Fortuna's Wheel of Fortune Bracelet
©2020 by Cynthia Rutledge
From the dawn of the Roman empire, the Goddess Fortuna was revered and worshipped for her ability to change the course of man's fate in life. Temples and statues were erected in prominent places all around early Rome. The statues portray Fortuna holding the wheel of fortune along with a cornucopia of bountiful gifts, food and coins. She has also been depicted as holding onto a rudder as she was able to steer the course in the lives of men.
The wheel of fortune could be spun around to determine the fate of those she looked upon, either for the good, or for bad. She would cover her eyes so that she would be unbiased in her decisions. She saw no difference between nobles and slaves. The wheel would be turned, determining the arbitrary nature of fate and luck. The wheel stopped when the life of the man met his end.
The invention of the wheel is one of man's true creations. Very little in nature could have been used for inspiration, unlike other tools. The first wheel created was of stone and is thought to be a potter's wheel from around 3500 BC in ancient Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). Wheels needed a central core that could be attached to, or fed onto, an axle. In this way the wheel was free to rotate. Other than the materials used, the wheels of ancient times versus the wheels of today, have changed very little, making this invention one of the greatest created by man.
Fortuna's Wheel of Fortune Bracelet is a series of three "wheels". The central "wheel" is a CZ that has a simple peyote stitch beaded bezel. From there, the outside of this shape has been extended to give it a square 3-D shape representing the early designing stages of a wheel. It's not square, but not round either. The side "wheels" are made in two parts, the wheels and the axles.
The wheels are made of CRAW (cubic right-angle weave) using seed beads and fire polish beads. The axles are CZ's that have a simple peyote stitch bezel that are extended off the back, fed through the wheels and increased to form rivets, or the axle on which the wheels turn.
The three wheels are connected to one another to form the central component for the bracelet. CRAW extensions are made for the bracelet bands ending in a sliding metal clasp.
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
Workshop: This is a one-day workshop designed for the Heart of Texas 2021
Bracelet measurement: 1.25 inches wide by desired length
Techniques:
Cubic right-angle weave
Peyote stitch, flat even count
Peyote stitch, flat odd count step up/step down
Peyote stitch, flat circular, even count with increasing
Zipping techniques