I collect things not often knowing what I will do with them or when but knowing they will have a new life. This was the case with a grab bag of metal tubes I've had in my collection of curated resources just waiting for inspiration, so long that I have misplaced them and found them several times over! It was well past time to give them a mission. So each aluminum tube bead, which makes up the main body of the earring design, was cut to desired length and then surface treated with mixed media, i.e., inks, paint, glitter, cold enamel, etc., and then sealed with resin for lasting durability. Based on the final surface treatment of the finished bead, I then went to my stash of reclaimed vintage jewelry components for beads and chain, along with a variety of other findings, to make a (hopefully!) pleasing design. Please keep in mind, these earrings are like your eyebrows... they are not twins but they are sisters ;) In this pair of earrings, the metal dragonflies were hand colored with patina and sealed, and the chunky texture of the tube was achieved with application of artist-grade gold mica flake medium. They were then assembled with vintage green glass beads, gold toned acrylic beads, and findings and wire in antique gold finish. Please check out my other designs in this series. One of a kind, just like you.