The Beading Gem

The Ojibwa and Lakota Native American tribes have a long standing tradition of making dreamcatchers. The simple willow hoops (round or teardrop) complete with "spiderwebs" are meant to catch the dreams of children. The Ojibwa believe the charms trap bad dreams and thus filter good dreams to the sleepers while conversely, the Lakota believe good dreams are caught for the benefit of the sleepers.

Got a new jump ring maker?  Then this project is just for you as it requires a lot of jump rings. The jump rings become part of the design.   They do contribute to a most informal look.  A good thing if your jump rings aren't all perfect!

When you buy clothes online or browse through a catalog, the goods are invariably modeled.  So it is with jewelry - pieces look far better on a person then just by themselves.   But if you, like me, don't have readily available model volunteers and don't have a budget to pay for professionals, then consider mannequins. They work for nothing - at least after you pay for them!

Do you hanker for a soldering iron?  You probably would if you take a look at this tutorial on how to make broken china earrings over at the Jovial Spondoodles blog.

The Japanese call chain maille "kusari" which means chain. The samurai used it as armor particularly during the 13th to 14th centuries. We now have far more peaceful ways of using chain maille!  So let's celebrate Japanese weaves.

Saffron Johns, a British artisan now living in Bulgaria has such a vivid imagination so much so she is able to create a whole world filled with whimsical crochet wire animals and characters. That's why her shop on Etsy is called Other Worlds.

Star Gazing Hedgehog Pendant Necklace

So many of you really appreciate family run businesses like The Bead Shop which sponsored last week's giveaway. Thanks for taking the time to say so and for admiring their lovely beads!

Kashmiri Beads

Ecuadorian Hands has sponsored many tagua beads giveaways here.  If you are new to these natural beads, then let me say these beads made from the nuts of Central American palm trees are beautiful!  They are cut into shape, dyed and polished to a beautiful shine.

Approximately $40 worth of tagua beads

Interchangeable earrings are those which allow you to swap out dangles from the basic earrings.  This means you can an infinite number of different earrings based on the same ear wires or studs.

I think it is safe to say most of us have button stashes.  Perhaps even some really pretty vintage ones.  Swarovski also makes lovely crystal buttonsfor the clothing industry. No matter where the source, you can make all kinds of button jewelry!

 All skills need practice to really hone them.  Our creative skills are no exception.  So if there were any sort of exercise to improve creative performance and increase our productivity, then we perhaps need to do some of  what Michelle does on her blog, Mich in LA.

I've been "collecting" a theme of self defense jewelry (see unusual jewelry links below).  Perhaps not really seriously self defense jewelry but awesome nonetheless is the striking woven necklace tutorial by Carly over at Chic Steals.

Evil eye jewelry has been worn for centuries to ward off bad luck.  It's still in vogue today. But often with a modern twist!

Industrial designer, Hila Rawet Karni's creative talent is evident in her previous paper jewelry collection I wrote about.  She has been working hard since then expanding her range to include metals and other materials.   3 years ago, she established a new site called Industrial Jewellery.

It never fails to astonish me how popular jewelry making is with no sign of diminishing interest either.  So beadaholics everywhere will appreciate knowing about yet another supplier and a wonderful chance to win some beads.  There is always room for more beads, right?

Ever wonder how a ring is resized?  Wedding Rings Direct handcraft their own rings from their workshop in Brighton, England.  They can resize the majority of rings bought from them so it fits perfectly.  Here Wedding Rings Direct have opened up their workshop in Brighton to show us how they do it.

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

 Altogether now! SIGH.  It's been such a long winter.  It's technically spring soon and yet there is still snow on the ground for some of us. So let is cheer ourselves up with a super easy flower necklace tutorial while waiting for the snow to melt away.

Blogs like mine publish posts via feeds (RSS) which can be sent to email subscribers or read with a feed reader.  Many people like the later because it reduces email clutter especially if they subscribe to many blogs - as I do.

Feedly in Chrome Browser

The Russian leaf is a lovely design to bead up as earrings.  If you are already an experienced beader, you'll love Beading4perfectionist's video tutorial for a gorgeous double Russian Leaf pair using peyote.  The gold and black make a beautiful combination.

Hoop earrings are fun to make, even more so when you can embellish. A bit of wire and beads and viola!  You don't have to be a wire expert either. This Swarovski crystal earrings tutorial starts with ready made hoops. Just remember to be firm when wrapping!

Flowers wilt.  So what could be better than a sparkling beautiful brooch bouquet on that special day?  Noaki on Etsy offers some absolutely stunning ones which brides can keep forever.  Her work is indeed breathtaking.

DIY Beading Club's generous giveaway last week was stupendous because so many people will get lucky enough to win a month's worth of tutorials.  It is a boon for wire and bead workers. 

One of my most popular past posts was the Hisssssterically Awesome Snake Earrings.There are apparently many people out there who love wearing snake jewelry.  You really don't have to like snakes to be able to make or wear snake jewelry!

Margaretha Geertruida Zelle (1876-1917) was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan best known as Mata Hari. She once half jokingly said to friends, "I will be celebrated or notorious." She also thought she would eventually die on the scaffold. It all came to pass except that she was shot not hung, accused as a spy during the First World War.

Mata Hari, 1906

I like coiling wire to add to my wire work jewelry designs.  Making your own wire coils to cut up into jump rings saves money especially when you need lots for chain maille or for some designs.

Conferences are in full swing in the winter/spring season.  This leads to this question. Why do name tags have to be so ugly?  You know the type I mean - plastic envelope with either a safety pin behind it or hung with string.  Well, beaders can do so much better!

Guest Post by Carolyn Edlund
Executive Director of The Arts Business Institute*

You love making jewelry. It’s your passion, your creative outlet, and perhaps even a bit of an obsession. But could you make jewelry in your studio and sell it to stores as a business?

I know I have featured how to make double wrapped loops before.  However, this lovely pearl dangle earrings not only offers a video tutorial look at how to do these loops but has some useful tips especially for newbies.  The tutorial is by Gail Nettles (aka Beaded Jewelry Diva)who has an Etsy store, TasminAnn Studio Bead Art.

As Easter is not too far off, it's time for more cross tutorials in a variety of techniques.  Don't forget to check out the past ones in the links below.

I am always on the lookout for kinetic jewelry designers.  It takes a special kind of artisan to create interactive movement in what are usually static pieces.

Malaysian, Jane Chew designs jewelry as XQDesigns.  She began writing tutorials a few years ago and has since gone on to collaborate with a few other jewelry artisans.  Her new DIY Beading Club is a place where members can purchase great jewelry making tutorials at even better prices! 

You don't have to be Irish to join in the fun for St Patrick's Day.  Make yourself something green or check out these great jewelry tutorials for inspiration! Be sure to look up the links below for past featured tutorials.

I usually see scrolled wire work in earrings and bracelets but not that often in necklaces. Well, Naomi of Noxcreare not only introduced it in her necklace design, her tutorial is for a bold statement style too! Her blog is in Italian so you'll have to use Google Translate. 

Hubert Duprat is a French artist known for making bejeweled art pieces with rather unusual assistants. He rears caddisfly larvae which make glittery tubes from precious metals and gemstones! No training required!

Photo by Jean-Luc Fournier.