Apart from six teensy silverlined glass seed beads as accents around the “crown,” the dimensional focal at the center was woven entirely of Tourmaline. It forms a dome, rising three-quarters of an inch from the skin to its crown. This airy blossom was woven with faceted briolettes (the “leaves” around the base), faceted rondelles, smooth round beads, smooth teardrops, and toward the top, six faceted heart-shaped beads, rising to the six smooth round beads at the crown. The hearts are a fine wine red with excellent clarity; all the rest of the “petal” beads are shades of antique rose, with moss and lichen greens for the “leaves” around the base.
To one side of the focal is a festoon in my own William Morris weave pattern — developed in homage to the Pre Raphaelite artist’s textile designs — woven with glass seed beads, and three gemstone accents: faceted rondells of Rubellite (rose-colored Tourmaline). On the other side of the focal, a beadwoven frill with a ruffled effect, edged with graduated rounds of yet more Rubelliite Tourmaline.
Serving as stations attaching the 14K gold-filled chain, on both sides there is a matched suite of Verdelite (green Tourmaline) in the gem’s natural six-sided crystal form. People often mistake them for being faceted because their symmetry is so defined and even. I love them. Between each crystal of Tourmaline there is a beaded-bead rondelle.