression, one had moved and much reduced the size of its stock. The reason why was pretty obvious: prices, especially of silver beads, are through the roof. The better qualities of silver charms and beads cost several times what I used to pay for them, and small in-line metal beads are no longer sold in strings but in small packages. This increases profits for the store but also makes it possible for the customer to buy just a few, rather than going broke buying a passel of them.

This puts making bead jewelry, at least of a quality that you’d  like to be seen wearing in public, pretty much out of the average hobbyist’s reach.

Oh well. I was determined to try to reproduce the lariat I’d found—and purchased, for a pretty penny—at the art show.

Here’s the result…

(Click on the images for larger, higher-definition pictures)

A lariat is a long, slender, single-strand necklace meant to be tied, looped, or wrapped around one’s neck. The photo above shows how you’d loop it. You also can tie it loosely in one or two places or simply wrap it as many times as you please to make a choker or a bodice-length necklace. The one above is 40 inches long, not counting the bangles; the two sets of bangles on the ends add another six inches, for a total length of 46 inches.

Here’s how you can wrap one of these, showing the lariat I bought at the artwalk:

For a choker effect

To make a multi-strand necklace

Fun, huh? It’s a necklace for all seasons! You also can tie it around your waist, if you’re the slender type–probably wouldn’t want to do that if you planned to be very active, but if all you’re going to do is stand around a party and wave cocktails in the air, it would make a nice accessory.

The one shown in the top image, I made for a woman who didn’t want to see any religious icons in the charms. It’s not so easy to find high-quality silver charms that don’t involve angels, crosses, dreidls, and the like, but after a fair amount of searching, a few did surface. I like this tree of life, which also has an intricate engraved pattern on the back:

My son tried to persuade me that it’s the sacred tree god of the PadaPluBoombahs, but I kinda doubt the customer will know that bit of arcana. 😉

If you’d like one custom-made for you, get in touch with me at funnyaboutmoney {at} gmail {dot} com. I paid $120 for the one I bought at the art show, but I can share one with you for $99.95. Each one is different—no two are alike. Give me about a week or ten days to make it, since they’re hand-made and I shop at several places to find exactly the right beads and charms.

I think I’ll call this enterprise…

The Beady-Eyed Babe