Evolution of a Museum Quality Neckpiece #2 - First Bead Done!

Good morning! After a slight delay, I now have completed the first bead in my grand necklace Tropical Aves and Flora. Here are a few photos - click on them to see larger ones:

As you can see, bead #1 of the seven I'll be creating features a Blue and Gold Macaw on one side, and a yellow orchid on the other. The bead measures 2 3/8" long and 1 1/8" wide. If you refer back to post #1 on this subject in my archives, you will see this is the central bead in the design. The others are not quite as long, but are slightly wider.

This bead took a very long time to create, because I layered on the colors, and fired between each layering. The bead had approximately 10 firings before I was finished. Time invested in this one bead is approximately 36 hours - that is from initial artwork sketching of the design on paper to the final glazing at about midnight last night.

I hate painting orchids, so I decided to tackle that flower first and I'm quite pleased with how it came out. And the detail on the Macaw feathers also worked well for me.

As stated in my original post on this subject, this necklace will have 7 beads, each featuring a tropical bird on one side and a tropical flower on the other. When worn one way, the necklace will display the birds. When flipped over, and worn the opposite way, it will display the florals.

I'll share the next bead after I get it complete!

Jai

P.S. For those of you who have been following my weight loss journey, I have moved that information to a different blog called "Jai's Losing It!". Go here to read updates on that from now on: http://jaislosingit.blogspot.com/