The Beading Gem

 Last Friday's class at Iguana Beads was a lot of fun for all of us who attended including me!  All the students had never ever made any jewelry before. But it was not just about learning how to make a necklace. Yes, they were introduced to the basic tools, components, findings.  More than that, they were given tips on how to approach jewelry designing. The goal was not to walk out with identical pieces!

Some color combinations are easier than others.  The Baroque color palette though is perhaps a little more challenging. A wonderful example of a typical Baroque color combination came about when Pam created her  earrings and necklace set at a workshop earlier this year.


The distinctive mix of black, gold and purple hues gives a sense of richness and extravagance to the design. Pan did a fabulous job of choosing the right beads and colors  to make her design work.

Brenda created a wonderful jewelry set at a workshop earlier this year.  She teamed up two different gemstones together - turquoise and howlite. The contrast in colors is just lovely. The added metal accents were the elements which made this design really pop!

Who can resist the sparkle of crystals? Sue clearly loves crystals!   She created several pieces based on clear and grey crystals at a couple of workshops conducted by Debbie, my good friend. What Sue did was braid the light colored beading wire for a delightful variation on the illusion style of jewelry making.

Does a bracelet have to be a bracelet?  Nope.  Many jewelry pieces can indeed to be converted to other designs.  One of the easiest and perhaps most common tricks is to turn a bracelet into a necklace. 


That's exactly what Sherri did at one beading party.  She wanted to learn how to do wire crochet but preferred a necklace.  So all she had to do was to make a wire crochet bracelet (see tutorial link below) and then have two lengths of chains attached for the back of the necklace. The result was a pretty necklace just the way she wanted it!


Heading further north is LoveMaegan's DIY for converting a bracelet into a headband!  It's super easy and will give new life to old bracelets.  Little fashionistas you know will also love this idea.

Beader Design #:  689

Before You Go:

• Knit and Wire Crochet Jewelry Tutorial and Books
• How to Make a Convertible Charm Necklace/Bracelet Tutorials
• How to Make Convertible Brooch Pendant Necklaces
• How to Make a Necklace from Clip on Earrings

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

Single chain and bead wire crochet bracelets are really easy to make even if you have never done crochet before. It's a very forgiving technique although some people may not like the informal look.

Beading is a contagious activity. If you don't believe me, just check out these designs from 3 beaders at a beading party back when the weather was warmer.

They all made rainbow anklets from multicolored crystals! These are guaranteed to match just about anything in the wardrobe.

Keeping it simple is the way to go when you haven't the time to bead. Shown here is my friend and co-instructor's beaded necklace - a simple but lovely design with glass pearls and seed beads.

Sue brought in a strand of gorgeous green gemstones to a workshop earlier this year so she could create some jewelry for herself. Alas, she forgot to note what they were.

We made some guesses but in the end weren't confident enough to say what the gemstone was. So unless a reader can help out, all we can say is -  it is a quartz!

Johnette wanted to make a pearl necklace gift for her friend at a beading party. She knew this lady preferred classic designs. While there is nothing wrong with an all pearl necklace, what Johnette did certainly made the design "pop".

She did not use a pendant but she added a couple of accent beads - silvery ones which flanked a single rhinestone rondelle bead. The overall design was still understated but unique and lovely.

Not all cell phones can take charms but the charms themselves can easily be used to decorate other things like backpacks, bags and so forth.  They are a great gift idea. You just need to get the small corded finding for cell phones.

But a number of beaders at a couple of beading parties didn't just make them as gifts but created them for their own cell phones!

Turquoise is a precious stone treasured for thousands of years by many cultures around the world. One of oldest sources is Persia (modern Iran) but it is mined in different places.

People believed in its protective and good luck charm qualities.  The Apache tribe also thought turquoise gave archers accurate aim.

There is an easy solution if you are stuck wondering what sort of colors to use for a jewelry gift. Make rainbow inspired designs!

Cathy made these colorful bracelet and earrings. The pieces are guaranteed to go with any outfit!  The crystals were from Debbie's (Widget's Beads) collection.

Blue is a very popular color indeed.  It's one color which covers a broad spectrum of emotions - from sad all the way to happy.  We are always happy to see blue skies and appreciate the beauty of the sea's hue.So it is no surprise when more than one beader chooses to make blue earrings on a single afternoon.

Many of the beaders who come to our workshop do so because they want to make earrings. The reason is, there is no such thing as too many earrings!  Brenda chose some pretty millefiore discs for hers.  She also carefully chose seed beads to coordinate with the bigger beads.  This pair should go with many outfits!

Finished necklace makeover

Sue bought a necklace with a handmade pink ceramic focal some time ago. Although she liked the focal, the original necklace portion was less appealing.

The all-fiber content did not compliment the ceramic piece.  There was clearly not enough bling for this beader!  So Sue added a triple stranded beaded necklace arrangement which fed through the hollow piece.

Earlier this year, beginner beader, Nancy came to our workshop to make some jewelry.  She said her skin was so acid that most jewelry did not survive for long!

We suggested she try vintage copper (or brass) because it's been patinated. Our theory being that the patina might provide a barrier.

Often the beginner beaders at our workshop delight us with lovely beaded combinations.

Cheryl's selection of purplish beads certainly does compliment the copper beads and clasp she chose for her bracelet.  I love how she mixed different shapes and types of beads for her design.

These pictures were taken with my old camera which was obviously having a bad day at a workshop. They didn't do Cathy's earrings any justice.

But really, Cathy's pretty blue and pink earrings are cool!  The two colors go so well together. The butterfly beads from Debbie's (my friend and co-instructor) collection is a delightful find.

Earrings are fun to make. Not only are there all kinds of styles (see my Earring Design Ideas hub), there are also different beads you can use to spice up the designs.

Pat knew that and found two kinds of beads in Debbie's (Widget's Beads) collection for the two earrings she made at a workshop.