The Beading Gem

Remember the gorgeous African bone beads For the Love of Beads sponsored some time ago?  The giveaway was won by Heather Cote of Azure Islands Jewelry. She was delighted to have won the cylindrical beads.  Heather said on her blog that it took a while to come up with the design but it was worth the wait!  She teamed the beads with brown/black agate and crazy lace agate beads and added pewter beads for a metallic touch. The final design is just beautiful!

Food Inspirations Part 2 of 2
I've always admired the highly creative folks who work in ad agencies. They do come up with clever posters and ad ideas. One ad campaign by Bark Copenhagen for Waterfront Shopping in Denmark is a superb example. The advertising slogan was "Food meets Fashion" and I say the challenge was well met. Pearls as pasta? A pearl in a pea pod? Brilliant!

The creative director was Nicolas Rafn and the photographer was Martin Juul.  Via and via

Food inspirations Part 1 of 2
BaraSkit.se has the most delightful rings I have ever seen -all inspired by food and drinks. Are they practical? No. But they do show playfulness and a whole lot of creativity and individuality.

The site does not mention the artisan which is a pity because owning one of the 18 rings shown would be fun. Talk about a conversation piece at the next dinner party! (Update : A reader just located the Etsy store of a Japanese artisan: Souzou Creations - the rings are very affordable so check it out.)

Here are my favorites from the collection :

The reindeer dung necklaces and Christmas ornaments have certainly garnered media attention. I've already linked to the Miller Park Zoo site in Bloomington, Illinois on my facebook page. But I thought other blog readers might appreciate seeing what the Magical Reindeer Gems looked like and learn how they made them!

Japanese Inspirations Part 2 of 3
The Japanese are amazing when it comes to design. Their attention to detail, exquisite color palettes and skill are what I admire most. So I was delighted to see Legend Design of Toronto at a recent craft show. Founded in 1992, they now also wholesale their washi paper jewelry to major museum gift stores around the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum of Design in London, England where their collection has been selling well.

Japanese Inspirations Part 1 of 3
I'm not a huge sushi fan but for those of you who are, you can now show off your culinary preferences with bento box bling! Carolyn Tillie is the designer behind an entire jewelry collection inspired by this Japanese food. She says, "I want to share my love and passion of food and wine through the creation of wearable art." And I say I've learned what sushi tidbits are called just by looking at her work and reading her descriptions!

Everyone included me just loved Marcy Coral's pink opal beads. Thanks Marcy of Jewelrygeeks.com for such a generous gift! You've caused a lot of serious drooling.

Some of you who left comments declared opals to be your favorite gemstone. I wonder if those who did have birthdays in October? As most of you know, there is a superstition about opal being unlucky if it is not your birthstone.

Soldered Pendants
I've always admired the soldered glass pendants I've seen or the broken pottery ones and want to learn how to do it. So I went searching on the internet for some cool tutorials to learn more. Some of the following links overlap in information like how to score the glass, apply flux and solder. But each artisan has their own approach and include their own tips and tricks.

I know some readers are huge Michael Jackson fans. So here is a breaking news item - his bejeweled white glove sold earlier today for $49,000 in Australia.

It is the first of his iconic gloves to be offered for sale since his tragic death back in June. Not surprisingly, it went for twice the expected price after fierce bidding. The new owner is the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The former US Secretary of State, Madeline Albright is famous of her extensive personal collection of pins. You can now see some 200 of them at the Museum of Art and Design in New York . The exhibition runs until January 31, 2010.

The exhibition also coincides with the launch of her latest book Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box.Albright said, "I try to talk about foreign policy in a way that people find interesting. I thought this was the ultimate way -- to use the pins to tell the stories."

Celebrity Jewelry Part 1 of 2
The serpent has been a powerful symbol for thousands of years for many cultures and features in many myths. The Ancient Egyptians considered the snake sacred and the motif appears in jewelry and on the Pharaoh's crown. Snakes are still popular in jewelry design in modern times - see my past post on WireBliss Mei's incredible cobra bracelet.

The latest snake jewelry collection launched earlier this week, the brainchild of celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. She is shown on the right wearing a serpent bracelet at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA)back in February.

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest. Here are two recent finds I just love!

