Winners of Design Challenge KALEIDOSCOPE

For our December 2016 Design Challenge, we asked our readers to create pieces of jewelry that fit the theme KALEIDOSCOPE. 

A kaleidoscope is a tube filled with mirrors that refract the light while beads or bits of colored glass spin and dance. The viewer turns the tube and catches the perfect bit of light. The mirrors create symmetry and chaos simultaneously. Patterns emerge, but in a blink of an eye, they are gone, replaced with an entirely new set of colors and shapes. You look through the eyepiece and discover magic.

Traditional kaleidoscopes are made of almost anything: brass, wood, glass, even cardboard. We love to see how creative our readers can be with their materials. A whirling array of colorful beads, a rainbow of patina on metal, a symmetrical pattern repeating and then changing. What did they create?

OUR WINNERS

When we saw this photo, at first we thought it was a bracelet. But no, that's a ring, handmade in silver and stamped. The designer, Solli Rojas, calls her piece FABIOLA, and describes it this way: 

"This is a silver ring with a fire opal. The fire opal is considered precious for its many colors it reflects with light and sun. The colors of this one are in the shades of blue. The designs are handmade with the stamping technique in the silver."

If you speak French, you can learn more about Solli on her website, la-zone.com/boutique/solli/ . (and if you don't speak French, well, the photos are stunning!)

For her lovely RAINBOW KALEIDOCYCLE BANGLE, Sarah Toussaint is another winner this month. She describes her piece: 

"I made 40 triangles in peyote with Miyuki delicas 11/0 and joined them together to form a bangle. Like a kaleidoscope, you have symmetrical patterns, and there are four sides."

Our third winner of the KALEIDOSCOPE Challenge is Anette Gomez for this DRUZY TRIO BRACELET, featuring three simply stunning multi-colored stones wrapped onto leather. So organic!

See this bracelet and so much more on Anette's Pinterest page!

INSPIRED? It's not too late to get in on the fun. The January Design Challenge is accepting entries until Wednesday, January 26. The theme is SOLSTICE, and we would love to see jewelry that signifies rebirth, fresh starts, cyclical patterns, elliptical orbits, sunsets and sunrises, or ancient mythologies. We invite all beaders, metalsmiths, clay artists and other makers to interpret the theme in their own way and produce a work as creative as it is beautiful.

Submit your entry here, or just take a look at the lovely pieces that have been submitted to date. Starting January 18, you'll be able to vote for your favorite!!