The Beading Gem

Do you knit or know someone who does?  If so check out Fiber Fool's tutorial on how to make shanked buttons from beads!  It's a clever "cross-over craft" idea to use a bit of wire and beads from jewelry making to make the buttons for knitwear.

It's all in the family with sisters, Leslie Huston and Shelly Harper.  Accessoreez,  their collection of contemporary art glass jewelry is a successful amalgamation of their respective skills in art glass borosilicate, bead work and metal work.

I am so glad they joined my Twitter community because that's how I came to know about their gorgeous work. Their multi-disciplinary collection is truly inspirational!

Brenda Sue and I thank all of you who added such lovely comments.

It didn't surprise me to know that some of you were already familiar with Gilder's Paste and B'Sue Boutiques long before last week's giveaway.  Although Beverly said she only has one pot and wants more, more, more!

Sixth and Springs  recently sent me a new jewelry book to review and there is an extra copy for one lucky winner! It's called Creative Wire Jewelry and it's by Ariella Nachshon who lives in Tel Aviv.

It's a 40+ design book that will help assuage the demand for ever popular wire jewelry projects!  The jewelry style leans towards contemporary and funky.  There are also a number of long necklace and chain designs  reflecting current trends.

Furniture Inspirations
Part 2 of 2
I must thank reader Waldemar who commented on one of my past posts on recycled paper jewelry and introduced me to an amazing Italian designer, Gian Luca Bartellone. He creates outstanding one of a kind jewelry pieces from paper.

He calls his collection Body Furnitures. It's a rather clever moniker. Furniture after all is furnishings for a room. So why not bejeweled "furnishings" for our bodies?

Many of you are likely familiar with the balling of silver wire when held in a flame (see tutorial link below).  Well, check out this awesome basic metal smith project using double balled wire to make a rondelle ring.

The tutorial is by Janice over at the Jewelry Artists Network. The process involves filing, coiling, soldering, hammering, making holes and making the double balls to hold the bead.  What's really neat is the trick the metal smith used to protect the bead when making the second ball.

One of my local clients has such a passion for handmade jewelry she has a huge collection to prove it. She says she devotes a hutch to storing jewelry rather than chinaware!

Well, thanks to a reader, Karri, who sent me this tip,  here is a great furniture idea for other jewelry mavens who find the common storage units too small.

Often the beginner beaders at our workshop delight us with lovely beaded combinations.

Cheryl's selection of purplish beads certainly does compliment the copper beads and clasp she chose for her bracelet.  I love how she mixed different shapes and types of beads for her design.

Raffi Stepanian is a freelance jewelry designer who has discovered a lucrative sideline - prospecting for gold and gemstones from the sidewalks and gutters of New York City streets.


Not just any street, but those in Manhattan's Diamond District. That's because the jewelers in the area inadvertently drop small chips of diamonds, rubies and other gemstones and gold dust from their clothes when they walk out of their stores.

Leather jewelry is always popular so here are a few more to try.


This one is my new favorite. It was made by LoveMaegan based on a designer creation and given as a gift to one of her readers.  Check out her tutorial here. The basic fringed leather design can be further enhanced with bead dangles and other findings.

Image by the CraftyPod

People who try out wire crochet usually end up liking it.  The beginner beaders at our workshops including those who have never done crochet before, love the final result.  The pieces have the look of hand crafted jewelry which looks difficult to do. Far from it, it's actually easy.

Just check out Diane Gilleland of the CraftyPod blog's excellent tutorial on how to get started. Her clear pictures and instructions are a breeze to follow.

Plastic Gold : Ziurla Necklace

About a couple of weeks ago, I didn't know B'Sue Boutiques existed. But I discovered Brenda Sue's store when I stumbled on her videos while researching on how to use Gilder's Paste to colorize metal jewelry.

Fairytale Recycled Necklace -  by ecoblingcouture on Etsy

This guest post is by Jessica Carter, a writer with years of experience in the diamond industry as a gemological apprentice and consultant.

The 3 Rs are becoming ever more relevant in our current world of waste and excess. We are now routinely taught in school to reduce waste by recycling products such as plastic and paper, and to reuse whatever we can.

Jewelry Reflections
Part 3 of 3
Jewelry artisans sometimes struggle with jewelry photography. With good reason, we are not professional photographers.

So it helps to have a role model. One incredible jewelry photographer is Israeli Dmitriy Yoav Reinshtein. His reflective shots of some, if not all, of  Michael (Michal) Negrin's scrumptious jewelry.

Jewelry Reflections
Part 2 of 3
My friend Margaret has a stressful day job. Her method of relaxing, making jewelry, rapidly became an addiction.  Sound familiar?

Margaret opened her Etsy store called SimplyAdorned4U recently and asked me for feedback.

Multiplying the single diamond

Part 1 of 3
Can't afford a huge diamond? That's not a problem if you check out the limited edition diamond mirror rings by Swiss designer Nicolas Le Moigne and the historic Viennese jeweler AE Kochert (they were once the imperial jeweler to the Habsburg-Lothringen dynasty).

The designer exaggerates the size and even the number of diamonds by cleverly integrating mirrors into the ring designs so you get more for your money!

Men used to wear sleeve garters. These were very popular more than 100 years ago at a time when  manufacturers only made shirts with a standard long sleeve length.

So the garters as you can see from the picture of a barbershop quartet below not only shortened the sleeves but kept them cleaner when the men were working.

