This two day workshop is a study of several variations of geometric wings and how they can create organic structures, architectural accents and supports within your designs. The focal of this piece is a custom made porcelain cabochon by Mindy Gould which is surrounded by Austrian pearls and various shapes of vintage beads.
This necklace is a nod to the Art Nouveau period and sparkles like crazy! The focal is a 16mm Swarovski Vision Stone which is surrounded by rhodium plated Preciosa cupchain. In addition there are 13 Swarovski crystals and 77 Swarovski pearls, a shimmer 8mm Swarovski chaton, plus a platinum plated/crystal Claspgarten clasp.
Designed exclusively for the Coastal Maine Bead Retreat with SocialBeadia. The focal of this piece is a custom coated and carved German glass focal. It is surrounded by Austrian crystals and pearls as well as custom made Preciosa cup chain. The design is a nod to the jewelry of the Grand Ole Opry and traditional Native American Squash Blossom Necklaces.
This project combines custom-made 3D printed carousel horses , with carved German glass cabochons, precious metal plated seed beads, Delicas, and lots of other unique elements including, a 23kt plated Claspsgarten clasp, pressed Czech beads in various shapes, and 50 Swarovski crystals. Some brand new and unique variations of Contemporary Geometric Beadwork that I developed especially for this piece are used to support the roofline of the carousel as well as the floorboards, while the many other stitches used in the bracelet create realistic carousel textures such as the spiraling poles that the horses are attached to, the scenic panel in the background that pays homage to the “Four Seasons” mosaic designed by Chagall, and the palladium plated beads that form the mirror on the behind the horses. This definitely is a jaw-dropping statement piece.
This project, designed especially for the Heart of Texas, is a reversible necklace that features a chrysanthemum/sea anemone with a Swarovski crystal focal on one side and the pristine body of a sea urchin on the other. The neck rope was designed using a combination of 4 different shapes of Swarovski pearls – over 300 pearls in total.
Inspired by Klimt’s painting “The Kiss,” this piece features two lightning bugs that are situated in a field of trumpet flowers. The glowing butt is created using a custom-made Murano glass lampwork bead. It is also a very versatile pattern that can be used to make a bracelet as pictured, trumpet flower earrings, a brooch or pendant, or you can make a full set of matching jewelry pieces by taking different elements of the patterns to make multiple pieces of jewelry. For those who prefer a lightning bug free piece, they can be set aside for a different project and the focal can consist of the lush flowers and leaves only.
This stunning necklace is a nod to the art deco peacock jewelry popular in the 1920’s.
The focal is a German glass cabochon with a gem-quality flameball pearl gracefully suspended from it and surrounded by a precious metal crown made of bugle beads. The two feathers have Preciosa crystal eyes, and the neckrope is composed of Preciosa pearls and True 2 firepolish beads.
These graceful and unique dewdrop shaped flowers make the perfect delicate earrings. The sepal petals are modular and can be adjusted each time you wear the earrings to appear as if the flower is in various stages of bloom. The center style, stigma, filament, and anthers are made out of a sterling silver or 14/20 gold chain tassel with 12 gem quality freshwater pearls and custom coated Swarovski crystals on the end of each fringe.
The wings of the butterfly are constructed using Peyote and Brick stitch, and the body is made with a modified Indo-Chinese Box Stitch (an ancient, seldom-used stitch that will be taught in class). Its antennas are adorned with gem-quality freshwater pearls. The lariat rope uses a spiral of the same Indo-Chinese Box Stitch, representing the fence that divides the world we live in from ones we dream about—and the butterfly rests there, bridging both sides. Using precious metal-plated seed beads, the rope is woven in opposing spiraling directions, giving it an upward feel. At the end of each lariat is a lampwork Murano glass bead made from Effetre glass cane, famous for its color and quality.
Designed in honor of Cliff’s mother—an adventuresome character who runs circles around people even half her age—this wild prairie rose pendant necklace reflects her love, its resilience, and its infiniteness. Five heart-shaped petals adorn a bezeled Swarovski chaton, surrounded by softly striated leaves. To complete the necklace, the pendant attaches to a beaded rope of Russian Snake Chain studded with 2mm Swarovski Pearls.
Convertible Lotus Necklace/Ring 2-in-1–– The cocktail ring was first pattern I wrote and recently I decided to give it a fun update, turning it into a convertible piece of jewelry. The necklace can be worn alone, with or without the ring to turn it into a beautiful coordinated set, or with the ring integrated into the necklace or just as a ring. Versatile grace blooming with lots of hidden surprises.
