The Beading Gem

The zipper jewelry trend hasn't quite gone away. Not when some innovative designers can still come up with great looking pieces. The zipper and ribbon bracelet tutorial by Bev over on Flamingo Toes is one such example.

It's been a while since I wrote 5 Reasons Why Online Jewelry Sales are Slow and they still hold true today.  Indeed it is a perennial complaint. Some things you cannot change like the seasonal aspect.  But some things you can.

Ropes and cords are one way to make a project go fast!  The wide range of thicknesses and colors available today means you can make some stunning ones. This basket weave cuff tutorial is by reader George Hutchinson over on his Knot and Fiber Bracelets blog.

It is good to practice a technique like 8 strand kumihimo bracelet repeatedly.  Practice does make perfect as the ability to keep an even tension improves.  But there is another benefit.  After a while, greater understanding of how the braiding happens develops and that gives confidence to try something new.

I was so glad when Tramps and Glams followed me on Twitter.  That's how I got to know of their delightful store.  What they make are wonderfully quirky polymer clay designs with a huge dash of surrealism thrown in!  They are unusual alright!

Many readers were already fans of African trade beads. I was so pleased a number of you also appreciated learning a little about them from last week's Bead Chest $30 gift certificate giveaway.

Most of us are not into wood work.  If you are like me, you also don't own a scroll saw.  But there is a way to make wooden jewelry easily and without having to commit to a whole length from a lumber yard!  Just use popsicle sticks!!  You can either recycle these or buy them brand new from a craft store.

People "write" wire names.  Why not sketch with wire?  This beautiful floral pendant design video tutorial by specialCANmade on Youtube first sketched on paper.  Using just his pliers, he created the design. Finally, the frame is constructed to hold the wire design, frame the gemstone pendant and create the bail.

The warmer months of the year from May through to August are the most popular times for weddings. Here is a wonderful idea for a unique bridal headpiece - a netted affair which will appeal to brides who don't like veils or hats but still want to adorn their hair.

Is it because men are sometimes reluctant to commit or just simply at a loss when it comes to buying a ring and popping "the" question? Sure, the happy couple could go ring shopping together but the true romantic would get a ring first so he could get down on his bended knee and propose to the love of his life.

Michele, like me, used to be a research scientist.  She is staying home to take care of her family and a her graphic design small business.  She also designed a couple of fun button jewelry tutorials.  I like how she connected buttons together for her bib necklace. The large layered wooden flower accent really made this design pop!

There are a number of pretty mixed media chain necklace ideas out there.  But this tutorial by Trinkets in Bloom is unusual in that an old broken crystal necklace is recycled and added to the design.

Some of the loveliest resin jewelry I have ever seen are made by fellow Canadians, Jessica and Gwynne Burgess over on their Etsy store, Rosella Resin. Their numerous admirers and customers think so too! Quite deservedly, they were featured on Etsy's blog not too long ago.

with gold flakes

African trade beads have a long and sometimes ugly history.  They were used by Africans for adornment and as currency.  The ugly part comes with the use of "slave beads" as ships going to Africa were loaded with beads and other trade goods as ballast before exchanging these for human cargo on the outbound journeys.  Beads also played a fascinating and crucial role in the 19th century European exploration of Africa - see my historical biography on Richard Francis Burton and African Trade Beads (recommended read).

Mali wedding beads popular with the Fulani women of Mali for over 100 years

Asymmetrical jewelry may not be for everyone.  However, the look is definitely unique as the jewelry can be customized in so many different ways.  Making asymmetrical bracelets also has the advantage of using up leftover supplies which aren't sufficient for a full bracelet. The basic idea is to divide the bracelet in two halves.

Now that the long awful winter is finally over, I am looking forward to seeing butterflies in the garden. Butterflies are also popular in jewelry designs.  Here is one easy one to try.  It is by  Polish artisan, Kasia of KicaBijoux.

We humans are a superstitious lot!  Evil eye jewelry and talismans to ward off bad luck are still around even after centuries.  Artisans can purchase eye beads for their designs.  But you could also make your own from glass cabochons!

It doesn't seem that long ago when two hole seed beads like the super duos and tila beads became available.  There are also other two hole beads such as the Czechmate lentils and brick beads (sort of half tilas) as well as cylindrical Rulla beads.  Just one extra hole and the beads increased design possibilities by a huge margin!

Grouping components together is a good way to get spectacular results in jewelry design.  This gorgeous Crystal Flare necklace tutorial by Geneva Vanderzeil over on the A Pair and a Spare blog is a perfect example of this design approach. 

Julie Rofman is a successful bead work artisan. She sells her work in many stores and has been featured in a number of publications including Vogue and O Magazine.  It's not hard to see why her loom beaded cuffs have garnered attention.

Nunn Design really packs a double whammy - beautiful findings and amazing tutorials.  All the better for creating gorgeous jewelry! So it wasn't surprising to see a large turnout for last week's giveaway.

Don't you just love multidisciplinary projects?  It really pays to learn more than one technique.  This delightful turtle brooch tutorial by Cindy Kamide over on Bead & Button goes over how to make the polymer bead cabochons and stitching the base and bezel.  The embellishments are also included.

The versatility of twin holed beads is infinite! Bead weavers already know how useful these types of beads are. But they can also be used with wire.  Check out this tutorial by the Domestic Diva where the twin beads are wired such that they form a bezel around a lamp work bead.

Riveted leather bracelets are so cool - both to make and wear.  They are ideal for masculine jewelry and for women who don't like bling.  But we all want to rivet the easy way, right?  And without having to spend a lot on expensive tools.

Kumihimo with the (round) disc is very popular these days.  Less so with the square plate.  Here is an easy one featuring hearts using the square plate and 10 cords which results in a flat braid. The video tutorial is by the Spanish online store, Crystal Dreams.

Making paracord jewelry is fast because the most common size (550) is quite thick...and manly!  So if you enjoy the speed macrame style but want to make it feminine, bling it!  The bejeweled paracord bracelet tutorial  is by Erica over on Honestly WTF.

If you like to learn how to do micro macrame with beads, here are 10 ways to do so.  Russian beader, Julia  Zheglov, kindly shared her ideas.  Shown below are two of my favorites.

We are so used to wearing jewelry suspended around our necks and our wrists. But what if you took away the chain and connected the jewelry to clothes for support? That's the idea behind the LessIs collection by Italian designer Maria Jennifer Carew.

Unless you have been living on a desert island for the past little while, the chances are you would have come across the lovely Nunn Design jewelry findings from a number of supply companies. This unique and quality product line was started by Rebecca Nunn.  I wrote about the Washington based Becky before and raved about her resin clay tutorials.

Nunn Design Winter Collection

As we all know resin is great as a coating as it forms a hard protective surface.  Use more of it to form a dome so it is part of the design. But most people forget it can also be used as a glue.  Another fun way with resin is to use it to make a transparent film in an open bezel.  So this design of mine shows how all three properties of resin can be used in a single design.

I think I can be forgiven for being totally ignorant about what spin pins are!  It has been decades since I wore my hair long.  But I have since found out they are great for securing hair buns and eliminating the need for gadzillion hair pins.

It would be expensive to use a thick sterling silver metal sheet to make something like  these stamped pendants. Not to mention having to first saw and file the pieces. The solution is easy - go faux silver with the use of silver leaf!