The Beading Gem

Can men wear pearls?  Sure they can!  Men have been wearing pearl jewelry for centuries.  It's only in the last 200 years or so that men's fashion as been austere and decidedly lacking in jewelry.

This long style trend was set by Regency dandy Beau Brummell (1778-1840)* who went for the understated look and rejected the ornate and colorful style popular then. No more elaborate powdered wigs, makeup and colorful jackets and waistcoats for him!

Ear suspenders created by Los Angeles based handmade jewelry designers Sara Smith and Mara Rothbart, of Smith+Mara have been trending among young celebrities like Gigi Hadid recently.  This simple style is novel as it is a cross between a stud earrings and an ear cuff!

I've covered this type of tutorial before. It's a macrame sliding clasp bracelet that some people called a Shambala style design.  This one is by Cindy over at the Rings and Things blog.

See this wrapper leather and beads bracelet?  It's arguably one of the most popular leather designs out there to make these days.


It's easy and is perfect for any occasion. You could either stay with gemstones or really bling it up with round crystals. Your choice.

LoveMaegan was inspired by many of the trendy embellished collar tip designs out there and eventually come up with her own spin and tutorial.  She embroidered glass pearls, vintage rhinestone earrings, buttons and beads from her broken necklace for her drop dead gorgeous collar tips.

Men's Shadow Box Style Gold Ring by Doug Peterson on Etsy

This guest post is by Jessica Carter, who writes for Zoara, an online jewelry site. Her expertise is in diamonds and wedding rings.

Steampunk Necklace by Urbandon on Etsy

The Reader Question thread is where I pick an emailed question from a reader to share with you. I don't claim to know all the answers but I do my best to help.

Question
Celeste : Pearl, I enjoy your newsletter very much but I would like some feedback from you or clarification.

First of all, I hope that the Steampunk thing isn’t running out of steam yet, as I just purchased a couple thousand dollars worth of antiqued brass and copper findings, pewter base.  I have tons of antiqued plated silver too.  Gold color is boring and cheap looking to me.

Last year, lamp work artisan, Susan Hood, of Glass Harp Jewelry here in Nova Scotia had the incredible experience of presenting her work at the Toronto International Film Festival. All film and TV award ceremonies have gifting lounges - my past post explained what they are and how Susan got involved.

Susan Hood with Jennifer Love-Hewitt

It was only a few months ago when those of us who work with silver did some collective screaming about the rapidly rising cost of this precious metal (see past post). Back then, silver was US$23 per ounce. It is now hovering around the $29 mark. There are fluctuations up and down which reflect market reactions to economic news but the general trend is still up.

Silver Price per oz from Jan 1 2010 to Jan 3 2011

Have you ever wondered what jewelry design trends might be?  Perhaps you make handmade jewelry for sale and want to know what might be popular in the future. Or you are simply curious about what you might be wearing in years to come. There is indeed a way of finding out "what's cool before it's cool."

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!

Did you know the Spring 2010 trend is the warrior fashion in clothing and accessories? These are inspired by military wear from ancient civilisations. Fashionising.com identified the key elements as  metal plating (think armor), tunics especially leather, chain maille inspirations and tribal motifs.

Cool!  I already enjoy doing the last two in jewelry design.  So here is a look at some inspirational designs on the warrior theme - it is always fun to see how different designers tackle the same theme.

Chaos-driven innovations
Part 1 of 2
The jewelry industry has been hit particularly hard with the recession. De Beers has even been desperately pitching diamonds as a safe investment like gold. After all, gemstones and jewelry are discretionary items on family budgets. So does it mean doom and gloom for all jewelry artisans?

Not according to the upcoming book, Exploiting Chaos: 150 Ways to Spark Innovation During Times of Change by Jeremy Gutsche, the Canadian founder of Trendhunter where I occasionally submit articles to. Click on the picture above for a sneak peek at the first free chapter which chronicles the amazing rise and fall of famous companies and what his book is about.

For instance, I did not know Fortune magazine launched and thrived during the Great Depression even though each issue cost the equivalent of a wool sweater. Nor did I know that Apple boss Steve Jobs still continued to launch new products including iTunes despite shareholder pressure to cut costs. Both examples prove what Jeremy says, "Innovation is not about market timing. It is about creating something that fulfills an unmet need."

Some of the tips he provides in that preview includes being aware of popular culture and being prepared to reinvent what you do and how you do things when things change.

