The Beading Gem

The Ancient Egyptians were masters of the layered collar necklaces. The spectacular designs were usually worn by the royals and high ranking individuals. The style is still popular today This tutorial for "The Prince's Necklace " is by Antoniraj over on Instructables.

It is really refreshing to come across a talented bead embroidery artist who is prepared to do something different. Lithuanian Rasa Vilčinskaitė of RasaVil Jewelry on Etsy has a modern take on traditional bead embroidery.  Her bead embroidered statement necklaces are outstanding and look stunning when teamed with neutral colored outfits. Some even look like they are part of the dress.

Without a doubt, Tierracast products are quality ones.  So many of you agreed and said so in last week's giveaway of their you too collection. Shelli Castanos was one of them. She said, "I enjoy using Tierra Cast products. They add a special professional look to any jewelry items I may be making. Customers are well-aware of quality too and it shows as to what jewelry sells the best. Thank you for making such wonderful products. I especially like that they are "Cali-made", just like me!!"

Vitreous enameling is a truly gorgeous way of adding color to metal. See some amazing examples in this past post. This decorative technique is very old and was used by many ancient cultures in the different parts of the world. It is still in use today. Torch firing is often used to fuse the  powdered glass the metal at high heat.

Making a thick wire cuff bracelet is not only quick to accomplish but the larger gauge makes it more visible and durable.  Check out Nova Scotian's fun set of 3 video tutorials on how to make easy sprial based jewelry using thick wire.  She is quite the character!

Bib necklaces are spectacular statement pieces.  Make them colorful and one of a kind and they will be stunning.  Check out Mark Montano's tutorial for a colorful lace bib necklace - he calls it the Free People Inspired Boho necklace.  He used many things  -"everything but the kitchen sink" - like dimensional paint, beads, chains and so on.  I thought the basic craft idea is most versatile and can be adapted according to personal jewelry making preferences.

I often check out the children's craft section for inexpensive plastic tools.  I spotted this spinning loom  a couple of years ago and bought it.  I have no association with the manufacturer but I thought it has great potential.  Thread wrapped bracelets and necklaces will be really easy and fast with this tool. Wrapping thread around a core is usually very time consuming.

Bookworms frequently misplace bookmarks. I know because I am one of those! If you have bookworms on your list this Christmas, then consider making them a set of geometric spiral wire bookmarks. They are very easy to make and customize to the individual. Pick the right charms for the recipient!

One of the most fun groups of people I know are the fellow members of the Grand River Bead Society (GRBS). It's where we get to share our knowledge and inspire others. It's also where we can freely talk ad nauseum about jewelry making!   We meet once a month for 10 months of the year.  We also have our own Bead Fair coming up this weekend! So if you are close enough - and I know some of you are - please drop by.  Maybe I'll bump into you?

We all ooh and aah over intricate wire jewelry designs.  But making simpler designs which wow is very hard to do.  One artisan who does this extremely well is Charliee, a Czech wire artist. If I had to pick one word to describe her style and work, it would be "fluid". Lovely hammered curves with just the right bends at the right places. She works with Osteofix surgical and dental steel to avoid all the issues with metal allergies and it also does not tarnish.

Sarah Thompson is an amazing wire artist whose style of wire weaving never fails to inspire.  So it was not surprising to see a lot of interest for her Wire Weaving Bracelets: Basics and  Beyond online video class which I reviewed last week. It is a great class for beginners as well as more seasoned wire workers. As reader Zoraida said, "There is always room for improvement and advancement."

All charms are not created equally.  Well made charms make jewelry designs far, far better.  One company which makes charms and other findings exceedingly well is TierraCast which is based in California.  I received their newest line, the you too Collection (shown below) for review.  It didn't disappoint.

I usually see cord wrapped cup chain in jewelry designs. These cup chains are mounted crystals linked together.  Beaders can also have fun with these as you can see from these crystal cup chain and beadwork jewelry tutorials. First up is the Potomac Bead Company's video tutorial on how to intergrate the cup chain to a beaded rivoli bezel.  The design is by Allie Buchman and Anna Taylor.

Lubcho Macrame makes wonderful macrame jewelry designs.  I featured her focal macrame ring tutorial a while ago.  But she has 2 more colorful macrame ring tutorials of note.  These video tutorials are silent but  remember to turn on annotations (the settings on the video over on Youtube - it is the gear symbol) to read her instructions.  First up is the tutorial for this lovely design called Coloria. 

Why would anyone want to make a faux gemstone from polymer clay when one can buy the real thing?  Well, for a start, polymer is very light compared to the genuine article so that is an advantage for some.  The other thing is the sheer challenge!  Check out Gloria's tutorial for a faux jasper pendant over on Domestic Diva Online. It is neat for a number of reasons.

Swarvoski makes the loveliest crystal cabochons. But then I am biased because I love bling!  This tutorial is from Fusion Beads where the beaded bezel Swarovski crystals are attached together for a stunning effect. This tutorial is for an open back bezel. The PDF is available as a download.

I think adding some sort of metal frames around polymer clay beads really make them look better. Conversely, the colored polymer clay makes metallic component pop!  Check out this tutorial on how to make metal framed polymer clay beads by Carolyn and Dave Good over at 2GoodClaymates.  It is such a great alternative to using the frames by themselves or with a strung bead. The polymer clay insert fits much better!

