Archive for April, 2010

Featured bead: very vogue Vintaj®

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Very vogue Vintaj®

Vintaj findings: natural brass jewelry components at Rings & Things

All the vogue!

We’ve fallen in love with Vintaj.  It’s not just that this is a well-known name you can trust.  It also has to do with the strikingly high quality of these “natural brass” findings.  And the ingenious, carefully worked-out designs

I just have to focus in on a big favorite of mine.  (Out of dozens of Vintaj items we’ve added!)  There are a number of filigree beads they make that open up like petals, and close again if you want.  Imagine the different ways you could use this and similar beads:

Vintaj® round filigree beadsVintaj® round filigree beads (open)

Surf the link at the top of this article to be treated to more great brass than a marching band.

And by the way, we’re adding exclusive designs using Vintaj items in our Design Gallery, so a search there will be rewarding too.

Have a Vintaj favorite?  Let us know!

New free technique sheets!

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Technique sheets: learn all the hottest jewelry craft tips.  They’re now right in our online store!

Print them right out there, as high-quality PDFs — Or, click to add any technique sheet to your order for free.

Basic technique sheets now offered include these fun fliers:

ITS Image Transfer Solution technique sheetITS™ Image Transfer Solution

Gluing to metal, a technique sheet for jewelry makersGluing to metal

Metal stamping

Epoxy resin

Stamping on resin

And that’s just a sampling.  Check ‘em all out! Grow your business with a new skill or two.

Let us know if you have a request for guidance in the form of other technique sheets…

Featured bead: washers

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Washers may be a new term to some of you…but check out how useful these are!

Washer beads

Your basic washer bead

When you hear about washers in connection with jewelry making, it doesn’t usually mean those flat, round donuts of metal that the hardware store can sell you.

‘Washers’ usually means heishi beads.  Rings & Things’ enjoyable Bead Shapes Glossary gives this definition:

heishi: a type of disk bead that is usually flat, but sometimes slightly puffed. Traditionally, this shape was achieved by drilling flat chips, stringing them and then grinding the strand against stone to gradually wear the edges into smooth, flat-edged circles. Pronounced hee-shee, this shape is also known as a wafer, wheel or spacer.

A couple of examples of washers…

Tim Holtz 'Idea-Ology' washer pack

Tim Holtz 'Idea-Ology' washer pack

Copper trade bead washers

Copper trade bead washers

So, now you’ll recognize a washer if you see one.  (You could even use a Chinese coin, couldn’t you?)

Well now, what are these washers good for?

Cold connections!  Riveted metal jewelry.  Steampunk designs.

How do you use washers?

“Round out” your designs

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
Rondelles “round out” your designs!

Get the shimmer with a trimmer glimmer…
crystal_rondelles_ad

Suchlike rondelles by CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements are a shape that fits many of your designs where you just can’t roll with ball-shaped round beads.

Head & shoulders above your leader's crystals: robot rondelles
Call ‘em rondelles, roundelles, or rotunds, but they all come in the 6mm and 8mm sizes so popular among robots.  That’s about ¼ inch and inch, American :)

Click on thru to take in the view: a spectacular spectrum of colors is available in “style #5040″!