The Beading Gem

Brooches have made a comeback after decades of neglect.  Even so, I am always on the lookout for alternative uses of brooches.

The latest find is the brilliant DIY brooch bracelet tip from Lisa over at the Pursuit of Happiness blog. What she did was pin an old brooch onto several bracelets thus holding them together.

A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.  It's the only word which describes the tiny swinging animals by Nancy Bevins over at the Motley Mutton on Etsy. She has been creating needle felted sculptures for years - see her gallery on her website.

There are many of you waiting for this announcement with baited breaths.  It's not just about these truly  innovative steady stands.  But thanks to Lex's generosity, there were an astounding six of them to give away from last week's sweepstakes. Also a big thank you to all who left such kind comments for both Lex and myself.

Do elephants live in South America?  Obviously not. But tagua nuts collected there are connected to these majestic beasts in Africa in a totally different way.

Steph over at Southern Fairy Designs created this pretty pearl and ribbon knotted necklace tutorial for herself.  It was inspired by an Anthropologie design called Power of Three. The 3-pearl clusters certainly catch the eye!


The well named design takes advantage of the rule of three concept used in various design disciplines, the arts even in statistics and mathematics, aviation, computing and economics.

Does a bracelet have to be a bracelet?  Nope.  Many jewelry pieces can indeed to be converted to other designs.  One of the easiest and perhaps most common tricks is to turn a bracelet into a necklace. 


That's exactly what Sherri did at one beading party.  She wanted to learn how to do wire crochet but preferred a necklace.  So all she had to do was to make a wire crochet bracelet (see tutorial link below) and then have two lengths of chains attached for the back of the necklace. The result was a pretty necklace just the way she wanted it!


Heading further north is LoveMaegan's DIY for converting a bracelet into a headband!  It's super easy and will give new life to old bracelets.  Little fashionistas you know will also love this idea.

Beader Design #:  689

Before You Go:

• Knit and Wire Crochet Jewelry Tutorial and Books
• How to Make a Convertible Charm Necklace/Bracelet Tutorials
• How to Make Convertible Brooch Pendant Necklaces
• How to Make a Necklace from Clip on Earrings

______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips 

Cord necklaces can be bought ready made.  But it is so much better to make your own because you can easily add the beads or pendants before you add the cord ends.  Commercial ones pretty well commit you to using bails for pendants.

Many of us love wire work so it's an absolute treat when we come across incredibly inspirational wire artisans like Ruth Jensen who is the designer behind Sparkflight on Etsy.


Ruth, who is from Minnesota, is a self taught artist who loves working with wire. She is able to make not only spectacular jewelry designs but also much larger wire sculptures.

I'm impressed!  So many of you were not just drawn to Melinda's gorgeous designs and awesome tutorial, but were keen to learn something new.  Needless to say, there were a great many entries to last week's wonderful riveted earring kit giveaway.

Ever since I bought my compact Modahaus 216 photo set up, I've been delighted with the ease of use and the much better quality jewelry pictures I have been getting.

But there is one angle I still have to shoot without a tripod - the overhead one.  The resulting photos are not ideal as no matter how steady I try to be, there is always a slight blurring.  Trying to get the focusing right with a hand held camera is another issue.

Guest Post by Angelita Williams :

No matter how many trends come and go, beaded clothing and jewelry stay in style throughout the year. But, it is always important to think of new ways to freshen up your creations or generate trend-related sales. One of the easiest methods is to create a few on-trend pieces by copying the color profiles that popular for the upcoming season.

If you’re not obsessively following runway fashion trends, here’s a nice cheat sheet. Endlessly savvy fashion site Refinery29.com laid out a great outline of the top spring 2012 color trends to know about now. These hues range from sexy neutrals, to soft and creamy pastels, to fun and sultry tangerine.

Here are four color profiles you can add to your beaded work to both attract your fashionista customers and throw a small splash of trendy color into your own wardrobe this spring.

1. Multi-Layered Neutrals


Layered neutrals were one of the hottest trends for spring this year. And neutrals are never a bad thing to have in your closet, especially when it comes to jewelry. Neutrals can tone down or play up certain color schemes and add a touch of elegance to any outfit. Refinery 29 noted shades like “soft oatmeals, browns, tans, grays, and neutral tones” as prominent on the runway. You probably even have some old beads lying around in unexpected neutral shades. What better time to put them to use, using things like natural wooden beads or neutral fabrics and other soft materials.

Fabric Bib Necklace Tutorial by Another Day in Paradise Part 1/Part 2 and 3

2. Creamy Pastels


Anything girly is all the rage this spring, with shades like blush pink, mint green, creamy lilac and soft blue popular everywhere. This is the best time to buy some creamy pastel beads to use on practically anything. Check out the mint green of these earrings created by an Etsy user. This is the perfect shade for spring in 2012. Try adding some lace, ruffle or polka dots to your creations and market them to the fashion set.

