Old Beads, New Necklace---Part 2

For a very long time, I've had some vintage beads from two different necklaces that my mom used to wear when I was a little girl. I blogged about the purple one a while ago, and how I resurrected it to be worn again. That necklace was in fairly good shape to begin with. This one, a white one, was just a hint of its former self.

The original clasp was missing, and the floss on which the beads were strung had long since rotted away. But I kept the loose beads for years and years because I just couldn't bear to part with them.

I remember putting these beads between my teeth as a child and ever so gently chomping on them. They looked good enough to eat, and I just had to taste them.

Luckily, my mom understood and always let me gnaw on the beads, so long as I didn't actually hurt them (or my teeth!).

Recently, I asked a friend and beader extraordinaire to help me design a new necklace that featured my mom's beads. She added small pearls and Swarovski crystals, and this is what she created:

I love the interplay between the vintage, chunky beads and the new, delicate pearls and crystals.

The ol' beads never looked so good! And here's the unique clasp she added. It's two frosty hemispheres of silver, with a strong magnet that pulls the two sides together at the "equator":

My mom's old beads, re-interpreted decades later, for me to love all over again.

It's the best kind of recycling there is.