/ The Beading Gem

How to Make Tatted Jewelry Tutorials

I actually learned to tat when I was 12. My mother was tatting pretty lace edgings for tablecloths at the time. I really loved the way she moved the shuttle over and under the thread held in her left hand to create the loops and knots.

gemstone giveaway necklace

Azure Islands' Giveaway African Bone Bead Necklace Design

Remember the gorgeous African bone beads For the Love of Beads sponsored some time ago? The giveaway was won by Heather Cote of Azure Islands Jewelry. She was delighted to have won the cylindrical beads. Heather said on her blog that it took a while to come up with the design but it was worth the wait! She teamed the beads with brown/black agate and crazy lace agate beads and added pewter beads for a metallic touch. The final design is just beautiful!

gemstone photo shoot

Photographing jewelry and fashion as food

Food Inspirations Part 2 of 2
I've always admired the highly creative folks who work in ad agencies. They do come up with clever posters and ad ideas. One ad campaign by Bark Copenhagen for Waterfront Shopping in Denmark is a superb example. The advertising slogan was "Food meets Fashion" and I say the challenge was well met. Pearls as pasta? A pearl in a pea pod? Brilliant!

The creative director was Nicolas Rafn and the photographer was Martin Juul. Via and via

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Playful Rings Celebrating Food and Drink

Food inspirations Part 1 of 2
BaraSkit.se has the most delightful rings I have ever seen -all inspired by food and drinks. Are they practical? No. But they do show playfulness and a whole lot of creativity and individuality.

The site does not mention the artisan which is a pity because owning one of the 18 rings shown would be fun. Talk about a conversation piece at the next dinner party! (Update : A reader just located the Etsy store of a Japanese artisan: Souzou Creations - the rings are very affordable so check it out.)

Here are my favorites from the collection :

beader design bracelet wire work

Bold and delicate with tans and blue-greys

Sabrina did a great job with her copper chain link bracelet because she played up the dark bands of the round tiger eye beads with very dark grey freshwater pearls. The overall effect of darker colors has been lightened with the used of silver tone jump ring charms at the end of the tiger eye beads. Both the dark colors and bold links convey a strong appearance, opposite to the next beader design.

book review earrings tutorial unusual jewelry video tutorial

How to Make Origami Jewelry Tutorial Links

Japanese Inspirations Part 3 of 3
The art of paper folding can be found in the traditions of different places like China, South America and parts of Europe. However, modern paper folding developments owe much to Japanese origami techniques, an art form which remains popular today.

There are literally tons of how to origami sites. Here are a few which I thought would be good to start with if you are inspired enough to try. Folding patterns that aren't too difficult to execute on small pieces of paper are best. Some of the larger designs could be used for pins rather than earrings.

Cranes

Crane earrings are one of the most popular ways to make your own origami jewelry because they look so graceful. Once you've completed the folding, it is easy enough to stick a head or eye pin through the birds. A coat of varnish should preserve your creation. Or you could always make replacements! This pair you see here was created by photographerpandora. She attached the cranes differently from the ones in the following tutorials.

humor necklace unusual jewelry worthy cause

Reindeer Poop Jewelry Pictures

The reindeer dung necklaces and Christmas ornaments have certainly garnered media attention. I've already linked to the Miller Park Zoo site in Bloomington, Illinois on my facebook page. But I thought other blog readers might appreciate seeing what the Magical Reindeer Gems looked like and learn how they made them!

brooch earrings feature designer necklace rings unusual jewelry

Washi Paper Jewelry by Legend Design

Japanese Inspirations Part 2 of 3
The Japanese are amazing when it comes to design. Their attention to detail, exquisite color palettes and skill are what I admire most. So I was delighted to see Legend Design of Toronto at a recent craft show. Founded in 1992, they now also wholesale their washi paper jewelry to major museum gift stores around the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum of Design in London, England where their collection has been selling well.