The Beading Gem

Lisa was quiet at a workshop but she diligently experimented away on a pair of green earrings she wanted for herself. The shade of green was chosen to match a particular dress.

It's too hard to compute the number of possibilities one could put together from a range of jewelry material but I reckon that it must be a high one. And yet, as I said to Lisa, the ultimate goal, whatever the permutation, is whether the design pleases the creator and the wearer.

As you can see, the final result did please. Lisa used flat oval lime green millefiore beads as the anchors to her dangles. She softened the design with clear crystal beads and two tone ones at the top. The sizes of the beads diminished going up ending with lime green seed beads.

Beader Design #: 263
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Cindy is an accomplished wire crochet artisan. There is a funky look about wire crochet jewelry that has broad appeal because it is both different and pretty.

I've always said that adding gemstones to a design really ups the elegance and value. Cindy achieved that by using pale purple baroque pearls and amethyst chips here. The informal shapes of the two gemstones is definitely in keeping with the fun theme of her necklace. Delicate and an eye-catcher for anyone who wears this.

Beader Design #: 262

More on baroque pearls:
Go for Broke with Baroque Pearls!
Marco Polo’s Gift : The Arco Valley Natural Pearl

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The Lyte Jewel shown here is actually a enamelled gold bejewelled locket which once belonged to Thomas Lyte (1568-1638), a minor courtier in the court of King James I of England. He received it as a gift from his sovereign after commissioning an illuminated royal pedigree. The cover of the locket bears the letters "IR", Latin for Iacobus Rex. Underneath is a portrait miniature of the king.

Rectangular table cut diamonds surround the cover. Table cut diamonds resemble a bicone with its tip lopped off. This was the earliest form of diamond faceting. As you can see, some of the gems showed a little sparkle, others looked rather dull.

Before the 13th century, diamonds were simply polished smooth. This did nothing to enhance the gemstone's potential to disperse light but it did conserve carat weight. The Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan (builder of the Taj Mahal ) had such a domed diamond pendant which is now owned by Elizabeth Taylor. You can see a picture of it on my past mini-biographical post, "The Jewels and Jewelry Obsession of Shah Jahan".

The rose cut (originated in India) followed the table cut where the table was replaced with six triangular facets which improved the light dispersion. But it took the brilliant cut, first developed in the 17th century and called the Old Cut, with its 58 facets to really bring out the sparkle and fire of diamonds. The modern brilliant cut came along in 1919 and after considerable honing by both mathematical and empirical means, it has became the most popular cut style.

Watch this one minute video , a PBS/Nature overview of diamond cutting where in the end, it is the careful observation, skill and experience of the diamond cutter which determines how a faceted diamond turns out.

Picture Source

References
Hugh Tait (1986). Jewelry: 7000 years. British Museum.
Judith Crowe (2006). The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones. Firefly Books Ltd.
Wikipedia : Diamond Cut
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For those who love innovative Czech glass beads, they need look no further than the window or copper framed beads.

It was an easy decision for Jennifer. She did not have to search very long before she came across them. She chose gorgeous flat oval emerald green ones to adorn her earrings. She then added square clear ones below with a bronze spacer bead between. These were diagonally drilled which nicely offsets the oval shape of the accent green ones. They remind me of kite tails!

By selecting burnished copper ear wires, Jennifer is off to a flying start with this vintage-style design.

Beader Design #:261
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Guest Post by Diana Norman

Some jewelry designers have a love/hate relationship with seed beads. They love to utilize them, but hate the monotony of stringing them. Then came the Bead Spinner, a great little tool that uses centrifugal force and a J shaped needle to glide your seed beads onto your stringing material. This was mostly used by bead weavers and bead stitchers, as beading wire is too flexible to withstand the forces of the bead spinner, and too bulky to be doubled through a needle and go through a seed bead at the same time.

If you don't have a Bead Spinner and you work with seed beads regularly, you're really missing out. If you need some more convincing, you can try this free makeshift spinner tutorial or watch this free video. When you are ready to take the plunge, the original hardwood spinner can be found here; but if that is outside of your budget, economy spinners can be purchased from beadspinner.net (they even offer a coupon code INDIE for extra savings). If you need to order some beads as well, you can save some cash on shipping by picking up the new "Speedy Stringer" from Fire Mountain Gems.

I use seed beads in a lot of my pieces, but my work demands the use of beading wire, such as Soft Flex, because of it's strength, flexibility, and ease of finishing. Wire and crimps are much more secure than a knotted piece of nylon or silk; necklaces containing pendants or heavier beads hold their shape better, and there are no worries about crystals or gemstones cutting through the stringing material. But the wire's flexibility was holding it back from being useful with a spinner.



