Archive for the ‘New products’ Category

Cute new tiny ceramic food beads

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Rings & Things has carried great ceramic beads & pendants for a long time.  Now, we expand the menu with a smorgasbord of new tiny food beads

Lots of coffee shops sell unique artisan jewelry.  How about a Java theme, with our new coffee-bean-bead-28-684-228 coffee bean bead?

And what could go better with that cup o’ Joe than pastries?  We’ve noticed a regular cult of cupcakes in the crafts world lately (seriously, search on Etsy).

cupcake-bead-28-684-233

Following the idea that there can never be too many holes for beading, we serve up these  little donut beads…

donut-bead-28-684-232

A healthier alternative might be our fresh new peas-in-a-pod-bead-28-684-224 peas-in-a-pod bead.  Or perhaps some pumpkin-28-684-223-thmb pumpkin?

Stay tuned for more new ceramic beads…check our New Arrivals section in the online store!

April giveaway: “DIY Display Ideas”:
* You enter by leaving comments under the March 31 giveaway announcement
* At the end of April, 2 winners will receive coveted Rings & Things goodie packs!
*
So read the blog regularly to see if you won!

Multi-purposing your art beads: Beadable pen findings (& more)

Friday, March 27th, 2009

Rings & Things has introduced a popular line of beadable-pen findings, perfect for displaying art beads!

These pens are the perfect partner for any bead artisan’s wares.  (Lampwork? Clay? The possibilities go on…)  They’re also a great way of showing customers that they can “multi-purpose” any beads they buy from you.

beadable_normal_dotted_line_pen1

Artists can set off the charms of their glass, ceramic, metal or other bead creations to maximum advantage by pairing them with a choice of pen colors.  A range of seven hues, from pearl white or matte silver to burgundy or copper, is on hand.

Made of genuine brass alloy, these blue-ink beadable ballpoints have an anodized finish. Each pen is 6″ long with a 2.5″ beadable section (adjustable by 0.125″).  The pen nib retracts with a twist.  The rod (mandrel) is 3/32″, perfect for showing off lampwork beads with 2.5mm holes or greater. The metal casing has good heft, unlike plastic varieties.  The shorter threads of the rod screw into the base of the pen.

beadable_ink_refill_55-904-07

These pens become even more of a permanent treasure with the addition of optional ink refills.  Refills are offered separately in either black or blue ink.

We carry an ever-growing line of ‘beadable’ specialty findings, from magnifying glasses to lighter covers to bookmarks.  Keep an eye on our site for more new items that you can bead in various ways!

Have a favorite beadable finding?  Looking for one but haven’t found just the right thing yet?  Leave a comment below to talk about it!

March news: New monthly lottery, right here on the Rings & Things blog.  Here’s how it works:
* You enter by leaving comments. Comment on any March post(s).
* At the end of March, I’ll randomly draw 2 winners of surprise goodie packs! …So read the blog regularly to see if you won!

Mix it up with… new assortments from R&T!

Friday, March 6th, 2009

Some bead companies have “assortability”.  Rings & Things saves you a step: introducing “assorted”.  :)

rnt_assortments

A whole bunch of pre-made assortments from Rings & Things let you explore variations on a favorite finding.  Need I mention, you’ll save a bunch of money this way too, because you won’t have to buy “one pack” of this and “one pack” of that.

Complimenting a long tradition of offering assorted beads, drawstring bags, and more…we’ve created assortments of the items pictured above:

choker_assortments2

Plus we’ve introduced assortments of our big-selling cable chokers:

lariat_assortmentAnd there’s this great new assortment of cell-phone lariat attachments!

So mix it up in your designs, with Rings & Things’ hot new economical assortments!  More are on the way, so check our online store often.

Wishing for other assortments?  Drop a comment right here & I’ll pass it on to our ace purchasing team!

March news: New monthly lottery, right here on the Rings & Things blog.  Here’s how it works:
* You enter by leaving comments. Comment on any March post(s).
* At the end of March, I’ll randomly draw 2 winners of surprise goodie packs! …So read the blog regularly to see if you won!


Sterling rings & bails for gluing–exclusively at Rings & Things

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

You asked for it, and we listened!  By (very) popular request, you can now buy sterling “glue-on” adjustable rings and oval bails — exclusively at Rings & Things.  Glue on your favorite art bead, upcycled found object, or polymer clay creation.

Our new customizable finger rings are sterling silver, 1 to 1.5mm thick. Their glue pad is a textured 7 to 8mm round.  Adjust them to almost any size!  It’s easy to expand and contract these rings to size them.  They come in two styles:

Here’s the “plain” disk finger ring for gluing (item #51-500-02). It’s a 3 to 3.5mm-wide band.

And this is the “wavy” adjustable ring (item #51-500-01).  It’s a hammered-disk finger ring for gluing, with a 3-3.5mm wide band. 

