Do you have a favorite spacer bead? What is your go-to for your bead stringing? My favorite is…
Tiny Gemstone Beads in Jewelry
December 13, 2018The trend of using finely faceted, beautiful gemstone beads in jewelry continues.
We’ve expanded our selection of these little beauties, so lash, wrap and string until your heart’s content!
Leather & Large Hole Pearl Jewelry Designs
April 12, 2018We have beautiful, lustrous freshwater pearls with holes sized for leather cording! Shop our 2-Day Trunk Show and Gemstone Bead Sale that starts tomorrow!
Check out our great DIY designs! For tips on working with leather, check out our Leather 101 page. Continue Reading…
Swarovski never ceases to amaze me with the pretty products they put out! While lovely Swarovski Navette crystals aren’t new, they are new to me and I love them! These beautiful marquise-shaped crystals are set in a silver colored setting. When I saw them, I knew I needed to create a project that used multiple colors in the same piece! They are just such vibrant colors. I decided to pair them with some lovely sterling silver chandelier findings! The result is beautiful! See how to make these lovely earrings below! —
Niobium Earrings featuring Swarovski Crystal Cosmic Rings
April 24, 2015I love niobium! If you’ve never used niobium jewelry findings, then you are missing out! Niobium is a very hypoallergenic metal that is great to use in your jewelry designs when you have customers that have metal sensitivities. It is a pure metal, not an alloy, so it contains no nickel, copper, or any other additives. It is also not plated. To create different colors, niobium is anodized which doesn’t affect its hypoallergenic qualities! Anodized colors of niobium can match all types of different jewelry designs. I personally love the bronze-colored niobium findings. I like using the bronze color with my antique brass and copper designs. I’ve assembled a couple pair or earrings below, to show you a quick fun way to use niobium earring wires. Continue Reading…
Make Margarita Christmas Tree Earrings to Make Merry
November 19, 2013When you hear the word “margarita,” you probably don’t think of Christmas trees … unless you’re a fan of Swarovski crystal margarita beads! Christmas tree earrings made from these sparkling beauties are one of the most popular Christmas jewelry projects around. Plus, these crystal charm designs are super easy to make! So, grab a tasty beverage and a friend or two and have a good time making margarita trees all evening. Continue Reading…
Spring 2013 Pantone Color Trends Giveaway
April 29, 2013Enter to win our Resin Flower Gluing Kit. Just comment at the end of this post — by May 6, 2013 — with your favorite Pantone Spring 2013 Color Trend to be entered into our drawing.
In celebration of Spring, here are the Spring 2013 Pantone Color Trends. Just click on any of the color swatches below and find the treasures available in our online store. Also visit our Design Gallery for all the designs you see here and many more. All designs are FREE – no login required!
Comment now with your favorite Pantone Spring 2013 Color Trend to win. Contest ends May 6, 2013.
~Jan
The Bead Bandit: make masculine beaded men's jewelry!
July 18, 2012Well, hello there, bloglandia. Do you ever feel like most jewelry findings are designed to look feminine? Even if they aren’t frilly or covered with hearts and flowers, there is often something innately delicate about most DIY jewelry findings. When you want to make beaded men’s jewelry, it can be a problem. Crimp beads and bullion just don’t look that tough! Luckily, jewelry designer Jeff Fulkerson invented a solution: the Bead Bandit.
New Beads on the Block – Gemcolor Crystal Pearls!
May 13, 2012Hi bloglandia! Take a look around and what do you see, fashion wise? That’s right: color. Big bold blocks of vivid color.
Incorporate this season’s love for pure color into your jewelry designs with Swarovski “gemcolor” crystal pearls.
I really love gemstones natural variations in color. However, even I am a fan of these not-so-natural crystal pearls. They are just plain fun, perfect for summer or anytime really. The color palette is really versatile, too. The gem colors make many great combinations. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Notice how shiny the little buggers are too – I couldn’t avoid getting reflections in my snapshots, especially that last one (the rings are light bouncing off the clear bowl the pearls were in.) That is one of the perks of crystal pearls – unlike natural pearls, which will get destroyed by common things like perfume & hairspray – crystal pearls are very durable. The shiny, uniform coating is meant for fun in the sun. So go get some – of both! ~ Cindy
Pretty in pearls – freshwater keishi pearls for jewelry designers
February 24, 2012Hi bloglandia! Pearls are a standard in jewelry, yet the shapes and colors available these days are anything but!
Keishi pearls are actually collapsed pearl sacs. To me they look like shimmery, shiny souffles that have drooped into ruffly, lacy waves. The picture below shows several shades of tip-drilled keishi pearls, including the rose ones Sondra used in the above earrings. Virtually all freshwater pearls are enhanced in one way or another, but I love how the colors still have such “natural” variation. Quite lovely.
Pearls are very soft compared to other gem materials. Since earrings are generally safe from much wear and tear, they are a great way to feature pearls, like with this Rosie Posie design:
In addition to being soft, pearls are also sensitive to chemicals and solvents, so it is always best to put your pearl earrings on *after* you’ve applied your hairspray, perfume and such. They are pretty enough to warrant a little TLC!
I had a bit of sticker shock when I first saw the price for center-drilled keishi like the ones in the earrings above. Compared to our other freshwater pearls, they seemed pricey. But then I realized just how many of these guys you get on a strand: about 100!
If you’d like to learn more about how freshwater pearls are cultured and created – and more care recommendations! – visit our Gemstone Index. One last pointer on pearls: unless specifically noted, pearls almost always have small holes – even standard size head pins are usually too thick. Thin pins or 24-gauge wire works much better!