Egyptian Cabochon Necklace

designed by Michael... Materials from the Beadiak!

 

We, at the Beadiak are deeply proud of Michael's accomplishment, and we asked him to write a short paragraph about how his piece came to be. Read on about it or go directly to the bottom of this page to order the materials as specified in the Beads Around the World article.

 

The most interesting aspect of the Egyptian cab necklace is that the inspiration came from a design that was over 3,000 years old.  Last summer, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store, located in downtown Pasadena, was displaying an exact replica of a necklace found in one of the royal tombs in Valley of the Kings.  The replica mimicked the original down to its use of tiny cabs of turquoise inlaid against a strand of deep blue lapis. 

 

I had thought about how to duplicate the effect of the necklace without having to use jump rings (too clunky for what I wanted) or inlaying in silver (a skill I do not possess).  The solution came when I was browsing the Findings section of The Beadiak, when I came across little flat silver pieces called ‘beavertails’.  Immediately I realized that the flat surface would allow me to attach the cabochons with a dab of jeweler’s cement and hang them as if from a bail.

 

Luckily, I was able to purchase the beavertails, the silver toggle, both the ‘focal’ cabochon and the smaller turquoise cab ‘buttons’ at the store.  Using small dabs of the cement (actually an adhesive designed for porous stones called ‘Loctite"), I assembled the pieces and let them sit overnight. 

 

While I liked the blue-on-blue arrangement of the Egyptian piece (which BeadStyle duplicated as an alternate way to construct it), I decided to use 3mm Swarovski bicones in Indian Red for a more striking effect.  So far, it’s been a hit, and I’ve ended up selling several copies.  While the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store had no more specific information on the original necklace, it brings a smile to my face to think that I could be propagating a design that once adorned the neck of a noble lady in the Pharaoh’s court.

 

And as a nice side effect, it’s made me into a regular weekend customer at The Beadiak!

 

About Michael Bellomo

 

 

Michael Bellomo is a Biopharmaceutical Product Manager with Baxter Bioscience.  He has written 16 books in various non-fiction fields and is co-author of two Amazon bestsellers involving technology and science: eBay Your Business and Microbe: Are We Ready For The Next Plague.  His latest book is The Stem Cell Divide, a thrilling look into the kaleidoscope of scientific wonder surrounding the field of stem cell research.

 

Michael lives in Los Angeles, California.  In his copious spare time, he hones his skills in oil painting, digital photography, and the infusion of herbs into olive oil.  He is an avid amateur gemologist and all-around rockhound, which aids and abets his hobby as an accomplished jeweler (his latest design will be featured in BeadStyle Magazine in November 2006).  Finally, his weekends are split between hiking through the wilds of Los Angeles’ Griffith Park and finding the best Thai lunch in the city for under $8.