Beading Supplies We Love : Pearls

New Portable Bead Organizer from Ezel Findings - Meet the Beading Pal!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

One of the many things that I love about my job is when I get to see new beading products before they're available to the general public. My friend Sunyoung Park of Ezel Findings made my day last week when she sent me their latest innovative beading and jewelry-making product, the Beading Pal.

The Beading Pal is a fantastic organizer and built-in beading surface, meant for beaders on the go. It's sturdy construction is great for times when you want to just toss it into a tote bag and head to your beading group or favorite cafe for an afternoon of beading time. The faux suede interior and bead tray has rolled edges to prevent beads from spilling or running away, and the elastic loops and mesh pocket are perfect for organizing any seed bead tubes, beading tools, and beading thread that you'll need while traveling.

What I love the most about this new bead organizing and travel system is that it really is a convenient all-in-one way to pack up and play with your beads. Even when you're not traveling any further than from the living room to the dining room of your own home, the faux suede beading surface is one of the nicest that I've ever used. Soft, sturdy, and the perfect color to make all your tiny seed beads, crystals, and pearls easy to see.

The outside of the Beading Pal is just as luxurious as the inside, with a silky, metallic faux leather, and metallic gold accents. It really makes you feel like you're beading in the lap of luxury, no matter where you are!

With dimensions of 10 1/4" long x 8 1/4" wide x 1 3/8" thick, it's the perfect size to tuck into a tote bag or backpack, or even just to carry as you go with your beading projects tucked safely inside.

Ezel Findings will have the Beading Pal available for sale at all their major bead shows beginning in June, 2013, or you can check their website, Ezel Findings, for updates and product information.

Contact Sunyoung Park at info@ezelfindings.com, or at 1-800-977-9904.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for April 2013: A Sneak Peek and a Contest!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Are you a member of the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club from A Grain of Sand? If not, April might be your lucky month -- A Grain of Sand is having a Design Challenge using a special vintage jewelry-making component included in the April club boxes. The staff of A Grain of Sand will choose the design they like the best from the A Grain of Sand Facebook page, and the winner receives a $100 gift certificate! Check out this preview of a few of my favorite picks from the April 2013 Bead Hoarders Curiosity Club box:

		Are you ready for a design challenge? This is the funky, cool April Design Challenge piece. It's solid (no holes), and the back is slightly curved. Put on your beaded jewelry design thinking caps and GO!

		The only thing I like better than genuine freshwater pearls are vintage Japanese imitation pearls, and the April Bead Hoard Curiosity Club box includes a strand of these enormous, beautiful, silvery-grey vintage Japanese pearls. Use one or two in a design, or re-string the entire strand and finish with a crystal box clasp for a stunning beaded necklace!

		Do you love chain? The April Bead Hoard Curiosities Club box also includes an amazing assortment of chains! You'll find finished chains (with clasps that can easily be removed), unfinished chains, shorter lengths, and some very cool metal jewelry-making components tucked into this month's club box, too.

Are you ready to start designing for a chance to win that $100 A Grain of Sand Gift Certificate? You still have time to sign up for the next month of the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club! You can find all the details over at the A Grain of Sand website! Good luck, and happy beading!

Jennifer

Do You Rizo?

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Sabine Lippert, one of Beadwork Magazine's Designers of the Year for 2013 has started distributing her newly-designed Rizo beads here in the United States. So far, the response has been fantastic!

What is a Rizo? Sabine designed the Rizo bead to fill in the gap in sizes between a drop and a dagger. Rizo beads measure approximately 2.5mm x 5.5mm, and come in about fifty different colors and coatings.

Rizo beads are incredibly versatile when used in bead-weaving and beaded jewelry design. They pair nicely with the Czech glass spikes and gumdrop beads that I'm so fond of, and they make a wonderful addition to beaded fringe. Mix them up with freshwater pearls of crystal rivolis and crystal stones for some truly unique and dimensional beading projects!

Rizo beads are available from both Whimbeads and York Beads, or check with your local bead shop.

Bead Happy!

Jennifer

Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for February 2013

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and keeping with the theme of love and hearts and all things sparkly, A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club had some beautiful vintage jewelry-making supplies in it this month! Take a look at my favorite pics:

		I loved the fun jewelry in this month's box. A pair of beautiful pearl clip-on earrings, a funky vintage coin bracelet, and a pair of bamboo earrings were welcome additions to my collection of vintage jewelry!

		I'm not usually a fan of hearts, but these metal hearts, bezels, and even earring findings made me swoon! The textured metal hearts are perfect for coloring with inks, dyes, or even just inexpensive nail polish. Punch a little hole in them, then dangle them from a beaded bracelet or necklace.

		The way to this beader's heart is definitely with vintage seed beads, nailheads, and vintage Czech crystal beads, and, oh, look! There just happened to be a sampling of all three in February's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club box!

		Finally, if you love vintage plastics, there was a great selection of vintage plastic "ice" chips and faceted dangles. A small sample of vintage cabochons rounded out this month's very romantic selection of vintage beads.

Suzanne has also shared a sneak peek of what's going to be in next month's box, too. If you're a fan of Downton Abbey, you won't want to miss the March Bead Hoard Curiosities Club shipment. A selection of opulent vintage metal jewelry-making components will be included in each box! Imagine what you could do with these beauties!

You can find more details about the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club, and how to become a member, over at A Grain of Sand. While you're there, spend a little time browsing Suzanne's fabulous selection of new and vintage beads, clasps, and jewelry-making supplies!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

August Vintage Bead Treasures from the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT

I have to say, since I've been receiving my monthly shipments of vintage beads and jewelry making components from A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club, I really look forward to seeing what's in each month's box. I love the challenge of designing beaded jewelry with the vintage glass beads and jewelry findings in there, especially because some of them aren't items that I'd usually choose to work with.

August's box of goodies contained so many great vintage beads that I don't have space to write about them all, but I'll just post some pictures of my favorites and tell you about them!

		First, this month's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club shipment included a huge strand of glass pearls and a gorgeous vintage chunky Lucite bangle bracelet. So glamorous! And the vintage glass cabochon was a favorite pick of mine, too. I still have to figure out how I can bezel it so that the beautiful stripes on one side remain visible in the finished piece.

		There were two large pieces of vintage chain, as well. The brown chain was some kind of plastic (not specified) and the copper chain matched it nicely. The two of them used together would make a fabulous statement necklace with some wire wrapped crystal beads! Also included in this month's shipment were a couple of beautiful vintage Italian wired flowers. I have visions of using these in a couple of hair clips with some of my favorite Czech pressed glass beads and freshwater pearls.

		Finally, the selection of metal findings and beads in this month's shipment was outstanding! I love the textured brass pieces because they'll look beautiful once I paint them with some metal patinas. The two wire bracelet blanks worked up into gorgeous and easy beaded bangle bracelets! I get such a kick out of using vintage jewelry making components in very modern beaded jewelry design ideas.

If you're crazy about vintage beads and love a good bead surprise, head on over to A Grain of Sand and find out more about joining the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club. You can join for a single month, or as long as one year! Each monthly shipment also includes a special coupon code just for Bead Hoard Curiosities Club members. Shipments go out on (or close to) the first of each month, so make sure you sign up before August 30th, 2012 for the September shipment.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

SuperDuos vs. Twin Seed Beads: Which Do You Prefer?

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:00:00 GMT


Twin seed beads: the original two-holed seed bead.


New SuperDuo two-holed seed beads.

After hoarding several colors of Twin seed beads over the last year, I nabbed my first sample of the new Czech SuperDuos during my visit to York Beads in Manhattan last weekend. I've heard from several beading friends across the country that they prefer the SuperDuos to the Twins, so I was eager to give them a try on my own.

Twins and SuperDuos have a few things in common: they are both two-holed Czech seed beads, and they are similar in shape and size. But the SuperDuo seed beads are pressed glass beads, meaning that they are made in a mold so that each bead is highly consistent in shape and size. Twin seed beads, on the other hand, are manufactured according to traditional Czech seed bead making techniques where the beads are drawn, cut, and tumbled, resulting in a more variable shape and size.

As I sorted through my new bag of SuperDuos, one big difference struck me: there was no need to cull out the misshapen beads because there were no misshapen beads. The SuperDuos were all perfectly uniform, and I didn't see any broken, chipped, or partial beads.


	Beaded bracelet made with Twin seed beads and freshwater pearls.

Of course, uniformity is only one quality of seed beads that you should look for when choosing which beads to work with. I still enjoy the more organic look and feel of the Twin beads, and don't plan on getting rid of my sizable stash any time soon.

Other bead artists have done some experiments with both the Twins and SuperDuos. Christine of Good Quill Hunting did a wonderful project with one of her beaded necklace designs, working it up with both the Twins and the SuperDuos. Her conclusion? They both work just as well for the same bead-weaving applications.

Resources:

Twin Two Hole Seed Beads:

Sparkle Spot Bead Shop

The Hole Bead Shop

Shipwreck Beads

A Grain of Sand

York Beads (wholesale only)

Bead Stalkers

SuperDuo Two Hole Seed Beads:

Sparkle Spot Bead Shop

Bead Stalkers

York Beads

Have you tried using either or both of these new two-hole seed beads? What did you think?

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for June

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:32:00 GMT

This month's little box from A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club was full of fun -- and very useful! -- vintage beads.

I've always loved metallic vintage beads, and this month's hoard was full of beautiful metal and metallic vintage beads, as well as some very cool metal jewelry making components. I loved the patterned ovals that were included in this month's box -- they are going to make beautiful earrings! A handful of beautiful corrugated metal beads included this month will work as either spacers or focal beads in a beaded necklace design, but I'm thinking that they might also work nicely in my top-secret Battle of the Beadsmith piece.

These flat, wavy plastic discs definitely caught my attention. Years ago, I purchased a strand of onyx beads in a similar shape, but they were much larger and much heavier than these lightweight vintage bead beauties! I can see mixing them with some vintage pearls or freshwater pearls for a classy date-night beaded necklace and bracelet set.

And speaking of lightweight vintage beads -- there was a smattering of beautiful lightweight plastic vintage flower beads in this month's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club shipment! I love using these in bracelets for a "garden" effect. Just make a strip of right-angle weave, peyote stitch, or even herringbone stitch, and embellish to your heart's content with these lovelies!

The most intriguing find in this month's shipment was a set of long, drilled, twisted Lucite tube beads. They reminded me of the vintage icicle Christmas ornaments my mother used to hang on our Christmas tree, and using them will most definitely be a wonderful design challenge for me. The textured Lucite teardrop-shaped cabochon will also be another fun design challenge.

Last, but not least, my favorite find from this month's shipment was a whole bag of drilled shells. Seeing these instantly transported me back to high school, when making macrame necklaces with shells and clay beads was my favorite jewelry making projects. This time around, however, I'm thinking about a slightly more sophisticated beaded jewelry design idea. Perhaps an embellished beaded rope?

Interested in claiming your stake in the huge vintage bead hoard? You can join the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club through A Grain of Sand, even for just one month, and get your own box of vintage bead treasures. Suzanne Branca hand-picks the contents for each box from some of the best finds as she and her staff sort through this amazing hoard of vintage beads and jewelry making components!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Amazing Ammonites!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:00:00 GMT

When I was a five-year-old in kindergarten, the teacher went around the room and asked what each of us wanted to be when we grew up. When she came to me, I stood up and proudly said, "I want to be a paleontologist!" What my teacher didn't know was that I devoured books about dinosaurs as eagerly as a velociraptor eating a brontosaurus egg. I decided early on that I wanted to be one of those scientists who spent their days outside, digging up dinosaur bones and making new discoveries about these amazing creatures that lived so long ago.

Ammonites can be found in all parts of the world. They got their name from the ancient Romans, who called them ammonis cornua, thinking that their curved shells resembled tightly coiled ram's horns worn by the Egyptian god Ammon. Scientifically speaking, ammonites are what are referred to as index fossils because finding them in a certain rock layer almost always connects that rock layer to a specific period in geological history.

Certain ammonites from Madagascar and Alberta, Canada show beautiful iridescent colors when they are polished. Other ammonites, when preserved in clay, have had their original mother of pearl coating preserved. And while some ammonites are only an inch or two in size, the largest documented ammonite was discovered in British Columbia (Canada) and measured an impressive seven and a half feet long!

So from that first declaration in my kindergarten class, we can fast forward twenty-something years, and here I am, in full-on bead lust, discovering that I can use beads made from ancient fossils in my beading projects! Just a few weeks ago, I added some new ammonite cabochons to my collection. Here are some of my favorites, new and old, from my stash of beads and jewelry-making supplies:

		My latest ammonite find is this set of handmade raku ammonite cabochons with fine silver accents from Maku Studios. I just love the creamy colors in these handmade ceramic cabochons, and they are much lighter than I thought they would be. The tiny ammonite cabochons will make a perfect pair of shoulder-sweeping earrings to match whatever design I can come up with for the larger focal cabochon. I'll have to raid my stash of teeny, tiny shell beads for this one!

		I had never seen a strand of ammonite beads until I ran across these being offered from BeadsOnSale. They were so reasonably priced, I just had to have them. Because these are genuine ammonites, they are extremely heavy, so I think a full strand of them as a beaded necklace is out of the question. But I can picture using one of the larger ammonite beads as a focal, or two of the smaller ones as accents in a beaded necklace.

		The very first time I attended Bead Fest Philadelphia, I discovered the wonderful work of lapidary artist Gary Wilson. I bought a handful of his gorgeous cabochons and went home to turn them into some of my favorite beaded necklaces. I made sure to stop by Gary's booth the last time I was at Bead Fest, and I came away with this beautiful ammonite pendant. This is one of those fantastic bead buys that I need to hold on to for several years before I figure out how to use it in a piece of beaded jewelry. For now, I just enjoy looking at it on my work table or holding it in my hand. (The iridescent coloring in the shell means that this is an ammonite from either Alberta, Canada or Madagascar!)

		This sweet little pair of ammonites came from the Syracuse gem and mineral show. There's no better place for finding unique and high-quality fossils like ammonites than your local gem and mineral show! The design challenge with these ammonites is that the front is smooth and flat while the back is rounded. I've had an idea to stitch up a beaded bezel for them using circular netting. Whether I'll use them as a pair of beaded earrings or as accents in a beaded necklace remains to be seen!

Do you find yourself gravitating towards fossils and gemstones for your beadwork? Share your favorites here and leave a comment! Or take a picture of your favorite beading project made with an ammonite (or another fossil) and post it in the Reader Photo Gallery!

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

Bead Hoard Treasure for April from A Grain of Sand

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:00:00 GMT

The beginning of April brought me my first box of treasure from the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club through A Grain of Sand, and I could barely contain myself as I opened the box. I'm totally addicted to vintage beads and findings, so this was going to be a huge treasure hunt, and I certainly wasn't disappointed!

Each month, the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club sends out boxes packed with the most recent finds from the gigantic hoard of vintage beads that A Grain of Sand owner Suzanne Branca purchased last year. The boxes contain some of the same items mixed in with a unique selection of vintage beads, findings and even a few pieces of vintage jewelry.

This month, some of the vintage beads and findings included in each box included a pair of large white go-go hoops; two sets of resin cabochons; an assortment of vintage seed beads and bugle beads; a strand of vintage glass pearls from Japan; horn discs and pendants; and a handful of beautiful orange Lucite "moonglow" beads. In my box, there were also a few strands of gorgeous vintage Lucite beads, lots of vintage metal beads and a wonderful assortment of vintage metal jewelry-making components! I was especially taken with the beautiful floral resin cabochons -- they resembled the shell cameos that my mother was so fond of, and brought back memories of trying on her jewelry when I was a kid.

The metal jewelry-making components hold so many possibilities for me! Armed with my new set of hole punching pliers and tools, I have big plans for these. Some of them will be used in my latest bead embroidery project, and others will become focal points for a beaded necklace.

I could hardly wait to get started with these vintage beads, but necessity dictated that I first sit down and sort things into plastic bags so that I could find them easily when I needed them. My helper was my four-year-old son, who thoroughly enjoyed sorting and counting and packing all the beads away into their own little bags.

Are you a member of the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club? If you're interested in receiving a monthly box full of vintage beads and jewelry-making components, sign up before the first of each month to make sure that you get in on the fun! Or if you just love vintage beads and jewelry-making components, make sure you look at what's available from A Grain of Sand.

