Jhumka 5:beaded flowers

 

Side view:beaded flowers attached to end catch 

Front view attached to silver end catch 

This is what jhumka 5 pendant will be attached to,it is a bracelet . The use of blue and green beads will be keeping to the colours used for the stones being set on the plate.

Phansi Museum :P3

 

brick stitched belt, blue, red and white beads 

Zulu beading 

Zulu love letter neck piece

Zulu Love letter neckpiece being worn

Phansi Museum visit part 1

On the 11th of October 2023, as fourth-year students, we joined the first-year students for their visit to the Phansi Museum. As a non-Zulu person, I found it fascinating to learn more about Zulu culture, their designs, clothing, and tribal traditions they've developed. It was also a valuable experience with our leader, Nkosi, who taught me many things, allowing me to engage by pronouncing Zulu words and even participating in traditional dances with the wooden structures they use to carry the grass mats for sleeping or resting a body part on. Here are some of the images I found interesting from the visit:

Zulu dolls

I took this picture specifically as it reminded me of the time when I was in primary school, my school project for arts and crafts was to make a Ndebele doll. 

beaded basket  a sculptured handle and cowrie shells

Zulu beaded basket with the triangles forming the design.

beaded basket 

Woven basket made from dried grass

Beaded Flower Chain and Inspiration

contemporary Indian Jewellery

This is a gold contemporary Indian jewellery, this image is used as inspiration for my next piece of jewellery taken from @vjjewellery(an Instagram account). Inspired by how the chain is patterned and the bars used to hold half the chain intact, the motif is supported with links holding another design linking to the motif and the chain starting from the bars attached to the smaller motif. 

Beaded Chain

Contemporary Indian jewellery that has a beaded chain attached to the rose gold pendant together with the bar being a designed bar holding the three stands of chain together.

Beaded flower chain

A beaded flower chain is in the process for my lotus pendant neckpiece. The choice of beads is black and gold used for the flower design. It was quite tricky with getting the flowers to look exactly like each other some would be hanging off the string or some would be off shape due to the needle going through the wrong bead. The watched a tutorial video to make my beaded flower chains.

Mangalsutra at a wedding ceremony

The mangal sutra is a wedding chain that the groom places on his bride during the wedding ceremony. This image is of a famous Bollywood actress and actor, Kratika Sengar and Nikitin Dheer's wedding ceremony.

The Mangalsutra

The mangal sutra is the wedding chain that symbolizes a married woman and eternal love. The colours that were used for the beaded flowers were inspired by the mangal sutra bead colours black and gold. 

 

Royal Show:African tradition

On the 27th of May 2023, my family and I visited the Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg where it is a well-known show for entertainment, agriculture, and stalls. The one thing that my attention more than anything else at the show were the Traditional African hall, where there were a range of bead works, animal skin used for fashion purposes, the traditional vs modernized items were visible at this stall. 

Animal Skin pillows and fashion wear 

The animal skin has been used to create a pillowcase, dyed fur used as a handbag and shoes. These items have been made from actual animal skin. Interesting how they dyed the animal fur to create the fashionable handbag.

The bead work for the traditional Zulu attire

The bead work used for traditional Zulu woman amazed me for their neat bead working skills, the vibrant colours used speaking out to their culture and the variation of patterns visible on these bead work pieces were mind-blowing. 

Beaded bracelets

I took a picture of my favourite beaded bracelet which was the snow leopard bracelet...I always wanted one and was so amazed someone actually made my favourite animal purely through beadwork.