Lace and Pearl Bracelet Tutorial by Flamingo Toes

I've covered a number of recycled fabric jewelry tutorials before (see links below). However, this new find is different.


This is also a great project for kids, girl guide leaders, church youth groups and so on.  

 Before You Go :

• Turn Old T-Shirts into Jewelry
• T-Shirt and Recycled Clothing Jewelry Tutorials
• More Recycled T-Shirt Jewelry Tutorials

______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips 

Are you like me, somewhat set in the usual choices of beading wire colors?  Well, it really is time to break old habits and explore new beading wire frontiers! 

Do you enjoy drinking wine at parties?  Then you might like this nifty invention, the wine glass holder necklace! It's hands-free drinking like you've never seen before.


The necklace sling allows you to load up on a plate full of tasty snacks at the same time. There is also no chance of mixing up your glass with someone else's. Or if you're the animated sort, it might also prevent you from accidentally splashing someone close by with your drink! Although you could stain your own clothes if you're not careful.

My DH was about to toss out a leather belt because it was broken.  But I couldn't bear to see such good leather go to waste so I rescued it for jewelry making!  If you've got similar unloved leather belts in your future, consider doing the same!

I'm not really fond of stud earrings as they aren't comfortable when I have the phone receiver to my ear.  However, they do appeal to those who don't like dangles.


The good part about making your own is the ability to get the right length posts. Sometimes bought studs do poke because the posts are too long.

Signe Albertson who now lives in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area describes her mixed media style as similar to collage.

Riveting is a fabulous way to make cold connections - i.e. join metal pieces without using any heat like from a torch. It is much better than using glue as the connections are secure.


One way is to use eyelets as I did in my tutorial on How to Make Riveted Recycled Soda Can Earrings.

On a chilly April 15 back in 1912, the great White Stars ocean liner, Titanic sank on her maiden voyage. The ship labelled as "unsinkable" had tempted fate. 1518 people perished.


The enduring fascination with this tragedy will peak once more with many planned events as the 100th anniversary approaches.

There are even Titanic memorial cruises!  One $60,000  2-week cruise also includes an 8-10 hour dive in a submarine! Only for those with very deep pockets and who don't suffer from claustrophobia!

On April 11,  Guernsey's Auctioneers will be selling off more than 5000 Titanic artifacts as a single collection. One of the items is this bracelet below.  This very personal of belongings is a poignant reminder of this devastating event.


This auction is controversial as is the company which is selling the artifacts.  The artifacts were collected via submarine from what is essentially an underwater grave site - something some people prefer it remain undisturbed.  Having said that, artifacts are often salvaged from other wrecks which also involved the loss of human life, so the Titanic is no different except in the scale of the disaster.

There are conditions to this sale. The collection cannot be broken up and must be available for research, education and public display. So it will most likely go to a museum. 

April will also see the re-release of James Cameron's 1997 Titanic movie in 3D format.

Perhaps it's been a while since you watched the movie. But do you remember that beautiful blue diamond necklace worn by the fictional heroine,  Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet)?  Check out the movie trailer which shows several scenes featuring this necklace.

Heart of the Ocean by Ben Sutherland via Flickr

The Heart of the Ocean necklace was created specifically for the movie. The London based Asprey and Garrard designed it using a blue cubic zirconia set in white gold.

There really was a blue gemstone necklace on board the Titanic but it was a square cut blue sapphire. It belonged to Kate Florence Phillips. It was a gift from her married lover, Samuel Morley. Both were fleeing to America to begin a new life. This love story is believed to have inspired the movie.

Morley did not survive the sinking.  Placed in a lifeboat, Kate made it with just a nightgown, the necklace, keys and a purse. She bore his child, conceived on the crossing.  Likely due to the shame of being an unwed mother and a husband-stealing one at that, Kate neglected and abused their love-child. She eventually died in an asylum.

Their daughter, Ellen Walker,  lived until she was in her 90's.  After Ellen's death,  her ashes were scattered near the area where her father was lost. Ellen Walker had tried for years but failed to get her father's name put into her birth certificate. For some reason, she sold that necklace years before her death. More of Ellen's story is here.
 
Much of the jewelry that went down with the Titanic were small items.  However, Lady Duff Gordon (played by Rosalind Ayres in the movie), a noted London fashion designer, had a $50,000 strand of pearls on loan from her jewelers in Venice. It  was placed in the purser's safe which went down with the ship.

