Monday Miscellany - A New Artbeads "Blogging for Beads" Design

Thank goodness my entire weekend wasn't impossible-to-move hot. Saturday the temps were in the upper 90s, maybe even hit 100. By mid-afternoon I was reduced to lying around in the breeze of a floor fan set to high, drinking tall glass after glass of ice water, wearing a sleeveless tee-shirt, shorts and periodically misting myself from a spray bottle. Sunday, thankfully, was much cooler. Started off with an overcast morning, cool breezes and continued much cooler and breezy throughout the afternoon.

My last package of beads from Artbeads for the Beads for Bloggers program was primarily built around some beautiful CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements Crystal Volcano beads (24x12mm teardrop and 6mm 5301 Crystal Volcano faceted bicones). But I also got CRYSTALLIZED™ 6010 11mm Air Blue Opal Briolette Pendant . I should have checked my blog to remind me what I was thinking of doing with them at the time (which now that I've looked again I still want to do) so when I got them out this weekend, I made a pair of earrings.

I took 22 gauge sterling silver wire from Rio Grande, made a three loop dangle and the jump rings. The wire is soft, so I used my new Wire Whacker to harden it once I'd looped the dangle and clipped the rings. I added 5mm white opal Swarovski bicones as well. I used Wig Jig fine step jaw pliers to make the loops on the dangle and the jump rings.

Why did I make these? I was browsing through the Nordstrom online catalog of jewelry and kept seeing things I liked, so I decided to make my own interpretation of a few of them.

The thing that annoyed me were the prices. $38 and up for very simple earrings - I mean, one or two Swarovski crystals on simple plated wire loops and a plated lever back ear-wire. $48 and up for bracelets simpler than ones I've made and display on Art Fire for half the price. Again, they're made with plated or sometimes, sterling and gold filled, wire, with simple loops and Austrian crystals (note, sometimes they specify Swarovski, so I suspect when they don't, they aren't).

Some are strung, just crystals, no metal spacers or charms, and there's no way to tell what kind of stringing material used but there's a callotte or clamshell knot cover at the ends, so I suspect a thread rather than wire. Their 'crystal collection' features illusion necklaces on beading chain (again, plated) with simple designs, for over $80.

I see things that many handmade independent artisans could easily make (and many have). When I see these types of designs online at Etsy or Artfire, often they seem so woefully underpriced in comparison to what people are paying at Nordstrom, it makes me a bit angry and a bit sad that these mass produced pieces sell for 2 to 4 times what handmade artisans charge.

Well, anyway, enough ranting. I also have a 28mm #6723 CRYSTALLIZED™ Crystal Golden Shadow Seashell Pendant with matching CRYSTALLIZED™ 5301 Crystal Golden Shadow 4mm Faceted Bicones still waiting for my muse to inspire me with a design. Hope to do something wonderful and share with you soon.

I've also created my final Trios design, the deadline is nearly upon us! All entries must be received by September 1, 2009. I'll post it as the Tuesday Tidbit, so you should definitely come see!

Trying New Techniques With Copper Wire

I'm doing more practicing with various wire designs. I saw a picture of a necklace made using what the designer called "spring links" and thought I'd give it a try. I assembled my bracelet by first making a long coil of copper wire on a Beadalon jump ring maker. Then I cut jump rings to make the double link chain portion and sections of coil for the springs between them. To make the spring link you bend up half of the final loops on the coils. It's harder than it looked, I had to toss several attempts, although I cut more jump rings from the portions that were still intact enough. I decided to stop at bracelet length, added imperial jasper ovals on embellished copper headpins and made a simple hook and eye clasp from copper wire to finish it off.

The next thing I decided to try was a simple design link of wire between bead sets with wrapped wire loops. I used round nose pliers to create the four-leaf link. It took some experimenting but I finally figured out how to make them to my satisfaction. I have a small Wig Jig, but the pegs are pretty tiny and I was looking for a larger loop as I deliberately choose a larger size for the wrapped loops since the square bead is substantial and I thought the larger loop looked better. Normally the loops I make are pretty small, so I had to keep reminding myself to start the loop lower on the nose of the pliers than usual.

The square glass beads were among my Fayetteville purchases, the other beads are small and medium black glass Druk beads and a copper disk bead with a simple black pattern I bought at Global Beads. I'm going to make it about twice as long as shown. I'll probably finish it with a final four-leaf link and a copper hook like the one I made for the bracelet.

Absent getting all the materials to solder the links on both pieces, I'm going to have to figure out how to secure the open links and jumprings somehow, because the copper wire stretches and I don't think the loops won't hold up all that well.

