My 5 favorite new things that’re great for the holidays:
1:
Penguin Santa brings beads & things...
2:
...like these, to customize the stockings...
3:
...and stuff...
4:
...while all through the house...
5:
...not a creature is stirring, except these stirring crystal fish!
Happy holiday bead shopping, everyone!
You don’t need to know all the dialogue from Twilight…
"Beautiful. Very visually dynamic."
…to recognize that these are hot stuff right now.
Speaking of Twilight charms, check these out by the light of the New Moon…
"I can't bring myself to regret the decisions that brought me to Forks."
Crystal fans — heads up!
We can all expect to see small increases in the price of CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements over the next few months.
Still pennies per crystal bead!
Why?
The effects of the surcharge increase, plus an expected across-the-board price increase from Swarovski in early 2010, will ripple through the jewelry and bead markets as new goods arrive or as vendors implement across-the-board price changes.
Rest assured, Rings & Things plans to keep bringing you genuine Swarovski crystals at the best prices possible!
As promised, I’m transferring some images from our digital cameras to our blog — To show your our recent Image Transfer Solution (ITS) workshop.
We had a whole crew putting this new product through ITS paces…
Busily trying all kinds of ideas
Everyone had lots of inspirations they wanted to try out…
So many images to transfer, so much jewelry to make!
In the spirit of yesterday’s belt-buckle blog post, here’s another approach…
Impressionist belt buckles, anyone?
You can do so many things with Image Transfer Solution…
Amazing images
It was neat to see how a transferred image works when it’s overlaid on another design…
Try layering contrasting images
While we were at it, we tried out some new products we’re introducing…
Game spinners & sprocket gears (available soon!)
We learned tons from doing this workshop! Soon you’ll see an ITS technique sheet on our website. We’ve been adding more ITS-related items to our store, too, to enhance your experience. Check out new Wetordry™ polishing paper for truly delicate hand-sanded results. And Renaissance® micro-crystalline wax polish is a fantastic way to protect your transferred images!
Have you tried Image Transfer Solution yet? It’s a marvelous way to create custom pendants, beads, and more…we’d love to hear of your experiences with it in a comment below!
For craft artisans casting about for the latest solid trend in baubles, memory jewelry makes an indelible impression… Rings & Things reminds crafters to keep a trove of new supplies in mind.
Memories...
Image Transfer Solution (ITS) is a fluid that allows you to transfer images from laser/toner printers (but not ink jet) onto non-porous surfaces like metal, beach glass, wood, and unglazed tile. Using it is simple: it takes only heat-setting (in an oven or with a heat gun) and washing off the paper. ITS may also be mixed with pigments and used as paint on metal.
Photos or other images can be sealed between the tiny double panes of clear glass in new frame-charm findings to make custom keepsake jewelry. The bails of these frames measure 7mm (over 1/4 inch) inner diameter, large enough to fit most any cord. Platings currently on offer include ‘white’ metal and stylish copper plate. Three shapes enliven the charm of these handmade pendants, with rectangles, pentagons and squares available to set off the individuality of any cropped image. An assortment of these hinged picture-frame charms can make a treasured wearable photo album out of customers’ favorite snapshots, or even a gallery of art or choice found images.
Crafters shouldn’t forget to try out new shadow-box pendants as well. Also known as ‘dream boxes’, these findings have a single pane of glass in an antiqued-copper plated box that fits images about 1½ inch on a side. Display-box pendants like these can also be used to show off tiny prized treasures, from an antique coin or bead to a mini art assemblage.
Jewelry crafters may recall that resin-casting jewelry has made quite a sensation, and numerous bezel findings add even more possibilities for memory jewelry. All it takes is cutting an image to the appropriate size, gluing it into a setting like Rings & Things’ new sterling-silver bezel cups, and pouring in a small amount of epoxy resin such as EasyCast. The results are lasting memories in the form of pendants, earrings and other jewelry.
Suggest more memory-jewelry ideas in a comment!
Tip: bulk chain is hot for jewelry.
News flash: it’s in stock at Rings & Things right now.
We have pallets of it! I’m dizzy looking up so high!
Chain is spilling out, overflowing into bins!
We’ve got all colors & styles!
So get your bulk jewelry chain now…at our usual nice wholesale price.
We’d like to send you into the weekend with some fun reading material!
Our "Facebook" earrings. Epoxy resin tips can help you make these & more!
Rings & Things has added a page of tips for epoxy resin!
Now the basics are at your fingertips, so bookmark that page. Learn how to:
And much more, all in a handy single .PDF sheet. (Perfect for printing out and tacking up in your workshop!)
PS — Soon, you can look for a new Resin projects area in our Design Gallery!
Do you have a helpful resin hint that you’ve learned the hard way? You can share it here, by leaving a comment!
A summertime blog post should be about fun and beating the heat. I think I’ve got just the thing for you…
Cold connections are the secret to this "Unity bracelet"
I thought I’d start this with the stylish “Unity” bracelet we’ve just added to our Design Gallery. Unity is all about joining together and making connections. So let’s talk about a hot topic — metals in jewelry — in a cool way: cold connections.
Copper is still really popular in jewelry, and now the fun metal-stamping trend has fully taken shape too. If you love the metals, but don’t want to go as far as (say) chainmaille, how do you integrate more delicate items with them?
Susan Lenart Kazmer's book "Making Connections"
A new book in our store brings some very exciting suggestions. “Making Connections: A Handbook of Cold Joins for Jewellers and Mixed-Media Artists“, by Susan Lenart Kazmer, is full of inventive, attractive ways to unite fragile, even organic materials with metal in your jewelry designs. The results are great to look at, fun to wear, and fascinating to the touch.
The author shows you quite a range of ways to put hand tools to use in altering “found” objects, wrapping, riveting, and much more. This resource is really going to turn the crank (sorry) of the metal worker in you! You’ll also get to peruse the artist’s techniques, her sketches and projects she’s created using the ideas she teaches here.
This 143-page full-color hardback is coming to print in our Summer 2009 Supplement!
Do you have cold-connections tips of your own — or questions about this concept? Leave a comment!
A showroom customer asked about the price of amethyst, particularly the “A” grade amethyst we carry. We had not noticed the recent price of this, so we asked our supplier who specializes in amethyst.
A-grade amethyst beads from Rings & Things...an investment?
She told us,
“Yes, Amethyst rough has kept increasing for the last two-three years. For the same price, we won’t be able to get the same quality rough. Since last year, I notice vendors in [market shops] are now selling the “A” grade amethyst by grams, just like peridot and aqua.”
So take a tip:
FYI for all birthstone / purple lovers. Don’t wait till you’re old to get hold of genuine amethyst beads, if they’re your thing!
Have more insider gemstone tips? You can share them with enthusiastic readers right here, in a comment!
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.
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.
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!