Fruit salad

Brighten your day wearing Michelle Nazar's delicious semiprecious set!

Michelle Nazar, MJ Designer

Fruit is now a style statement, with delicious bright prints appearing in Prada and Stella McCartney's spring/summer collections. This fabulous bib necklace and hoop earrings channel Carmen Miranda with a luscious selection of glass fruit beads, combined with pearls and sparkling crystals in similar mouthwatering shades. Black onyx tusks and jet pendants provide a striking contrast that's sure to get you noticed!

Fruit Necklace

1. Cut 21cm of antique gold chain and attach 36cm of soft gold wire to one end with a wrapped loop. Begin to thread on a selection of glass fruit beads, winding the wire around and through the chain links. Make sure to evenly space out the different colours and to attach three large strawberries in the middle of the chain. Continue until the entire chain is covered, securing the wire at the other end with another wrapped loop. Cut another 36cm of soft gold wire and secure to the chain with a wrapped loop as before. Thread on a mixture of 6mm round yellow and green pearls, 10mm green coin pearls and 20mm yellow biwa pearls, weaving the wire in and out through the links and the fruit design already added. Secure with a wrapped loop at the other end of the chain.
2. Cut another 36cm of soft gold wire and fasten to the chain with a wrapped loop. Thread on six jet and gold crystal pendants, spacing them evenly throughout the design. Attach to the other end with a wrapped loop.
3. Cut one 10.5cm and two 8cm lengths of green crystal strips, plus two 10.5cm pink crystal strips. Attach halfhard silver wire to the end of one of the strips with a wrapped loop, then wind it around the strip in between the crystals. Wrap a few times to secure above the last stone, so that it has some movement, then cut off the excess. This will make the strip rigid so that it will hold a swirl shape like a tendril.
4. Repeat for all of the crystal strips. Cut 26cm of soft gold wire and fasten to the chain design with a wrapped loop. Wire wrap the crystal tendrils evenly throughout the design. Using the same length of wire, attach four onyx tusks evenly around the centre of the design.
5. Cut two 12cm lengths of black nylon-covered chain and attach one to each end of the beaded antique gold chain with 9mm oxidised silver jump rings. Fasten a gold hook clasp to one of the nylon chains, then add an oxidised silver extension chain to the other side of the necklace, decorated with a jet and gold crystal drop if desired.