A common misconception in beading is that a cabochon can only be the focal of a motif, and there can only one to make it stand out.
Sure, if I have only one sparkly stone, I want it to be the center point of attention. But let’s see, what can we do if we have 2, 3, 4, or even more cabochons! Today, I’m going to focus on stones called ‘navette‘, but this is just a brainstorming exercise to expand your beady horizons: the ideas and way of thinking can easily be applied to other shapes, too.
While marquise usually refers to diamonds, navette stands for other kind of cabochons, like glass, clay, or semi-precious ones. In this vintage costume jewellery brooch you can see six amethyst purple glass cabochons arranged to a circle, with the points towards the center.
I found it on a vintage market in France, while visiting the medieval city, Avignon.
We work sometimes with other materials, too, but today I’m going to focus and show examples of glass cabochons in metal claw settings.
Please note, that while glass and crystal navettes tend to have pointy back sides, clay or gemstones are usually flat-backed, so you need different stitches and techniques to use them. This brainstorming exercise works well for many different bead shapes: for example, Gemduos. Originally, I talked about this time during a #CoffeeTimeWithErika live video, but I wanted to make it available to you in form of an article, as you may prefer another way of learning. In both of them I reveal three brand new designs with navettes from our Creative Team: one from Zuzi, one from Veronka, and one from me!
The are all kinds of sizes, from tiny 5×10 to massive 17×32.
The ratio of the length and width can differ, for example look at a wider 17×32 mm and a slimmer 9×35 mm one. In beading, the tiny ones are easier to use if they come in a metal claw with holes, the big ones can be bezeled with Peyote, too.
(FYI, tutorials for Peyote bezels, incl. covering the back fully are available for two sizes, the 9×18 mm and the 17×32 mm of navette cabochons in the e-book ‘How to make your work last.’)
So, HOW CAN I use navettes, depending on how many do I have?
In case that you have one navette for one motif, usually you want to use it as a focal. It can be turned horizontal or vertical, too, and it’s perfect for a pendant or as the focal component in a bracelet.
The Jaisalmer motif looks good both ways.
While in the earrings above (original idea) it was vertical, under the Peyote-bezeled 27 mm cabochon it’s turned sideways. From the bottom a historic filigree is hanging, adorned with a little pendant. Before gluing it on, I chipped off the loop of the pendant with cutting pliers.
Ruxandra Puscas also used the navette with the points turned sideways. Her Tulip Eye earrings consist of two elements: while the main focus is reserved for the elaborate bottom featuring a Tulip Bud bead, there’s some extra sparkle added thanks to the cabochon on the top.
There is one navette in the Lilyrosa design, too: in this case, it’s connecting the main motif to the glass drop in metal setting at the bottom.
The cabochon is surrounded by two rows of tightly fitting Miruki round 15/0 beads sitting on top of each other. While the navette catches attention thanks to its accenting colour, it would be easy to change it to something else, skip it completely, or, use this part with a completely different piece of jewel.
Even more possibilities!
The navettes can be parallel to each other, for example. In the Titalee earrings they are framing the main part of the motif at the top and bottom. After finishing the ‘butterfly’ part (Titalee means butterfly in Hindi), I had trouble to attach the drop and the earstud right away.
The navettes create the perfect bridge between the two: even if the motif is wider and it has two points where it’s attached to the navette, on the opposite side I could add the components with only one loop effortlessly.
Many navettes are needed for a full bracelet, but there are only two in each of the motifs in the Fleur bracelet, making it suitable for earrings, a pendant, or a brooch, too.
The navettes are in one line, point to point. Just as with the Jaisalmer motif, it’s your call how you would like to turn them in your jewel.
Zuzi’s brilliant Pink Diamond earring also features two navettes in each motif. They look like meant to be leaves of the pink pressed glass Tulips.
Depending on what you add in between, the angle between the two can be wider or narrower. Just as in the Lilyrosa, Miyuki seed beads are framing the caw settings: in this case, Miyuki Delica 11/0 to create a different look.
Veronka’s Iznik is a perfect example for a jewel with three pointy oval cabochons. With the points towards the center, arranged in equal 120-120-120 angles, and divided with tiny Lily Flower beads. It seems that flowers pair especially well with these leaf-shaped cabochons, as this is already the fourth example in the article 😀
Alternately, you can change the angles, maybe have two navettes in one line and one exactly in between, or further away from each other.
The first new jewel that I’d like to reveal is Zuzi’s new treasure: the Dutch Tile. She beaded it after a visit to Amsterdam (and me :D), when she spotted the beautiful ceramic tiles next to entrance doors in Amsterdam. The navettes form a cross, and the whole motif looks like a miniature painting: framed with Miyuki Twist beads.
Veronka’s 4×15 mm slim navettes are arranged in the same shape, as Zuzi’s 5×10 mm ones in the Dutch Tile. Blinged up with everything that fit in between, below, and on the top!
Could you guess that Veronka designed this earring when we were getting inspired by India? 😀 She named the design Bollywood.
A surprise when I saw it, and such a good idea! This is the second new design that I can reveal now.
Veronka created a half-flower by adding four navettes on one side, the first and the last nearly in one line. The rest of the circle features Half Tila beads, and Preciosa bicones in different sizes. You can turn it upside down or even sideways, attach it to a filigree, hang a drop from it, make a brooch, an earring, or a necklace…
When a beader has six navettes on her bead mat, at one point she’ll arrange them into a circle while playing with them: so much sparkle and shine!
However, there are only a few designers who pick up the needle at this point at really make it happen. It’s not easy to keep the motif sturdy while working with so many of them right next to each other, and to develop a design that’s more than just a simple circles.
Ruxandra’s Flower Dome is perfect in all of its many elaborate details.
As I mentioned above, navettes are perfect little connectors between beaded motifs!
Just simply in the claw settings, or adorned with a bunch of seed beads: Miyuki 15/0 like in Lilyrosa, Miyuki Delica 11/0 like in Zuzi’s Pink Diamond, or even with the combination of the two, like in my newest jewel: the Georgina. The motifs and the navettes in between are beaded in one go, without having to start a new thread for each of them.
I hope that you liked this beady brainstorming! Thinking about your possibilities ‘strategically’ – moving from one option to another, making a little change, move further, and so on and on can help you tremendously to bring structure when designing your own motifs.
I highly recommend watching the corresponding #CoffeeTimeWithErika and learn about all the ideas that beaders shared while watching live. Unbelievable amount of creativity and energy 🙂
Do you have an idea? Share it in a comment!
Or maybe you have already beaded something with navette cabochons? Make sure to show the picture, too – we’d love to see it!
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