I have always loved adding wire frames in wire wrapped designs. It is a lovely way to suggest the look of bezels as well as a means of connecting all sorts of lovely beads to the design.  New York based partners, Amy and Andrea, the wire wrapping team behind Two Tightly Wound on Etsy create wire wrapped framed jewelry to perfection.

First of all, thanks to all who complimented my necklace design and admired the gorgeous tagua nut beads in last week's Ecuadorian Hands giveaway.  Reader Deb Fortin is right. The intense colors of the tagua beads are perfect for summer jewelry.  As someone who lives in the north, bright colors are also very uplifting to wear during the dreary winter months.

Washington based Sarah Thompson of Sarah-n-dippity, is one of the best wire weavers I have come across.  I featured her stunning work in a past post.  She also is a very good instructor too as I found out when I got to review her Wire Weaving Bracelets: Basics and  Beyond Craftsy class. Here she teaches how to create wire weaving bracelets.

Bugle beads aren't used very often. The extra long ones?  Even less so.  I did have a go and used them in earrings designs as you can see from my tutorial post on How to Make Stud Earrings with Connector Beads and Resin Clay (you can also use the same resin clay idea for all kinds of dangles).  But these 3 statement necklaces really rock bugle beads!

Perhaps you are not into making coin rings.  But this video is worth a look because Dave, aka as Fencekid shared an amazing video on how to make a coin ring in 2 minutes flat. He actually spent another 2 minutes just polishing the ring up!

Most people tend to make just single donut pendants.  But why stop at one?  Add a whole bunch for a statement necklace.  The tagua slice beads which I received from Ecuadorian Hands are irregular donuts. They come in many colors so I chose 5 of them for this necklace. If you are using heavier and/or largefocals, maybe just 3 would be best.

School's back in session. The busy fall season has begun!  I do have space for my  next scheduled How to Photograph Jewelry webinar on Sunday September 20. So if you are not busy or on holiday and would like to participate, just email me at beadinggem@yahoo.ca.

Sometimes we just want contrast in jewelry designs.  This easy woven wire and cotton bracelet tutorial by Kris DeGraeve over on How to Do This does just that.  The cotton not only adds the color contrast but also binds the long lengths of wire together.

I am always on the lookout for tutorials which are just a little different.  So I was delighted when reader Jill Norman of  New Zealand shared her tutorial on how to make a curly leaf tree of life pendant (no longer available) on her site, BeadBugs and Earwear. This is her first and only tutorial!

When Australian Tess Freund became a mother, she missed her beloved jewelry a great deal.  The reason she couldn't wear them was "due to small parts and unknown material; those that did pass the test were victim to ten surprisingly strong baby fingers". So rather than give up  wearing jewelry altogether she came up with Monkey and Mum (also on Etsy), a handmade line of slip on baby friendly jewelry.

Wire work is very, very popular. So much so last week's Parawire giveaway garnered a huge number of entries.  Many of the entrants said they used Parawire exclusively, some for several years.  They clearly have had a lot more experience with Parawire than I. So I have included some of the comments here to share with you.

Tagua beads are made from the nuts of ivory palm which grows in Central and South America. These lightweight beads have some of the properties of ivory - the same natural color and a good material for carving.  But unlike real ivory, using tagua beads in art and crafts does not mean the demise of the African elephant. So you could say these beads are humane and eco friendly.

There is something fascinating about owls so much so that they are favorite motif of crafters - the wire wrapped owl tutorial collection I shared recently was popular.  First up is for the beaded collection is this adorable bead embroidered owl brooch . It was uploaded by Alina Colnishko over on liveinterent.ru.  It is a pictorial so no translation is necessary.  I am note sure of the original designer but the earliest date for this design to appear on the internet is over on this Czech site.

It never fails.  Something that was popular a few decades ago, becomes popular once again.  It is like a new generation rediscovers an old favorite. So it is with Friendly Plastic.  This craft material is a low heat polymer which molds very easily with just fingers.

Earrings present well if you have them on some sort of earrings card.  It doesn't matter if you don't make to sell, but the earrings will stay together in whatever gift box or bag you have. If you do sell though, the same thing applies.  Plus you can also use the cards themselves to hang on some suitable holder.

I couldn't have agreed  more about the book reviewed in last week's giveaway.  One reader, Divya said, "Every designer worth his or salt should know how to whip up unique findings when what you need isn't exactly available in the market. In that regard this book is outstanding as it shows you how to get it done."

Polymer clay is an excellent material for jewelry especially if you love color and/or don't want heavy jewelry. This tutorial on how to make easy embossed polymer clay earrings comes from 2GoodClayMates. The designers behind this great DIY is reader Carolyn Good and her husband Dave.

This wonderful colorful hand wrapped thread on paracord necklace tutorial from Refinery 29 is similar in some ways to those I featured before. The finish is better with end caps than Ariane's tutorial. However, Ariane's method of starting with all the colored threads and hiding the non-working threads underneath the wrapping saves time and effort compared to attaching new thread all the time.

Sabrina Chin of Love at First Blush is a fellow Canadian with a studio in Kensington Market, Toronto. It's easy to see why her leather feather and cuff jewelry collection has been featured in several magazines, fashion editorials, tv and even a Paramount movie in 2013. The edgy handmade brand is popular with those who like their accessories to be different mainstream styles.