The Beading Gem

Have you noticed how the edge beads on loom work is still open on the side?  If you prefer to have a row of edge beads facing the other way, check out this tutorial!  It is by Erin Simonetti of Beads, Beading, Beaded.

The Ancient Egyptians were masters of statement jewelry as you can see from this past post about Ancient Egyptian Collar Necklace Inspirations. Their designs still inspire many today. Take a look at the outstanding gemstone creations of this Italian designer I featured a while ago. But you don't have to use expensive gemstones! I simply love this Egyptian style statement necklace tutorial by Anna over on Fire Mountain Gems which involves the use of 3 Hole Swarovski connectors.  You do need a lot of these - they sell them by the gross too.

Last week's giveaway for Kerrie Slade's Playful Perfection book drew out readers who saw the possibilities of beading with different types of beads. Sneaky Burrito said, "I have been hoarding shaped beads and a book like this seems like just the excuse to start using them." PMensch added, "Learning how to use the large variety of beads would be extremely helpful."  Not just helpful, but the shaped beads add texture and different looks to bead woven designs.

Anyone working with resin usually likes to polish up at the end. The polish not only removes minor scratches but imparts a glassy look to the work.  Resin designs used as key chain embellishments also need a polish now and then when they become dull and frosted. But what should we use?

Sunbursts always makes me happy. So why not sunburst jewelry? Beautiful Swarovski rivolis are perfect as sun centers when teamed with 2 hole triangle beads.  These tutorials for a lovely set are by Bead Diagrams.   Her earrings tutorial shows how she added a larger seed bead at the top for hanging from a jump ring.

Laura Eccleston of Happy Berry is a British crochet designer.  She shared this lovely cotton yarn and bead crochet earrings tutorial which is versatile as you can change up the colors and beads. Using memory wire is indeed an excellent choice as the metal will retain its shape.  Please do not use your nice flush cutters to cut memory wire as you will ruin them. Use a sturdy wire cutter from the hardware store.

The first stitch I ever learned was brick stitch.  It is a versatile stitch especially if you want to bead weave irregular shapes.  Check out Karen Parker's tutorial on how to make a brick stitch butterfly. Once you do, you can also apply the general technique for other insects and animals.

The concept of a tree of life is an ancient one, as it is part of many mythologies. It is still a popular symbol today. Jasmina Srpčič of Jesseherc shared her tutorial on how to create a frameless wire wrapped tree of life pendant.  I consider it frameless as there is no wire based rim around the gemstone. Instead, the thick foundation wire and integrated bail is hidden at the back.

Italian beader, Paola of Ricamar Gioielli has some great geometric inspired beaded earrings tutorials which are not too difficult to do. I like this triangular pair which has a slight optical illusion reminding me of the Pyramids of Egypt! The tutorial is in Italian.  While you cannot translate the image, you can print out the images which have clear diagrams of the bead paths. So you should be able to create a pair!  

I hadn't realized how fast time flew.  So if you can make it to my How to Photograph Jewelry webinar, the next one is this coming Sunday at 2 pm EST.  This is aimed at jewelry artisans who would rather spend their time making jewelry! I've learned a lot taking pictures for my blog so this webinar shares my tips and tricks.

Getting into a niche market can often be the right strategy for any micro-business owner.  Judi of Digits Designs does well as she specializes in polymer clay buttons.  She creates the most adorable ones - especially animals and flowers - all of them perfect for those who sew, crochet or knit garments.

Kerrie Slade is a British contemporary beadwork designer and instructor whose work is refreshingly light and modern. One delightful series she came up with were her Kazuri Kritters - a set a cleverly designed pins using Kazuri animal buttons, complete with a little story about each animal.  Raised as an only child in the English countryside, Kerrie says "her mother taught her the names of trees and flowers from a young age, and often told her fairy tales. These early experiences sparked a vivid imagination, a love of nature and the ability to be content with her own company."

Not everyone likes earrings with dangles. So if you like stud earrings which are aren't too dainty, these tutorials are simply lovely and worth a try. Terese Kennard of Lily-Tree has a copper wire woven stud earrings tutorial which can be changed to dangles if you are not keen on soldering the ear posts!

It often pays to find different uses for jewelry making components.  Laura Gummerman over on A Beautiful Mess shows how stamping blanks need not be stamped on!  Her tutorial is easy as there is no cutting of metal involved. You just have to find the right blanks for a pleasing design.

The most innovative design ideas are often the result of mixing different media and techniques.  I just love this clever resin and polymer clay ring tutorial by Cat Kerr.  The ring itself is mainly polymer clay but the colored bits are resin.

You do not have to be a whiz with metal work techniques to be able to make connectors.  Lisa Yang's tutorial shows how to make easy ones from thick hammered wire!  This is a great task to work out any frustrations you have simply from the hammering you will do.  Filing the rounded edges is required.

I love Swarovski butterflies. They are ever so pretty.  Not many people use them probably because they can't think of something other than just using them as plain dangles.  But  Paola of Ricamar Gioielli, an Italian beader, rose to the challenge.  I just love her design tutorial because she framed the butterflies with beadwork.

California based metalsmith, Kelly Morgen, creates beautiful art nouveau inspired jewelry.  She is also skilled in scrimshaw - the old art of engraving on ivory.  As ivory is now banned, scrimshaw artists like her now use recycled real ivory keys from antique pianos as well as other materials.  Her cut work designs also displays the gemstones she uses at the back. Her pieces are also reversible such is the meticulous finish.

