Daily Blogs : Mixed Media Jewelry, Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine

What Can You Learn On Craft Daily? Everything!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

I got bit by the crafting bug early on. As a child, I watched my mother creating with crochet, knitting, and needlepoint, and some of those designs included beads. Some of those projects were among my first exposure to beading and bead crafts in general -- learning how to add beads to each new craft was probably one of the things that sparked my interest in jewelry-making, too.

I still enjoy taking the occasional crafting break from bead-weaving, but I love how there are so many ways to incorporate beads into my other craft projects, too. So, it's important to me to be able to learn new crafting techniques like crochet, knitting, and even mixed media art projects.

If you're someone like me who loves to turn any craft into a bead craft, I'm so excited to introduce you to Craft Daily! Craft Daily is the best online source for watching premium craft video tutorials and workshops from some of your favorite instructors like Melinda Barta, Denise Peck, Lisa Niven Kelly, and others. You'll also find helpful how-to videos from Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist photographer Jim Lawson to help you capture great images of all your beautiful bead crafts.

With a monthly or yearly subscription to Craft Daily, you'll be able to access over 130 crafting videos and tutorials, with new videos being added weekly. Whether you're an experienced crafter or a novice looking to learn a new technique, you're sure to find something to inspire you!

The best part is that you can watch these videos instantly, on your Mac, PC, iOS, or Android device instantly to learn new crafting, jewelry-making, and beading techniques. Why learn by video?

It's more convenient than taking a class -- you can start and stop the video whenever you'd like, watching the techniques demonstrated over and over until you get it right.
You get to see the techniques demonstrated in action for a better idea of how to hold your tools and materials.
You can refer back to the video later if you want to review the techniques.

So, head on over to Craft Daily and take a look around. You just might find a new way to use your beads in some of your favorite crafts!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

5 Essential Jewelry Making Techniques from Tammy Jones

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Not too long ago, Tammy Jones wrote a great blog over on Jewelry Making Daily about five essential jewelry making techniques for jewelry artists. And it got me thinking -- while my primary interest for jewelry making still remains with my beloved seed beads, there are so many great new jewelry making techniques to experiment with!

My first foray into a jewelry making technique outside of bead stringing or off-loom bead-weaving was when I decided that I wanted to learn how to make my own lampwork glass beads. The idea of melting glass over a torch hot enough to burn down my garage was a little intimidating, but learning those glass bead making skills was also really empowering! Once I realized that I could take a solid substance like glass and make it bend to my will over a three thousand degree flame, there wasn't a lot that scared me. (Except for the possibility of an explosion that would send a hundred pounds of glass shrapnel flying into my skin!)

Since then, I've played with wirework, precious metal clay, and mixed media jewelry. I also recently purchased my first butane micro torch for making chain, too. It makes me feel so accomplished to have actually tried these jewelry making techniques, even if I'm not very good at some of them.

If you're looking to expand your jewelry making skills, here are five essential jewelry making techniques recommended by Tammy Jones for anyone who wants to try something new.

Jewelry Making Technique #1: Soldering. The only experience I've ever had with soldering was putting together a couple of those make-your-own radio kits from the electronics store when I was kid. But since I've learned how to use a micro torch to fire precious metal clay, I'm starting to see how easy it is to move on to other jewelry making projects that use soldering techniques. (Don't tell my husband, though. I still haven't cleared a space in all of my glass lampwork and fusing supplies in the garage workshop to accommodate my new micro torch!)

Jewelry Making Technique #2: Wirework. Truly, wirework used to be the bane of my jewelry making existence, until I realized that all those little wrapped loops and eye pins can translate into some pretty spectacular wire jewelry. If you're new to wirework, start small by trying to make your own jump rings and ear wires. Once you have the hang of working with wire, trying projects that include some type of free-form wire bending will not only help you get the feel of working with wire, you'll be making some pretty spectacular one-of-a-kind wire jewelry.

Jewelry Making Technique #3: Metalsmithing. I have to admit, I've always been a little bit awed by jewelry artists who can do metalsmithing. The idea of taking something like metal and being able to melt it, fold it, cut it, and shape it into jewelry still seems sort of like magic to me. (Dangerous magic, but still magic!) The closest I've ever come to doing any metalsmithing was the time I signed up for a stering silver bead-making class at my local arts center, but had to cancel at the last minute. Still, I love watching my metalsmithing friends when they work at the bench, even if I don't think it's something that I'll ever get into.