Multi-Chain Convertible Jewelry
Pandora Amoratis, a freelance stylist, was the creator of this amazing no-clasp tutorial on M.I.S.S. using multiple chains including a magnetic chain and a small magnet. She was inspired by a designer piece. Just by knotting and wrapping, she created 3 different looks - a lariat, a choker and a bracelet - from the same grouping of silver and gold chains. You can't get any quicker making this one!  Via

Earrings are my favorite pieces of jewelry to design. There are so many ways to make them different. Indeed the permutations are endless!  I really like all these earrings here for they have a contemporary look about them.

Business Beginnings Part 3 of 3
If you've ever had to stare at charts and graphs at boring meetings, you will be able to empathize with Lisa Prince, a strategist at Wieden+Kennedy. But she let her imagination loose and "by squinting a little, the data began to transform into something quite beautiful." As the ThisPlot website cleverly puts it, when Lisa met art director, Nicholla Longley, "x met y" and the collaborative handcrafted jewelry collection was born. Other members of the team include graphic designer, Andy Prince and jewelry artisan, Hannah Havana.

Business Beginnings 
Part 2 of 2
I was so awed when I stumbled upon Hayleigh's Cherished Charms, a website that's not even a month old. For starters the affordable jewelry is specifically designed to decorate any hearing aid, the first I know of. What's also remarkable is the age of Hayleigh Scott, the designer, creator and entrepreneur. She is only 10 years old - now the youngest jewelry artisan I have ever come across.

Business Beginnings Part 1 of 3
If you are wanting to sell online, there are a number of sites which take away the hassle and the cost of starting up your own website. The best known is Etsy. Earlier this year, I compared Etsy with their main rival, ArtFire which just celebrated their first anniversary.

ArtFire's set monthly fee with no commissions struck a chord with many artisans. You can sell as much as you like currently for $12 a month with a pro account. You can also have a free shop but there is a limit of 12 active listings and you won't have access to a number of features. [Update :Artfire is now offering unlimited listings for free shops until at least the end of the year and probably longer. But note these stores do not have the tools the pro shops do].

I've recently come across another selling site which may suit tighter budgets better. It's called FunkyFinds.US (click on The Shops). It is US based but like the other handmade selling sites, international sellers are welcome. This site is like ArtFire in that there is no commission charge.

Here is a great idea from Debbie (my friend and co-instructor). If you are making beaded zipper pulls, backpack or cell phone charms for the younger set, incorporate UV sensitive beads in the design! Shown here is her design for a friend's child. The zipper extension makes it easier for a small child to grasp.

Marcy Coral, the founder of JewelryGeeks, one of the fastest growing social network for jewelry artisans, shares something in common with me. Our names are jewelry related so we were destined from birth to be jewelry artisans! (Check out my past post on nominative determinism for some other fun real-life coincidences).

Cabochons are focals without any holes.One good way to turn them into pendants is to wire wrap them. Here are some free tutorials to show you how.

There are three main requirements for this technique.

• The use of square rather than round wire makes it easier to wrap wires together as the flat sides meet properly.
• Half round wire to do this wrapping as the flat side faces down and the rounded side is above. However, it can be all done with round wire - just check out Szarka's jasper pendant design here if you are experienced like her.
• If you like the look of this type of traditional wire work, some precision preparation is needed - you will have to measure and mark your wires.

Imagine wearing a dress all lit up like a Christmas tree! The Galaxy Dress is gloriously aglow with 24,000 colorful LED lights with 4,000 Swarovski crystals helping with the megasparkle! Watch the video for the full color changing effect.

Debbie, my co-instructor and friend was asked to design a pair of earrings to go with an old wooden necklace sporting a leopard pendant. It was purchased years and years ago at San Diego Zoo.

Perhaps it speaks volumes about our combined bead collections but Debbie was able to find enough beads that complimented the necklace!

Have you ever had a cord necklace that is a little too long? I have. Rather than cutting off the cord ends and starting again, here is a quick solution - tie a simple knot close to the cord tip. Heck, you can even tie two or more knots in a row if you really overshot the length and it'll still look like it was part of the design!

Unique Sparklers Part 2 of 2
It might be a little early for the "C" word for some of you but this amazing Christmas bauble has been making the news! It is made from 18-carat white gold and studded with over 1500 diamonds including 3 1-carat stones.The two orbital rings are bejeweled with 188 rubies.

Designer Stella McCartney was so inspired by the medieval Belsay Castle in Northumberland, England,  she designed this stunning hanging Swarovski horse sculpture called Lucky Spot. It was originally a temporary exhibit for the 2004 Fashion at Belsay Exhibition but it returned to the Great Hall earlier this year due to popular demand.