A beautiful piece with lots of bling, while not being overstated. Great to dress up or down. The rope introduces a new type of fringing technique called “pinecone fringe” that creates a beautiful ruffled texture around the rope.
This class is dedicated to the memory of a dear friend of Cliff’s who was a sailor and amazing performing artist. The bracelet is based on an old nautical anchor chains and an Hérmes piece of jewelry Cliff was mesmerized by. Upon researching nautical chains, he discovered that anchor chains have a distinct center bar that prevents them from tangling. He included that bar in his piece and embellished it with over 2 gross of Swarovski crystals, over 150 Swarovski pearls and precious metal plated seed beads. The name “Ancres au Soleil” literally translates from French as “Anchors in the Sun” as the luscious bracelet sparkles like the water droplets on the chain as the sun shines brightly on them at sea.
Growing up, Cliff’s favorite wildflower—growing right in his own backyard—was the California Poppy. He loved its structure, from the beautiful wedge shaped petals, to the perfectly circular receptacle at the base of the petals, to the frond shaped leaves and the long straight stalks. When Cliff and his husband David moved to California and David saw the flower for the first time, he too fell in love with it, not only for its structure, but also because it is orange—his favorite color. Because of their shared love of this delightful flower, the two of them set out to design their first collaborative pattern together. The combination of Matsuno and Miyuki beads give each petal its signature, subtle shapes and luscious glow. The flowers can be beaded to be more open or more bud-like, and the twisting stem adds a bit of artistic flair and grace to the overall piece.
Inspired by Art Deco jewelry from the 1920’s featured on the show Downton Abbey, this stunning necklace uses over 150 crystals, rice pearls and a kaleidoscope Swarovski Crystal as its focal. In class, students learn how to use CRAW and PRAW to create gradual increases that form the pristine dart shapes used throughout this necklace.
The organic structures of this bracelet are a meditative exploration of freeform twisting Herringbone. At the center, a captivating, hand-crafted, engraved cabochon with a branch motif is surrounded by lush fringe that moves like wisteria swaying in the wind.
After traveling to Spain, Cliff was inspired by the Cartier Loop Crown worn by Queen Sofia as well as the Porcelain Room in the Royal Palace in Madrid. This class is an exploration of Hubble stitch and netting and how to jewelry that moves like real lace.
A sampler of stitches packed into one pair of earrings/pendant. 14 different stitches are combined including 7 different forms of peyote to create the subtle curves of this beautiful flower.
A reversible bracelet that can be worn clasp-side up or down that uses Contemporary Geometric Beadwork structures combined with a caterpillar/anemone style bracelet.
These earrings are a nod to the “sautoir” long pearl necklaces with tassels that flappers wore in the 1920’s. Typically the jewelry of this time period would incorporate Eastern motifs and gemstones, such as jade or engraved onyx with diamonds. The focal crystal is a fantasy cushion stone, bezeled with a harlequin motif to add a bit of whimsy to these fun earrings.
A new shape in contemporary geometric beadwork I created. Through special thread paths the bracelet has a spring-like quality and grips the wrist without a clasp
Designed in honor of Cliff’s mother-in-law and her favorite flower, this necklace is definitely a statement piece. A large Swarovski crystal is adorned by layers of fringe and lifelike petals. Each element of the flower is designed to mimic the actual anatomy of a Gerbera daisy and although the piece is large, it doesn’t lose any of the natural grace and beauty of the flower it is modeled after. Once complete, you can string a series of beads on either side of the flower to wear as a pendant necklace, or attach a brooch pin to the tube of beads on the back of the flower to wear it as a brooch, or let your creativity wander wherever your imagination guides you. (Flower Only is taught in class, but resources for horns and other hardware are provided as well as how to add them to the flower focal pendant)
3D peyote stitching and bezeling a doll eye. It can be added to cording to wear as a pendant, used as an ornament, or as a component for another piece. Please note that the dragonfly is a little too broad to be worn as an earring. This is the same dragonfly from my Dream Helpers weekend masterclass taught on its own for those who just want to learn the dragonfly or are unable to take a full weekend masterclass.
3D peyote stitching and bezeling a doll eye. A fun set of bees attached to swivels so they spin and dance around your ears. This project has a lot of fun twists and turns using two drop peyote, tubular peyote, and brick stitch. Please note that this is the same bee from my Dream Helpers weekend masterclass taught on its own for those who just want to learn the bee or are unable to take a full weekend masterclass.
A 2-day workshop that explores how to create your own critters, while simultaneously learning how to create this award-winning (Facet Jewelry Reader’s Choice Award, July 2019) necklace that incorporates herringbone, twisting fringe, and African Helix stitches.