Spiral rope necklaces are quick to whip up. I also find them quite relaxing to do as there is a certain rhythm to stitching them. Here is a another stitch variation. The tutorial and project instructions for the Helixa necklace is by Sarah McConnell.

It appears in her Lark Crafts book entitled One Big Beautiful Bead: Simple Jewelry with Focal Beads. As you can see, visually appealing bead work can compliment a single focal or art bead very well.

WRecordsByMonkey of Brooklyn makes an astonishing array of vinyl record jewelry designs. It's true when they say it's "where fashion, art and music collide " for what they create is truly inspirational! The designs range from the vintage look of their Heritage Collection to striking fabric and modern cityscape inspired pieces.

Their designs sometimes mix vinyl records with acrylic or wood for dramatic effects as well as display distinctive graphic designs on the jewelry.

Flowers are one of the most popular design elements. No wonder for they are one of nature's loveliest creations. If you prefer the bead and wire varieties, check out the links below.

However here are several tutorials for the fabric variety for incorporating into jewelry such as bib necklaces. They are also great for all kinds of embellishments on clothing, hats, bags, hairbands, hair clips bouquets and so on.

There are seed bead enthusiasts everywhere. Their work is as varied as their backgrounds and locations. And yet what unites them is a "common thread"  - the ability to make beautiful designs out of the most humble of beads.

Kalmbach Publishing just sent me Beading Across America: Jewelry Inspiration from Coast to Coast to review. It's an amazing collection of bead work inspired by the vast landscape of this enormous nation. 

Blog visitors were temporarily unable to view my blog on Sunday morning. This is because the servers of the domain registrar I use is down. They are fixing it as I write.

So while subscribers are able to see the posts as delivered by feeds and email, any attempt to comment or to view another post would not work.

I apologize for this inconvenience. It was out of my control. (Update : They did fix it shortly after I posted this!)

Image from Cut Out and Keep

Recycling spoons and forks for jewelry is a long standing craft dating back centuries. It made sense as traditional silverware is made from real silver.

Flatware and silverware jewelry was really popular a few decades ago and people are still making such adornment today. No wonder - the patterns on these cutlery are often beautiful.

Cool Tools
Part 2 of 2
Father's Day is just round the corner. So it's a perfect time to feature this neat Honeycomb necklace pendant from Blend Creations.

The stainless steel hexagonal design also doubles as a multi-sized wrench!

Cool Tools
Part 1 of 2
Don`t you just hate trying to put on a bracelet in the morning? You probably haven't had coffee yet so the caffeine hasn't kicked in. The end of the bracelet keeps slipping away from you. Frustrating.

There are solutions - bracelet fastening tools. While there are some commercial ones you can buy, here is one great DIY version.

This special colored wax is produced by  Artist Supplies & Products and can be used not only on metals but wood, ceramics, resin and polymer clay.

Shingo Matsushita's "Knit" jewelry collection is actually crochet. His contemporary approach to crochet jewelry features simple geometric shapes and color contrasts to great effect.

All sorts of metal rings and wire get his special treatment. Shingo also combines different materials like cotton, leather, silk, gold thread and cultured pearls into his designs. He does it all in truly unique ways!

These pictures were taken with my old camera which was obviously having a bad day at a workshop. They didn't do Cathy's earrings any justice.

But really, Cathy's pretty blue and pink earrings are cool!  The two colors go so well together. The butterfly beads from Debbie's (my friend and co-instructor) collection is a delightful find.

Image by Martha Stewart.com

Sigh. Some day I will have more time and then I would love to branch off into polymer clay work. It's not just fun to do but the results can be colorful and gorgeous to behold.

This medium is also highly adaptable - you can make polymer clay look like other materials such as metal or even enamel. The sky's the limit for truly creative souls.

Underside

Not having to lug around a handbag is bliss when you can wear your essentials on your wrist.

Wallets2Wear has beaded wrist wallet jewelry that is a combination of a purse and a bracelet in one! The pouch underneath the beads has space for cash, credit cards and perhaps a key or two.

My spring flowers are out and my garden is starting to look really pretty.  Well, I am definitely going to patrol the beds a bit more thoroughly after I saw Mandy's wonderful pressed flower pendant tutorial over at her blog, Mandipidy.

It's easy although you do have to allow a week for pressing the flower.  And don't stop with a single flower either. Perhaps a bit of fern? A clover leaf? The possibilities are endless!

Image by Cat Ivins

I've recycled some old nuts and small washers from defunct equipment before to make fun and funky earrings. Rather simple affairs compared to these designs from some of the most creative online jewelry makers!

These super talented individuals wrote excellent tutorials. I've selected them to feature because each design uses a unique approach.

Like it or not, social media is increasingly influencing many parts of our lives.... including jewelry. Just as you declare your relationship status on Facebook,  Buump band bracelets now let you signal your availability or unavailability for everyone to see.

Rubber Tubing and Beads Hoop Earrings

There is nothing wrong with plain hoops. But sometimes you just want to jazz them up a little to make them truly your own.

Do you have hoop earrings that have lost their appeal because the plating has worn off? It's another reason to make fun cover up hoop earrrings.  Instead of throwing them away, restyle them with yarn, trimmings, fabric, felt, ribbon and even rubber tubing!

Image by Irene Helm

There are a number of ways to patinate metal (see my past post on 8 Ways to Patina Jewelry).

Some of the ways are stinky - LOS or liver of sulfur (potassium sulfide) and ammonia are two examples  - and also need to be used with care.