The Beading Gem

This post is inspired by reader Peggy Barnette who emailed me ages ago asking if I had done any research on the cordless (butane powered) Dremel Versatip. The promo video certainly shows a very versatile 6 in 1 tool with many applications including soldering. 

solder wire, liquid flux, soldering iron

It is unaminous.  Those of you who did cross stitch really appreciated Jennifer's neat laser cut pendants and her giveaway too!

Some artisans display their passion for jewelry making remarkably well.  Sarah Thompson of Sarahndippity is a wonderful example.  Her wire woven jewelry is drop dead gorgeous. Her ability to not only weave the wire but layer it in a flowing sculptural manner is so inspiring.

Ruffles and Lace Necklace with Fine Silver and Swarvovski Crystals

Super invention, glue guns.  Did you know you can make faux enamel beads with them?  I certainly didn't until I came across Aki of Minted Strawberry's Candy Dot stud earrings tutorial. What a clever idea!  She forms the glue gun beads right on top of the glue-on style stud findings.

Sidonia Petki is an Italian beader who has a number of lovely beading tutorials on Youtube. She is particularly adept at beaded bezels which can be made into rings and pendants.  I have selected 3 of them which shows how to tackle different shaped crystal cabochons....Swaroski naturally!

Many people love peyote but my favorite stitch is brick stitch!  That's because it lends itself to forming patterns very well.  This awesome beaded diva pendant necklace tutorial uses the stitch to great effect.    The designer is Megan Petersen from Megan's Beaded Designs. 

Lampwork artists make beautiful beads which stand out in any jewelry design.  But you can certainly make the piece pop even more with some coordinating beadwork. Lynn Davy shares the tutorial for this lovely Rosebud bracelet over on the FHF Team blog.

Chain mail jewelry making is like kumihimo, knitting, crochet and other such craft where the repetitive motion calms and soothes.  But chain mail has other things extra to offer - a mathematical challenge when calculating ring sizes and a chance to construct what looks like a complicated puzzle to non-practitioners!

It's wonderful to be able to create a piece of jewelry as a gift.  But for that someone special - maybe Mum on Mother's Day? - going the extra mile might be in order.  I'm talking about special gift bags.  If you are talented in other crafts like sewing or crochet, these tutorials are for you. 

Butterflies (and moths) are one of the loveliest creatures on Earth.  Their lifespan once hatched from their pupae is just 2-3 weeks.  So it is wonderful to see their gorgeous wings preserved for much, much longer. Fellow Canadian, Debra Jeffries' real butterfly jewelry collection on Debra's Divine Designs really celebrates the beauty of these insects.

BFF Pendants from Madagascan Sunset Moths (Chrysiridia rhipheus)

Illinois based Jennifer Putzier is a long time Etsy seller and a successful one at that.  One of her 3 stores is Beadeux which offers laser cut pendants designed specifically for making cross stitch jewelry.

Got a bucket list of useful tools to get?  Sure you do!  I have one too.  The nifty wire banding pliers is now on it.  This set of pliers is designed to double over a half round wire in just the right dimension to fit a group of square wires.

Wire Banding Pliers

Silky neck ties are wonderful to use as beautiful recycled jewelry.   They can be bought from thrift stores or collected from male family members having a closet throwout!  Here is a simple necktie cuff bracelet tutorial by Linda Everett.

We can't all become a Joan Babcock overnight!  She is indeed an amazing wire macrame artisan. Here to help us with our micro-macrame and wire skills is Vicky of Knots and Sparklez. I wrote about her lovely macrame on memory wire bangle tutorial before.  She has come up with a new free tutorial, this time for earrings (scroll down to the bottom for it).

Let's see  - we've covered wire and beadwork bezels before.  Now for macrame!  The tutorial is by Russian artisan, Anastasia over on Livemaster.ru. 

I must really dig out some old thin bangles I have.  They are so, meh.  But if I can get hold of some studs in different styles, I might just be able to give them a makeover and create a more trendy look.  The idea comes from Misty Spinney over at Brit + Co.

