The Beading Gem

I recently received my Art Beads package - always a lot of fun as I am challenged either for designs or for crafting a blog post! It was an eclectic mix in the order so there will be more than one post. The beautiful and sparkly faceted red and purple teardrop briolettes from their Swarovski Crystal Beads section inspired this post.

Briolettes are either tear drop or pear-shaped beads which are side drilled so the design approaches are different. Another issue with briolettes is the fragile tip so here are 4 ways to take both factors into account.

1. USING PINCH BAILS
The small Swarovski pendant briolettes were perfectly sized for earrings. Since the crystals are so beautifully faceted, a really simple way to showcase them is to use pinch bails. There isn't much to the technique - just gently squeeze the bail together so the prongs go through the hole. Attach a jump ring and then the ear wire and you're done. The result is elegant.



2. WIRE WORK
This is a simple design but I am sure you can come up with other unique ways with wire if you play! It would have been easier if I had used small jump rings to connect the U shaped wire going through the double holed bead and the double looped eye pin bearing the briolette.



I have broken a few briolettes before when I didn't paid attention to the force I was applying. It should have been on the wire work and not levering on the glass! You bet I was extra careful with these Swarovski crystals.  (You can see it in my Etsy shop).

3. CLASSIC WIRE WRAPPING
Many people love this wire wrapped style. You can make it as informal or as neatly wrapped as you like. Start by feeding the wire through the briolette hole - how long will depend on whether you want to cover the top part of the briolette. If you do decide on the covered route one tip is to choose flat briolettes like these opalite ones. They're easier to do than the round tipped ones. One wire end will be shorter. Make the long wire end upright so you can wrap the short wire around it.





The above steps can be seen in this video.



Now hold the loop end steady with a broad nose pliers and start wrapping it around the wire frame. Do you see why flat briolettes are easier?



Either tuck in the end under the other coils or just press the end down against the bead.

4. USING BEAD CONES
If you don't care for much wire wrapping and just want a quick way of concealing the tip, use a bead cone! Use a thinner wire like 24G if the cone is a tight fit.



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

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In some parts of the world, gold teeth are popular and a sign of wealth. This picture by babasteve shows a Tajikistan woman. In the US, grills or tooth caps (see pictures below) are popular hip hop fashion statements too.

Gold was also commonly used for filling cavities and as dental crowns before modern materials came along. Now people with gold in their teeth and who are feeling the recession's "bite" are realizing they could cash them in. The price of gold has skyrocketed to nearly $1000 an ounce as investors flock to gold, the only safe bet in an uncertain financial situation.

Companies like Sellyourteeth.com have reported on the new gold rush for dental scrap. A gold tooth could go for as much as $50 depending on weight and so on. Apparently many people kept gold pieces removed from their mouths as the fashion for gold teeth waned or simply had to be replaced. Gold fillings in pulled teeth are removed by chiselling or prior soaking in some cola overnight to loosen the bond (yes, we should lay off pop!). The recovered gold is refined, melted down and resold.

With so many "cash for gold" companies cropping up, it is a buyer beware situation. Check this article for tips on how to spot the unscrupulous ones.

A Hawaiian based jewelry manufacturer, Designs 'N Gold has another alternative. They offer to remake old or broken heirloom jewelry into new pieces so the original materials become wearable and stay in the family as cherished mementos. Recycling makes sense as gold mining is environmentally destructive - about 20 tons of mining waste is generated for every 18K gold ring.

So how do jewelers figure out if the gold pieces brought in by people are real? First they apply a magnet. If it sticks, it's NOT gold. They then do a scratch and acid test. A small mark is made in an inconspicuous spot with a file and a drop of nitric acid is applied. Gold is an inert metal so there should be no reaction. Green in the scratch means the piece is a gold covered base metal. A milky scratch will reveal it as gold over silver.

Dental Grills


The picture below shows a man holding a removable gold tooth caps with fangs or fronts as they are called.



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Have you ever wondered what dentists did with extracted teeth? Well, Australian designer Polly van der Glas's friends and family reclaimed theirs so she could make some pretty unusual tooth jewelry. She is what you might say a highly original and creative tooth fairy! The piece on the left looks like an earring. The piece below left is harder to figure out. It's a ring - a toothy knuckleduster!