Lovely Lapis Lazuli

Tonight I worked on a necklace using 21 gauge dead soft gold filled wire (the label says 12/20 so I'm not sure what that means in terms of the karat), 3mm and 6mm 14k gold filled beads, 4mm and 6mm lapis lazuli beads (really nice, rich blue but not many pyrite flecks, unfortunately), and some vermeil beads that look like they're made from tiny gold coils. I think next time I'm going to get the half hard wire, though, I'm a bit worried about the fragility of the loops.

I've been working very carefully in cutting of the wire to make the looped links, eliminating as much wastage as possible. So far I've have been very successful. I have a small (5 ft) coil of the wire and I put the beads on the wire coil, bend the first loop length and make the loop, move the beads up to the loop and bend and measure for the second loop, then I cut it from the coil. I'm very happy with that technique. I'll have to figure out how to do that with my sterling wire which is on a much larger coil. One thing I really want now is a "cup burr" tool to round off and dull the sharp end rather than having to snip it. So I added it to my Amazon wish list and maybe the hubby will see it and get it for me.

I haven't quite figured out how I might sell it at the price point necessary for any kind of reasonable profit for my effort and the cost of materials (for example, those vermeil beads cost $1.25 each and I'm going to end up using at least 8 or 10 of them plus about $10 in gold filled beads - haven't figured out the per bead cost of the lapis or the per inch cost of the wire), so it might end up in my jewelry box.

No picture tonight - I've finished 13" - will post a pic when I finish it.

Practice Loop Metal Necklace and Earring

I recently took part in a group bulk buy opportunity and got a good deal on sterling wire. Before I dare snip and bend using the good stuff, I decided to practice.

I practiced with some silver colored wire from Michael's - have no idea what it's made of - it's a bit gray, like steel. It's a bit less stiff than sterling wire, but I don't have any worry about wastage and it's a good practice wire for making looped links.

Using small silver plated brass beads from an assorted bulk mix, jump rings I made by coiling and snipping the same wire, black glass beads and silver plated copper beads, also from an assorted bulk mix, I made this 16" necklace and one matching earring. I need to go get more of the embellished headpins to make the second earring.

I can't quite decide if it's got a 'style' I can lable it with - punk, goth? Kind of vintage-y and a bit industrial looking...well, whatever it is, I actually like it.

I'm 90% ready to post my "special new project" post - but I'm still waiting for delivery of one final piece. Since it didn't show up in today's mail, I hope it'll arrive Monday.

Autumn Wardrobe Accessories

Ah, the browns, rusts, and olives of my autumn wardrobe...how to brighten them up? How about a glittering necklace with richly faceted Czech glass 'gems' linked together with handcrafted silver links?

I'm hoping someone will fall in love with this one. The beads are 7mm faceted Czech glass in lovely shades of amber, olive, citrine, flame and cranberry. Doesn't it remind you of a trip through a New England Forest?

New Gizmo on its Way and Where Do I Find...

It has been a totally non-beading evening. Long and mentally intense work day today and I just don't have any creative oomph in me tonight.

I am looking forward to receiving a new gizmo - I've bought some metal tags and the stamping tool from Infinity Stamps has been shipped. I'll post about my success or lack thereof with it once I've tried it out.

Now that I might have one or two readers who are more bead supply savvy, I'm still looking for a very specific type of stringing cable that's eluding me. A couple years ago I bought a necklace at Nordstroms designed by Dabby Reid. The beads are 'floated' with crimps along a chain/wire/cable/?? thing. It's not like any of the stringing material or jewelry cable I've purchased to date. It comes in a variety of colors, too. It looks a lot like twisted silk, feels very metallic but is pretty flexible. I'd love to know where I can buy this product, heck, I'd just like to know what to call it.

If you know, won't you leave a comment and point me to a way to buy it, if it's out there for sale?

Message to an Online Bead Store: If You Make it Hard to Find the Beads, I Won't Shop With You

Two necklace lanyards finished except for hardware, tonight and one "apprentice" type necklace with wire looped beads, jumprings and large circle links nearly done. The reason I'm calling it an apprentice type is that I made it to practice making loops, try out a design idea I had, and used very inexpensive materials. I eventually intend to make more necklaces with wire loops, etc., and for sale, but with much better materials. I just don't want to start using those materials until I'm satisfied I have an excellent product.

I liked the pattern of roundelles (rondels, roundels, whatever - nobody's consistent with the spelling that I've seen) and then a larger bead, like I did in pink and citron colored glass so much, I did one in aqua glass and one in light sapphire glass. They're both about 30 - 31" long (I don't measure until I've added the hardware).

I want to do one in peridot glass, but I couldn't find any roundelles, so I decided to check some bead supply sites. Shipwreck Beads has them in a color they're calling peridot, so I'm ordering there. The one thing that has kept me from doing a lot of ordering from them is their search feature. It's so frustrating. I'll put in very specific terms and end up with 20,000+ items 'matching' the search. Often the results go page after page of stuff that isn't even close. Finding the right faceted roundelles at Shipwreck took me probably 5 - 10 minutes of searching.

