Beading Supplies We Love : Gemstones

Jewelry Making Components and Supplies from Lillypilly Designs

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT


Lillypilly now offers a large selection of fine gauge copper sheets, perfect for mixed media jewelry making projects!


The fine gauge copper sheets are available with both patina and embossed patterns on them.


It's easy to stitch through the copper sheets using wire or traditional quilting threads.


Take a walk on the wild side with Lillypilly's new anodized aluminum rounds!


Lillypilly also has new and beautiful shell jewelry making components for stringing, resin, and bead embroidery projects.

You might already be familiar with the beautiful laser-engraved shell and gemstone beading components from Lillypilly Designs, but at this year's Bead Fest Philadelphia, I found some really intriguing new jewelry making components made from metal!

Patina Copper Sheets from Lillypilly Designs

If you've ever wanted to work with more metals in your beading and jewelry making projects, but don't really want to get involved with things like metal saws and serious metalsmithing tools, the new line of 36 gauge copper sheets are perfect for you. Using an ordinary pair of craft scissors, you can cut these fine gauge metal sheets into whatever shapes you want for your jewelry making projects. You can even use large scrapbook punches to create perfectly uniform shapes!

The 36 gauge copper sheets are available in a wide range of colorful patinas as well as embossed with fun patterns and designs. They can be encased in resin, used with cold connections, or just cut and layered for unique rustic-style pendants and earrings.

After seeing a quilt made with fabric and some of those 36 gauge copper sheets, I was inspired to experiment with them. I created a fun metal and Ultrasuede cuff bracelet using wire embroidery techniques. I was really pleased with how easy it was to cut and shape the copper sheets with my craft scissors, and I'll definitely be coming back for more the next time I want to create a mixed media piece of beaded jewelry.

Anodized Aluminum Sheets and Rounds

I also saw Heidi coloring these fun little anodized aluminum rounds with Sharpie markers! Now, it's not as easy to cut the aluminum as it is the fine gauge copper sheets, but the pre-cut rounds come in a wide variety of colors and sizes, making them the perfect way to add a little metal into your jewelry making designs.

The aluminum rounds can also be layered with resin, shaped into domes with a dapping tool, and used for links with the addition of a couple of holes made with your favorite hole punch.

I brought home a handful of aluminum rounds with the idea that I'll color them with my favorite Sharpie markers, then encase them in resin and use them like cabochons in my bead embroidery.

The aluminum rounds come in three sizes, nine colors, and nineteen different patterns for you to play with! They're like little miniature coloring books for your favorite jewelry maker.

Shell Pendants and Components

And of course, I couldn't leave without a couple of my favorite laser-engraved shell jewelry making components.

New for 2012, Heidi has shell bezels for use with resin. These lovely jewelry making components are perfect for adding your favorite origami papers or your colored aluminum rounds to make unique (and easy) beaded jewelry.

I also found a lovely pair of lightweight rectangular Buddha pendants (without holes) to use as cabochons for a pair of bead embroidery earrings, and a couple of smaller round pendants (also without holes) to use in a couple of beaded cuff bracelet projects that I have in mind.

The last item I chose was a small laser engraved shell donut. I love Heidi's shell donuts, and I find that they make beautiful lightweight jewelry making components for both beaded necklaces and beaded bracelets. With designs that are both delicate and intricate, I don't really have to do much to showcase these lovely little creations.

You can find out more about my Bead Fest Philadelphia finds from Lillypilly Designs by checking out their website, Lillypilly Designs.

Do you have a favorite item or two from Lillypilly? What is it? Leave a comment and share your favorites here on Beading Daily!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Inspired By Cabochons!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

When I was in Tucson back in February, some of my favorite purchases were the gorgeous cabochons that I saw popping up everywhere. Cabochons have always fascinated me as a beader, and I love figuring out new ways to incorporate them into my finished beaded jewelry. I have a huge collection of gemstone cabochons and handmade ceramic cabochons, but some of these vintage cabochons made from Lucite, resin and glass are just irresistible!

