Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - July Reveal, Part 3

To see Part #2, go here! To see Part #1, go here! To see the Introductory Entry, go here!
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All right! After some rest and some coffee, I am once more ready to post more items for this reveal! Thanks everyone for joining me for this next installment! 

And thanks, too, for being understanding of me splitting this up--I tried to do it all in one, but realized that just didn't do it justice. Yep, I was just that inspired. :)

So! About this next set. 

It's actually the first set that I made--the very first one that I envisioned when taking on this challenge. In making it, I focused heavily on the multi-strand aesthetic which is so prevalent in ancient Mayan jewelry... It is seen in the the funerary jewelry of Pakal (shown in the previous entry), in carved statuary, and in recovered offerings:

Stela 51 from Calakmul, dating to 731 AD,
depicting king Yuknoom Took K'awiil.
Not my picture!
From Wikimedia Commons.

Mayan Offering Necklace
Not my picture!
From the Western Belize Happenings Blog

When deciding on a color palette, I once more decided to go with the color of jade--the apple green color that the Maya preferred: 

Not my picture!
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

...The color which also happens to be quite similar to the color of Quetzal feathers. (Quetzals are birds native to the Mesoamerican region, who were considered sacred and whose feathers are quite prominent in Mayan headdresses.)

So, why bring up Quetzals? To answer that question, here is Set #3!

Set #3

Ta-da!!!

It's a multi-strand necklace with matching Quetzal-inspired earrings!

(Not a feathered headdress, but still a nod to the importance of those birds in Mayan culture.)

Materials-wise, the necklace is made with copper, leather, wood, vintage seed beads, and dyed yellow turquoise. The earrings are made with similar materials: dyed yellow turquoise, brass, copper, and the same vintage seed beads as the necklace.

For the design of the necklace, I tried to avoid as much metal as I could, since metal was actually a later addition to Mayan jewelry. Instead, I leaned on the more natural materials of wood and leather. 

The long strands of leather tie the necklace into place, making the length of the necklace adjustable.

I am truly very, very happy with how this set turned out. The combination of the earrings and the necklace looks truly royal when worn, and I think I did a fairly good job sticking with the ancient Mayan aesthetic. 

So, there you go! That is set #3!

Come back in a little bit to see the other things I made... I have two more reveals to go! :)