Jewelry Making Technique #4: Metal Clay. One of the first jewelry making classes I ever took at Bead Fest Philadelphia was a precious metal clay class where we played with covering bisque beads and leaves with different forms of precious metal clay (PMC). Since then, I've taken a couple more classes and learned how to make easy rolled metal clay beads, used stamps and texture plates on some metal clay, and even made a few nice-looking metal clay rings with a butane micro torch.

Jewelry Making Technique #5: Mixed Media Jewelry. Mixed media jewelry was another one of those jewelry making terms that used to send shivers down my spine. (And not in a good way.) But then a few months ago, I started playing with some wonderful inks for coloring metal beads and jewelry making components, and I realized that mixed media jewelry isn't nearly as scary as I thought it was! I've always loved mixing fibers and fabrics with my beadwork and beaded jewelry making projects. So now I can safely say that I really enjoy jewelry making projects that include resin, painting, fabrics, and fibers!

Are you one of those beaders that enjoys learning new jewelry making techniques? Do you love to push yourself to expand your jewelry making skills? If you want to keep up with what's hot (and what's not) in the jewelry making world, make sure you subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. Each issue is full of the latest and greatest in jewelry making techniques, tools, and supplies that you'll want to keep handy as you continue your journey with handmade jewelry. Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and spend some time this summer branching out into a new jewelry making adventure!

Have you tried a new jewelry making technique lately? What is it? Did you love it or was it enough to make you decide to stick with beads for now? Leave a comment and share your stories, tips, and recommendations for other budding jewelry artists here on the Beading Daily blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Bead Pick from Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones: Glinter Silver Beads

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Tammy Jones is my bead buddy and the Online Editor for Jewelry Making Daily. I asked her to tell me about her favorite new beading or jewelry making product from the pages of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. Tammy found these gorgeous new Glinter silver beads and had this to say about them:

Tammy Jones is the Online Editor for Jewelry Making Daily

My job puts me in the metal, wire, and mixed-media areas of jewelry making, and I love all of that, but my first love was beads and beading. I can't do the fancy stitches--I don't have the patience for it, so peyote stitch is as far as I got into that type of beading. The beading category of "stringing" is more my thing, and while some ladies get swoony over Delicas and the new size 15s (squint!), I'm usually more drawn to metal beads or bigger gemstone beads.

So while flipping through the August 2011 issue of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist, I got really excited when I saw Glinter Silver Substitute from Elephant Eye Beads. They're metal beads (they also have clasps, charms, chain, wire, and other findings), but it's the metal itself that's the cool thing. It's an alloy of zinc, copper, and silver that looks like but costs less than silver, and apparently behaves like silver, too. In their studio tests, the folks at Elephant Eye created a rainbow of patina on it using liver of sulfur. The results they achieved are some of the prettiest, most colorful patinas I've ever seen! Some of the colors in the patina remind me of gemstones, and it makes these beads look like a combination of metal and gems!

After seeing Tammy's recommendation, I went to visit the Elephant Eye Beads website and I totally fell in love with these Glinter silver beads, too. I even ordered a set of bead caps and a clasp to use as the findings for my project in our ongoing Bead Along here on Beading Daily! The Glinter silver beads are a great low-cost alternative to sterling silver, and I love the wide range of shapes that are available from Elephant Eye Beads.

If you want to keep up with the latest jewelry-making trends (including innovative new beads), you'll want to check out Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. It's packed full of gorgeous jewelry making projects and product reviews for the latest in handmade art jewelry. Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and find new inspiration for your jewelry making projects!

Have you found a new bead or a new jewelry making trend that you absolutely love? Share it here on the blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Tammy Jones' Top Picks for Gorgeous Resin Earring Projects

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Tammy Jones is the Online Editor for Jewelry Making Daily

A note from Jennifer: Resin is my latest jewelry making obsession. It started a few months earlier after I purchased a gorgeous pendant from Andrew Thornton and then saw what some of my fellow handmade jewelry artists from Love My Art Jewelry were doing with it. Resin jewelry components are so versatile, they can be used for just about anything - charm bracelets, earrings, pendants, you name it!

