The Beading Gem

Judging from the numerous entries for last week's giveaway of Kate Richbourg's wonderful book. lots of you are keen to embark on that final frontier voyage!  Pat Buchanan said, "I have everything but the courage to start soldering....this could be the push I need." This book and accompanying DVD is a really handy guide to have and learn from. You don't need the internet to refer to it.

Nunn Design's Winter 2016 Collection has added even more cool items to an impressive collection of jewelry findings.  There are several new charms, tags, connectors, bottle pendants, wire frames, arrows including toggle arrow bars, channel bracelets and bangles. The

Bead embroidered statement necklace designs often take some planning especially if they are to be symmetrical.  But I came across this beautifully photographed tutorial by Russian bead artist  Kathlyn (Ekaterina Burykina) which is much more casual.  It is a lovely use of lots of irregular amber nuggets. Swarovski crystals were placed here and there.

Sometimes the cleverest ideas are the simplest.  This easy prong idea for bezels requires using a jewelry saw to cut slits on the edges of an existing bezel such that the metal sections/ tabs can be folded down to form prongs.

Akiko Shinzato is a London based Japanese jewelry designer. She now designs for Vivon Jewelry Japan. Her wire facial jewelry for her Another Skin collection was created as part of her jewelry design degree at Central Saint Martins (University of Arts, London).  It won her the student category at  ENJOIA'T 2015, a competition for contemporary jewelry awards.

The need to create runs deep for many of us. Know the feeling? It's the drive that feeds our very souls. Simply put, creating makes us feel good. Yet there is rarely time to indulge when family and work take priority.  And when we do, there is always that nagging guilty feeling.  So how to balance it all?

It's one thing to create recycled or upcycled jewelry. It's another to make something beautiful out of this waste material.  Check out this great upcycled leaves tutorial from Monika on her arts and crafts blog.  The tutorial is in Polish so you will need to translate it.

Are you still struggling with jewelry photography?  The good news is I do have a few spots left for the upcoming webinar this Sunday at 2 pm EST.  So if you wish to attend, contact me asap.  First come, first served. Email me : beadinggem@yahoo.ca. Find out more here. Note there is a cost of $20 for the webinar.

Japanese glass artist Satoshi Tomizu of Plusalpha-Glass (no longer available), creates amazing space glass jewelry. His work is all the more remarkable because his cosmos creations are all small pendants.  The detail is astounding - tiny galaxies with stars and swirls.

Mixing different techniques with the wire knit with a crochet hook one is the way to go if you wish to create unique designs of your own.  As I did with other wire techniques as shown in last week's fabulous Yoola Design giveaway.  So Barbara had the right idea when she said, "I have to revisit this technique, incorporate it into the wire-weaving."

Soldering. The Final Frontier. The voyages of jewelry makers need to include this territory! But often, even the thought of using any hot connection technique is off putting to many jewelry makers. So perhaps we need baby steps. This new book by the renowned metal smith instructor, Kate Richbourg, might just be the right thing to launch into this very useful technique.

Watchmeflyy,  a young wire weaver on Instructables came up with a statement wire woven necklace design for her younger friend's prom. Her inspiration came from several designs she saw on Pinterest although she admits to just dealing with the wire ends in the most random of manner!

These colorful suncatchers certainly caught my eye when I first saw them on Facebook.  The eco diy mandalas are made from old CDs, beads and even broken jewelry!  A lovely little project to brighten up the home especially in the winter months!

You may have seen the Joule bracelet already. It's got quite the "buzz" on social media. Who knew so many welcome the chance of getting their caffeine kick simply by wearing a bracelet?  The Joule project has already successfully raised funding on Indiegogo to make this unusual jewelry a reality long before the campaign ends.

You really don't have to be a wire expert to create a spectacular yet unique statement necklace.  This bead and wire embellished chain necklace tutorial is by Rebecca over on My Girlish Whims. She just used a very easy way of wiring beads into the spaces of the large chain.  The rest of the necklace is a matter of patience as you make and add the dangles!

Sue Beatrice, a Sea Cliff, New York based designer behind All Natural Arts has been a professional artist for other 30 years.  Her freelance commercial sculpting career has netted her several high profile clients including Disney, Hasbro Toys, Dreamworks, Warner Brothers and Crayola.  But it is her non-commercial work creating steampunk pocket watch jewelry and sculptures which truly captivates.

As I expected, the wire possibilities shown in the Jewel Loom Inspirations book giveaway last week caught the attention of both beaders and non-beaders. Ginny said, "I bought this loom a month ago to explore but felt overwhelmed and at a loss as to where to start."   The book is a good source of inspiration for all.

Trying to describe Yael‘s wire technique behind her jewelry and tutorials over on Yoola Design is tricky. Is it wire crochet because it is accomplished with a hook? Yet the results are neat unlike regular wire crochet. The work actually looks like knitted stitches. So I think it is wire crochet knitting! Yael, who is Israeli, says in Hebrew, the same verb is used for both - “sriga”.

Kundan jewelry is the oldest form of jewelry in India. This traditional technique involves gem setting with gold foil. The technique originated in Rajasthan and Gujarat for the royal courts. It is most closely associated with jeweled arts of the Mughal emperors (1526-1857) where their royal goldsmiths first combined enameling techniques (probably introduced from Europe) with historic kundan work.  Today, it is still part of a traditional Indian bride's wedding trousseau.

