- June 9, 2021
My Journey Into Creating A Frida Kahlo Inspired Jewelry Collection
Art begets art. Art begets art. Art begets art.
Introduction
Frida Kahlo has long inspired artists all over the world. And now, me. In this post, I will cover my journey into creating a Frida Kahlo inspired jewelry collection.
Her love for life. Her loyalty to her family and Diego. Her willingness to showcase her vulnerability. These are all facets of her character that inspire me.
Initially, I thought that designing a collection inspired by Frida would be a fun and somewhat easy endeavor.
I had an outline and theme of what I was expecting out of this collection. And given how beautifully vivid Frida’s story and style are, I had many ideas relating to which direction to take.
However, it’s proved to be quite a challenge for me.
Everything I’ve created so far hasn’t met my expectations.
Honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised because designing a collection – for me – has always been quite an elaborate process. One where it takes multiple rounds of designs and edits before I finally feel confident enough to finalize a collection.
Expectations For My Frida Collection
- That everything in this collection would be something Frida would LOVE to wear.
- The focal piece or pattern would be a rose – a beaded rose.
- That it would be elegant and artistic.
- That it would compliment and embolden any jewelry lover’s collection – especially those who embrace vintage or vintage-inspired style.
Design Challenges
- Me. I am my own worst critic and therefore seem to not be satisfied with any of these designs.
- Too much glitz, not enough raw earthiness.
- All of my “roses” so far have looked more like flowers than roses.
- When to stop adding to a design…when is too much, “Too much!”
In the following sections, I will share my designs and provide a few of my initial thoughts on each piece.
Whether you agree or disagree with me, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these pieces!
CONTENTS
References
This link opens to a new web page with a PDF copy of a list of resources used for this blog:
Who’s Frida Kahlo – Blog And Video Sources – Kaleidoscopes And Polka Dots
*Please note that all the books in this slide, and links included throughout the blog marked with an asterisks (*) , direct you to affiliate links where I make a small commission if you place an order.
Frida Kahlo's Childhood And Creating A Frida-Inspired Jewelry Collection (Video)
Not fragile like a flower. Fragile like a bomb.
My Frida Kahlo Inspired Collection - Round 1
Pink Flower Brooch with Bead Embroidery
This was the first piece I created.
Initially, I considered making this a necklace with the rose as a focal piece.
As I finished it I thought better of that design decision given that it’s quite a large flower – it’s beautiful – but as a necklace, it wouldn’t be something I’d wear often.
It works a lot better as a brooch because brooches in general tend to be more versatile. They can be worn as brooches, or hair accessories, or as scarf pendants. These are just a few examples.
Elements I LOVE About This Design
- The vibrant mix of hot pink beads playfully sings together.
- The beaded fringe enhances the design with a new set of shapes and textures.
- The beaded edges that finish off this design provide it an elegant halo effect.
- The focal bead – Swarovski Crystal Rivoli – blends in with the design without being too overpowering.
Elements That Could Be Improved Upon
- It is not a rose, as I’d originally intended, but rather a beautifully embroidered flower.
- The petals where gold bugle beads are used to create dimension don’t stand out as much as the solid beaded petals.
Do you agree or disagree with my conclusion?
Let me know your thoughts in my Facebook Group.
Blue House Inspired Brooches with Beaded Embroidery
This was my second design and my favorite as well.
I was both inspired by the vivid colors of the Blue House and by the medallion Frida wears in this picture.
While her medallion is made of precious metals, mine is made with delicate lively beads that together paint a mystical wearable work of art.
I made three versions of jewelry with this radial brooch design because, again, I initially only considered this piece as a necklace.
Once finished, I realized that it wouldn’t be as wearable as I’d originally envisioned hence I created 2 brooches with varying degrees of details.
Which is your favorite?
Elements I LOVE About This Design
- I’m in love with the mystical feel of this design.
- The design’s versatility and adaptability across different styles of fashion are quite exciting.
- I love that the seed beads of varying shades of blue delicately complement the focal coin bead.