I've been scouring the internet, looking for new cabochons to use in my jewelry making and beading projects, and I've found some unusual and beautiful vintage cabochons from a few sources!

The Beadin' Path. One of the first purchases I made in Tucson were these vintage resin cabochons from The Beadin' Path. The colors and the floral designs were just so classic that when I held them up against a couple strands of the vintage Czech glass pearls, I knew they were coming home with me. Resin is such a lightweight material that it makes these cabochons perfect for intricate beaded necklace designs.

Nikia Angel. Most folks in the beading world know Nikia Angel from Buy The Kit, her online and traveling beading kit shop. But Nikia also makes absolutely stunning beaded jewelry with crystal beads and has opened her own Etsy shop, Nikia's Good Things. If you're looking for sparkling vintage Swarovski crystal stones, new Czech glass cabochons or vintage German glass cabochons, Nikia's Etsy shop will be one place you'll check often for new cabochon listings!

A Grain of Sand. Vintage cabochons of all types are hot right now, and I love the unique selection of vintage cabs available from A Grain of Sand. The cabochons pictured here were included in my monthly Bead Hoard Curiosities Club shipment for April, but there is a great regular stock of all kinds of vintage cabochons on the website. You'll find shaped and molded glass, Lucite, resin and even vintage gemstone cabochons! My favorite find so far from A Grain of Sand is a gold plated shell cabochon with a Lucite core that looks like it was taken right out of a 1930s black-and-white movie!

Have you tried beading around a cabochon yet? There are so many ways to make a beaded bezel for your favorite cabochon! Take a look around and see if you aren't inspired to try beading with cabochons!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Channel Beads from Nunn Design

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 02:00:00 GMT

While I was in Tucson, I had the pleasure of meeting Becky Nunn of Nunn Design and after I got home, she sent me a little sample of some of their newest products, including these awesome channel beads. The channel beads were meant to be used with resin and some of their beautiful collage sheets, but after thinking about all the ways that you can use a simple strip of peyote stitch, I realized I could use those peyote stitch strips in the channel beads!

The channel beads come in four sizes and four different finishes. To make these half-inch channel beads inlaid with a strip of peyote stitch, I worked a strip that was eight cylinder beads across and beaded until the ends touched each other around the bead. I used some bead soup for these, but they would also work beautifully with a simple even-count peyote stitch pattern.

Once the peyote stitch strip is finished, I zipped it up and secured it by weaving my thread ends into the beadwork securely. My favorite one and a half inch beading needles worked perfectly for this, but you may want to use a sharps (shorter) needle to get into some of those tight spaces.

Aren't these adorable little beads? They'd make perfect pendants and dangles when paired with a few metal spacer beads, some color coordinated gemstone beads and a wire-wrapped loop!

The channel beads from Nunn Design also work well with that fun Crystal Clay - stay tuned for more about that!

Meanwhile, if you want to try your hand at making some of these little peyote stitch beads using the Nunn Design channel beads, you can find them online at Fusion Beads or Lima Beads.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Seed Beads We Love: New Twin Two-Holed Seed Beads

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:00:00 GMT

In case you haven't seen the latest innovative bead to come out of the Czech Republic, let me introduce you. Dear Reader, please meet the new Twin seed bead from Preciosa Ornela.

These lovely little seed beads are slightly longer and wider than a regular seed bead, and for good reason: they have two holes! These are some of the smallest two-holed beads that I have ever seen, and they are perfect for bead-weaving in all kinds of new and interesting ways.

Currently, there are eight different colors and two finishes available, but the Preciosa Ornela website states that over eighty colors will be available before the end of 2012. Each Twin seed bead measures 2.5mm x 5mm, and they are highly consistent in size.

The style and shape of these lovely little Czech seed beads will be especially wonderful for geometric bead-weaving projects. Twin seed beads also work beautifully as spacer beads between larger gemstone or glass beads to add a small hint of color and shape to strung beadwork.

