You can always count on R&T’s blog for some excitement, can’t you?

In homage to the current movie-inspired Alice in Wonderland resurgence…

…we say ‘Off with their heads!’

Only we’re talking about some très snappy choker forms.  (You can remove the ends to string your beads!)

These “crimps with rings” accommodate beading chain or cord up to 2.2mm.

Crimp (flatten) only the center section of the tubes, leaving the ends intact.

Choose 0.8mm or 1.5mm inner ring diameter.  Size and shape will vary slightly.

Coming soon: new center-crimp tubes with hook, and new center-crimp tubes with loop!

Stringing magazine

Michelle Mach’s “Jazz Baby” necklace appears on page 64, riffing on the gunmetal theme with eye pins, jump rings, lobster clasp, and figaro and ’round/oval’ ring chains.  Accenting these are size 6 seed beads and lampwork rondelle beads… ▼

"Jazz Baby"

"Time's Toolbox"

▲ …Melanie Brooks’ “Time’s Toolbox” necklace, also based on gunmetal, is on page 66 of the same issue.  A ceramic focal from her Earthenwood Studio really clicks with the accompanying hammered oval chain and mesh-style links.  Jump rings, both brass and an extra-heavy 13mm style, compliment a clasp in antiqued brass.  (An added design suggestion: R&T’s sterling silver puzzle clasp would build on this design’s mixed-metals theme very nicely.)

With her “Amusing Grace” necklace on page 69, Melanie follows her productive steampunk muse farther.  A gear link and keyhole focal, also from Earthenwood Studio, make this winning design tick.  (Possible substitutes would be metal keyhole pendants, ceramic gear beads and eyepins.  Throw in skeleton-key charms and some added value in the form of a vintage center-holed coin!)  There’s also jump rings (extra-heavy gunmetal ones in 13mm, and brass ones); bead caps; rollo chain (3.9mm, in brass), lobster clasps, eye pins and head pins (all in brass, the latter in 2-inch 21-gauge), and colored craft wire (in 20-gauge). ▼

"Amusing Grace"

Hmmm, in just a few words I’d say findings are:

• Jewelry-making parts…
• The components used to make jewelry…
• Everything in your jewelry except the beads & string!

FINDINGS

“Findings” is a phrase that we jewelry-making types use, a lot, for the specialized parts you need for making jewelry out of cord & beads.  We can narrow this definition down and illustrate it by thinking about the kinds of jewelry that findings get used in:

1. Necklace findings — pretty much the parts you bring in to make your pendant or beads stay in the necklace!  (I.e. bails, more than anything.)  Clasps are necklace findings too; among the approximately 50 skidillion varieties are pearl clasps, lobster clasps, toggle clasps, and bayonet clasps.
2. Bracelet findings — like necklaces, you’re essentially looking at clasps here, if it’s the kind of bracelet where you hook the ends together.  Don’t forget leather bracelets, where cuff ends, like the awesome Tafurious line, “snap” it all together!
3. Earring findings — there are basically 2 types — those for pierced ears (so mainly ear wires, posts, and ear threads), and the ones that are for non-pierced ears (solutions like ear clips and ear cuffs).
4. Other random findings — because there are so many jeweled things to be created, there are lots more kinds of specialized findings.  I can think of: belt-buckle backs, cuff links, key rings, beadable writing pens, suspender clips, (finger) ring findings, and beadable cigarette-lighter covers off the top of my head.

Want to learn more about findings?  Go hands-on at your retail LBS (local bead store), or dive into Rings & Things for wholesale-priced findings!  Remember, you can always phone us with questions for your order; it’s 1-800-366-2156.

Bezel cups -- findings for resin jewelry making!

Rings & Things is introducing cool new bezel cups in its line of wholesale findings. You’ll have a lot of fun using these to make resin jewelry that expresses your creative personality!

They’re made of solid raw brass, and basically look like teeny tiny saucepans (1/8″ deep) — only they have a loop or two loops, instead of a handle. You just pour resin or epoxy right into them.

Turn one-loop bezel cups into nifty custom pendants; make the two-loopers into connectors. Both styles come in either round or oval shape, and either of two sizes.  (Broadly speaking, they’re in the neighborhood of an inch.)

Down in the lab, Rings & Things has discovered quite a few fun things that “resinate” nicely into EasyCast or other resin, in bezel cups. We’ve implanted tiny toys, glitter, candy sprinkles, and little cutouts from photos or other images. (For these, cut out right-sized images using our free template.)

We’re bringing in a full range of great epoxy resin supplies, like Castin’Craft items, to go along with these bezel cups. You can rig out your resin workspace with molding equipment, a resin how-to book, pigments, mixing supplies, and more.

You can also capitalize on Rings & Things’ line of TierraCast® frame charms and square-cup rings to explore even more resin-casting possibilities. Additional resources include our free .PDF “Tips for Epoxy Resin” sheet and the growing roster of resin jewelry in the Design Gallery.

Have a great resin jewelry-making tip?  Share, share!  Leave a comment below…