The people at Soft Flex have a special needle to be used with their beading wire. At $5.95 each, the Soft Flex/ Soft Touch Speeder Beader Needle comes in the normal calibrated sizes and two lengths to fit wire from .10 to .24 inch thickness. It has a hollow core, with an easy to load "pan" to glide the wire into the needle. It doesn't just have to be used with seed beads, I know there have been a few times I've been perplexed by a pesky hollow bead.

The Soft Flex company doesn't have curved needles available, but the needles shouldn't be too hard to use with any bead spinner. Until now, I have been stringing beads onto my curved needle and pulling them off an inch at a time to load them with the holes lined up onto my beading wire. Tedious, yes, but not as tiresome as one at a time . I cut my stringing time down to less than half. These needles should cut my time down even more. These have been available for a few years, but I only recently found them while browsing. I can't wait until they come in the mail.

I was actually playing with my bead spinner a few days ago, and I found I like straight needles a little better. I think it has to do with the "angle of needle attack." The other day, the curved end of the needle just wasn't picking anything up. I think the trick is using the curved needle if you like to drag along the bottom, and straight needle if you have more of a "hover" style. It might also have to do with the amount of beads you spin. You achieve the best results if the container is at least 1/3 full, and I find that at less than half full I like the curved needle, and at more than half I like to use the straight needle. But this is all personal preference, and you'll just have to experiment to find your preferred needle style.
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips 

Feature Designer and New Guest Author

Diana Norman is a remarkable artisan based in New York, USA. I say that because there is so much more to her than just being the creator of beautiful handmade jewelry using real flowers.

Her pretty purple flower pendant necklace shown here has one of the loveliest colour combinations - purple and green. The genuine purple flower is encased in clear resin, Diana used purple crackle beads with green mother of pearl triangular beads in keeping with the colours of her pendant. She also designs jewelry with real preserved five petaled flowers from Thailand as shown here.

But she doesn't limit to herself to just flowers. Her gallery and jewelry creation process pages demonstrate her wide range of techniques which include chain maille, macrame, knotting, wood burning, wire work, stained glass, knitting and crochet, embroidery and this most unusual one - custom made digital art pendants. Diana is adept at Photoshop and a whiz at HTML - the coding behind websites. So much so she has a website designing biz called HtmlToGo.com - so if you need help with graphics or templates, you know where to go.

I first noticed Diana on a jewelry forum where we both sometimes lurk. She was invariably helpful and knowledgeable. She liked it when I called her an internet sleuth when she helped me locate the origin of mandala puzzle bracelets for this post. Her Photoshop tutorial was also included in my recent post on jewelry photography. We found we both had a lot in common besides jewelry making - a curiosity for all kinds of information and an interest in internet related stuff. So much so, we have become friends despite never having met face to face.

She too has caught the blogging bug - she was the inspiration behind my blog post "Six Questions to Really Ask Before You Start a (Craft) Blog". Her new blog is evolving with several good posts out already like "Pretty or Poison" and my favourite so far, "My Smell-Free Guarantee" where she talks about her "un-scent-sational" jewelry storage which avoids any contact with pets, harsh chemicals and smoke. I was therefore delighted when she agreed to be a Guest Author on my blog. Her article will be posted tomorrow and I look forward to more from Diana in the future.

Diana's Etsy store stocks all her creations and you can check out her blog here. Picture with kind permission from Diana.

(Update : Links no longer valid were removed)
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Laura walked into a workshop sporting a pair of oval dark wood go-go earrings. So naturally, she was inspired to create a necklace to "go" with those.

Her starting point was the round shell pendant adorned with a real pressed flower. It was attached via a bail to her necklace which had an eclectic mixture of glass, wood, bone and shell beads in keeping with her chosen nature theme.
She distributed the dark almost black beads with the brown ones.

Her smaller shell discs were either hung with jump rings or threaded through the hole to give them an upright position.The shells provided the lighter variations to this truly one of a kind design!

Beader Design #: 260
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Sharon had never designed jewelry before and like many beginners, she was a little overwhelmed with the choice of beads at our workshop.

She was persistent though at experimenting. At about the fourth try, she put together this elegant gold foil pair of earrings. The splashes of colour on them give this design an arty feel. She balanced the rectangular shape of the main beads with gold coloured glass cubes. The dangles were then hung on gold-filled ear wires to match.

Sharon so thoroughly enjoyed herself, she flitted about looking at the various pots of beads and plotted more designs. She made more than one item which I will save for another day.