Elements That Could Be Improved Upon
- Improve upon the consistency in the radial design.
- It’s not pictured here, but the brooch pin should be hidden within the fabric of the backside instead of being placed over top.
Pink Rose Brooch Made With Beaded Embroidery
I came back to attempting to create a beaded rose brooch after designing the Blue House Brooch.
This time, I chose to play with seeds, different tones of pink seed beads, as an attempt to create the effect of a voluminous rose.
As I finished, I didn’t think it was representative of a rose so I added the leaf detail.
Overall, I’m quite pleased with this design, but still not in love with this design.
What do you think? Love it? Pass on it? I probably would.
Elements I LOVE About This Design
- I love the color! It’s so vivid and cheerful. This is definitely a color scheme I will continue to use with other designs.
- The leaves are adorable.
- The finishing edges provide dimension to the design which makes the rose pop.
- The center cluster of beads is quite lovely.
Elements That Could Be Improved Upon
- The rose lacks a defined shape. The rose petals seem to congeal into a single circle.
Red Rose Brooch Created With Beaded Emroidery
Feeling inspired to try it again and thinking that I had a simple solution to fix the lack of definition in my previous design, I gave this brooch a go.
The change I made was in the stitching of the beads. I added a bit of texture by beading around the center beads.
Using them as a jumping-off point, I thought that as I added beads around the rose, the definition would naturally arise. Not so.
I have the reference material to look up techniques that have been tried and true, but in this case, I was just so eager to give this design my OWN spin that I rebelled and ended up with a very similar design as before…argh.
This is a lovely piece.
I think that the color and the fringe give it such a classic look but I think that you have to look too closely to notice that it’s attempting to be a rose.
Am I right?
Elements I LOVE About This Design
- Again, that color. Those red beads are stunning.
- The fringe detail. I love the mix of earthy tones.
- This is something I could see Frida wearing.
Elements That Could Be Improved Upon
- The definition of rose petals. It looks more like a red medallion than a red rose.
Red Rose Necklace Created with Beaded Embroidery
After 2 failed attempts at creating dimension purely with color and subtle beading patterns, I drew up this design.
To create this design, I drew the outline of the rose and filled it in with beads alternating between 2 types of beads for the rose petals.
While the final effect is pretty, it is not the design I had in mind.
Honestly, I’m not sure what I was expecting at the time.
As I look at this design, I can’t help but think, “Yeah. The overall effect and design make sense. It’s not a rose, but a very pretty flower. Maybe draw a different rose?”
Would you agree?
Elements I LOVE About This Design
- The colors.
- The magnetic heart-shaped clasp.
- The beads that make up the length of the necklace – so pretty!
Elements That Could Be Improved Upon
- The shape of the rose…I know…I’m a broken record…
Delicate Beaded Roses With A Pearl Detail
By design, these little roses look like roses and are perfect for my Frida Kahlo inspired jewelry collection.
How did I come up with this design you may ask?
The wonderfully detailed book on cabochons titled Beading with Cabochons: Simple Techniques for Beautiful Jewelry by Jamie Cloud Eakin.
These are so charming and have inspired me to give hair accessories a try for this next collection.
Elements I LOVE About This Design
- They look like roses.
- They are so cute and delicate.
- They definitely spark joy and inspiration.
Elements That Could Be Improved Upon
- I’m not sure that they speak to Frida’s aesthetic or sense of style…What do you think?
Conclusion
This is only round one of my design process.
Next, I’m planning on trying a few hair accessories, just to see how they turn out.
If you enjoyed this post and would like to follow my design journey, sign up the Kaleidoscope Chronicle by clicking here.
* If you have any questions about this post, please reach me via email: lovealways@kaleidoscopesandpolkadots.com or via a direct message on Facebook or Instagram.
About The Author
Jessica Gibson
Leading Lady of Kaleidoscopes & Polka Dots.
If you have any questions about this article, or anything at all, please reach out to me at lovealways@kaleidoscopesandpolkadots.com
