The Beading Gem

It's one thing to be artistic and creative as a child.  It's another to actually grow up and pursue it as a career.  That's exactly what Arni (Arnaz) did.  This Indian artisan is based in Mumbai.  She received her training in Fine Arts but what kickstarted her jewelry making career was a GIA (Gemology Institute of America) course she took in California.

Ethnic Bib Necklace Giveaway : Brass, Swarovski crystal, resin, paua

It's not long now before Easter.  So if you are planning to make some jewelry gifts, consider this beaded Easter Fun bracelet tutorial from Fusion Beads. The pastel color combination is lovely and perfect for Easter.  This is basically a charm style bracelet with coordinating round crystals filling in the spaces.

I don't know about you, but when I sew, I tend to buy extra lace, tape or ribbon....just in case.  If I don't, I invariably run short.  So my extra carefulness means I have bits and pieces leftover which I am loathe to throw away.

Apologies to Tolkien but the Ring by Logbar is a ring to "shortcut everything" in our modern lives.  It is a wearable input device which in essence is the "wand" which will indeed turn the light on without having to chant the "Lumos" spell like Hermione Granger.

Those single use coffee capsules ensure an easy but good cup of java in the morning. However, they aren't very environmentally friendly.  Unless you recycle them!  Here are 3 great tutorials which use the Nespresso coffee capsules which come in a variety of colors.  If you didn't know what they were, you'd think these were designer pieces!

Ah, the joys of getting older. My fingers have gotten larger so much so that I had to have my wedding band resized not too long ago.  Getting it off was a job.  I tried the twisting method while gently pulling but to no avail.  Luckily it did come off with a bit of olive oil.

There are many talented bead artists out there.  But it takes someone innovative like Natalia Skodova to stand out from the crowd.  This Prague, Czech Republic based artisan makes gorgeous beaded jewelry. It is her wonderful and delightful ability to mimic nature that really caught my eye.

Dance of the Peacock Necklace

It's great to see so many Czech bead lovers out there as you came out in droves for this giveaway. I thought super duos would be the most favorited beads. But in truth you love all kinds of Czech beads! Picasso beads though were frequently mentioned.  That's not surprising because the finish is so unique!

Czech Pellet Beads

Maybe you won't be buying lucite flowers and leaves after you see Cathe Holden's shrink plastic tutorial! It's on her blog Just Something I Made.  I like the way she forms the flowers.

I've seen chunky faceted rings before. They are usually made from precious metals and currently trendy.  You can also get that look by making your own faceted rings out of polymer clay.  Chelsea Costa who writes the Lovely Indeed blog, shared her tutorial over on Poppy Talk.

One aspect of designing anything is not just the skill but the time,effort and creativity it takes to come up with a design. So I thought it might be fun to share what my design processes were with this month's Prima Bead challenge. If you're like me, the first idea you have is rarely the one which results in the final design!

Want something dainty but easy to do? Then make some seed bead jewelry.  No beadweaving necessary! Stephanie of Henry Happened's delicate seed bead bracelet tutorial.  It is a simple triple strand bracelet with the seed beads staying put in the middle with some glue on the wire.

Magnetic clasps are fantastic because it takes the hassle out of fastening.  I made a number of necklaces for my elderly mother-in-law using these clasps as she could no longer manage regular clasps.  But some of the basic ones aren't very pretty. If you agree, then check out this tutorial from Bijou Beads  (Update : the link no longer works) on how to bead weave and cover magnetic clasps.
 

Eszter Imre was born in Hungary but now lives in Sweden.  She is a ceramic artist and designer who came up with Table Wear, her unusual collection of hand made porcelain jewelry. 

The Czech bead manufacturing industry has a long history and reputation for innovative beads. Best Beads is a Czech based retail and wholesale bead supplier which exports products from not just Preciosa Ornela - perhaps the best known Czech company - but also others.

Red Button Macrame Bracelet with Pellet Beads

Don't you just love wire wrapped earrings tutorials?  I know I do!   This tutorial by Lindsay Burke of FusionBeads was first featured on Step by Step Wire Jewelry some years ago.  It is a delightful design for a couple of reasons.

Beading is such a creative art form.  It can be used for so many designs.  So rather than the more common butterflies, flowers, dragonflies, how about some prehistoric creatures?  Russian beader, Svetlana shared her awesome beaded pterodactyl designs over on Biserok.  You will have to use an online translator to help you decipher the brick stitch instructions. They would make fabulous and unusual statement earrings with the addition of appropriate beaded loops for hanging.

