I love how a really beautiful bead can make a fairly simple design *work* so well. One of my favorite simple earring designs is to dangle a great bead or two from my oversized hook earwires. When I got my latest shipment from Artbeads of Swarovski crystal beads (and yarn! they make yarn with Swarovski beads on it – so I had to get a sample even though I’m not sure how I’ll use it yet) I knew that the amethyst pendant beads would be perfect on these wires. [if you want the exact beads I used, they are 13x6.5mm teardrops in amethyst]

And they are!

Close-up of Swarovski Amethyst Pendant

It’s hard to capture all the sparkle of Swarovski crystal in a photograph, but I tried. You’ll have to take my word for it that they are even prettier in person.

Swarovski Amethyst Earrings

Not sure if these are going in my etsy shop or if I’m keeping them – amethyst is my birthstone, and yeah, these aren’t real amethysts, but they are definitely the right color. One thing I love about manmade beads like these are how perfect they are – perfect color, no inclusions, perfect cut – while I also love the imperfections in natural beads, sometimes it’s nice to have truly flawless beads. They always match, and they look so elegant.