The Beading Gem

Red is not often a popular jewelry colour but Sharon likes this colour and best of all, wants to wear it.

She had very definite ideas on how she liked to wear jewelry. She preferred pendants on one of her own sterling silver chain with matching earrings.

The focal piece was a large red, silver foil bead with two dangles at the bottom made from silver balls and faceted beads. The earring dangles were attached to short fine sterling silver chain lengths. You could say, this is a swingin' design!

Beader design #: 343
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[Update : Links no longer work] Smersh Design Jewelry based in Seattle is the brainchild of Frances and John Smersh. Whilst Frances is the main jewelry designer, John keeps the business and production cogs turning. Yes, concrete.

The concrete is carefully colored before being poured and ground. The result is a contemporary style of jewelry design which is surprisingly lightweight, textural and being concrete - durable!

You can see the photos of their production process here. Smersh Designs involve pouring the coloured polymer based concrete into sterling silver bezels or forms. The concrete is allowed to dry and cure before grinding to finish. The mix of gemstones like pearls with the concrete is an inspired choice.

The bracelet with funky tiles adorned with pearls is also delightful. Super fun, one of a kind modern jewelry for our times. Check out their designs for sale at ClickDesignThatfits.com and at Guild.com.




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This is Sherri's second attempt at designing jewelry. She considered her first a "safe" creation. This time she wanted to be bolder and make something out of her comfort zone.

And so she did. What I liked about this design is the combination of three colours you don't often see together - pink, turquoise and red. Sherri made it work by limiting the red to just a few seed beads, the hearts and red swirls on the clear beads. The pink was also a delicate shade so it did not fight the turquoise but complimented it. The foiled heart pendant bead tied in with the red hearts.

I wish I had taken the photo of Sherri wearing the necklace for it looked much lovelier than this photo shows.

Beader Design #: 342
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Feature Designers

Aren't these beads gorgeous? I bet some of you are already salivating. They are the work of a mother and daughter team, Judy and Carrie Hamilton, Canadian lamp work artist and jewelry artisans.

I got to know of them through Gordon Uyehara, the metal clay silver artisan I had featured before. The Hamiltons had taken a class with Gordon who remembered the "nice Canadians". They are more than just nice - they are very talented and skilled artisans.

Since then, I have been "walking" through their clever website entitled The Bead Tree. The various sections of the website all link to the tree theme. You can get the dirt on them in Our Roots and find out about their other interests which includes gardening and art in Other Branches. Their blog is called News from the Tree House. You can find Judy's jewelry creations naturally in the Jewelry Grove. Looking for some sale items? Then try their Pruned Prices.

But the one section you must absolutely visit is The Bead Trunk where you will see galleries of stunning lamp work beads. Go on, and take a stroll! Here is just a small preview:


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Cindy came across an heirloom lace pattern in Chic and Easy Beading by Alica Korach (2004), Kalmbach Publishing.

The netted design for this fancy cuff bangle requires fireline to string. The structural support is provided by two pieces of memory wire. Cindy had never worked with memory wire before and was also keen to try the lacey design. She did a great job with her version considering this was her first effort.

You can read more about the book here. The Preview Tab gives you a peek - the design project is on page 14. Three different colourful versions are shown which illustrates how unique each bracelet can be with different bead choices.

Beader Design #: 341
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Laurie Cavanaugh is from California. She is jewelry artisan who loves classic lines and historical motifs. In fact, her website Acanthusleaf Designs (Updated - no longer available) has a subtitle - "Your Medieval Jeweler". Now here is an artisan who shares my love of history!

Laurie was inspired by a ring in Diana Scarisbrick's book Historic Rings: Four Thousand Years of Craftsmanship. The original 17th century gold ring opened up 90 degrees. Her prototype ring shown above opens up with a shallower angle giving it more of an armillary sphere effect than the original. The prototype is made from brass but Lauire plans to have these rings available in silver and gold, in various sizes, starting in June. What a clever design and beautifully wrought!