Beader Design #: 259
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Anne has difficulty with earrings because the metal irritates her ears after only a few hours of wear. She wasn't sure if she could tolerate sterling silver either. So niobium earrings were the way to go for people like her.

She spotted these gorgeous foil beads from Widget's Beads' collection. By adding some pewter beads and round grey crackle beads, she designed herself a really classy pair of earrings. I love the quirky touch - the main beads were orientated differently.

The neutral tones of this design went well with the natural grey of the niobium earwires. Niobium or columbium is a rare metal which has a very useful property - it is physiologically inert thus making it hypoallergenic. So they are ideal for jewelry applications and for medical devices such as heart pacemakers.

Beader Design #: 258
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Before I started taking pictures of jewelry, I thought I was pretty okay with a camera. I didn't decapitate anyone, did a reasonable job of framing and rarely blurred photographs. However, as many a jewelry artisan has found, taking pictures of small and sometimes shiny objects is something else. I also made it harder for myself by adding a time crunch - I could not afford much time taking pictures at workshops and beading parties. No fancy photo studio set-up for me!


So in order to help out those who have asked for some tips, here are some things I've learned the hard way, all acquired over a year of taking pictures for this blog. And all without the benefit of a lightbox (so far). I hope these tips will be useful for jewelry artisans who find themselves a little lost in the world of macro photography.

1. Camera
An expensive camera is not necessary but it must have a macro function for really close up shots. So select the macro function (flower symbol) otherwise, pictures will turn out blurry. Although it is useful to show a photo of the whole piece, potential online buyers will want to see closeups as well because they cannot examine the piece in person. Many online artisans on Etsy for example, do precisely that.

2. Natural Light
Working as close as possible to a window for natural light proved very successful. I avoid having to use the flash. I've also tried taking pictures outdoors in sunlight but found the shadows distracting and difficult to minimise. When it is -15 degrees C (5 degrees Fahrenheit), outdoor photography also somehow loses its charm.

3. White Balance
Whilst I was pleased with clearer pictures, my early pictures were rather blue and on the dark side. I was not happy spending way too much time correcting with a photo-editing program afterwards. Fortunately, other experienced artisans on a jewelry forum reminded me to check the camera manual for the white balance setting. By choosing "cloudy" or "indoors" (depending on manufacturer), the camera then compensates for less light.

4. Image size
If you are planning to use your photos in print publicity material, then set your camera to take higher resolution pictures, one with many pixels. This photo printing and resolution chart explains the options. This way you'll have very good pictures for high quality printing with the option of resizing down for internet uses. But if you're like me, where the image is only going to be on the internet or emailed, then, set your camera to take smaller pictures automatically.

5. Focus
Some patience is required when half pressing down the trigger - wait till the jewelry is fully focused before clicking the shot. You know that, I know that. But strangely, I still forget now and then.

6. Tripod
For steady shots, a tripod is needed. But I don't use one due to space and time constraints so I try to brace my elbows on the table or on myself to steady my hands.

7. Background
Chose the background you prefer - either go with textured or coloured background or none at all as in a white background. I like using scrapbooking or wrapping papers and even paper napkins. Other artisans use cloth - I encountered a blog of one who hung her jewelry outside. I've used white mugs to hold up earrings and sometimes some designs look best on a model. There are no hard and fast rules for beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So experiment away to find the look which pleases you best and makes your jewelry look good.

8. Framing
If you are planning to upload your pictures to Flickr or Etsy and such sites where square framing rules, you might want to compose your pictures accordingly or save pictures with more space around the object for later cropping. If you do crop, save it separately from the original image in case you have to go back.

9. Multiple shots
Taking multiple shots in a single session - closeups as well as more distant ones to show the whole piece, varying jewelry positions and backgrounds or even angling the shot will ensure you will have several choices. An example of an angled shot is here. At least one of them is bound to work. After having gone through the hassle of setting up for a photography session, you might as well get it right there and then.

10. Organising and Backing up
These have got to be the most tedious tasks ever. But it is necessary to store your photos in some organised fashion either by date or event or perhaps jewelry category so you can find them easily. Back them up on a CD,DVD. thumb drive etc in case your computer expires from the blue screen of death. The biggest reason for going to all this trouble is to build up your portfolio. Once jewelry items are sold or given away, you'd still have a record of all your creations. You'll be amazed looking back and seeing your growth as a designer.

11. Photo-editing
No one is perfect. Some photo-editing is required to lighten shots, colour correct and other photographic boo-boos. Cropping is the most commonly performed task to reduce excess background. Although backgrounds help set the mood for the shot, too much showing will not do your jewelry justice.