We’ve also added three great exclusive sterling oval bails for gluing.  These have one side smooth, the other textured, and they come in three sizes:
Item #41-592-50 is our small sterling oval bail.  It measures approximately 18 x 8 x 3.6mm.  (By the way, you can convert these numbers to inches…but on most computer screens our item pictures are life-size.)  The gluing surface is 11×8mm. This small bail fits chain or cord up to 2.5mm thick.
The other two sizes of these bails fit chain or cord up to 3mm thick.  Shown above is item #41-552-51, the medium oval bail.  This one measures approximately 24 x 10 x 4mm, with a 16 x 10mm gluing pad. Below is #41-592-52, our large sterling silver oval bail, at approximately 31 x 13 x 4mm. The gluing pad on it is 21 x 13mm.

To attach items to all of these gluable findings, we recommend using 2-part epoxies.  Other adhesives that work well with these rings and bails include:

  • E-6000 glue
  • Super New Glue
  • Exciting news: every month, we’re going to hold a lottery right here on the Rings & Things blog. Here’s how it will work:
    *At the beginning of each month, I’ll announce a new lottery.
    *You enter by leaving Replies, also known as blog comments.  Comment on any post(s) this month.

    *At the end of the month, I’ll randomly draw 2 names to receive surprise goodie packs!

    Get the edge at Rings & Things ‘09 bead shows

    Friday, February 13th, 2009

    If you’re buying from Rings & Things, you’re already in the know.  We have groovy stock, grand variety and we provide great honest info to back it all up.  We also go the extra mile, or several thousand miles, to give you a competitive edge.

    The season is about to begin for Rings & Things’ BeadTour 2009!  We’ll be coming to your area at least once between March and November.  This is your chance to use your insider connection with us and stock up on great new stock that isn’t in our catalog.

    That’s right, we’ll bring literally tons of new beads and findings to our bead shows, to help you grow your business.  There will be so much of this “cash & carry” stock that I can’t possibly describe it all!  But I won’t tease you either (much)–here’s a photo album of some neat beads we’re bringing your way.

    Serpentine and agate beads (Rings & Things BeadTour '09)

    Serpentine and agate beads (Rings & Things BeadTour '09)

    Quartz, onyx, and nephrite beads (Rings & Things BeadTour '09)

    Quartz, onyx, and nephrite beads (Rings & Things BeadTour '09)

    Purple, light blue, and green magnesite beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '09

    Purple, light blue, and green magnesite beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '09

    White petal-shaped, lavender/dark-blue/garnet potato, and chocolate keshi freshwater pearls from Rings & Things BeadTour '09

    White petal-shaped, lavender/dark-blue/garnet potato, and chocolate keshi freshwater pearls from Rings & Things BeadTour '09

    Dyed light/brown/black/red mother-of-pearl beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '09

    Dyed light/brown/black/red mother-of-pearl beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '09

    Bluish and greenish aquamarine, and dyed aquamarine crackle agate, beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '09

    Bluish and greenish aquamarine, and dyed aquamarine crackle agate, beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '09

    Can’t get enough eye candy?  Pictures of popular items from our recent Fall ‘08 bead shows will give you an idea how quickly we rotate cool new beads into stock.  (Warning: I took most of these, so they’re not as pro as Val’s photos above.) :)

    Wood jasper beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '08

    Wood jasper beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '08

    Paua shell beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '08

    Paua shell beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '08

    Dragon's-blood jasper beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '08

    Dragon's-blood jasper beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '08

    Double-drilled mixed gemstone beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '08

    Double-drilled mixed gemstone beads from Rings & Things BeadTour '08

    Have a favorite find from a past Rings & Things bead show?  Want to suggest a new bead?  Leave a comment!

    Exciting news: every month, we’re going to hold a lottery right here on the Rings & Things blog. Here’s how it will work:
    *At the beginning of each month, I’ll announce a new lottery.
    *You enter by leaving Replies, also known as blog comments.  Comment on any post(s) this month.

    *At the end of the month, I’ll randomly draw 2 names to receive surprise goodie packs!

    New beads: brown lava stone

    Thursday, February 5th, 2009

    Lava rock beads have caught on in recent times.  Their pockmarked surfaces have a really interesting feel.  Because they’re basically pieces of pumice, these beads are also surprisingly light–with tiny holes all through them, they’re full of air!

    Most of these beads so far have been glossy and black, from the treatments applied to their surfaces.  Rings & Things has just added another great color, brown lava stone beads.  They’re an earthy matte hue, and we have them in a lot of shapes and sizes!  Look how nice this stone looks in corner-drilled and regular cube shapes:

    Does that make anyone else think of brown sugar cubes?

