The Beading Gem

My jewelry making friend Aims and I have had a long standing discussion on whether ball chains cheapen jewelry designs.  I, for one, like ball chain. I wear them and I have seen others do so. There is something delicate about them. You also see them used a lot on selling sites like Etsy. Aims herself used them....until this year.

Resin Dragon Pendant Necklace with Ball Chain

It started as a glitch a few days ago when email subscribers were seeing shortened posts i.e. where there is a Read More link to take you to my blog itself.  This was not supposed to happen when I made some changes for RSS subscribers.  I am still working with my subscriber service to try and fix it.

I came across this easy braided rope watch strap tutorial by Anjelika Temple over on Brit+Co. The custom watch strap means the watch can be worn more like a bracelet. Plus you get to control the colors you like.

Someone made this chance comment at the Grand River Bead Society not too long ago. She lamented that the jewelry making classes at some bead shows weren't filling up as they used to.  Interesting comment, I thought.  Is it just an isolated period or is there really a downward trend?

"Jewelry" search term - worldwide Trend

Ever wondered how scrap gold is remade into jewelry?  Then watch this video by Andrew Berry. It's fascinating to watch this metal smith at work.

It also hits home how laborious the process is. It's not as quick as the 3 minute textured silver bracelet video I featured some time ago but the result is just as lovely.

Love is in the Air
Part 2 of 2
The limited edition Heart of Love ring by D. K and Wei is unusual. There is no diamond or gemstone. A small metal circle sits on top of a concave beveled ring where a stone would be. The play of light due to the shape of the ring band casts a heart shadow.

Picture Source AAARRRGGGHH!!! Was that you screaming when you reordered and found out what silver costs now? If it wasn't you, it might well soon be according to the silver price graph below.

It's a huge jump of nearly 30% in the last month or so and it's still going up. The price of silver is now increasing at a rate faster than that of gold!

Some of you may already have encountered the NYTimes article on how some Etsians are making six figure incomes from their hobbies. (Hat tip to Leslie at the Bei Mondi blog for bringing it to my attention.) The article interviews a couple of Etsians who have been so successful their businesses have taken over their lives and prompting them to enlist help.

On one hand, it seems like a dream come true if you could work at home especially if you have a young family, and be your own boss. But is it really a viable alternative?