Soft Jewelry Part 2 of 2
I just learned that felt is the oldest fabric known to mankind. Wool is compressed in a number of ways including putting the wool piece in the hot cycle of the washing machine - a process known as how to shrink your husband's wool sweater! But felt as jewelry? Incredibly, it's been done.

Do you have a fabric stash? Want to whittle it down a bit? Then check out these awesome tutorials to make jewelry from fabric. They not only make jewelry possible for people with metal allergies but now jewelry can really coordinate with your wardrobe! Crafty artisans can use some of these tips to embellish other items like purses, bags and hats.

Stiffened Fabric Pendant
If you never thought fabric could make jewelry, then take a look at this gorgeous stiffened fabric pendant tutorial by Craftypod. Choosing the right fabrics would really make your design stand out.

Mary Victoria Leiter (1870-1906) later Baroness Curzon of Kedleston, was an American heiress (see my past post on Jewels for the Dollar Princesses) whose father was a partner in the Marshall Fields retail empire. Her privileged life was filled with glittering jewels but her story shows the one thing all the wealth in the world could not buy, and that was her health.

British Raj in India Part 1 of 2
If you live anywhere close to London, England or are visiting, the Victoria and Albert Museum has a fantastic Maharaja exhibition: The Splendor of Indian Royal Courts on right now until January 17, 2010. It will then go to Munich, Germany from February to May. Why am I so enthusiastic? If you are talking about royal splendor, unimaginable wealth and oodles of gemstones and jewelry, you cannot beat the Maharajas and their courts in their heyday.

A bead addiction is defined as an insatiable need to acquire beads. Sufferers are physically and psychologically dependent on beads. They need to work with and purchase beautiful beads and gemstones on a regular basis and will go into withdrawal if deprived.

What are the causes and symptoms?
Starting a jewelry making hobby is the major cause. Increased blood pressure and heart rates when viewing large quantities of beads. Hyperventilation may also occur in susceptible individuals. Some sufferers are known to emit squeals when near or handling beads at bead shows or stores, but these are generally not linked to pain so analgesics (painkillers) are not necessary. In severe cases, the compulsive behavior may lead to surreptitious behavior like hiding bead purchases as general household expenses.

Yvonne was certainly in a neutral kind of mood for this workshop session. She picked some gorgeous irregular mother of pearl dagger beads and came up with the necklace design. Notice that she spaced them out with dark bronze seed beads. She then used extra long bronze bugle beads for the rest of the necklace. As the dagger beads were too large for earrings, she used glass dagger beads instead to complete this simple but bold design.

I'm all ears Part 2 of 2
Karla of Thyme2dream on Artfire takes ear cuffs and ear wraps to a whole new level.  Her gorgeous designs are beautifully embellished with beads and wire work. Each one has been hand forged to fit ears just so. They are perfect for those who for whatever reason don't have pierced ears. Even if you do, adding her creations to your stud or dangle earrings will surely make everyone go wow!

I'm all ears Part 1 of 2
Looking for something different to wear with that special bare back evening gown? Then you can't beat the hip multi-chained Cold Hearted Snake Earpiece (available in different metals) for sending shivers down your back - literally. The chains slither across your skin with every move you make! The snake piece is slightly malleable so you can bend it for a custom fit.

Making jewelry is not nearly as hard as taking good pictures of them. Agreed? Indeed jewelry photography is often the first major obstacle for many a budding artisan. It was also a big issue for me when I first started this blog (check out my past post 13 things I learnt about jewelry photography)


Want more stress? Then take a look at Craftgawker and see if you are up to the challenge of having your craft AND the photography be accessed for acceptance onto the site. Think of the publicity if people like your photo.

Double holed Inspirations Part 2 of 2
Double holed crystal slider beads are usually used for bracelets. However many beginner beaders like them and have wanted them for earrings. We've always encouraged them to go for it. Shown here is Terri's solution to the double holed beads. Terri added two bugle beads side by side below the sliders using head pins. Her earring findings were slightly shiny black metal which suited the slider beads.

Double Holed Inspirations Part 1 of 2
Button rings are really fun to do - I can get carried away doing a whole bunch of them. There are so many lovely buttons to choose from and that includes your own button stash!Combine a few for some fun, funky looks and coordinate your outfits.