Aquatic Critter Necklace

For the June Now That’s a Challenge!, Brenda Schweder’s JigUFacturer design team was tasked with creating a story with their jewelry. I had received some cute rubber critters from a friend, and as I was clearing the studio to make room for my brother, I came across them again.

My brother and I traveled part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour, and at the Muskegon Dunes I had picked up some rocks. One of these pebbles matched the colors of my water critters perfectly. So with that, an aquatic story line began to form. I wanted the critters to wriggle a little, so I used the Now That’s a Jig! to make spirals that would fit them.

It looks like they are just bubbling up from water to me.

The froggy wanted to dangle, so I hand wrangled a cage around it. Soon I had wrapped the pieces together.

If I had a little pond or fountain I would find a way to hang this from there, but since I was heading to the Bead & Button Show and had also been inspired by various necklace techniques on the JigUFacturer Group Page, I decided to experiment with a necklace contraption.

It took a few fittings in front of the bathroom mirror to get things to work, so this setup isn’t a true template. But I do like the swirly design of the end result. I did this in 26 gauge wire I think.

It’s fun to wear this lightweight necklace out and about. I should probably have a formal story to back up what two turtles and a frog are doing with a lake rock, but why not let your imagination run with that fable material?

Now I need to figure out what to do with the other stones I collected.

You can follow Brenda Schweder’s Now that’s a Jig! Challenges on Facebook. At the end of the month, submitters with the most likes are chosen and given prizes sponsored by Xuron Corporation.