The Beading Gem

Pablo Cimadevila, a Spanish metal smith is truly inspirational.  He not only created beautiful custom jewelry designs, he also documents the process as well.   This video shows how he created a pair of 3D printed wedding bands for a couple from start to finish.  The design shown in the demo is a variation of the bands shown above in that the diamond is not embedded into the inside of the band.

Like to crochet?  How about you consider making crochet charms!  This adorable miniature crochet handbag charm tutorial is by MaryJ Handmade.  She made the bags to decorate keychains.  I like how she added beads and other charms to make her dangles.

You could certainly customize colors if you are making it for someone!

I don't know about you, but I love handbags.  I have quite a few. So these adorable beaded mini handbags are perfect for bag lovers like me!

First up is the lovely bead crochet mini bag tutorial which features tiny leather straps!  It is by Adele Rogers Recklies of Reckless Beading. This one makes a great decorative charm for key chains and so on. Or use them as dollhouse or doll accessories.  See this past post on how to use your beads and findings to make more fun stuff for dollhouses.

Sometimes it is worth revisiting a tried and true technique.  Vietnamese wire artist, Lan Anh Pham, did just that with the classic wire cage spiral method. This is usually used to capture beads with loops at both ends so each unit can be connected together - this is often used in a bracelet design.

She demonstrates this wire method with her simple elongated earrings design with just a single captured bead. This design will go together with a matching bracelet. Note : thick wire looks better than thinner wire!

Are you a polymer clay jewelry newbie?  Perhaps mixing colors, blending or canes are just a little too much?  This simple stripe design tutorial by Bhavani Jewelry is for you!  She called them torpedo earrings because the rolled out shapes are tapered like a torpedo or, as I see it, a cigar!

As you can see, she uses only two colors. But you could also add in more colors if you wish. The design consists of adding polymer clay "snakes" to a central polymer clay.  This central core can be leftover clay from other projects!

This sweet tutorial by Silva Pang (of Knot A Wish ) is very clever because she introduced lots of color in a simple knotted cord bracelet. Reminds one of Christmas colors! That is why she called it Feliz, after the Spanish phrase Feliz Navidad y feliz año nuevo which translates as Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

This tutorial by Turkish designer, İlknur Dökmez, shows a seed bead outlined crystal flower pendant. The slightly layered design looks elegant yet, it is simple to do.  Just the sort of project if you want something fairly large but quick to do.

Also a plus is the use of crystal rondelles - designers often use other shapes like round crystals and bicones to "fill" the flower petals!

I first came across Dutch designer, Marlies Blaauw's wire work when I featured her detailed wire wrapped heart pendant in this past post.  But her shop, Atelier Blaauw, really shows her skill at making meticulous pieces.  She is self taught and said, "I'm a perfectionist, I want to have my jewelry perfect and solid." It shows.

She makes a lot of modern wire earrings working in sterling, fine silver, gold filled wire and gemstones.

Are you at a loss as to what to make for the men in your life?  If they do like wearing jewelry, then paracord bracelets are the answer!  Here are a couple of lovely paracord bracelets by Creative and Hobbies.  The first tutorial is called the Virgo.

The tutorials are self explanatory but I did translate the important parts as the words are in Malay - I have to admit I am very rusty in the language I learned in my youth (I was born and raised in Malaysia) but I remember some of the words.

Award winning British designer and instructor, Jean Power is best known for her wonderful geometric beaded designs.  Jean has been beading since 2001. Once started, she soon became addicted to little beads! She has many, many wonderful designs which made my task of selecting just a few to feature, very difficult!

Know anyone who will be coming of age soon?  If so, check out this beautiful wire wrapped key pendant tutorial by Gloria Uhler of Domestic Diva Online.   You will be able to custom the crystal color to suit the recipient.

She has made it easier for novice wire workers as the foundation/frame wire is 18 G.  This gives the design a delicate look. But you can also use 16 G too!

I love this glamorous and fun bead and ribbon bow necklace tutorial by Stalker over on biser,info. It will certainly dress up a plain dress and put the focus on the neckline!  She makes tapered beaded pieces which are then "zipped" together to form the bow.

Fellow Canadian, Angie Martin, has a way with beads and words!  She lists her shop,  Nanny Pink's Passion  as a source of various beading patterns for seedy beaders! She certainly likes working with different kinds of beads and has a great sense of pattern and design.

No one knows how the Cuban chain link (also known as Miami Cuban chain link) came to be.  The Cuban chain link evolved from the hip-hop movement in the 1970's and 1980's.  The heavy masculine chain jewelry has been rising in popularity since about 2012, helped no doubt by various celebrities.

Watch this video which shows how a 2 kg (4.4 lb) ) solid gold chain is made from scratch. At the time of writing this, gold cost nearly $40,000 per kg!

Some people are incredibly talented!!  Olga Zhukova is an Ukrainian artist who excels at sculpting with felt - see my past feature on WoolCreationsStore.  As it turns out, she is also accomplished with polymer clay.  Her other store, PolymerFlowers showcases her ability to make realistic polymer clay flowers, fruit and butterfly jewelry pieces!

Many beaded earring designs go for length. But consider making and wearing something wider!  This wonderful tutorial from the folks at Caravan Beads goes for the multi-looped style. It is an easy design using brick stitch.