Right now, you can find eight colors of Twin seed beads at Sparkle Spot Bead Shop including: crystal, black, dark bronze, black silver Picasso, copper-lined crystal, and silky gold iris. You can find more information about these new Twin seed beads at the Preciosa Ornela website.

Have you tried these new Twin seed beads yet? What are your thoughts?

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Bead and String Reference Chart Poster by The Beaded Phoenix

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Don't get me wrong - I love technology. I love being able to subscribe to my favorite beading magazine and have my issues delivered to my iPad, and I love being able to download movies, music and books without having to wait for the mailman to deliver them. But when it comes to certain things, I prefer good old-fashioned hard copies, especially when it comes to my reference tools.

Case in point: the Bead & String Reference Chart Poster from The Beaded Phoenix. This laminated poster fits perfectly on the wall above my beading worktable, and it contains so much of the information that I need to refer to throughout the day whether I'm working on a beading project, ordering beads and supplies or writing a set of instructions.

Some of the information includes examples of round and oval cabochon sizes, seed bead sizes, cord sizes and bead stringing wire thickness, and general measurements and weights. It makes it much easier when I'm ordering crystal stones and gemstone cabochons if I can get a visual estimate of size. Instead of flipping through books or pages looking for my size charts, it's all right here in one place - and I don't need a magnifying glass to see it, either!

While the Beaded Phoenix Reference Chart Poster isn't sized for easy transport, it's perfect for your bead studio or beading corner. The lamination means that you can even punch a small hole in the top and hang it from a hook or bulletin board.

The Beaded Phoenix Reference Chart Poster measures 11"x17" and comes with a handy paper leaflet with more great bead reference information. Order both from The Beaded Phoenix.

Bead Happy!

Jennifer

Handcut Gemstone Cabochons from Sheila Hoag of Tradewinds Studios

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Gemstone cabochons are one of my favorite beading supplies, and I'm always on the lookout for beautiful hand-cut gemstone cabochons. My friend Carol Dean Sharpe of SandFibers introduced me to Sheila Hoag of Tradewinds Studios and her luscious gemstone cabochons. Today, Sheila tells us all about how she got started making her wonderful gemstone cabochons!

A beautiful piece of natural Rhodochroosite from Sheila's collection.

I've always taught myself arts and crafts that I've been interested in. Sometimes I could do it, and sometimes I couldn't. I was looking at the work of other club members in the nice shop for my local gem and mineral club, the Deming Gem & Mineral Society, and I thought, "I can make those."I just got some slabbed rocks and started grinding them up until they looked like what I'd seen. That was five years ago, and I've spent many hours refining my work process since then. (I'm also the vice president of the gem and mineral club!)

A gemstone cabochon made of Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper by Sheila Hoag of Tradewinds Studios

I find some rocks locally. Luna County, New Mexico has some very nice red and yellow moss agates and some thundereggs that are just awesome. When I'm out in the desert, I find a rock with potential by knocking and end off to see what the color inside looks like. Generally, I pour some water on it because that's what it will look like when it's polished. Some days you find good stuff and some days you don't. When I find good ones, I bring them home and introduce them to the slab saw. I have rockhounded in New Mexico, Texas, Colorado and Michigan, but some federal laws are making it more difficult for individuals to do rockhounding at all. The internet is a great thing because you can find just about anything you want, including rocks from places you could never get to. I have rocks from Egypt, South Africa, Tasmania and Australia, China, Siberia and Argentina.

My rock hounding trips have been fairly uneventful. I think the most interesting thing I've ever found was a baby rattlesnake. We really tried to get him to rattle at us by gently pitching pebbles at him, but he was more interested in finding some shade. He gave us a faint pity-rattle as he disappeared into his den. In five years, that's the only rattlesnake we've ever seen here in the New Mexico desert.