An armillary sphere (below left) in case you are wondering is a spherical astrolabe. An astrolabe is a historical instrument used by astronomers and navigators to figure out the position of the Sun, Moon, planets and so on. As you can see from the picture of Yale's Harmann astrolabe below right, astrolabes were flat objects. In Laurie's LiveJournal entry, she said her prototype ring could be labelled clockpunk jewelry - the clock part no doubt comes from the fact that early astronomical clocks were influenced by astrolabes.



The earliest armillary spheres were invented by the Ancient Greeks and the Chinese over 2000 years ago. The name comes from the Latin armilla which means circle or bracelet. Ancient armillary spheres were celestial spheres - the rings represented the principle circles of the heavens. These were typically arranged from center outwards, starting with the ring or sphere for the Moon, then Mercury, Venus and so on.

Aren't these early instruments beautiful to look at? You can find the instructions to make your own armillary sphere here.

If this multi-ring design has inspired you and you'd rather not make an armillary sphere, here is a necklace project from Beadage Blog called Circle of Love which uses multiple rings and some wire wrapped beads.

Photos with kind permission from Laurie.

Via

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When I saw a strand of large flat oval dream agate beads from a wholesale supplier, I knew I had to have it.

Dream agate is well named for it has lovely black striations in the reddish brown gemstone. It makes a great pendant and Kami knew it. She used not just brown and topaz coloured beads to go with it but also hematite coloured beads. The latter had colours that tied in with the whole necklace design.

I've seen a design with several of these exact shaped gemstones strung in a row for a stunning necklace. So do look out for this dreamy stone.

Beader Design #: 340
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Melissa did a great job with the black and white "bumpy" beads I had in my collection. Not many beaders have been tempted by what may seem like odd looking beads. I was pleased Melissa saw their potential.She just used one other type of beads to space them out, namely black bicones.

The bumpy beads are actually eye beads first made in China during a time known as the Warring States period (481-221 BC). The eyes are characteristically horned and made by layering the glass. You can see some pictures of eye beads from that period here. Eye beads occur in many cultures dating back thousands of years. They were worn to deflect bad luck by way of an eye for an eye - stare down the evil brought on by envious looks. They are still made in China today for the export market.

Related Post : Nazar Boncugu : Turkish Eye Beads

Beader Design #: 339
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My friend Nancy has visited New Zealand a couple of times before. One cannot possibly leave NZ without paua jewelry - nor can you miss it as Nancy tells me it is in practically every gift shop. Pictured here are her paua jewelry which were gifts from friends.

Nancy says the people there pronounce paua close to how we say "power". Paua or pāua is the Māori name given to the species of abalone whose inner shell lining is prized for jewelry making. It is also called "sea opal". Although abalone is found all over the world, only those found around New Zealand display the gorgeous iridescent colours we have come to love.

There are actually three species of these edible sea snails in New Zealand, of which Haliotis iris is the most well known and the most common. It can grow quite large as you can see from the picture below. Nancy brought back these two shells (below left), one of which has only half of its outer crusty shell ground away. The picture on the right shows the inside of the shell with a greyish area in the middle. This is the scar left by the muscular foot which is used by the mollusc to cling to rocks at depths of 1-15 meters. The series of holes you can see on the shells are the mollusc's breathing vents. They feed on seaweed.



The Māori regard paua as taonga, or treasure because it is a food source (the muscular foot is a delicacy) and a resource for their art. Paua is used for the eyes in their carvings. The New Zealand government's Ministry of Fisheries oversee the sustainability of this valuable resource. Their efforts include combating illegal fishing which is a serious problem. To ensure the stocks don't deplete, only free-diving (no scuba gear) is permitted for harvesting. Great white sharks haunt some areas so harvesting is fraught with danger.