For those who prefer the "light box" look i.e. white backgrounds, then using a good photo-editing program will help you achieve it. Diana Norman, a designer and Photoshop Elements whiz wrote an excellent tutorial on how to whiten your background post-photo session so that your pictures resemble those taken with lightboxes. Photoshop Elements is a simpler and cheaper version of the full size Photoshop. Don't want to pay? Try this free program from Gimp.org.

12. Digital Photo Frame
These high-tech photo frames can be used by artisans to display a slideshow of all their past work at craft shows etc. A great way to showcase your talent and perhaps land commissions. This BBC (UK) overview of digital photo frames includes tips on what to look for when buying one.

13. Get help
Still stuck? Then don't be afraid to ask for help on jewelry forums or search the internet. I did both. For instance, I got some tips from Jim Juris (photographer, jewelry artisan and ebook author) from a forum as well as from his website. He also writes a blog. Rena Klingenberg's Tips for Photographing Jewelry has with many links and is worth checking out. MK Digital Direct's Jewelry Photography Tips is an excellent resource for those who want to get really serious - one tip they show is the use of a bit of wax to keep a ring upright and they discuss LED and halogen lighting too.

How do experts do it? I found this website advertising a commercial tabletop lightbox with fascinating and dramatic pictures showing how they get the reflection when the jewelry appears to be on glass or "black ice". Or how they take "floating jewelry" pictures.

Happy Clicking!

Click here to find out more about my How to Photograph Jewelry Webinar.

More Photography Posts :

• How to Make Your Own Light Tent or Box
• Craftgawker Showcases Craft Photography
• Jewelry on Babies Photo Shoot by Elisabeth Hoff
  

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

Feature Designer

When we think of making rings, we often think of the metal variety. However, not everyone is into wire. If working with wire gets you "wound up" then try beadweaving instead.

The lovely Swarovski crystal ring at top left was created using right angle weaving by Jenean Matthews of Michigan, USA. She used a single 8 mm bicone and 4 mm bicone crystals with an AB (aurora borealis) finish. Notice the rainbow-like play of colours from these clear crystal beads. Jenean loves bling so she is fond of making jewelry that sparkles and shines.

I was also taken with her choice of beads for her second creation which she called "Silver Ice". Here she used a two holed metal slider bead with AB crystals as the accent and round silver-toned beads for the beadweaving. The same technique but two very different looking rings.

Pictures with kind permission from Jenean. You can check out her other creations on her Etsy store and her blog appropriately called Designs by Jenean.

Beadweaving series

FREE TUTORIALS

Jenean makes it look easy. Some beaders may not like working with something this small where sizing, keeping even tension or hiding the knot can be challenging. But if you're game, here are some tutorials you can "try on for size"!

Right angle weaving is very popular with Japanese beaders. Hachimitsu8 has a tutorial on right angle basics. She also shows off more intricate rings here - she mentions that she doesn't use needles to weave at all. Nylon monofilament (4-8 lb fishing line) is a popular "thread".

WikiHOW's How to make a Bead Ring covers the bare basics. Rather insipid beads are used but their instructions are clear on how to begin and end.

Witty Living.com's Gigi's Flower Beaded Ring incorporates 4 bicones to form a flower and ladder stitched seed beads.

One of my favourites. All Info About's Hugs and Kisses Beaded Ring.

A little more challenging is Evette Pott's Peyote Stitch Beaded Ring.

For more tutorials check out my Jewelry Making Tips

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The beautifully crafted and colourful beadwoven bracelet on the bottom left was a gift to Debbie (Widget's Beads) from her neighbour Rachel when she returned from a vacation in Mexico.

Rachel bought it in the little village on La Bufa, a mountain accessed by train from the city of Zacatecas. The "studio and shop" of the remarkable artisan who made it was a hard concrete sidewalk. Rachel took a picture of her offering her handiwork for sale from a cloth on the pavement. She worked diligently all day, making more beaded jewelry. Her beads were in the bag on the low wall behind her.

We can probably assume those were her eight children. Rachel said she watched this family off and on all day; the kids were well behaved and didn't stray far. The only "toys" visible were the plastic sandal held by the boy on the right and perhaps the makeshift pink shawl draped over the head of one of the girls.

The beader is a Huichol Indian from west central Mexico. The Huichols or Wixáritarias they call themselves, are dirt farmers earning a precarious living from a desert dry land which turns into a jungle at other times of the year. As they live near tourist areas, they are able to sell their wonderful bead work to augment their income. Huichol beaded art range from small beaded eggs to colorful and intricately designed large jaguar heads, masks, bowls, animals and figurines. The patterns are symbolic of the Huichol religion and culture.

