Third Times The Charm

Are you your own worst critic?  Do you see all the tiny flaws? 

After the first attempt at bezeling the turquoise slab using a single thread technique I had a really ugly corner with large gaps.  Not only was it ugly but it also did not bode well for longevity.  Exposed threads pulled that tight are more likely to snap.

Stretched corner on bezeled slab turquoise

On the second attempt, I used the same technique but added an additional bead making the bezel looser. The corner was better, but still not up to my standards.  The bottom two were done in the single thread technique.

Corner views of bezeled turquoise slab.

I decided to go with a technique using multiple pieces that I learned from Melanie Doerman.  I do not buy many tutorials.  I saw this bracelet in the Summer 2009 issue of Belle Amoire Jewelry and contacted Melanie before it was even in her store. 

Belle Amore Summer 2009, Fragments by Melanie Doerman

In preparing this post I made a visit to Melanie's website, The Magpie, and there learned of her recent death.  It is a loss to the beading world and I will miss her talent.

Using a slight variation on her technique, the worst corner on my turquoise slab looks like this:

Corner view bezeled turquoise slab

From the front it looks like this:

Bezeled turquoise slab, at last.

Here are a few more pictures:

Close up corner view, stacked turquoise slabs

A tangle of threads- bezeled turquoise slab in progress

Three tries at bezeling the turquoise slab.

You can see the final bezeled turquoise slab on the right, above.  The corners are sharper.  Although the end piece looks thicker and longer all three slabs are close to the same size.  I considered using Melanie's technique when I started but  opted for the more simple technique.  Next time I will know.