I started out with a whole big bunch of brass beadcaps left over from deconstructed necklaces. Some seven years ago, having learned that a sulphuric acid concoction called Silver Black would oxidize sterling, I tried it with the beadcaps. Voila! It certainly did!
I liked the effect of the rusted out, blackened brass beadcaps layered over old and beautifully colored glass pearls and began to play. Here's one of the results - with the oxidized sterling chain and freshwater pearl dangles added a couple of days ago to speak to the current desire for length, which I like as a designer, because it gives me, quite literally, more room to work with.
Here's the little doohicky up close and personal, so you can see the layers and something 
of the shapes. I've taken my needlenose pliers and folded the curved ends of some of these down so they have angles, as on the top two layers on the big blue pearls and the top layer on the little ones. Others I've simple flattened out a bit, like on the bottom of the large dark blue pearls.
Once the little caps have had their bath in Silver Black, I dry them with a hair dryer so that the copper in the metal mix won't oxidize first and give me a blue green coating. Then, to keep little tiny mites of rust from dropping on milady's shoulders, I lacquer them with an acrylic spray, again using the hair dryer for the same reason.
Customers have described described these as "black lace," "little Victorian Christmas ornaments" and "some sort of exotic fruit covered with lace."
Thinking over the "Victorian Christmas ornament" comment yesterday, I made two richly colored pairs last night and will work on more today. Then I will once again tackle taking pics with my lousy camera and maybe add a couple here.
That's it from the creative front at the moment,
pearlbamboo
you copy my designs, you mess with your karma and US copyright laws.
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