Madam Lucile, Lady Duff Gordon via Wikipedia

Also lost were her emerald and pearl cross earrings shown in her picture below. These were Duff Gordon family heirlooms, a wedding gift from her husband.

Madam Lucile, Lady Duff Gordon The Sphere (London, 27 April 1912),  p. 72

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (north-east of New York) where I live, is significant in the story of the Titanic.

Route and location of the Titanic via Wikipedia

Even though Halifax was the nearest major seaport with rail connections, the survivors were taken directly to New York because the captain of the rescue ship, Carpathia, had to turn southwards to avoid the icebergs.

The grim tasks of body recovery and burial were left to Canadian cable ships and the city of Halifax.  150 bodies were buried in various city cemeteries including that of Irishman Joseph Dawson who was a coal trimmer in the ship's boiler room.

Although James Cameron denied Dawson was the inspiration behind the movie hero, Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), busloads of young female fans nevertheless wore down the path to his gravestone which is simply marked, "J. Dawson". They left flowers, movie ticket stubs and so on there in the aftermath of the blockbuster movie.

One of several permanent collections of Titanic exhibits is located here at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Many of the artifacts were donated or loaned by the descendents of mariners who not only helped recover the bodies but salvaged floating debris as mementos in an old maritime tradition called "wreckwood".

A particularly poignant and moving exhibit at this museum is this pair of toddler's shoes from the body of an unidentified little boy.  Unlike other personal belongings on the recovered bodies, no relative claimed them. They should have been burned along with other unclaimed items in order to deter souvenir hunters. But the police officer in charge was so overcome, he couldn't bring himself to burn the tiny brown leather shoes, so he kept them. Many years later, his grandson donated them to the Maritime Museum.

Titanic Lounge (Picture Source)

Halifax will inundated with visitors this year due to the anniversary. One interesting event is a historic dinner theater production called Titanic :The Fated Voyage .  The tasteful production aims to set the right historic mood for the audience with the first class lounge setting, period songs and music and an authentic menu - the same that was served to the actual passengers on that fateful night. The cast of 8 will play real and fictional characters in the 3-act show.

References

• 882 1/2 Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic (book)
• Titanic in Nova Scotia 
• Nova Scotia Archives - RMS Titanic Resource Guide
• Titanic Auction Not Popular at Maritime Museum

Before You Go :

• H. Stern's Amazing Alice in Wonderland Rings
• James Cameron's Avatar Movie Inspired Jewelry
• The Jewelry of an Epic Bollywood Movie

______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips 

I absolutely adore making earrings.  There are so many different designs to come up with and what's more, they are fast projects. There is nothing like instant gratification, is there?

It's sometimes useful to be a jewelry maker because all the stuff we accumulate for the craft can be used for home decor projects too.   Laura's clever tutorial to label bottles in the bathroom and medicine cabinet is just such a project. What a terrific idea!

Did you like my past post on how to recycle computer keys into jewelry?  Well, this tutorial feature goes back to pre-high tech days - the keys come from old typewriters! These add considerable vintage charm to jewelry!

Wire name writing is a super technique to try because the resulting necklace focal is created from one long piece of wire without any soldering!


There are no easy short cuts - practice is required.  You should use thicker and firmer wire to form the letters- do not use soft temper. The harder tempers will keep the shape better as you go along.  Making your letter formations smaller sized will also help. I learned that the hard way as I had a go myself (see link below).

Broken skateboards need not be sent to the dump. Not if Derek Keenan, the artisan behind MuKee on Etsy can help it! He reclaims old skateboards and gives them a new lease of life as jewelry!

The jewelry from Ezistock featured in last week's giveaway were simply spectacular!  If you haven't already done so, check out their blog too which has some interesting features about Thailand. Who knows?  You might even visit there some day!

Making a beaded bezel for a cabochon is much easier than one created with metal strips as in metal smithing or with wire.  But you got to like working with seed beads!

I thank Aparna (Melisma Wirework), who is a wire work artisan I featured before, for this tip on Colorado based Ray Gabriel's gemstone store on Etsy. I can see why she is a fan because there is a wide range of lovely gemstone cabochons available at affordable (wholesale) prices.

Have you ever considered using armature wire for jewelry projects?  It's really just thick wire which is used as a supporting framework just as sculptures use for larger creations.

It is a very useful idea as you can turn to less expensive options such as aluminum.
 

I'm slowly gathering together all the things I need for making metal clay jewelry. So far I've got the clay, a mini- torch, some clay rolling tools and even the fire brick. The last one thanks to my friend Bonnie who picked one up for me from a local brick place.

Single chain and bead wire crochet bracelets are really easy to make even if you have never done crochet before. It's a very forgiving technique although some people may not like the informal look.