She's a dainty lass, only 4 inches wide and 3-1/2 inches tall. She built on a metal frame with a well-designed clasp.
At the bottom, she's 1-1/2 inches deep. She's completely beaded on both sides in an intricate pattern.
Swirl Lady can open her mouth 2-1/2 inches wide. Inside, she conceals a 3 foot long chain handle.
Her base fabric is black and has lots of body. It covers some type of stiff board to structure her shape. It feels like there is some type of padding on the exterior of the board, giving a softness beneath the beaded cover.
The handbag is made in China for designer Inge Christopher. I'd never heard of this designer until I did some research before writing this blog post. Inge makes gorgeous handbags and jewelry. Her looks are sported by celebrities and on fashion runways.
Three types of beads make up the swirl design. The intertwining circles are constructed of small, faceted bugle beads. It's difficult to determine their color because they capture and reflect light so well. They are either clear or silver. In this photo, many look blue. That's because they are reflecting the light of the blue backdrop I used in my photo studio.
Longer smooth bugle beads are used in clusters of three for the center of each circle.
Surrounding that center cluster are black seed beads. They fill in the diamond shape comprising the interior of the circle, and visually set the longer bugle beads apart from the short faceted ones.
My little lady is in superb condition. There are no missing or loose beads. The interior is pristine.
I wasn't able to find this exact beaded lady online, neither on the designer's website nor on resale sites. But comparable beaded "cocktail party bags" retail from $110 to $255. Whoa!
I'm positive I bought this for under $35. But I remember it being closer to $15 (which is still much more than I usually pay).
She is a beauty, and fits sweetly in the palm of my hand.
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