Sunflower Earrings vs Gypsy Earrings

"SUNFLOWER EARRINGS" BY ELLAD2

SUNFLOWER EARRINGS SAMPLE #1:

• 15/0 seed beads Toho "Light Tanzanite Gold Luster" (325)
• 11/0 seed beads Toho "Light Tanzanite Gold Luster" (325)  
• 6mm druks "Polychrome Orchid Aqua"
• SuperDuo beads "Van Gogh Marsala"
• 4mm fire polished beads "Stone Amethyst Luster"

SUNFLOWER EARRINGS SAMPLE #2:

• 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Duracoat Galvanized Pale Mink" (D4221)
• 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Duracoat Galvanized Pale Mink" (D4221)
• 6mm druks "Polychrome Orchid Aqua"
• SuperDuo beads "Van Gogh Marsala"
• 4mm fire polished beads "Stone Amethyst Luster"

I used silver seed beads to make my first sample of Ellad2's "Sunflower Earrings" by adapting "Dana's Gypsy Earrings" pattern.  I don't like that there's so much contrast between the seed beads and the rest of the beads. So, I switched to the "Light Tanzanite Gold Luster" to make the other two samples. I wanted to try both Miyuki and Toho seed beads to see what difference there would be between the brands, if any. The smaller Miyuki silver beads pulled the bottom in a little more than the Toho beads but not by much. Oddly, I ran into more trouble with the Toho beads in my "Gypsy" sample. The netting was so crowded that they made points in a couple of spots on the the bottom edge instead of making smooth rounded curves. That was partly due to their larger size but also because those particular beads are very irregularly shaped and have straight sides. Although I do like this color scheme, I won't bother making a pair of the "Gypsy Earrings", at least not with these seed beads.

I'm not wild about the shape of the "Sunflower Earrings" and I think it's mostly because of the curled under bottom. I think that the "Gypsy Earrings" have a prettier shape. Having said that, I might give the "Sunflower Earrings" one more try but add enough extra seed beads along the bottom to make them a little flatter.

GYPSY EARRING SAMPLE:

• 15/0 seed beads Toho "Light Tanzanite Gold Luster" (325)
• 11/0 seed beads Toho "Light Tanzanite Gold Luster" (325)
• 8/0 seed beads Toho "Light Tanzanite Gold Luster" (325)
• 6mm druks "Polychrome Orchid Aqua"
• SuperDuo beads "Van Gogh Marsala"
• 4mm fire polished beads "Stone Amethyst Luster"

Here is a view of the back of the earrings so that you can see how much they cup around the bottom:

You can buy Ellad2's "Sunflower Earrings" pattern it from her Etsy shop, HERE. I blogged about "Dana's Gypsy Earrings" HERE, HERE and HERE.

I'm working on some beadwork for my sisters-in -law so I might not be posting  again until I finish those projects.