MYSTERY SUPERDUO BRACELET
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Jet Bronze Picasso" (Y506)
- 8/0 Miyuki Union seed beads "Opaque White Blue Luster" (65431P)
- SuperDuo beads "Bronze Gold"
- SuperDuo beads "Chalk Lazure Blue" aka "Opaque Green Luster"
- SuperDuo beads "Jet Picasso"
After making two "Mystery" bracelets using SuperDuo mixes from Supply Emporium, I decided to make one more using my own bead mix. My mix has only three colors in it: "Jet Picasso", "Gold Bronze" and "Chalk Lazure Blue" (this color also goes by various other names). Unfortunately, I used some beads that are no longer available but you can make some substitutions and get results similar to my colorway.
Toho no longer makes the "Jet Bronze Picasso" seed beads that I used. Instead you can use either Toho "Jet Picasso" (Y302) or Miyuki "Smoky Black Picasso" (4511). They will look similar but won't have the hint of metallic bronze. In any case, they will be the same color as the "Jet Picasso" SuperDuos. You can buy the 11/0 Toho beads HERE at Supply Emporium or the 11/0 Miyuki beads HERE. If you want to get some "Jet Picasso" 8/0 seed beads for making the matching earrings like mine, Claire has those HERE.
Although the Miyuki Union beads are becoming more widely available, for some reason the 8/0 beads in "Opaque White Blue Luster" (65431P) are pretty scarce. I bought mine from Italy several years ago. Toho has 8/0 beads in a similar color but they are more yellowish green and don't match well with Chalk Lazure Blue. If you don't mind going a little more green than blue, Supply Emporium has Toho 8/0 "Stone Green" (Y182) aka "Hybrid Opaque Green Luster" seed beads HERE and some SuperDuos called "Opaque Ultra Green Luster" HERE that will go pretty well with those seed beads. Another option would be to use 8/0 Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457) seed beads instead of the blue/green ones, Claire has those HERE. She also has Toho 8/0 "Antique Bronze" (223) seed beads HERE. Either color will go well enough with bronze SuperDuos.
UPDATE 1/18/19: Supply Emporium has the 8/0 Miyuki Union "White Opaque Lazure Blue" beads in stock HERE.
The other problematic beads that I used are the "Bronze Gold" SuperDuos. I found them in an Etsy shop and have never seen that color again there or anywhere else. They are more of a yellowish gold color than the usual "Bronze" or "Crystal Gold Luster" SuperDuos. In fact, the main reason why I didn't use any metallic seed beads in this bracelet is because there aren't any metallic colors that match these gold SuperDuos. The best substitute would be "Crystal Gold Luster" SuperDuos. They will look just as nice and will only be a little darker bronze. You could also use the ones called "Bronze" but they would be even darker.
Aura Crystals has "Crystal Gold Luster" SuperDuos HERE. Red Panda has them HERE and they have opaque "Bronze" HERE. Note that the opaque bronze SuperDuos are more expensive. The "crystal" kind are cheaper because there is a metallic bronze coating over clear glass beads. When you hold them up to the light, you can see through them. They appear to be opaque when they're made into a bracelet because the light doesn't pass through them on your wrist.
If you are going to use bronze 8/0 seed beads, you can definitely use "Chalk Lazure Blue" SuperDuos like I did. Supply Emporium has them HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. Some of them go by different names but they're all pretty much the same color.
Supply Emporium also has the "Jet Picasso" SuperDuos HERE and HERE.
The photo below shows how the slide clasp looks on my wrist. Claire made a custom leather slide clasp to fit my tiny wrist better. The leather tabs are short enough that some of the beadwork is able to wrap around to the back side of my wrist a little.
MANDALA EARRINGS
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Jet Bronze Picasso" (Y506)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Jet Bronze Picasso" (Y506)
- SuperDuo beads "Bronze Gold"
- SuperDuo beads "Chalk Lazure Blue" aka "Chalk Green Luster"
- SuperDuo beads "Jet Picasso"
You'll find this free earring pattern HERE on the Matubo bead site. The pattern download link is in the fourth row up from the bottom of the page. The free tutorial for Pascale G-Mikovic's "Mystery SuperDuo Bracelet" is HERE on my blog.
If you would rather not have to shop the entire internet for these beads, Claire has created a SuperDuo mix that looks surprisingly similar to my colorway but with a more rustic, grungy touch. You'll find the Granite 2 bead mix HERE at Supply Emporium. Or, you can also buy THIS bead pack that includes everything you'll need to make the bracelet below except for the pattern and thread.
What a lovely bead mix -- you always do such nice color combinations. I'm often unimpressed when I see a new beaded design and have to remind myself to imagine it in a different colorway. I also usually (but not always!) prefer things that look like natural stones and, of course, I always need some metallic highlights.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Barbara H.
Happy New Year, Barbara. Thanks for your nice comments.
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