Because I'm just starting to dabble in making resin pendants and jewelry, and since I don't have access to any in-person classes near my home, I have been teaching myself as I go. So I decided to ask Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones what her favorite picks are for some easy and inspiring resin projects! If you're interested in making beautiful resin jewelry, check out her suggestions!

Resin Earring Projects That Look Like a Million Bucks with Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones

		In the August issue of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine, you'll find instructions for these stunning resin earrings and a matching pendant. These resin earrings are a fabulous way to experiment with resin and find out everything that it's capable of doing when used for jewelry making projects. The best part about these earrings and the matching pendant is that they are truly unique and no two sets will come out exactly alike!

		My earliest crafting experience involved paper crafts, specifically card making. I still make cards for every occasion, but my affection for paper has long outpaced my need for cards, and now I've got a serious paper surplus. (That's a long-winded way of saying I'm a paper junkie!) So, I'm always on the lookout for ways to use paper in other ways, and if I can combine my paper love with my jewelry love, even better! These musical note earrings are beautiful if their own right--there's just something so romantic and old-fashioned about sheet music--but I also love having the option of using any kind of paper in the design to completely change up the look. Handmade paper, newsprint, scrapbook paper, even parts of old books or love letters would be lovely; you could even use fabric instead of paper. The resin forms a protective layer over it, so nearly anything goes!
		I love enameled jewelry, and I LOVE glitter, so these resin and glitter earrings that resemble plique-a-jour enamel are a favorite project of mine from a previous issue of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. They look very complicated, like fabricated metal jewelry with cloisonné-like wire and enamel sections, but in fact, the enamel effect is achieved using glitter and five-minute two-part epoxy. And while you could use any color scheme you like, there's something about the combination of these springy colors that make me smile.

If you want to learn more about a wide range of jewelry making techniques, including resin jewelry, you won't want to miss a single issue of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. With projects that cover the basics as well as more advanced jewelry making techniques, you'll get expert advice and pages of inspiring jewelry making projects. Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and take advantage of everything it has to offer!

Have you tried resin jewelry making projects yet? Share your experiences, tips or advice here on the Beading Daily blog! You can also post pictures of your gorgeous finished resin jewelry projects in the Reader Photo Gallery!

Bead Happy,

Helen Driggs Shares More Jewelry Making Insights

Kristal Wick — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:16:00 GMT

Here's more of my chat with Helen Driggs, Senior Editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist.

Q: What's your fave project in the upcoming April issue?

A: I have to pick the Sagenite Pendant by Roger Halas. I love purple, and those notched bezels he did are just fantastic. Plus he did both the metalwork and the lapidary work, so he's a man after my own heart, as I work with both metal and stone too.

Q: Any interesting and exciting trends going on out there right now?

A: I saw lots of wood and metal jewelry in Tucson. And the nature/bird/leaf thing is really going strong too. Also, copper and bronze continue to Trend really hard right now.

Q: Can you give us the inside scoop on what you're creating in your private studio?

A: Right now I am doing a self-imposed "Masters Thesis". I can't afford the time or money to get a graduate degree, but I am creating a series of metal and stone pieces to explore several themes and techniques I want to concentrate on. My bench is covered with sketches, stones and some metal samples right now, plus all of my tools and leftover kits from BeadFest Santa Fe, where I recently taught 2 workshops. The studio's a wreck!

Q: If you could collaborate with any other contemporary designer out there, who would it be and why?

A: No contest - Michael Boyd or Peter Schmidt. I adore Michael, and I did an apprenticeship with him this past summer. So, we already did a sort of "collaborative" piece or three, but I would leap at the opportunity to study at Atelier Zobel in Germany. The German goldsmiths are producing, in my opinion, the most incredible metalwork at this moment.

Q: If you could take a single class from any artist teacher (alive or dead) who would it be and why?

A: Again, that's easy - John Paul Miller. He is my number one jewelry hero. His work is incredible, and he has discovered how to granulate gold using the Etruscan method of fusing, which was thought to be lost.

Thanks Helen for giving us a sneak peek at April's Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and a little tidbit of what you're working on in your personal studio. It's always fun to chat with other jewelry making artists about their creations, don't you agree?

The best is yet to bead!

