Yesterday I got some more beads I had ordered on e-bay. They are supposed to be black agate and azurite. To tell you the truth I'm not convinced that the beads sold on e-bay (almost exclusively from China/Hong Kong) are what they say they are. I suspect that they may be artificial, some sort of resin. But knowing absolutely nothing about rocks, I don't have a way of really knowing. So, to make myself feel better, I'll just go on assuming they are "real".
I've been thinking what to do with the pearls I got the other day, and decided that I wanted to match them with the black agate. I ended up making the necklace below and I'm very, very happy with it. I think it looks even better in person, and I'll definitely wear it with dressy clothing. The necklace is supposed to be Mika's, I bought the pearls for her, as she always wanted something "real" - but I think it looks too grown up for her. I may try to make her another one with the azurite, which is greenish, or just pretend it's hers but wear it myself :-)
In all, I've found that beading is quite relaxing, in particular when following a pattern. I think that must be why people like knitting as well.
