Hibiscus Garden

Two fine pewter hummingbirds surround a lovely cloisonne flower with green glass pearls, white seed beads, and dyed jade and mother of pearl beads in salmon hues with teeny silver accents.

Cloisonne is an enameling technique in which thin wire partitions (called cloisonné) are filled with enamel. This technique is very old, and was practiced in ancient Byzantium and China. First, delicate strips of wire are bent to create a design, then are placed and soldered onto the bead's surface. Next, the spaces are filled with different colored enamels. Finally, the bead is fired and polished several times to produce the desired effect.

The loop is double-strung with strong nylon coated wire and hanging from a satin cord which closes with a lobster-claw clasp that has a teeny starfish charm accent.