Pearl Chain and Ribbon Necklace

You will need the following:

16mm glass pearls

Large chain

Organza ribbon (2 meters)

10mm jump rings

Long eyepins

Chain nose pliers

Flatnose pliers

Round nose pliers

Cutter pliers

Using the flat nose and chain nose pliers, separate the links in the chain from each other. You will need approximately eight separated links. Then, take one of the glass pearls and thread onto the eye pin, measure and cut off the excess wire on the side with no loop and then create a loop using the needle nose pliers. Make sure the loops on either side of the glass pearl are the same size. Continue doing this for the remaining glass pearls.

Now it is time to start assembling your necklace. Take a jump ring, open it up and thread one of the loops on the pearl onto the jump ring. Next thread one of the chain links onto the jump ring and close the jump ring. Now put a jump ring onto the loop on the other side of the glass pearl, add a link and close the jump ring. Continue doing this until the necklace is the length that you require.

At this point you can either add a chunky toggle clasp or the organza ribbon. I prefer using the organza ribbon because necklaces with ribbon on them are one of the top trends for fall 2009. Trim the edges of the organza ribbon into a v shape so the ribbon does not fray. Take the piece of ribbon and fold it in half (the ribbon should be the desired length when folded), then thread the ribbon onto the link at the end of the necklace using a larks head knot. Do the same on the other side. When you wear the necklace tie the ends into a bow. The bow gives it a beautiful feminine touch and contrasts the chain link, you can also adjust the length of the necklace when wearing it, based on how big of a bow you tie.

2009 Spring Bead Jewelry Designer Trends

I recently gave a presentation on designing jewelry. The audience really enjoyed it so I thought that I would do a posting on it for all those novice jewelry designers out there.

When I design a piece of jewelry, the first thing I do is research the colour trends for the upcoming season. That way I know that the piece I make will match the clothing that is currently being sold in the stores. Each season, Pantone surveys the designers of New York Fashion Week to collect feedback on prominent collection colours, colour inspiration and colour philosophy. I check their results and then I start creating jewelery.

According to Patone, the Spring/Summer 2009 fashion palette includes pops of vibrant colour which represent the optimism of new life that comes with the spring season. This is combined with sophisticated neutrals and a spectrum of fresh greens.

Pantone lists their top 10 spring '09 fashion colours as:

Palace Blue, Lavender, Super Lemon, Dark Citron, Vibrant Green, Lucite Green, Salmon Rose, Fuchsia Red, Rose Dust and Slate Gray Blue .

I also research the fashion themes of each season by checking out the fashion shows on TV or online and reading the fashion blogs. The themes for spring 2009 are floral (i.e., using beads with flowers in them or using flower clasps), romantic (i.e., using pastel shades such as pinks and purples), and ethnic (i.e., using beads with bold prints on them in bright colours in ethnic tribal inspired prints). I also noticed a lot of chain being used on accessories, so I try to put chain in many of my designs.

Lastly, I use the principals of design when designing jewelry so that the finished piece looks stunning. The principals of design are repetition (doing some kind of a pattern), balance (using similar sized beads throughout the piece, making sure one side of the necklace balances the other), contrast (using colours that contrast each other to make the piece stand out), texture (using similar textures so that the piece flows) and colour. All of these elements help to define the final product.

Bead Cell Phone Charm

I recently saw a cellphone charm that I absolutely loved, so I decided to recreate it for myself. This is a a quick and easy jewellery making project that only takes a few minutes and looks amazing when completed.

This is how I made it.

For this project you will need the following:

1) 2" head pin.
2) 2 glass beads.
3) 1 5mm swarowski crystal.
4) 4 silver spacers.
5) cell phone charm holder (these can be purchased at most craft stores or bead supply stores).

You will also need a pair of needle nosed pliers.

First take the 2" head pin. Holding the head pin, thread the first spacer. Next, thread one of the glass beads, then thread another spacer. Thread the swarowski crystal and then another spacer. Finally, thread the remaining glass bead and the last spacer. Using the needle nose pliers create a loop at the top of the head pin. Slightly open up the loop that you just created and insert the end of the cell phone charm holder. Close the loop at the top of the head pin using the needle nose pliers.

Good luck.

Below is the pic that inspired my cell phone charm.

Environmentally Conscious Bead Parties

We will be adding a “green” party package to Beading Buds. This package is an environmentally conscious alternative because we use beads made from recycled glass, reusable beading boards and encourage parents to use the jewelry the kids make as the loot bag, therefore eliminating all the plastic and other by-products that are usually in loot bags and other party favors.

While researching for beads made from recycled glass, I came across a company in Africa that explained how these glass beads are made. I found it fascinating and encouraging that beads are being made out of old glass.

This is how the beads are made. Recycled glass is crushed by hand. Dyes and colours are not added so the glass that is being crushed has to be the colour that you want the beads to be. Once you crush the glass, the mixture is called a "fritt". The fritt consists of mainly crushed glass, but some larger pieces can be left as they melt down during the baking process. Before the fritt is poured into the moulds, the moulds are coated with a fine mixture of kaolin clay and water to prevent sticking. The moulds are placed into a special machine that heats up and when the right temperature has been reached the bead making artisan takes out the moulds. He uses two awls, one to hold down the mould and the other to shape the bead, he also uses one of the awls to make the hole for the bead. This has to be done quickly before the glass cools. When the beads are completed every single bead has a slightly different shape and size to it because each bead is made by hand. Below are some pictures showing the different colours of the beads and what the beads look like.