Picture with kind permission from Rachel. Thanks to Debbie for sharing this story and picture of her bracelet.

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

Feature Designer

Emma is an Aussie currently living in England and is a master beadweaving artisan whose website is called Glitter Glow Beading (no longer available). She also tackles other jewelry techniques but her beadweaving skills show how beautiful designs can be using just seed beads.

Besides this stunning intricate beadwoven necklace, I also liked the Slinky Chain bracelet she made with metallic silver cube beads from a design in Diane Fitzgerald's book on Zulu bead work. It is strung on a metal core. Her blog post on herringbone or Ndebele stitch is another celebration of of this well known African bead stitch. As with many artisans I have found, choosing which design to feature is a daunting task. So I recommend checking out her design gallery to really see her versatility.

Emma has generously shared a HUGE number of good free tutorials she found on her link page - and not just bead weaving, but wire wrapping, bead knitting and crochet, chain maille and so forth. This must have been collected over a long time.

Emma also has a Squidoo lens called "Learn Beadwork". Many people have been puzzled by the difference between lens, blogs and websites - Emma as you can see, has all three. One Squidoo lensmaster explains it best : "A lens is the signpost, a blog a journey and a website is the destination." Emma, as do I, use lenses to showcase our past posts or other material differently (besides providing resources) from our blogs. Hers conveniently groups tutorials for all the popular bead weaving stitches by type such as netting, peyote, brick, herringbone, square and right angle weave.

Picture with kind permission from Emma.

Beadweaving Series
The Beading Gem's Journal

Beadweaving parties are always a lot of fun and this one is a great start to a series on beadweaving. At Phyllis' 13th birthday party, the girls AND Mum made several bead woven bracelets and necklaces using just seed beads.

The colour combinations were fresh and inspirational. So designers take note! For instance, the black, pink, purple and white bracelet (#2) by Kaylee could suggest a jewelry design using hematite, rose quartz, amethyst and howlite. What about #5? Carnelian, turquoise, peridot and howlite? Get the picture?


But you don't have to go with just spring-like colours. Leanne, the mother of the birthday girl chose bronze seed beads (necklace #3) which she set off with fall coloured beads. As the birthday girl though, Phyllis could do as she pleased. So she celebrated her entry into official teenagedom with a necklace unlike the others. She used a polymer clay tube as her focal bead and used alternating clusters of large and smaller seed beads.

Beadweaving Collection #4

Sometimes people who buy jewelry don't realise how long a journey it is from the collection the raw material to the finished product or the effort and talent required of craftsmen and craftwomen. Here is one such example.

John Downie is a local metal smith whom I have featured before. This pendant was commissioned by one of his clients whose husband collected a slab of petrified wood all the way from Idaho. John first arranged for Hans Durstling, a lapidary and jeweler based in New Brunswick to cut and polish a piece. Once that was done, John then backed the stone with sterling silver and bezel set it with copper. John was inspired by the petrified wood to add an arc in the form of a twig. He sand-casted it in sterling and connected it to the main part of the pendant with jump rings.

Petrified wood, from its Greek root names, means "wood turned into stone". This fossil wood no longer has any organic material. It is mostly silicate like quartz which explains why it can be cut and polished just like any gemstone. The range of colour and patterning produced during the petrification process comes from contaminants such as manganese, iron and copper. Like amber, this gemstone is beyond vintage.

John is a member of the Metal Arts Guild of Nova Scotia which was founded in 1951. This not for profit organization aims to encourage and instruct members in traditional as well as innovative metal work. If you're local and interested in learning more or joining, please contact the Secretary : mary.fraser@ns.sympatico.ca
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Cathy is one of the extremely fortunate women who can wear pretty well any colour. It is hard not to be jealous!

Despite having so many colour possibilities, Cathy did not have any trouble choosing a bright turquoise as her main jewelry design colour. The decision was easy as she planned to wear an outfit just that shade the next day and could also show off her creation at the same time.

The large round beads at the top of each dangle are desert sun beads - the top coating has been deliberately cracked to resemble parched earth. She teamed those with silver filigree balls and other turquoise beads including lightly coloured millefiore beads.

Cathy experimented with just one metal feather on the middle dangles and then went the whole way. She joked that she must have been a Indian princess in another life. But in THIS life, she really is the Queen of the local Red Hat Society! A fitting design for someone who loves colour and shows such "joie de vivre"!

Beader Design # : 257

If you've designed jewelry before, you'll understand how attached some people can be when they see the end result of their efforts. It can be hard to give away the jewelry because you've put a little piece of yourself in the design.