What happens when modern meets old?  Iamnotsocool is a Florida based artisan who is really into vintage. Yet the store boasts of laser cut wood and laser printed earrings. Many of the images are vintage - some are collages.

I really do not like using just thread to attach bead work to clasps. With slider tube clasps, the issue is compounded.  Just how does one attach jump rings to the work?  The solution is demonstrated by Gyongyike.

Traditional wire wrapping of gemstones is not that difficult. Tip- use square wire for the frame and half round wire for wrapping.  But there are so many different ways to make a design unique.  I just love Oxanacrafts's double gemstone wire wrapped pendant tutorial.  The long design is articulated!

Slovakia based Jaroslav and Natalka Pavlysh are the husband and wife who started Recomputing to give a new life to broken computer parts! Natalka explained, "Jaroslav worked with computers for years and collected plenty of broken parts. So it was a natural decision to start recycling them into something totally different, but still useful."

Miss your garden flowers? It might be a long wait till spring but you can certainly make beautiful polymer clay flowers in the meantime. Check out the gorgeous statement polymer clay tutorial by Verushka Stevens over on VeruDesigns!

This stunning design has 3 different rose types, a wild flower and various greenery making it a very springtime affair! Not to mention a light one to wear!

Are you planning to attend special parties to celebrate Christmas or the New Year?  Then you are probably thinking of outfits...and the right jewelry to go with them.  The glamorous beadwork patterns and tutorials by Hungarian bead artist, Assza of AsszaBeadingArts is therefore a must-see!

Need a centerpiece for your Christmas dining table or something festive on the mantelpiece?  Check out  this wire and bead Christmas tree tutorial Julia Lobedova.  The wire tree tutorial requires beads in 3 colors.  The assembly steps can best be seen on her original tutorial which uses smaller beads.

As you can see, the simple pattern is repeated to obtain the larger branches at the bottom. The little garlands and beaded ornaments are clever!

I first stumbled on Serbian polymer clay artist, Nevenka (Nena) Sabo's work when I was looking for miniature book jewelry.  Her store, Art Studio Katherine, has several colorful miniature book pendants.  These adorable creations are perfect for bibliophiles!  Nena says she herself is a book lover.

Mirraling is an Ukrainian artist and jewelry designer.  Romantic wire wrapped gemstone jewelry is what she does best in her shop, JewelrybyMirraling.   These beautiful creations are one of a kind.  Her pieces show her eye for well-balanced designs and her meticulous skill with wire.

95-97 % of the world's precious opal comes from Australia. Precious opal is different from common opal because of its "play of color" . You can see flashes of color as it is turned. This gemstone is drop dead gorgeous when it also displays adularescence, a form of iridescence.

Ever tried to stamp with alcohol inks?  Well, that really does not work as you don't have enough time to do much before the alcohol evaporates.  So when I first saw this Tim Holz tutorial, my jaw dropped!  What took so long?  Watch the entire video tutorial as there are many tips and tricks!

Ever tried making simple felt balls to use in the dryer?  I did and it was a lot harder and more time consuming that I thought it would be. I was also leery of stabbing myself with those barbed needles!  So it is always such a treat to see the work of highly skilled felt artists who can sculpt with the wool.  Like Ukrainian artist, Olga Zhukova,of Wool Creations Store who makes adorable felt animal brooches!

Many readers really appreciated the subscription box concept judging from their comments for last week's kit giveaway from Facet Jewelry. Tonia Tolksdof said it best, "Having the "shopping list" done for a project sounds wonderful!" 

Sheryl Hetzel also pointed out, "I would not only get to make the earrings and necklace but also have a couple of new patterns!"  It is a very good deal indeed.

And as far as beaders are concerned, Marija Batraks is right - "It's like getting a Tiffany blue box." Only much easier on the wallet!

Long time readers might well remember my humor post, Diagnosis! Bead Addiction where the  prognosis was to pace one's purchases!  So subscription boxes are the way to go.  Check out Facet Jewelry Box  for more details.

Well, there can only be one winner of this particular giveaway kit.  I numbered all the eligible entries and got the random number generator over on random.org to do the picking. The lucky winner is Caroline Fisher!  Congratulations.  I don't have your email Caroline so please contact me before next Monday to claim your prize.

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
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Remember my previous post about evil eye charms?  Evil eye jewelry is still popular today. See my past post on the amazing wire woven evil eye jewelry of Twisted Sister Arts (a must see).  Or if you aren't into protective charms, then eye cabochons are are useful for doll making, mixed media art, sculptures and so on.

I first came across Cara and  Lane Landry's beadwork  when I spotted their Sugar Skull beaded jewelry tutorial - perfect for the feature I wrote : 8 Awesome Beaded and Wire Halloween Jewelry Tutorials.  But there is much more to this Gig Harbor, Washington based mother and daughter team. They have a great many tutorials in their store SimpleBeadPatterns.

Judy Larson is a most generous designer and instructor.  Over the years, she has sent me many tutorials to share with readers. Here is her latest.   She said, "This cuff was made to commemorate my nephew's wedding last summer and  I photographed the process. I made the cuffs for David to give to the mothers and his bride-to-be at the grooms dinner. It took way too long, but I finally put the tutorial together."