The Eyris Blue Pearl Company makes the most gorgeous iridescent blue pearls using these abalones. The pearls are coated in the same iridescent nacre as found in the shell linings. Nancy said these blue pearls were way out of her price league so we have to be content with the images from Eyris's website photo gallery.

Abalone pearls are much harder to culture than oyster pearls. The company had to pioneer ways to farm paua. They have a voracious appetite for high quality seaweed. The way they nucleate (the art of introducing a seed inside the shell) the mollusc is a trade secret. The process is very delicate as a single nick could be fatal to the animal for it has no blood clotting ability.

Only 20% of the paua harvest will yield marketable blue pearls and only 1 in 50 will be a near perfect pearl. It's no wonder Nancy couldn't afford blue pearl jewelry.

Paua Suppliers
Paua Mana
Ocean Shell
Fiordland Souvenirs has the world's largest paua shell - 4 metres tall, made of ferro-concrete and lined with genuine paua
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One of the most compelling reasons why one should make one's own jewelry is the ability to accessorize clothing.

Cheryl had an outfit given to her by a friend which was mainly white but had a large colourful floral pattern. She originally chose a mix of dyed chalk turquoise but the pink colour did not match.

It took Cheryl a while but she finally settled on a round shell disc adorned with a real pressed flower. Then she added round beads for her necklace - glass pearls in pale green and bright salmon pink as well as turquoise blue desert sun beads. Desert sun beads are so called because the top finish is deliberately cracked to reveal the silvery secondary coating underneath. Bright turquoise beads were used as spacers.

Now she is all set with jewelry that matches her outfit!

Beader Design #: 338
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Eugen Steier, a German gold and silversmith was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan where he spent the first 11 years of his life. He learnt his craft after returning to Germany. He now lives and works in Barcelona, Spain. For the past five years, he has been working as a freelance jewelry designer for a Spanish jeweler.

I first came across Eugen on Flickr and was suitably impressed with his contemporary jewelry designs - I am not the only one judging from the comments his gold and silver smithing photos have garnered. He has also started a Flickr group called My Masterpiece.

What first caught my eye was the above left sterling silver necklace, a sculptured art piece with a unique catch. It was made for a competition run by the Bavarian Chamber of Crafts with a specific theme - designing new clasps or enclosures. The focal part consists of a grey acrylic part with a rubber ball inside. Press the two small release levers and the rubber ball gets smaller as the clasp opens!

His sterling silver ring (top right) is not cast but assembled such that the ring is hollow inside. The decorative element is a very dark-blue casting resin.

However, his original design called the Spinning Top necklace has fun written all over it! It was for a school competition with a "Movement" theme. The top is brass but treated in a gold galvanic bath. And yes, the top does spin - Eugen did some extensive research to get the perfect form for a good spin. The necklace part is made from ebony wood, turned on a lathe. The wooden part is hollow because that's where the top can be stored. Very clever indeed!

He also gives workshops and is the co-author of an upcoming book showing the different drawing techniques of jewelry from well known goldsmiths and jewelry artists from all over the world. So keep a look out for it!
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Coconut shell flower pendant, real shells and glass beads that look like shells? This is definitely a beach inspired necklace. I didn't have sand for the background but some beach type paper with flip flops in the top left corner and the sandcastle in the bottom right will have to do!

This is the creation of Olivia, who is ten years old. She made it for her mother. Olivia used quite a variety of beads - seed beads, bicones, daggers, metallic gold faceted crystal rounds as well as those I already mentioned above.

She demonstrates here that there are no rules to what you can use to put together a jewelry piece but it must please the wearer. I'd say Olivia's mission was accomplished because her mother liked it!

Beader Design#: 337
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You've heard of fair trade coffee right? Perhaps even bought and drunk some at your local fair trade coffee shop. But have you heard of Ten Thousand Villages.com?