And yet, young as she was, eleven-year old Laura was adamant this attractive glass bead bracelet was for her mother. She also either knew or instinctively felt that her mother would love the orange and green combination. The plain muted flat oval orange beads contrasted with the more decorative green ones. The green colour served as a calming colour to the warmer orange tones. Perfect for summer or fall wardrobes! Or to brighten a wintry day like today.

Beader Design # : 256
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In thousands of years of Chinese history, there have only been three reigning Empresses. The last Empress of China, the legendary Cixi or Tzu Hsi (1835-1908) was not Chinese but Manchu.

The Manchus who ruled China from 1644 -1911 (Ching/Qing Dynasty), made their Han Chinese male subjects shave their foreheads and wear their hair long in a queue, Manchu-style as a mark of subservience - an edict that was brutally enforced. The Manchus were ultimately unable to cope with the tide of great change and internal rebellion in the 19th century even as stronger nations from Europe and nearby Japan pounded on their doorstep.

In her lifetime and for nearly 70 years after her death, Tzu Hsi was vilified as the stereotypical "Dragon Lady", a beautiful, seductive woman who was also cunning and cruel. Although she was regent for nearly 50 years, she was in reality a pawn used by vengeful and ultra-conservative Manchu princes in a power struggle between reformers and foreigners.

Her wicked reputation was all a hoax, perpetuated by an Englishman, Sir Edmund Backhouse (1873-1944) whose fertile imagination forged most of his Chinese sources. His titillating accounts of her supposed sexual exploits and murderous plots fed the curiosity of Westerners hungry for any information about life behind the walls of the Forbidden City. Alas, other earlier biographers relied on his "information" resulting in several unflattering books.

The real Tzu Hsi, daughter of a minor Manchu official and a pretty 5 foot tall girl, was chosen to be an Imperial concubine when she was just 16. Contrary to Western belief, being an Imperial concubine was not considered demeaning but a great honour. A luxurious life and exalted status was preferable to a harsh life outside the palace. The concubines became permanent members of the royal family and spent their whole lives in the Forbidden City. They even had their own retirement home in the northeast complex - the Hall of the Forgotten Favourites.

Imperial concubines competed intensely for the Emperor's favor. Tzu Hsi's future was secured when she bore the Emperor his only male heir. After the death of her weak husband, she became co-regent with the official Empress, with thousands of eunuchs at her beck and call. Coming from humble beginnings, Tzu Hsi paid great attention to her dress and accessories. Over her lifetime, she accumulated over 3000 boxes of "every day" jewelry! Mostly gifts from admirers and those seeking her favour, they ranged from gold, pearl and jade bracelets to gem encrusted hair pins. Tzu Hsi changed her accessories and clothing several times a day to display these jewelry items as much as possible.

Imperial audiences took hours to prepare. In addition to her rich robes and elaborate head-dresses, she wore a cape covered with 3500 canary-egg sized pearls, secured by jade clasps. She also wore pearl and jade bracelets and jade rings. Adhering to ancient custom, she wore long gold fingernail protectors on her little and ring fingers of one hand. Her other fingernails were trimmed short.

Tzu Hsi outlived her syphilitic son who led a very short life of utter debauchery and her weak and sickly nephew. She was also regent for the last Emperor of China, PuYi. The Ching dynasty was to last only three years more after her death. The end of the dynasty also saw the end of long hairstyles for Chinese men,  as queues were cut off literally overnight.

Picture source : Hand coloured photograph c.1890 of the Dowager Empress taken when she was in her fifties.

Reference and recommended biography
Sterling Seagrave (1992) Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China

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

I first "bumped" into Caroline Wyspianski of Signature Gems on a blogging network who then invited me to join her newly created Flickr group. I was particularly taken with the lovely handmade Baltic amber jewelry designs from Signature Gems so much so, I blogged about a stunning green amber necklace made by one of their Lithuanian artisans.

She also writes a blog and I was rather surprised when she recently asked if I would agree to an interview. An "aw, shucks" moment later, I said yes.

She sent me a list of questions to find out more about why I got started in the beading business and what got me interested in blogging. I also shared my thoughts about amber, beading and jewelry. You know, stuff about the beader behind the avatar and the writer behind The Beading Gem's Journal. You can read my 15 minutes of fame here.

Lady Roots is a beadweaving artisan whom I've featured before. She writes a delightful blog from her Jamaican home. Since we visited her last, she has gotten over her internet woes. Now she can concentrate on blog updating and housekeeping. So if things look a little odd there for the next while or as they say in Jamaica "tings dem a look chaka-chaka", you'll know why.

