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

My Favorite Beading Tool for Jewelry Making - Looping Pliers

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:44:00 GMT

Even though I'm not primarily a wire work person, like most beadweavers, I need a good set of jewelry making pliers in my beading tool kit for those times when I need to attach jump rings and findings or make a set of wrapped loops. I bought my first wire jewelry making book and kit back in 1998, and I eventually "outgrew" the set of jewelry making pliers that came with it. They were great for a beginner just starting out, but as my skills improved, I realized that I needed to start investing in a good, high-quality set of jewelry making pliers to include in my beading tools.

When I got my copy of Rachel Nelson-Smith's book Seed Bead Fusion, I realized that I was going to need some new beading tools. I was working my way through four of her kits, all of which involved wire work, and I wanted to do justice to her beautiful designs. The first thing I purchased was a good nylon jaw wire straightener, and the other tool that I added to my collection of beading tools was this pair of looping pliers.

I've seen these called by other names (flat round nose pliers and combination pliers) but whatever you call them, they are extremely handy to have around. These looping pliers came very highly recommended from a friend who does a lot of wire wrapping, and after using them a couple of times, I could see why. The chain nose (or flat) jaw of the pliers has several notches in it that allow you to create consistently sized loops. That might not seem important, but when you're making jump rings or trying to make sure that the wrapped loops you make for your earring components are the same size, this feature is invaluable. I used to mark my pliers with a black magic marker, but this wasn't an ideal solution: the marker would eventually wear off, usually before I was finished working, and very often the marker would rub off onto the wire that I was working with.

When I make my wrapped loops, I used to use two separate pairs of pliers: a round nose pair for making the loop and a flat nose pair that I would use to hold the loop as I twisted and secured the wire. (That's how I learned to make wrapped loops back when I was just a baby beader.) With the looping pliers, I only needed one pair! Using the looping pliers made it easier (and faster) to make my wrapped loops - instead of putting down and picking up various pairs of pliers, I only had to use one pair. No more looking around to find the second pair of pliers that I couldn't find three seconds after I put them down on my work table.

Another unexpected benefit of using (and loving) these jewelry making pliers is that I can take them with me when I travel to bead at a class or with friends. Instead of packing two pairs of pliers (round nose and chain nose or flat nose), I just pack my looping pliers and I'm ready for anything. Now that I've also moved into the exciting world of Viking knit and making my own chains for my beaded necklaces and bracelets, I find myself using these pliers more and more. They are perfect for grasping the ends of my wire when I pull my Viking knit chains through the draw plate, and I can use them to maneuver my wire through tight spaces while I'm working.

As with any jewelry making tools, pliers or beading tools, you should always buy the highest quality you can afford. Admittedly, these weren't the highest quality - they cost around $20 from an online beading tool supply company - but so far, they have held up to two years of heavy use, and I hope to get at least a few more years out of them before they need to be replaced.

What's the one beading tool that you can't live without? Is it your favorite pair of pliers? Maybe it's a favorite work surface or your favorite scissors. Whatever it is, share your favorite beading tool with us!

Bead Happy,

Jenniffer

Beading Supplies We Love : Wire Wrapping

August Vintage Bead Treasures from the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club

My Favorite Beading Tool for Jewelry Making - Looping Pliers