I work on several cabochons at a time and one batch can take me several hours to finish. I cut them up into individual slabs that are about 6mm thick. Later I will decide what shape and size the cabochon will be and trim excess rock away before going to the actual grinding wheel. On the grinding wheel, I'll use a variety of different sizes of grit from coarse to very fine, and then give the cabochon a final polish on the wheel using 50,000 grit. (Very, very fine!) I use between five and eight grits on each cab, depending on what kind of rock it is and what kind of finish I want.

Gemstone cabochon made with Victoria Stone.

Sometimes I finish a cab and it goes right in my private stash, but I don't usually set out to make a rock for me. Rhodochrosite is one of my favorites, as is Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper. I have slabs of Gaspeite, Seraphenite and Rhodochrosite just to look at because they are works of art just the way they are! No polishing or grinding needed.

My best advice for gemstone cabochon buyers is to be cautious when buying gemstone cabochons. There are a lot of knock-off gemstones out there. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Trade names can be deceiving, and a lot of resellers just aren't aware of what they really have. If you decide on a type of gem or mineral that you want to work with, do a little research on the internet. It can save you money and prevent a lot of problems.

You can see more of Sheila's gorgeous gemstone cabochons in her Etsy shop, Tradewinds Studios.

Beading Needles I Love: New Tulip Brand Beading Needles from Japan

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Ever since Carole Cypher returned from her adventures in Japan last year, I've been hearing about these amazing new beading needles that she brought back with her. Tulip needles were reputed to be stronger, more flexible, and less likely to bend and break than other types of beading needles.

Tulip beading needles from Japan come in these neat little tubes!

The first thing I noticed about these needles is the little plastic tubes in which they're packaged. Little tubes with cork stoppers - the stoppers came out pretty easy when I was removing each tube from its box, so putting them in another type of storage container - either a needle case or a magnetic needle book - is going to be important. When I picked up the first needle, I noticed that it definitely had a heft to it that you just don't feel with the John James or Pony needles. The Tulip needles are size 11, so yes, they are bigger than the size 12 needles that I've been using, but not quite as thick as the size 10 sharps that I sometimes use. The heft and thickness made me worry about getting the needle through a size 15^o seed bead multiple times without breaking the needle and/or the bead.

The eye of the Tulip beading needle is gold plated.

Looking closely at the Tulip needle, I noticed that it does indeed have gold plating around the eye, and it was much easier to thread this slightly larger needle with my favorite 6 lb and 10 lb test Fireline than a regular size 12 beading needle.

It was time to put this needle to the test, and I had the perfect project: I had been working on a three-dimensional flower made from five separate peyote-stitched petals with a Swarovski crystal Rivoli in the center. The petals needed to be assembled and the Rivoli attached in the center of the petals. If there was ever a test for getting a needle in and out of a tight spot, this was it.

I used the Tulip beading needle to assemble this peyote stitch flower and attach the Rivoli in the center. And it stayed as straight as it had been when I took it out of the package!

I was feeling a little nervous as I stitched through the size 11^o cylinder beads along the edges of the petals and even more nervous as I tried to work the needle through the tightly stitched peyote in the center of the petals. But even when I had to use my pliers to wiggle through a tight spot, the Tulip beading needle kept its shape, and I didn't break a single bead!

After stitching the bezel for the Rivoli and attaching it in the center of the newly assembled flower, I was hooked. The Tulip beading needle performed flawlessly, and it was just as straight as it was when I slid it out of the tube.

I used the same needle to add some heavy embellishment to a beaded bag that I was working on for a group project, and it still held its shape. This time, I used all size 15^o seed beads and some gemstone drops and rounds with smaller holes. The size 11 Tulip needle had no problems passing through both the seed beads and the gemstone beads with a length of 6 lb test Fireline. I was totally amazed.

While the Tulip beading needles cost more than the Pony needles or the John James beading needles, I think this is an investment worth making for anyone who is a serious beader. Tulip beading needles seem like they will last longer and are less prone to bending and breaking than the Pony and John James beading needles.

Ask for Tulip brand beading needles at your favorite bead shop or contact Carol Cypher for a list of bead shops where you can purchase them.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer