Black Filigree Gorget

When I saw Gretchen Grammer's Filigree Gorget in April 2011 Bead & Button magazine, I was hooked. But, I had an entirely different vision than the soft summery colors they featured. I had a strand of vintage faceted black glass ovals just itching to be used. So, I gathered up my black 11/0 seed beads and found some black crow beads in my stash and started in. It took me several attempts to figure out how the rows were supposed to intertwine, so 6 hours is an adjusted guess. It was a labor of love, but I'm keeping this one! It's one of my favorite pieces now. It calls for 15/0 seed beads, but I didn't have any, so I adjusted the pattern for 11/0 seed beads.