Last week's giveaway for a most gorgeous project book had many copper lovers coming out in droves.  But there were other reasons too. This book scores because the projects do not need a torch (unless you want to ball up wire ends). Sue Thompson said, "I am a chicken when it comes to using a torch so this would help greatly, plus she's always got so many great ideas already."

The tutorials I wrote on how to make real flower resin jewelry have been wildly popular.  This spring and summer I had a lot of fun as I continued my experiments with this technique. What I wanted to do was to improve on the pressed flower method (see tutorial here).  Firstly I wanted to eliminate the first resin step which became the foundation for the pressed flowers. Secondly, I wanted to deal with the pigment loss. Yellow flowers seem keep their colors but other flowers, especially the blue ones, faded with time and exposure to sunlight.

Have you ever seen Korite's ammolite (see promo video at the end)?  They are the largest supplier of this rare multi-colored gemstone found only in Southern Alberta, Canada . This gemstone comes from prehistoric marine snails which fossilized in what was once an ancient seabed.  Not surprisingly, jewelry pieces made from this gemstone are pretty pricey! But there is a way you can wear a lookalike!

Aki over on Minted Strawberry has a simple wire work pearl stud earrings tutorial which showcases the gemstones in lovely curves.  She is right when she says you don't have to use pearls but any gemstone or other beads you like. You can also graduate the sizes.

I don't know about you, but I have a lot of gemstone and glass chips looking for a project or two of their own!  So I was delighted when I saw Pru McCray of Prumihimo's gemstone chip kumihimo bracelet tutorial. This British designer specializes in beaded kumihimo jewelry.

Bugle beads aren't commonly used in rings. Sapphirus, a Japanese designer not only uses them but also creates contemporary pieces. In the first tutorial, the ring is beaded in a "circular fashion".  The designer gives the basic bead types and sizes. However, the text in the video is entirely in Japanese. So you will have to give it a go and perhaps watch the tutorial a few times.

I've featured this style of bead crochet tutorial before. This is an easy technique which requires single crochet with lots and lots of beads on fishing line. The result is light yet spectacular.  You do not need to be a crochet whiz in order to make this!

Sarah Jane Connors is a British artist who paints with beads!  Thousands of them!  Her amazing bead animal portraits takes her one to two months to do. The process is incredibly time consuming because she meticulously attaches every bead with a hot glue gun onto wooden boards.  Any unwanted bead has to be removed with a hair dryer - the heat softens the glue enough for her to pick it out. She applies a layer of Mod Podge to seal her beaded canvases when she is done.

There are so many ways to connect metal components for jewelry making without the use of a torch. Learning these popular cold connection techniques such as wire wrapping, riveting, stamping and forging will definitely lead to the creation of unique designs.  They aren't hard to learn and do but some will require some practice to be proficient.

There is nothing wrong with jump rings as connectors.  But if you made your own out of wire, then the jewelry design will take on a unique look.  Check out this lovely wire wrapped connector tutorial by this Vietnamese wire artist, Lan Anh Handmade. The rosettes are very pretty indeed! The DIY also includes how to make the clasp ends.

Remember my review of Lisa Niven Kelly and Taryn McCabe's New Stamped Metal Jewelry book? I mentioned that the book also covered how to use letter stamps to create mandalas.  If you are like me, you probably only have mostly alphabet stamps. But that shouldn't stop you from trying!  

I came across this interesting post by Zell Lee over on Resin Obsession which shows how you can make real butterfly wing resin jewelry or charms such as this one for a bookmark.  Most butterfly wing jewelry makers sandwich them between glass which is then soldered around the edges.  That is because butterfly wings are incredibly fragile.  You cannot glue them either as it will affect the wing colors.

We do not often see bead embroidery as a technique for rings.  But this statement bead embroidered ring tutorial by Catherine Deomidova manages to feature a Swarovoski rivoli. The bead embroidery technique is not unusual but I noticed she had a clever way of adding the leather backing.  This tip shows how you can hid the main part of the ring blank.  Note that she uses an adjustable ring which can be opened up and the leather part inserted.

I featured Secret Wood's amazing wood and resin ring creations last year. Since then many people including Peter Brown in this video,  have tried to generate their own versions.  It is not an easy process and all require the use of power tools.  So this delightful fake wood tutorial - really polymer clay and resin with a touch of glitter - by Jackie of NerdECrafter will appeal to those who avoid such tools!

Not many readers actually comment but many came out in droves for the last week's TierraCast giveaway!  That is not surprising since the quality and range of components they make never disappoint. Susie Hunter said, "Tierra Cast findings always add such a unique and professional look to any piece." Kathy added, "I have been making jewelry for about 15 years and I have ALWAYS loved TierraCast! The components are sturdy, beautiful, and are well made of excellent quality materials. You can't possibly have too many TierraCast components!"

Robin Wade, a Californian metal smith is one of the most prolific artists I have ever seen. She is a talented artist who works and teaches many mediums.  Her current focus is on jewelry designs.  She has quite a range of designs in her Etsy store which showcases her impressive creativity.  I had a very hard time picking a representative range of her work.  All are so distinctly different and original.  My favorites (as a cat owner) are her quirky cat pendants!  She has designs featuring different animals and nature.

Fork Cat