We are at the beginning of a huge influx of high tech jewelry.  While many wearable tech gadgets are useful, most fall short in looks.  That's what  Deepa Sood, who made her own jewelry, thought. So she developed, sought funding and launched CUFF, a GPS enabled line of personal security jewelry.  Cuff is all about "personal security without sacrificing style."

Vitreous enameling is a decorative art form which dates back thousands of years. The durable material is made by fusing powdered glass on metal with high temperatures. Gorgeous jewelry can be made with this technique.  Some historical examples include cloisonné (both Chinese and European) where the glass is melted with wire cells and the work of Art Nouveau masters like Rene Lalique.

Statement necklaces needn't be hard to make.  Russian beader, Elena MalTseva created this gorgeous multicord bead wrapped necklace tutorial and shared the video tutorial.

As many of you know, Judy teaches jewelry making and shares her PDFs here for all to enjoy.  Her wire work Leftover Madness Bead necklace tutorial is her latest share. It's not just a great tutorial for odd beads but it manages to include a couple more ideas. 

Victoria Lansford is an extraordinary jewelry artisan. She is not only skilled in all kinds of metal work but also a passionate modern day master of ancient world jewelry making techniques.  Some of this Atlanta, Georgia artisan's most exquisite work is in the art of filigree metalwork. The kind she does is known as Russian or Open Back filigree.

Curves in the Right Places II : Russian Filigree

The feature on the dire situation with wild elephants in last week's giveaway certainly struck a chord with many readers. It's not just elephants, but rhinos too which are hunted for their horns and used as traditional medicine. The illegal poaching has become so bad lately there is a real risk these creatures will be extinct in parts of Africa in the next few years.

Tagua Bead Necklace

Do you sell jewelry?  If so, you probably have some displays.  There are all types available out there although some artisans prefer to make their own (see links below).  I myself bought one black bracelet holder and promptly regretted it as my designs did not show well.  I now use whitish fabric or even frosted plastic displays for my more colorful designs.

Wire wrapped prong rings are advanced wire wrapping techniques.  But I came across this neat wire prong set crystal ring video tutorial by Wyatt White which is easier to accomplish. It is for a cocktail style ring so you've got to like large!

Do you like making Shambala bracelets?  These are macrame bracelets with a distinctive knotted fastener section.  I previously featured a great tip to eliminate the need to make the extra knotted section. However, Jodie Marshall's clever beaded fastener tip and tutorial is another worthy alternative.

Riveting is one awesome technique to do.  That's because you can join components together without heat.  So if you dislike or don't have the space to accommodate soldering, then this cold connection method is for you.  It might be "cold" but it is a hot, as in trendy, technique lately.

Tired of stringing? Or are you just bored with the way your jewelry designs are looking? There are simple ways to jazz up designs without having to learn a huge amount of new skills. They will take your one dimensional jewelry to new heights - literally - with three dimensional jewelry!

State map pendants have been popular for a while.  Very likely because celebrities have been spotted wearing them.  You can make your own out of wire.  See how Julieta of VJuliet does it.

Eva Maria Keiser is a wonderful bead artist who is truly passionate about her chosen art form.  She said rather poetically, "Beadwork allows me to remember, to forget, to forgive, and to have a universal voice." Shown here are some designs from her drop dead gorgeous beaded vessel collection.


 

Tagua beads are wonderful substitutes for elephant ivory.  These beads are made from the nuts of the ivory palm trees which grow in Central and South America.  They are the same hue as ivory and can also be carved.   Here is the latest design with some of the beads Ecuadorian Hands sent me some time ago.

Misfit Shine on wristband

Blogging and jewelry making are rather sedentary occupations. While I make an effort to exercise regularly, I often wonder if I am doing enough.  So when I heard about a local university study on the use of wearable activity trackers by older people I was intrigued enough to volunteer.  Wearable tech is of great interest to me because there are increasing numbers of different lifestyle products on the market. Some are now attractive enough to also masquerade as jewelry.

I've come across some great sun inspired wire wrapped pendant tutorials.  But this one by Natalie Sorensen on Snapguide is clever because of its innovative construction.  It's done with 20G and is a very forgiving design - i.e. it will suit beginners just fine!