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DON'T BE FRIGHTENED BY FUCHSIA

Ever noticed strange things going on when you work with pink beads? All sorts of pink beads. Dyed Fuchsia, Matte Magenta, Opaque Pink, Galvanized Rose etc.

Fire Mountain Gems has a useful chart of seed bead finishes and treatment durability. If you are completely dedicated to making jewelry for the ages and intend selling it to other folks then maybe avoid some of the less durable finishes.

But if you are making something yummy for yourself then it's a shame to miss out on such gorgeous bright Purples, Pinks and Fuchsias. They are such happy colours.

I look at it the same way I look at handmade quilts. Dyed and printed fabric has the same issues - fading of certain colours. As the years of loving the quilt/bracelet go by you see the shifting, gentling shades. The artwork changes over the years and you can watch it and marvel at the new looks and how the colours work together.

There are quite a few of these fugitive colours in my stash. Some of them I use for my freeform sculptures. They get less handling and are usually not standing under UV rays which cause fading. But I wanted to use them in my jewelry.

I like bright coloured pretties. Must be something to do with getting older. When I was a young woman I might have been an artist but I hadn't a clue how to dress myself. So I always resorted to beigey-type outfits knowing at least I didn't look totally stupid. Until - a girlfriend remarked: "you are easy to find in a crowd, you are the one in beige".

Erm ..., not how I wanted to be remembered. (Not sure how I want to be remembered but definitely not BEIGE!).

Now those bright, bright pinks and blues call to me.

Yes, some of the finishes do chip but underneath the galvanised surface is a SILVER bead. Yes, silver. Or metallic anyway. And that's pretty too. Not only do you have a fuchsia pink pair of earrings but there's a silver sparkle in there, and a lovely pale pink from the dyed surfaces gentling into the night.

Now doesn't that make you happy? Worth spending a little time on making something which gives a lift to the heart.

And is a fantastic way to use up those galvanised pinks, over dyed purples, and metal lined blues.