I'm not very fond of the kind of donuts you eat. But gemstone donuts - bring them on! Gemstone donuts come in different sizes and styles and they make great focals. The most common type are undrilled donuts (bottom left) but you also get the drilled variety which helps you put something inside the hole if you wish.



However, there are a couple of interesting variations to look out for if you like working with donuts. The first are the donuts which are drilled and have prescored lines at four places (above right). These can be used as channels for wire work and thus increase design permutations.

At left is a prototype design I was toying with to show you what having those prescored channels can do.

If wire work seems to take forever, you could use the donut to fill a wire hoop quickly.Yes, I managed to fill the donut here with a black jet bead AND fill the hoop to some degree. The channels not only help hold the donut in place but also provide the skeleton framework for some wire scroll work. This design also increases the size of the pendant with only a regular gemstone donut on hand.

The other type I came across are those with the holes actually on the main face of the donut. This video tutorial shows one way to add elements to build up an unusual focal area. It is also shows you how to attach leather cords to the findings if you've never done this before. So if you've always worked with gemstone donuts a certain way, these styles might be ideas for coming up with something different.



Beader Design #: 462

For more tutorials check out my Jewelry Making Tips

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