Charmed Bracelets

Vintage Enameled Ladybug

 The vintage ladybug charm in the photo is from Europe. It was made in the 1960s, is gold and enamel, and is valued at about $60. I love it because it is so perfectly detailed (and in perfect condition).

I also love the size--which is just slightly larger than a real ladybug. 

I put this dainty charm on a chain that combines gold and sterling silver--the gold beads are spaced every few inches on a sterling chain. 

The chain is a more delicate one than I usually use, but it is scaled just right for the ladybug. 

The chain is 18 inches long, plus a 2-inch extender chain for a perfect fit. The necklace closes with a sterling silver claw clasp, and the extender chain ends with a carnelian and a small gold bead. 

 This necklace is, of course, one of a kind. 

Price: $140, which includes the usuals: postage, insurance and so on. 

See more: Ladybugs

Photos: @ Monica Strasen 2010.

Design and text: @ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

Ladybugs in My Garden, and in My Jewelry Box

 I saw my second ladybug of the year this morning, sheltering from the rain on a foxglove plant. 

My garden is going to need a lot more than the two ladybugs I've spotted so far to protect it from the aphids, which are multiplying at dizzying speed (I do aphid patrol almost every morning at this time of year, and try to destroy as many as I can--on the roses, the tulips, the columbines ...)

As an organic gardener, I love ladybugs, but I remember loving them as a young child as well, when other insects and even other beetles were rather frightening. Maybe it was the ladybugs' bright red color, or the cheerful black spots, or their perfect size and shape. 

Certainly, ladybugs have always been popular with kids. Evidence? All the children's books I found on Amazon that are about ladybugs. Here's the list: Ladybug Books

My favorite is the classic, now about 20 years old, The Grouchy Ladybug, by Eric Carle. He also wrote The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

On Charmed Bracelets

So it should be no surprise to readers of either of my blogs that I started making ladybug jewelry, first because I'm a gardener who loves the little red and orange bugs, and second because I have friends with adopted daughters from China, and ladybugs are seen as a lucky symbol among this group. 

The vintage ladybug charm in the photo is from Europe, it was made in the 1960s, and is gold and enamel. I love it because it is so perfectly detailed, and also for the size--which is just slightly larger than a real ladybug. 

I put this delicate charm on a chain that combines gold and sterling silver--gold beads are spaced every few inches on a sterling chain. 

Vintage Enameled Ladybug  

The first ladybug bracelets I made were a custom order for the daughters of one of my readers. I used red glass ladybugs and mother of pearl buttons including hearts. 

Little Girls: Buttons and Ladybugs

These were a special order, but if you'd like something similar, let me know. I still have a stash of ladybug beads in rainbow colors. Contact me: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

Here's another ladybug bracelet I made as a gift for the daughter of a friend of mine. I would love to make another one similar to this, if anyone is interested. Making it was play, definitely not work. 

Playing on a Rainy Day

Here's the proud owner, showing off her bracelet:

Josie Shows Off Her Ladybug Bracelet

You can click on the ladybug category to see all the ladybug-themed pieces I've made, or here are a couple that are still for sale: 

For sale: Little Girl's Ladybug Necklace

For sale: Mother-Daughter Ladybug Bracelets

I'm working on another pair of mother-daughter ladybug bracelets, but in red coral rather than turquoise. They will have the same Thai silver ladybugs. E-mail me if you are interested in that pair: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

Photo: @ Monica Strasen 2010. 

Design and text: @ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

More Ladybugs for Little Girls

 I love making jewelry for little girls, and I picked up a half dozen of these ladybug beads at a bead and gem show about a year ago with no idea what I would do with them. 

I had even forgotten that I had them, to be honest, until I started making the other ladybug designs that I have on my site. Then I pulled them out and made two simple necklaces and a bracelet. 

The beads are about the size of a marble, and they are ceramic with lampwork glass ladybugs and leaves added to each bead. 

 I made the necklaces by making a setting for the bead with sterling silver wire and a couple of small sterling beads and then I hung them on red cotton cord. 

The bracelet has a strand of coral beads--round and tube-shaped--and a sterling silver clasp. I added a red glass ladybug to the extender chain--just to make your favorite little girl smile. 

The necklaces are $25 each, and I HAVE ONE OF THESE LEFT. 

The bracelet is $30, and THE BRACELET IS SOLD, SORRY. 

See more: Ladybugs

Photos: @ Monica Strasen 2010. 

Design and text: @ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

 

 

Girl's Ladybug Bracelet

 I NO LONGER HAVE THE MOTHER'S BRACELET, BUT THE LITTLE GIRL'S BRACELET IS STILL FOR SALE.

I've made several pieces of ladybug jewelry recently, and now when I'm shopping online or at a bead store I find myself searching for ladybugs. 

I got lucky the other day when I found these handmade ladybugs of Thai silver. Thai silver is purer than sterling, which means it is slow to tarnish, and the pieces are handmade in hill tribe areas of Northern Thailand. (I've been to Thailand, and to Changmai in the northern part of the country, so I really love being able to get these handmade silver charms and beads.)

The ladybug has a whimsical charm that is perfect for a young girl. 

The little girl's bracelet has three strands of beads, a small claw clasp for security, and a small ladybug. It is adjustable to fit wrists from about 5 to 6 inches. 

Price: $60.  The price includes taxes, postage, and insurance to U.S. mailing addresses. 

See also:

Ladybugs

Little Girls

Photos: Monica Strasen.

Design and text: @ Jeanne Sather 2010.