Tribes Competition Challenge: Coast

It's time for the last of my Tribes Competition Challenge reveals... And I made it a good one!

What tribe is it, you ask? 

The Coast Tribe.

The colors for the Coast Tribe are simply gorgeous--shades of blue and gold, that make me think of a sunrise over the ocean. Below are the official Allegory Gallery pictures.

...Yep, definitely beautiful!

For this challenge, I made five pieces--two necklaces, and three pairs of earrings. What can I say, I was inspired!

Unlike the other kits, I did not have an idea of the Tribe and its culture before going into the challenge... So I let the beads do the talking, and this is what I came up with:

This first necklace was made using the handmade pendant, the waxed linen, and many of the beads from the kit's luxury bead blend. I love the feel of it... It makes me think of delicate strands of seaweed, mixed with beads and used to decorate a mermaid's hair. (Or perhaps someone from the Coast Tribe wishing to be a mermaid! Heh.) 

And now for the second necklace.

...For the second necklace, I went all out and made one of my tassels:

I was particularly thrilled when I found blue stone teardrops that matched the acrylic focal bead perfectly--down to the speckling! It was too perfect to pass up.

In addition to those and the beads from the kit, I also used two different shades of pearls, a shell charm, and a toggle clasp (which I chose because it made me think of an underwater flower--again, the kind that I imagine mermaids putting in their hair).

So, how does this connect to the Coast Tribe, besides being in the colors of the ocean and having ocean iconography? 

Well, for one thing, the materials include pearls and materials that could have been smoothed by the tides--rounded stones and glass. From a construction standpoint, the movement of this necklace is very fluid--something I imagine that someone from the Coast Tribe would appreciate that a great deal. 

And besides those things, in the Coast Tribe that I have created in my head, they have taken a lot of their fashion from mermaids. (Yep! I totally hinted at that before. What can I say--the jewelry that I made inspired the story behind the tribe this time, instead of the other way around.) 

While no one in the tribe has actually seen a mermaid in recent history, there are stories of sirens wearing pearls in their hair and flowing strands of beads and pirate treasure around their neck.

...I think that these pieces would make any mermaid proud!

Not to be forgotten--here are the earrings that I made to go with the necklaces.

So, ta-da! 

That concludes the reveals for the Allegory Gallery Tribes Competition Challenge... I worked extremely hard on all of these pieces--and the cultures behind them--and I'm thrilled at how well they turned out.

Thanks so much for joining me tonight! I have one more reveal for this evening--the one for the Luna Moth Challenge, also by Allegory Gallery. I guess I'd better get writing! :)