I agree with him, we are indeed in a time of great change and there is no stemming that tide. Newspapers are folding (pun intended) with the shift to online readership and blogs, the way we communicate is increasingly via social media like Facebook and so on. Indeed, he says we should accept that there is no return to normal and to seize opportunities during chaotic periods.

So if traditional jewelry stores are failing, then there may well be a chance for handmade jewelry artisans who make unique products to step in and fill the void.

His book aims to make us "think differently and break the rules that paralyze change". A big part of his approach is called "adaptive innovation" but it really is all about continual creativity - and also the expectation that some of those creations will fail. Because if you don't fail sometimes, you'll never learn.

Creativity applies to us artisans whether or not you make things to sell. In his book index, he lists tips including how to fight complacency and avoid retreating to comfort zones - both of which will stunt growth. Today, the internet provides a viral way of spreading good ideas (like fabulous jewelry tutorials) or creations (of truly innovative jewelry artisans) and such infectious messages should be cultivated.

Jeremy certainly has some intriguing topics because in the chapter entitled "Intentional Destruction" there are subtitles like "Destroy the perks of seniority" and "Let reason triumph over hierarchy" which may resonate with many readers. "Hire Freaks" raised my eyebrows as did "Throw away your best ideas" which he followed right after with "Laugh"!

But the topic that resonated best with me was "Constantly seek to be unique".
______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips 

Part 2 of 2
New ways with chain
Actually body chain jewelry is not new - see my past post on an archaelogical find, the Hoxne Hoard . But one artisan who has really becoming known as a stellar body chain designer is Bliss Lau. I first featured her in my past post on Clothes with Built-in Jewelry which showcased her Diamond Dress inspired by the cables on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. Shown on the left is her LoveTriangle Dress. It reminds me of the body chain from the Hoxne Hoard.

Bliss Lau is half Chinese and half Irish. She was raised in Hawaii and educated in New York city. She has a degree in apparel design and actually started out with handbags before changing over to her distinctive style of body jewelry.

Her talent comes from her ability to design in 3-D and to deploy traditional garment draping techniques so she can "reshape and enhance the most beautiful and forgotten parts of the body." Her inspiration comes from history, the study of Hawaiian culture, corsets, armor and as I mentioned, even the Brooklyn Bridge. Certainly "her approach to design and accessories without boundaries" is highly commendable and inspirational. Too often artisans restrict their own creativity because they are too rigid in how they approach design.

Here are my favourites. Her Diamond Top (different from her Diamond Dress) for women can be worn in three different ways.



Her Torrent for men shows at least four different ways to wear it.



You can purchase her designs on through her website and at specialty retailers in the US and Japan.

Via

Liked what you read? Don't miss a post!
Subscribe via RSS OR Via Email It's FREE!
___________________
The Beading Gem's Journal

Okay, confess. How many of you thought my post on over sized tribal jewelry by a Greek designer was just a flash in the pan? Think again. Big really is in. Honking big earrings! Chunky necklaces!

I was actually inspired enough to buy some huge rough cut amethyst nuggets to try a "Wilma Flintstone" necklace design. Some of the beaders who come to our workshops and beading parties are already into pretty huge jewelry. The biggest ever hoop earrings were by Erin. Just observe the relative size of the ear wires to the hoops! The largest chandeliers I have ever seen done by two people. Tammy made this enormous and heavy donut chandelier earrings. Amanda's multi-tiered chandelier earrings were considerably lighter but they reached past her shoulders!

Renowned designers such as Marni, Marc Jacobs, Viv Westwood, Proenza Schouler, Ralph Lauren, Rachel Comey, Erickson Beamon for Zac Posen, Andrew Gn and Louis Vuitton are all into gigantic jewelry for the fall.The pictures here show some of their runway work.




Below left is a Stella McCartney design and on the right, Chanel. These two are my favorites.



This Armani necklace (below left)looks like a blown up version of what we would string. The Marni set below right is funky cool.



Celebrities will influence the masses for they are also flaunting huge jewelry. Shown below is model Eva Herzigova at the 62nd Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2009 in Antibes, France




Singer and actress Jennifer Hudson sported her enormous chandeliers during a recent performance at the Pearl Concert theater, Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.



This necklace was worn at the Inglorious Basterds Premiere also at Cannes this year. I really like the art deco look. I would dearly love to know who the designer was.



Via, Via, Via and Via


Liked what you read? Don't miss a post!
Subscribe via RSS OR Via Email It's FREE!
___________________
The Beading Gem's Journal