If you're already a member of the Curiosities Club, what are you going to make with this month's vintage beads? Take a picture of your finished creation using your Bead Hoard and post it in our Reader Photo Gallery with the tag "CCAPR12" so we can all share!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Shell Pearls from Lima Beads

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Part of my bead stash is one, large drawer that is filled to the brim with strands and small bags of freshwater pearls. Yes, I'm a Pearl Junkie. Stick pearls, baroque pearls, coin pearls, button pearls, potato pearls -- you name it, I have a strand (or two) of those pearls in my collection.

So when I was browsing the Lima Beads website a few weeks ago, I was curious to find out what their new shell pearls were like. These new pearl beads were described as being closer to a natural pearl than other types of imitation pearls, and the prices certainly fit right into my budget.

According to the Lima Beads website, these shell pearls are created with a core of solid, carved seashell instead of crystal or glass. They are perfectly round and extremely consistent in size and shape. The coating of these pearls, which is manufactured in the United States, contains real mother of pearl. It's the mother of pearl in this coating that gives the shell pearls their beautiful color and luster. This carved seashell core also makes a shell pearl more like a real freshwater pearl than a glass pearl bead.

Because the process is so highly controlled, you'll find little to no variation in shape, size and color between lots of these shell pearl beads. Shell pearls are less likely to chip or fade than other types of glass pearls and are less sensitive to perfumes, soaps, and other substances that can affect natural and glass pearls.

Shell pearls come in 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm and 14mm round sizes and in sixteen different colors, plus one variegated color. Prices range from around $4 for a 16 inch strand of 6mm pearls to $11 for a 16 inch strand of 14mm pearls, representing a good value for a good quality pearl bead.

The only aspect of the larger pearls that I wasn't entirely happy with was the irregularity around some of the bead holes. I noticed that some of the coating had been chipped off, presumably during the manufacturing process. However, when I tried to chip off more of the coating using my fingernail, a beading awl and a cutting blade, I was unable to do so. The coating of the rest of the pearl is also very resistant to scratching, making these new shell pearls quite a hard-working bunch of pearl beads!

I used half a strand of the new shell pearls from Lima Beads to make my two Cluster Beaded Beads for the Beadwork magazine 15th anniversary beaded bead contest, and I was extremely pleased at how they worked for bead-weaving. I was afraid that the bead holes wouldn't be big enough to accommodate several thread passes, but I got my Tulip beading needle and 6 lb. Fireline through each bead multiple times with no problems at all.

Head on over to the Lima Beads website to check out their selection of shell pearls, and if you've used these new shell pearl beads before, leave a comment here and let me know what you thought of them! Will you be buying any more of these pearl beads?

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Pearls We Love: Large Holed Freshwater Pearls

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Yes, you read that right! While I was in Tucson, I started hearing about these wonderful large holed pearls, but never had the chance to find some for myself. Once I got home, I was browsing online at A Grain of Sand and discovered that among their "New Finds" were these amazing large holed freshwater pearls!


Large holed freshwater pearls come in a range of colors.

These large holed freshwater pearls come in several different colors, and are all about 10mm around in the classic potato pearl shape. And yes, they really have large holes! With holes measuring around 2.5mm, you can easily fit a toothpick or a piece of 2mm leather cord through each pearl, making them perfect for designs strung on leather or even silk ribbon.


	*These large holed freshwater pearls can accommodate a leather cord up to 2mm.*

The design possibilities for these gorgeous large holed freshwater pearls are just about endless. I love the idea that I can use them with my other large-holed beads for stringing projects. I love using freshwater pearls in my jewelry making projects, but pearls have always required a little extra thought when I want to incorporate them because the holes of most freshwater pearls are just so small! With these freshwater pearls, I can include some of my favorite beads and design elements in pretty much any projects I have in mind.

When using the large holed freshwater pearls, make sure to use a toothpick or small beading awl to remove the little bits from the center of the holes before you string them.


A great and easy stringing project uses these new large holed freshwater pearls mixed with some vintage Lucite from The Beadin' Path!

A Grain of Sand is selling these pearls by the 8" strand for between $15 and $24. My 8" strand of cream colored large holed freshwater pearls contained twenty-eight pearls, which were more than enough for a necklace, bracelet and a pair of matching earrings.

What do you think of these new large holed freshwater pearls? Will you try them in your next jewelry making project? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer