Freddies handmade jewellery

Friday 15 February 2019

New! Edgy handmade beaded ammonite pendants

Peyote stitch has become a bit of a thing for me as I feel you've probably already worked out by now. A published knitting author and previously prolific workshop tutor, it was while teaching at a Craft Exbilbition up in glasgow that I was dazzled by a participant's necklace from across the room.

She pointed me in the direction of designer Laura McCabe, and the rest is history. I was hooked!

Peyote stittch is the art of weaving beads together to form a meshwork, a perfect way to bezel crystal rivolis, or indeed, anything.


After wearing my pendant around the office, it wasn't long before I was inundated with orders from colleagues for one of their very own. And that's when my ETSY shop was born.

Red choker crystal pendant on mixed race neck
My frustration at never finding necklaces in the lengths I want led me to string my own beads from a very young age.
Having gained a bit of confidence with the technique of bezelling using Peyote stitch, this year I started bezelling ammonites I had discovered last year on the Jurassic Coast, as well as others I'd collected from online sellers in Madagascar and India (just because they were pretty, really!)

I'd always loved the combination of blue and brown. This ammonite slice inspired me to take it to the next level using a Swarovski crystal ring.

Digging out spike beads from a failed design severak years ago that had been frustratingly shoved under the bed to gather dust, something really special happenned. These edgy, part art-nouveau, part punk pendants were born.

Inspired by the sun and the moon, to protect this limestone madagascan ammonite from damage, I've polished it and added a layer of glitzy gold wax.
I'm pretty convinced I've discovered a personal design style that I'm totally happy with and would wear any time. I've always had a mixture of weird shaped beads that I never knew what do do with. With these, I can be really creative and just let loose.

Hematite ring beads I'd bought years ago all of a sudden found a new lust for life, with a chinese bicone crystal at each centre.