She also recycles human hair and turns them into jewelry. You've got to admit it saves having to buy beads! A replenishable resource as well. Her braided hair bracelet is below right.

Polly does jewelry on commission and can be contacted at pollypollypollypolly [at] hotmail [dot] com.



Chinese dental clinics apparently offer to make what looks like resin jewelry made from your teeth after a good buffing job! Any takers?



If real teeth just don't cut it for you, there is always vampire teeth jewelry - the whole dental set - for fans of the wildly popular Twilight series about a romance between a teenage girl (Bella) and a vampire (Edward). Shown here is Edward's Smilefrom Jules Smith.

The same toothy pendant also appears in another necklace called Jacob's Nemesis. Jacob, in case you've not read the books or seen the movie, is a rival for Bella's affection.

Fang on, there is more tomorrow....

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I am amazed at how she came up with her unique necktie ascot and bib necklaces. Remember the shape of a tie - long with wider ends - is rather awkward. But in her artistic hands, the neckties become warm cuff bracelets and cascades of silk ruffles in her signature bib necklace styles shown above and below.





Also check out her triple ruffle necktie ascot which was featured in her local paper. I agree - her easy to wear necktie jewelry can really dress up a classic black dress or a simple tank top. Nicole also does custom orders. There's a thought. If you had some special tie mementos, you'll know where to go.

Nicole is multi-talented. Besides designing accessories, she is an accomplished artist, freelance window dresser and fashion consultant. You can read more about her on her website.

If you're like me and folding fabric including laundry is not a favorite past time, then here is a cute tutorial for a black tie necklace. It's already all prefolded! The Ongoingproject blog shows you how to attach eyelets and recycle a bow tie for a quirky new necklace!

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

Making DIY necklaces from upcycled clothing is all the rage - inspired by commercial varieties. There are several tutorials available for different styles.

1.On the Threadbanger forum is this sweet jersey t-shirt necklace tutorial by Peterpancomplex (update : link no longer works) which is sure to please many people. The large fabric loops are only attached together at the back. I particularly like how the necklace can be embellished to make it a one of a kind design.

2.Want something more striking? This fabulous t-shirt tutorial comes from chictopia (update : link no longer works) which shows you how to transform strips of soft jersey material from old t-shirts into wearable art.



3. Also in the same vein are the two tutorials by cucumbersome on instructables.com for a necklace and a bracelet. The soft necklace is simple to make and many people have done so. The directions for the necklace tutorial were removed because there is a patent pending. However if you watch the instructions for the accompanying bracelet also shown below, you will get the general idea.



 Recycled T-shirt Bracelet - More DIY How To Projects 4. Birdy Moola on the Oola-Moola site has a plaited style tutorial which is decorated with a matching flower. Living and Loving in LA has a different "twist" in that she embellishes her plaited necklace with beads. 5. The fastest DIY fringe t-shirt necklace tutorial has to be the one from lovemaegan.com. All you need are stretchy crew necked t-shirts and a pair of scissors. The necklines become the choker necklaces with strips of materials dangling fringe style from the front. I'll bet some custom embellishments will work a treat. More than one can be worn together for uber cool urban chic. 6. Shrimp Salad Circus found a vintage skirt and shirt set. She loved the skirt but not the shirt. But she salvaged the lace panel from the shirt and converted it into a vintage lace necklace. She generously shared this tutorial on how to make one of your own. If you don't know how to attach large eyelets, now's your chance to learn.
7.Lady Smaggle has a clever way with laddered tights as you can see from her tutorial on her blog. She was inspired to make her unusual necklace when her favorite yellow pair of tights ripped. So she shredded them even further and embellished her creations with studs and charms. You know, if she hadn't said, I would not have thought the necklace was made from pantyhose and cost next to nothing to make.   8.Another teacher who uploaded her students' work is Lee Meredith of Do Stuff! Leethal Blog. She wrote a tutorial on how to make jewelry from wool sweaters. It's a matter of cutting out different shapes from the fabric and embellishing them.