Like all artisans, she has a great eye for colour and design possibilities. Pictured here is her bracelet made from her business suit buttons when she gave up the corporate life. The suits are gone but her bracelet reminds her of what she does not miss. She also created a cuff bracelet from a cardboard core hidden under many layers of red, gold and copper lacquer and decorated with aquarium glass. A modern design from as she says, humble beginnings.

She extols the virtues of recycling for by reusing, we will help reduce landfill waste and save resources. I agree with her; our children deserve a better world. Bless up, Lady Roots and thanks for sharing this photo from your blog post.

Inspiring Recycled Jewelry on the Web

Vling makes pins, earrings, pendants and even Christmas ornaments from old vinyl records and not just in black. Some of the designs are perfect for Halloween like the black cats and spiders.

Arteco.com showcases the amazing range of jewelry (mostly ) made from recycled high tech components by a gifted artisan, Stewart Webb who is dyslexic and loves taking things apart.

TechnaCessories is a jewelry line developed by Marion Martinez from discarded circuit boards. Her jewelry is mostly limited to pins and bolo ties. Her circuit board art for walls is exquisite.

Indigo Dreams has a macrame bracelet made with a USB memory stick which works as the clasp!!! And computer keys all linked together as a bracelet.

Eco-artware.com sells a range of gifts made from recycled, reused and natural materials. In their jewelry for women section, there are rings made from typewriter keys, bangles from vinyl records and even watch face bracelets. Their cuff links are also typewriter keys - "Shift Key" and "Back Space"!

Re-Cycled Accessories lives up to its name. The jewelry is made from bike parts and is designed by cyclists!

Recycled Jewelry Contest Winners in Louisiana include an excellent pin design made by Ann Knox from a metal washer, clock parts and chain.

Uncommon Goods.com features Kathleeen Plate's amber glass and sterling silver jewelry.

Christie Fisher makes beautiful jewelry from recycled glass.

Great Green Goods shows simple but colourful bangles made from shopping bags and shampoo bottles combined with silver and gold.

Recycled Jewelry series

This is a story of a necklace and how it "lost its way" as a piece of jewelry and was "reborn".

Susan's aunt gave her mother a moonstone like and crystal bead necklace some fifty years ago. Her mother proudly wore it until the necklace was no longer fashionable. It laid unworn in her jewelry box for years until it was given to Susan's elderly grandmother who liked to keep her hands busy. The beads were hot-glued, yes you read it right, hot glued to form a bejewelled cross. After the grandmother passed away, Susan's mother kept the cross and eventually gave it to Susan who loves designing bracelets with gemstones.

Fortunately, the glue had become dry and brittle so most of the stones were easy to remove. Susan soaked the remainder in hot water to loosen up the glue. Some of the crystals were discoloured but most importantly, the beads were in mint condition! She has made bracelets for her mother (pictured) with a necklace to come and naturally a bracelet for herself. All are lovely mementos from just a single piece of family jewelry.

What lengths would you go to in order to save old beads?

Beader Design # :255
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Deidry is one lucky designer who has managed to collect vintage beads from her friends. What she has done is to incorporate them into new designs, mixing with modern components.

Her two lovely bracelets here can be worn individually or together. The gorgeous green beads are antique and they go well with the silver metal beads and clasps and brownish triangular mother of pearl beads.The old beads have so much character to them. Deidry did a great job and enhancing their green with the other beads.

Robin is a bead artist who adores green beads. She is the author of a blog appropriately called Beadlust. In her beautiful blog post entitled "Glorious,glorious Green Glass Beads" , she tells of her past visits to the Czech Republic on bead buying missions. There she met a man whose family's glass bead business, like so many others, was closed down by the Communist government in the 1940's - too capitalist. The Czech government came to their senses a decade later and restarted glass bead making when the country needed money. The bead making was consolidated and with less competition, there was no need to offer so many colours.

Fortunately, many families managed to hide some of the beads during this purge. Robin's post shows a number of pictures of the amazing range of green colours in old sample cards and seed beads dating from the late 1880's to WWII. In the past, family businesses competed with each other so they developed secret recipes to get the different shades. Today, the colour choices are improving from various manufacturers in Japan, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Beader Design #:254
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"They don't make them like they used to" is a saying which epitomizes vintage beads, a popular commodity in the beading world these days.

Myrna's grandmother's beads pictured here were estimated to be at least seventy years old. At first glance, I thought they were a strand of multi-coloured tourmaline gemstone beads. But on closer examination, they were glass. But oh, such pretty glass. They were irregular in size but that was part of their charm. Myrna restrung them onto beading wire as she was afraid the string they were on would eventually break.

