A few years ago, I landed a teaching gig at a large gem and mineral show in western New York. As I walked the floor after my classes, I marveled at how many different gemstone beads were available. It seemed like there were gemstones for every color, every price range, and every shape that a beader could possibly want. Big gemstones, little gemstones, carved gemstones, and gemstone cabochons in every cut and material you might imagine.
On the last day of the show, my friend and I went on a mission: we visited every single dealer who sold Herkimer diamonds in a quest to find me a perfect pair of these highly-prized quartz crystals. As I was paying for my purchase, it dawned on me just how much we treasure gemstones for their beauty and for their perceived metaphysical properties and "powers".
Indeed, there's something about gemstone beads that moves me like no other kind of bead. Holding a gemstone bead in my hand makes me think about the natural process that occurred deep inside the Earth to result in that beautiful rock. Gemstones do more than just make beautiful jewelry -- they heal, they inspire, and they tell us their stories.
Because we love gemstones so much, we decided to freshen up our gemstone eBook with some all-new projects!
- You can start your gemstone bead journey
with Linda Richmond's Net Full of Gems, an easy stitching project that
uses beautiful (and affordable) gemstone chips to create a bold netted
choker.
- Mile Marker 219 by Annie
Hartman Bakken combines sterling silver findings, seed beads, and Unakite
to create an earthy necklace.
- Harness the energy of your
favorite gemstone donut and freeform peyote stitch in Tina Koyama's Stone
Soup Donut necklace.
- Dustin Wedekind uses
gemstone donuts in a beautiful and fashion-forward necklace design that
you can make in just minutes.
- Turquoise Collage by
Marcella Austenfeld combines knotted leather with a beaded bezel for a
freeform turquoise cabochon in a design that's both earthy and elegant!
- And finally, practice your
wire wrapped loops when you make your own beaded chain of gemstone beads
to accent a funky ceramic focal in Denise Yezbak Moore's Cobblestone
necklace.
Buying gemstones doesn't have to hurt your budget, either. We've included some great tips for finding beautiful, affordable gemstones, as well as knowing what you're buying when it comes to gemstones that have had their appearance altered with dyes or treatments.
So, take a few minutes to download and enjoy our free eBook,
Using Gems and Semi-Precious Stones in Jewelry: 6 Free Gemstone Jewelry Projects Plus Guide to Gemstone Beads and listen to what your gemstones are trying to tell you!
Bead Happy,
Jennifer
Filed under: Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making