Presence # 1 and Presence # 2

 Think part reptile part robot, part monster with green fur and mismatched eyes, and you got these two guys.

Presence #1 has a brass cuff blank, available from the wonderful Diane Hyde at her bead embroidery store .

Presence # 2 is very much the same, but a real softy, got no cuff blanks at all.

In many ways this is an experiment to find out what YOU prefer. So please leave  your comments.

 The brass cuff blank has it's advantages: fits almost any size wrist, has a wonderful wholesome weight when held in the palm of your hand, and I heard a lot from other artists that they prefer using cuff blanks, because "one size fits all". Well, my experience with "one size fits all" items is that truly, they never fit anyone perfectly.

 Let me explain: a hard cuff with a brass or aluminum blank will never caress your wrist as perfectly as something that has been specifically made for your own wrist. It will fit, it will be reasonably comfy, but it does not move as well with the wrist as a softy cuff, one without the blank.

I prefer making and wearing the soft ones, they are more comfortable, and when I make them without cuff blanks, I start out knowing I might need to re-size a design, or even re-make it to fit my customers needs.

Which is fine by me, but I could see that it could become an issue for other artists. 

 Here we have the two stacked again. Presence #1 with the cuff blank on the bottom, #2 without the cuff blank on top. 

#2 is a lot lighter naturally, and a bit smaller too, since I did not have to add extra room for the edges around the blank, it has a more streamlined appearance. On the other hand #1 feels a lot more substantial, almost like you get more bracelet for the money... When it comes to cuff blanks verses no cuff blanks, I think it's once of those things that is just going to be a matter of personal preference, really. 

 This and the following pictures are all of the soft cuff. Just in case you were wondering  what the green fur was about, it's squirrel zonkers.

Yes.

Squirrel Zonkers.

Available in small strips at your friendly neighborhood fishing store at the fly fishing section.

Tiny long strips of squirrel or rabbit fur that I laid in in-between rows of 24 carat gold plate size 15 Miyuki beads. These zonkers come in a variety of colors, I also got  purple and white. The rabbit fur has longer hairs but the squirrel is just perfect for delicate bead embroidery projects.

 The funny eyeballs are the work of Matthew Nix, owner of Nixcreations on Etsy. He has these and many more to choose from in various colors. 

 I thought it was an interesting idea to make a backwards bracelet, where what's supposed to be the back is looking right at you in the front instead.

 I had a handful of eyes and based on the asymmetrical shape of original brass cuff blank I built the design around, it seemed like a great idea to mismatch the eyes too.

 There are shimmery green triangle beads, tilas and  a repeating pattern of stripes going around the back. It's definitely a very experimental thing for me. 

Both bracelets got lined with a contrasting green metallic sheepskin linings with a diamond finish.

And now it 's time for you to tell me how you like your bracelets and why.