It is one of the oldest and largest nonprofit free trade organisations out there. They exist to help better the lives of more than 100 artisan groups in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. They are also part of the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT), a global network of more than 200 fair trade organizations in 50 countries.They operate by providing fair prices for the artisans and a place to market their hand crafted goods online, in retail stores and at festivals.

The jewelry featured here are from the Bombulu Workshop in Mombasa, Kenya. The fun and funky earrings and pin above were made from recycled soda pop cans and wire. The choker consists of soda can tops. Their creativity and skill at making such great jewelry out of discards is amazing - just look at the angel pin. The disabled artisans who make and sell them are able to earn a living for themselves and their families and receive adequate housing and education. The Bombulu motto is "Disability is not Inability".

Please do check out Ten Thousand Village's online shop - they don't sell just jewelry but a wonderful array of unique gifts, home decor, toys and games for children, stationery and accessories and many more.

via Green Daily
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Copper is the new silver. Precious metal prices are getting costlier so many jewelry artisans are turning to copper. It is a good move because copper is gorgeously rich in colour and I envy those who can wear it.

Angela is one of those lucky people. Here she has teamed copper with basic black. The focal piece is a hammered copper disc. She used clear as well as black copper framed window beads. The long beads include the two cigar shaped beads which flank the disc as well as the long twisted black bugle beads for the rest of the necklace. Notice how she has used both dagger beads and long bronze bugle beads as dangles for a truly original design.

If you are concerned about the copper turning skin green - some people are more prone to this than others - don't wear the jewelry all the time. Take it off at night and store it in a zip lock bag. One person I came across recommends swabbing the piece with rubbing alcohol (available from the drugstore) before putting it away. This makes sense as what the alcohol does is dry the piece and removes traces of salty sweat, cosmetics etc.

Related Post : How to Clean Green Gunk Off Your Jewelry

Beader Design #: 336
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Unusual "Body" Jewelry
Part 3 of 3

In a world where we can all have perfect white teeth (at a price), we can now add a sparkle. Tooth or dental jewelry was originally patented in 1986 in Europe after a dentist was asked to put a diamond on the tooth of a Swedish singer.

The practice spread beyond the entertainment industry and into the mainstream. Tooth jewelry has been popular in Europe for many years but is belatedly making inroads here in the North America market. The response has been overwhelming positive for these temporary and very importantly, painless (no drilling!) jewelry.

The jewelry is specifically designed for dental use. The crystal, stone or gold piece is fixed with a special adhesive and will stay in place from 6 months up to three years. Just like braces, these can be removed at any time. The fixing and removal procedure is explained on the Decodent website.

It's probably pretty on someone who has perfect white teeth to show off. As someone who had to endure dental braces for two years, I am not so sure I want anything on my teeth again!

Photo source

Reference
Dentist.net : Teeth Jewelry
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Unusual "Body" Jewelry
Part 2 of 3
Nail guards are not a new phenomenon. Best known as a fashion assessory of high born Manchu women during the Ching (Qing) dynasty (1644-1912) in late 19th century China. Long finger nails were seen as symbols of wealth and luxury - these ladies were above menial tasks. You can see a portrait of the Last Empress of China in my past post which shows her long finger nail guards. These were finely made in precious metals and decorated with gemstones. See this website for pictures of 19th century finger nail guards showing varied jewelry making techniques such as wirework, enameling. cloisonne and gem inlays.

You can still buy this type of Chinese made guards as someone on YouTube did. However, there are jewelry designers who have put their own stamp on this unusual type of jewelry.

Jules Kim of Bijulesnyc who excels in the edgier style of jewelry design, makes shorter polished brass versions (seen above). The "Serpensive" line are custom fitted on several fingers or just on the pinkie. Sure beats having to apply nail polish!

Xiva Jewels caters to the exclusive luxury market with their false nails made with 18K white and yellow gold and platinum and studded with gemstones such as diamonds or whatever their clients desire. The application system is patented. Definitely not your local drugstore rhinestone version!

Via 
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