Lambskin and Gemstone Necklaces

Last week, I created this trio of extra-long necklaces for holiday gifts. I cut long strips of lambskin, and sewed them lengthwise into tubes using the double needle baseball stitch. I had a lot of fun playing with my bead stash, pulling out some of the chunkiest goodies to wetmold bezel with cowhide.

Turquoise discs, a turquoise nugget, and glass beads

Finished length is 42" with a 6" pendant

Necklaces of this length would look great with the shifts and tunics on trend right now. Their weight defines the bust and complements currently popular bell sleeves.

Lapis lazuli square, smoky quartz faceted discs, and glass beads

Lapis has some nice metallic flash

This one is the longest, at 45" with a 9" pendant. The top of the pendant hits my navel.

The third necklace features a big chunk of jade that did not want to be caged in a wetmold bezel like the others. I seated it on an oval tassel and stitched the combo onto the lambskin bail.