A necklace design may be born in different ways. Sometimes I picture a composition in my head, and set about selecting beads and materials (chain, wire etc) that will fulfill that idea. Other times, I gather a collection of beads that I think complement each other, in color and shape. The photo above is an example of such a collection. I start with the largest beads and arrange them asymmetrically yet balanced, and fit the smaller beads around them. The design evolves as I experiment.