How can one tell if the beads are glass or gemstones? Look really closely and glass will have very tiny bubbles of trapped air. Pressed glass i.e. glass made with molds have tell-tale lines where the two halves were fused. Long ago, before modern instruments, people used to tell the difference and check for fakes by putting the "stone" in their mouths. Gemstones like rubies, sapphires and so on are good thermal conductors which means they draw heat from the body and will feel cold. Whereas glass is a poor conductor of heat and will feel warm.

The pictures on this article A History of Beads, show a wide range of lovely vintage beads from different periods dating back to the late 1800's. The 1930's blue satin Czech beads with an embossed pattern demonstrate the mastery of these bead makers. Also of note - gold and silver foiling of beads were not exclusive to the Italians (Murano) but Czech, Japanese and German bead makers used this decorative technique too. Another factor in the popularity of vintage beads are the wide ranger of colours available compared to modern offerings.

So don't throw out old beads! Rescue attic finds. Haunt garage sales. These old beads getting harder to find and pricier with time.

Recycled Jewelry Series
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One reader emailed me to ask a question. She also, as an aside asked "How come I don't see any of YOUR jewelry designs" on your blog. Point taken.

In one whole year of blogging, I have posted only a few of my designs on the blog in the past, choosing to focus on other designs. But this necklace of mine is worthy of a post because there is a little tale to it and fits in with this week's theme of recycled jewelry.

My mother gave me this pale green graduated jade bead necklace. But it languished at the bottom of my jewelry box, because I thought it b-o-r-i-n-g. In order to make it more appealing, I eventually took it apart and mixed in some carnelian gemstone and round bone rings. The necklace was transformed into something I would wear. The green jade cooled down the orange-brown colour of carnelian, a gemstone which doesn't usually suit my complexion. Thus it allowed me to wear carnelian for the first time. There was also enough left over to make a pair of bonus earrings!

What surprised me was how much other people liked it every time I wore it. So I encourage everyone to take a closer look at jewelry worthy of a revamp perhaps with the introduction of other beads. And when you get tired of the style, take it apart again for a redesign.

Beader Design #: 253
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When I wrote about Marie Antoinette's Pearls a few weeks ago, did you wonder if the necklace sold? The media attention had been lively and expectations were high for jewelry with this kind of provenance does not often come up for auction.

Well, it did not sell. Perhaps no one wanted to own the pearls once belonging to such a tragic Queen. Bad karma and all that.

There might have been another reason : pearls are also associated with tears. How it became a symbol of tears goes back to an old Indian legend which tells of the death of the abducted Princess of Travancore in a storm. When her body was recovered, the oyster found in her hand contained a round stone with a soft lustre none had seen before. The Brahman (supreme Hindu spirit) proclaimed it to be a tear of heaven, congealed into a beautiful gem he called a pearl. The King of Travacore ordered the most precious setting for this pearl and it became prized above all other gemstones.

People over the centuries have become really ambivalent about pearls. Pearls, on one hand, are believed to bring health, fortune, luck and prosperity to the wearer. And yet, pearls in an engagement ring are still considered unlucky for brides in many cultures. The tears they represent might herald an unhappy marriage. In another twist, sleeping with them under the pillow were thought to help childless couples conceive. I wish they made their minds up about pearls. Are they lucky or unlucky?

Perhaps the wild swings in pearl lore accounts for the traditional marriage superstitions for bridal wear:

Married in: White - You've chosen all right
Blue - Your love is true
Pearl - You'll live in a whirl
Brown - You'll live out of town
Red - You will wish yourself dead
Yellow - You're ashamed of your fellow
Green - Ashamed to be seen
Pink - Your fortunes/spirits will sink
Grey - You'll live far away
Black - You'll wish yourself back

In Asia, people have a practical solution : pearls are considered to be perfectly lucky so long as you don't buy them for yourself. Works for me! The double stranded pearl necklace in the picture is mine which were originally gifts from two different individuals. Combining both strands in a twist is an easy way to revitalise jewelry.

So do you think pearls are lucky or unlucky?

Beader Design #: 252

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

Mother of pearl shells come in all shapes and can be coloured in a wide range of colours. They are great for jewelry designs because of their versatility.

Sherri chose a single brown shell tile, drilled diagonally as a pendant. She then did bead weaving using gold and brown bugle beads. The cross-over beads were emerald green crystal beads, the same as the crystal bead used with the pendant. The green provided a a good contrast with this earthy coloured necklace. What Sherri has done here is a great way of using emerald green delicately. All green necklaces may not be everyone's cup of tea!

Beader Design # : 251
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