For example, I decided I'd like some more aqua beads. I type in 'Aqua' with a few other terms to try and narrow the search, and reds and pinks and topaz and black beads show up on the page. Frankly, if I don't know exactly what I want and enter it exactly the way they name it, I spend way too much time just clicking from page to page. I'd rather search somewhere else where they've got a decent search tool, and as a result I end up buying from Fire Mountain, Artbeads or DI Beads (and I've shopped at others, too - just not as much, and usually because I've seen something on a beading site or blog that led me directly to the item I wanted). I've noticed that in some cases the prices seem better at Shipwreck, but it's too hard to find anything and my time is more than worth the few cents I'd save.

I'd just about finished my linked necklace when I noticed that I'd connected several beads directly instead of using jumprings, as I had on the rest of the necklace. That's what I get for trying to do it while watching "House" on tv. That Dr. Wilson is kind of cute, so I get distracted *grin*.

Here's the work in progress - I'll add the missing jump rings, tighten up everything and it'll be done. I guess it's obvious I was into blue today. Tomorrow, though, I'm a bit beaded out for now.

More Sorting Beads than Beading Accomplished this Weekend

As I mentioned, I did go out looking for briolettes, didn't find what I wanted, but I still didn't come home empty handed, picked up some copper and antique gold colored spacers and bead caps, and a few new beads (lovely peridot green ones) at Global Beads yesterday.

Spent a great deal of time yesterday and today organizing and cleaning my work space and various bead storage bins - I can only go so long with it all splayed out around me - eventually I don't have room to walk around if I don't. Last night and this morning I played around some olive colored glass beads using inexpensive silver colored wire wrapped loops, but I didn't like how it was turning out, so disassembled it. I like the idea I had, so I'll give it another try.

Tonight I decided that I need to make more earrings, so I got started with these glass bead earrings from some beads out of a glass bead mix batch (not attached to earwires yet):

...and began work on this lanyard necklace tentatively named "Chateau Picard" - may add a vintage year, will have to do some fact checking - because the citron colored glass made me think of champagne. I think it's not just the lighting of the photograph that makes some of the faceted roundels look a bit darker than the others, so tomorrow when I have some daylight I'm going to sort the roundels and make sure I'm using just one shade.

I dislike it intensely when I miss a night posting - but last night I was very busy with a number of other things I needed to do and didn't get to either beading or posting.

I tried to practice making wrapped wire loops again - this time with the brass wire and some 'toy' gold-colored painted plastic 4mm beads I dug out, and I can't remember why I bought, but have had for ages - probably some craft thing I did back when I wasn't beading. I really need to get a smaller gauge wire, though, the 20 gauge is too heavy and stiff for wrapping and I'm not getting the kind of practice I need.

I've also completely dis-assembled the rhodonite choker and been playing with some re-working on it...still not sure where I'm going with it.

This evening I decided on a change of pace and am stringing a badge lanyard. I'm using gold colored fresh water cultured pearls, gold faceted square glass beads and gold faceted bicone glass beads with large gold-plated spacer beads between them. It's got a very lush look, I think.

About 8 - 10" to go still, but it's late and I'm going to bed soon - so here's a work in progress shot taken on a beading mat that's lying on the floor:

Holiday Beading - Started Working in Silver

I've begun working with my 20 gauge silver wire. I'm making much smaller loops with very small beads in white, ecru, beige tones and connecting them with silver jump rings. I'll keep going until I run out of jumprings or the right size/color beads, which ever comes first. Hope to have something long enough to actually wear when I'm done.

Will finish it off with some silver chain and a lobster claw if it's short and make it an eyeglass leash if it's long enough - I'm at 12" right now (need about 24" for a short one). This morning I also finished a red glass bead necklace with copper links, 24".

Detail of silver chain, red/copper & silver chain full length:

click picture for larger view

Will be traveling on business this week, not sure how much updating I'll be able to do - thinking about taking some stuff on the trip to bead with in the evening, have to make up my mind soon as I leave Wednesday morning.

Will Practice Make Perfect? My Aching Hands Hope So

Very brief post - I finished the wire loop necklace yesterday and have worked on two more today. My hands are a bit battered and sore. I need to get back to making necklace lanyards soon and I want to make at least a couple vintage style pieces, too - but the making of little wire circles is strangely hypnotic. The center necklace has a glass fish that came from the Botmo gift beads, by the way. All the loops are made from the same copper wire I talked about in yesterday's post. I have red, blue and purple glass ovals left and may make more practice necklaces with those colors, too.

I'm glad tomorrow is a holiday!