Crystal Watercolor Wire Wrapped Necklace

My newest necklace design was inspired by the gorgeous Meridian Statement Necklace from Chloe & Isabel. However, their necklace costs $128 (and that's before tax and shipping!). There is just no way I can pay that much for a piece of jewelry (and on a side note, I have to admit that it's pretty discouraging for me as a jewelry artist when I see women happy and willing to pay that much for a piece of factory-made statement jewelry, when I can't hardly sell even one of my artisan pieces, which generally cost less than 1/3 of the C+I price. And this is actually a steal of a price, when you consider that mine are entirely handcrafted and almost always feature semi-precious stone beads! Ok, done self-promoting. Apologies.). Anyway, I loved the variety of shapes and the colors of the Meridian necklace, and knew I could create something of my own to capture a little of the same feel.

The Crystal Watercolor necklace was the result...and I really love it. This necklace features crystals in several shades of blue and green, as well as some beautifully faceted clear crystals and white crystal rondelles.

All of the wire elements are hand-formed and wrapped with German copper wire in silver and copper tones, including the main focal pieces, the wire connectors on either side, and all of the chain and chain links.

I used a pretty silver floral toggle clasp (the only element not handmade) to finish off this three-tiered necklace, and I think the shape nicely compliments the wire focal elements.

And let me tell you, with this necklace being made entirely with crystals (instead of my usual semi-precious stone beads), it was amazingly difficult to photograph. Take for example the two photos below: the first against a white background, and the second against my usual black velvet jewelry prop. It looks like two completely different necklaces:

The bonus in this is that it can be worn as two different necklaces! I can wear it with black for darker evening glam, or with a lighter color during the day to showcase the pretty blues and greens.

I wish the photographs could better catch the sparkle--it really is stunning in person.

What do you think, would you pair this necklace with dark or light clothing? What are your thoughts on factory-made vs. artisan handcrafted jewelry? I'd love to know.