    There are also plenty of brown lava beads with curves that contrast wonderfully with their naturally uneven surface texture.  Have a look at some rondelles and rounds to see this effect:

    You can see how impressive this stone looks in all kinds of beads.  Do you think it might set off metal beads nicely, the way the black lava stone does?  Will it pair with wood?  Hmmm, azurite makes a nice planet-Earth bead…  How about brown lava stone beads of various sizes to represent a few of our rougher neighbors in a solar-system necklace or bracelet?  (Mercury, the Moon, Mars?)

    Exciting news: every month, we’re going to hold a lottery right here on the Rings & Things blog. Here’s how it will work:
    *At the beginning of each month, I’ll announce a new lottery.
    *You enter by leaving Replies, also known as blog comments.  Comment on any post(s) this month.

    *At the end of the month, I’ll randomly draw 2 names to receive surprise goodie packs!

    New chokers

    Friday, January 30th, 2009

    Chokers are among the most popular jewelry components and styles.  Rings & Things introduces two new styles!

    We’ve just received metal-mesh chokers in silver plate, gold plate, copper plate and versatile gunmetal.  These are 3mm diameter, tubular mesh, 16 to 18 inches in length:

    Woven-cloth chokers make their debut also.  These are sturdy nylon-wrapped cotton, with several strands woven together for a lightweight, hollow necklace 7mm thick.  This style of choker also comes in a 16- to 18-inch length, in the following color combinations: black with silver plate, silver with silver plate, or antiqued-copper with gold plate.

    More information is coming soon, but you can buy these great new choker components right now in our secure online store!

    ♥ lampwork charms

    Friday, January 16th, 2009

    A sweet new bead just arrived at Rings & Things.  It’s just in time for Valentine’s Day:

    This heartthrob of a bead is the newest in our line of Calypso Beads.  (Metal-core lampwork charms.)  Popularized by Troll, Pandora, and other European-style charm beads, this kind of bead looks amazing on bangles, bracelets, chokers and more.  Check out this “Sym-posie-um” set from our Design Gallery:

    And since these are large-hole beads, they fit nicely on another recently popular finding, the beadable pen.  This “Sweet Penmanship” pen from our Design Gallery is an example that you could use for writing love letters:

    Get Calypso Beads at great prices from Rings & Things, and use your creativity!  What else will you make with these?

    Stylish new black-lip shell pendants

    Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

    Black lip shell from French Polynesia (think Tahiti) has just arrived in our store to heat up your jewelry designs.  With deep-gray to black coloring and occasional white sections, this shell also can exhibit a greenish color or a full rainbow. Black mother of pearl, as it’s also known, is most likely to be cut from a special black-lipped mollusk known as the pinctada margaritifera oyster.  It naturally secretes a black pigment that, depending on the quantity, gives a resulting dark color shading to these gorgeous pendants.

    Among the new arrivals is a convex (bent) collar
    carved with a floral flourish.  It’s 2 inches by 3.8 inches, and as you can see
    it will make a really nice centerpiece pendant.

    We’ve also added a Celtic knot pendant, just shy of 2 inches across.  It’s carved in openwork style, with plenty of loops so you can attach it at one or more points depending on the style of your design.

    Stylized dragons have also arrived.  Also openwork, these have a nice light lacy feel, considering they’re also 2 inches across!  Like the previous item, this one could be used as a link / connector if that strikes your fancy.

    I’ll leave you with one last style of these new black-lip shell focal pieces, a real South Seas starfish (sea star).  This pendant has a 1.5-2mm hole (that’s about 1/16 of an inch), and a fairly intricate carved design on the surface.

    We think you’ll enjoy the lustrous shimmer and warmth of these new black-lip shell pieces.  They’ve come along at a great time to brighten up winter for you and for your clients!

    Gifts that won’t burn a hole in your wallet

    Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

    Some like it hot.  Not content to just string beads, some folks need to fire up a kiln to create metal-clay wonders.  Some get their kicks with torches and lampworking.  Others fuse glass.

    You know that person.  Reading the Rings & Things blog, there’s a good chance you are that person.  But the rest of us are stuck with the burning question, what’s the hot holiday present for one of these fiery types?  To buy something special enough for a flameworker, will the old wallet wind up with a hole burned through it?  Rings & Things has a couple of new ideas to fuel your gift-giving.

    On the lighter side (pardon the pun, and please don’t send any flame emails), we’ve introduced a cute new license-plate frame for your special flame.  Emblazoned with the slogan “Plays with FIRE”, this lightweight plastic frame is a fun personal statement, and advertisement, for the crafter.

    Another great gift for the hot-blooded is our four new Art Clay(TM) Silver kits.  Each of these sets provides a great new way to apply designs to metal-clay pieces.  There’s an enameling kit:

    For a more hands-off approach, there’s the photopolymer stamp kit:

    The silver overlay paste kit lets you add silver stencils and more to ceramic or glass:

    And the UV resin kit lets you embellish metal-clay pieces with vibrant color in minutes:

    So brighten up someone’s holidays, whether it’s with a car decoration or a kit for exploring a new silver-clay technique!

    –Dave
    at Rings & Things