Studio Rhino is a most appropriate name for a jewelry store with whimsical silver animal jewelry. California based Tomoko, who is of Japanese descent, makes these tiny creatures out of precious metal clay.   She uses fine silver (0.999% silver) and sterling silver (92.5% silver).

Many thanks for all the kind comments about leather bracelets I made last week for the Goody Beads' giveaway post.  The clasps and decorative elements from their site were so stunning. It was very hard to choose but I think the lime greenish one was my favorite!

I love eating egg salad sandwiches!  But I really have to remember to try and do something about the eggshells and not just throw them away into the compost bin!   The beautiful beads shown should inspire us all!

Mother's Day is coming up. What can we make that expresses never ending love for these special women in our lives?  Infinity wire link bracelets AND a heart clasp!  The clever combination idea and excellent tutorials are by Lisa Yang who shared them on her blog.

Got a boring old chandelier?   Got plenty of cheap beads or know where to get some?  Then grab your glue gun and follow Lindsay of Makely School for Girls' Easy DIY Beaded Chandelier tutorial.

Chain is one of my favorite components.  I am not alone. Many people prefer to wear metal chains too. So here are some ideas to make chain necklaces more fun to make.  This lovely Peter Pan collar necklace is simple but oh so effective in highlighting the focal dangle.  The tutorial is by Xenia Kuhn over on the Fashionrolla blog.

Many of the polymer clay pendants out there consist of forming the clay into shapes.  I rather like this reverse and easy approach by Adrianne over on Happy Hour Projects.  A large lucite flower was used. Some buttons are also suitable for this project.

Why would anyone want to fake metal in jewelry designs?  Metal allergies for one thing.  Just fun, for another!  And perhaps because there wasn't just the metal bits needed in the supply box! One thing for sure, it takes ingenuity and unexpected materials to come up with faux metal designs.

Some of you may remember my past post about Samunnat Nepal, a non-profit group helping women there get legal aid, counselling and training to earn their own living.  Many women in that part of the world have very difficult lives. Often impoverished and poorly educated, they have no one to turn to when they become victims of domestic violence, rape and human trafficking.

Statement necklaces aren't for everyone.  But if you love them large and gorgeous, then OSoFree's wonderful designs are stunning.  One lucky winner has won Arni's amazing design from last week's giveaway :

Goody Beads (great name for a bead store!) sell different kinds of jewelry supplies. Their best selling items are their Licorice and flat leather and accessories.  It's not hard to see why!  They have a great selection of European leather products for making easy but very stylish bracelets. You can see the previous designs I made here.

Zoraida is a wonderful wire and metal work artisan on Artfire, who just happens to be a reader.  She also writes her own blog and shares some lovely tutorials.  I really liked her tutorial on how to make a wire woven bail for donut gemstones.

Don't know about you, but I am all "farched" out.  It's a combination of February and March I-am-so-sick-of winter-blahs. If you are lucky enough to be off on a cruise in some exotic and warm locale, I envy you!  Perhaps you should be making some gorgeous beaded sandals for the trip?

Some of the loveliest found objects for jewelry making has to be sea glass and pretty stones.  Throw in crystals, pearls and gemstones and these are the fixings for delicious jewelry designs.

Beaded earrings are quick and lovely to make.  But I've never really been fond of beaded loops for hanging onto the ear wires.  So this little gem of a tutorial, Clever Blossom Earrings with Gold and Black Glass Pearls,  has a super trick using very short lengths of chain for that connection.  The actual design is an easy floral element using illusion cord.

Well, it's April Fool's Day so what better time then to share this new crop of fun jewelry finds (see more below).  Some people are so creative and clever.  It's a small niche but can be lucrative.  Just ask Licia Young of Licia Beads on Etsy!  Her beaded toilet roll jewelry is famous!  Doesn't hurt to have been featured on the Jay Leno Show either!