I really like interchangeable earrings ideas.  I've covered this particular idea before (see first link below) but it is always good to be reminded again.   This stud earrings tutorial by Alyssa  (no longer available) over on Hello Whimsy, shows you how to add dangles at the back.  She shows off all the different dangles with the same pair of stud earrings.

Patricia Baranyai is a jewelry designer in Toronto and has been designing vintage style jewelry for 25 years. She also writes about the jewelry business to help other artists on her jewelry making site.

There are plenty of available craft show tips when it comes to selling jewelry, but how do you go about setting up a successful show schedule? Filling your calendar with a show lineup that is both profitable and timely takes some strategic planning. While it can take years to find the right shows to fit into the ideal time slots, there are some strategies that can shorten the learning curve. First on our list of craft show tips is finding the shows that will be successful for your product.

There is nothing wrong with bare wire hoop style earrings. But most of us cannot resist decorating them with beads, right? We've got to dress them up!  The first two tutorials show two ways on how to make beaded wire hoop earrings. The first is by Natalia Kroshik over on Beads Magic which is beading right onto the hoop earring findings. This color combination - green with purple with some gold - is one of my favorites because it is so pretty!

Those who know me well and have been following my blog for a while realize I love my tools! They make some tasks easier and consistent.  I've been using Sizzix die cutters for a long time (see tutorial links below) but really wanted greater flexibility with my own designs.  I also wanted to cut other materials such as leather, fabric, aluminum, thin wood and shrink plastic with precision and ease.  Laser cutters are still way too expensive. So I hankered after the Cricut Explore, an electronic cutting machine.....

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Bead crochet requires stringing on a whole lot of beads...in the right order before the work even begins. It requires working with a graph paper scheme to determine the sequence. Bead crochet is also tricky to get started.   So as you can imagine, I am in awe of Lutita's colorful bead crochet jewelry. She is also an accomplished bead embroidery artist.

 The verdict from last week's Kazuri West bead giveaway was unanimous - Kazuri ceramic beads are truly beautiful and they are for a good cause. Cin H said, "I love Kazuri beads. I have been using them for years and I have return customers because they want to support the women of Kenya." Wayne added "Whenever possible,I try to buy from these types of businesses. There is a store in our city that sells nothing but items made by groups like this. Please continue to let people know about them." I will indeed.

Loom beadwork is fast way of getting results particularly for bracelets. Like a lot of hand crafts, the repetitive action loom beading is soothing. The looms though are usually tabletop affairs and hardly the kind of tool to pack when on the move.  But a hugely popular and innovative loom changed all that back in 2013. It is so small and portable, you could pop it into your and take it with you on vacation.

I've covered a number of beaded creatures before, but surely this Preciosa-Ornela tutorial for beaded sheep is one of the most adorable!  The designer is Helena Chmelikova.  The tutorial will need a careful read before any work begins just so you understand how the sheep is constructed.  I love how the beaded wire legs allows the sheep to stand or lie down.

Center holed beads require a little more thought to use in jewelry designs.  Here is a simple wire work  flower earrings tutorial by Lesley Watt of THEA Jewelry.  A sweet design with little wire tendrils.  You will have to scroll down a little to find the tutorial.

Sometimes plain wire is too boring.  So we can use pattern wire or even twisted wire to make the design pop a little more.  You can buy patterned wire.  But here is an easy way to DIY patterned wire using a tube wringer.  This is a device used to wring out the contents of paint tubes, adhesives and so on.

Bracelets are sometimes tricky to measure well - particularly bangles and cuffs which cannot be laid out flat.  This tutorial for a simple bracelet measuring tool by HoneyBeads1 does a quick job of determining the inside circumference. It is best made from a plastic strip which is more durable than paper.  Clear page dividers or page holders are a couple of suggestions.

Two hole Czech beads are simply one of the best types of beads to have around.  The crescent bead ones can be a bit challenging to use. But Kristen Steven's pretty crescent bead flower bracelet tutorial over on  Art Jewelry Elements  makes use of the shape in a clever way!

Kathy Halper is an American artist who has been painting for a long time.  But she made a switch to drawing not with paint but with embroidery threads.  One of her specialties is custom pet (and human) portraiture working from photos. The smaller works are pendants or brooches. She also does hoop art.  You can see her current collection on Artfire.

The special feature on Natali's art glass especially her hearts certainly brought out a lot of love for last week's giveaway!  It was perfect timing as Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  But hearts aren't the only things she makes. Windbent said, "It's always fun to be introduced to artists I haven't seen before. The jellyfish are amazing--like a sun catcher and dream catcher at the same time." Convo Natali on her Etsy if you are interested.

Ceramic beads by Kazuri in Kenya are handmade by probably one of the oldest craft collectives in Africa. The fledgling business began in 1975 - an idea of Lady Susan Wood. She had started a coffee plantation on what was once Danish author Karen Blixen's (Out of Africa) land.  She also wanted to do something about abject poverty she saw particularly among severely disadvantaged single mothers who had no other source of income.  From that small beginning, the Kazuri beads are renowned and are sold worldwide.