Creatively,

For the Love of Making Jewelry

Kristal Wick — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 10:44:00 GMT

Kristal Wick
is the editor of
Beading Daily

Candy conversation hearts, flowers, chocolate, bubbly, and JEWELRY! Those are my faves for Valentine's Day (not necessarily in that order). I've long ago determined Valentine's Day to be celebrated, no matter that my only kisses come from my 4-legged loves on February 14th! I still insist on celebrating Valentine's Day with those goodies, even if I have to buy them for myself. (A paper route for Bling would solve that problem).

Yours truly at 3

How I Fell In Love With Jewelry

I've never considered myself a jewelry fashonista (point proven by frequently wearing crocs). But lately, sorting out some old photos, I came across this black and white picture of myself on Valentine's Day at three years old. My paten leather shoes were shiny red, bonnet and gingham dress bright pink, and I was given my first heart necklace from my parents. It was a gold textured heart (surely base metal, I was only three), with a sparkly shiny stone set in the middle of it (most likely glass). Pirate's booty from a sunken treasure chest in that three-year-old baby fashionista's noggin! I've had a love affair with jewelry ever since!

When I was six years old my dad brought home a little box filled with jewels. They were shiny ovals and squares of every color of the rainbow. I would run my fingers through them, amazed and memorized by their brilliance. So sure of the incredible value of these riches, I secretly hid them under the bed in an old cracker box in case we were robbed. Surely no criminal would think to look inside a cracker box for hidden treasure. It wasn't until many years later my dad told me those jewels were rejected class ring glass stones his jeweler buddy was going to toss out! It's the thought that counts...

From my childhood days of hand cut and pasted cardboard lacy valentines, (one for each classmate so no one felt left out) to today's popular choice of blingy baubles, nothing says Love like handcrafted jewelry for Valentine's Day.

Whether you're your own Valentine this year, or pondering a special something-something for that special someone, here are a few of my favorite projects from Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist to give to your BFF, sweetie, or make for yourself.

Three Projects I'm Head Over Heels In Love With

		Three Stone Earrings Helen Driggs March 2010 I love the combination of faceted ovals, flat baked stones beads, and freeform cabochons Helen uses in this design. I might use reddish stones instead of purple, such as poppy jasper or garnets for a Valentine's Day celebration. Helen says one of the tricky parts to making these earrings is getting matching stones. This would be a great mission when Tucson shopping at the gem shows. Note to self: purchase stone sets when possible!

		The Lovers: a Two Finger Ring Nanz Aalund Jan./Feb. 2011 Who could resist a project called "The Lovers" for Valentine's Day? Seriously! I love the multi-finger ring trend popular these days. They're eye catching; a real conversation piece. It takes a confident powerful person to carry off one of these rings, and what a compliment to make and give as a gift to your Valentine!

		Wire Wrapped Metal Clay Bouquet Paula Bastian-De Leon Dec. 2009 This project looks like a blast to make and a bit easier than the previous projects so I might take a stab at it sooner than later. What could be lovelier than a metal clay bouquet for Valentine's Day? Metal clay origami looks enticing and doable even for the beginning metal clay artist and I love the versatility in using silver, bronze or copper metal clay. I'd probably venture into all three and mix them together so the pin could go with any attire.

Fall in love over and over again with visits from Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist all year long. The detailed instructions and pretty pictures are better than those 3^rd grade handmade Valentine cards (well, almost).

The best is yet to bead!

Creatively,

Soldering, Metal Jewelry Making, and Singed Bangs

Kristal Wick — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:44:00 GMT

Kristal Wick
is the editor of
Beading Daily

Lexi Erickson is no stranger to soldering, melting metals, and burned bangs, but then everybody has to start somewhere! Lexi has been teaching high school and college metals for over twenty-three years and currently teaches jewelry classes at Coyote Creek Studio Arts Foundation in Fairplay, Colorado, where she is the director of the metals program. She is also the past president of the Pennsylvania Society of Goldsmiths and is currently on the board of Colorado Metalsmithing Association, as well as a frequent contributor to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine. I recently had a chat with Lexi, and here's a bit about the wonderful world of metals and soldering up close and personal!

Q: Have you got any exciting soldering news to share?

A: (Laughing here) Soldering isn't usually something that has "exciting" news. It's not terribly earth shattering to most people, except us few solder geeks. But one of the newer things on the market is that Tevel at Allcraft Tools has made a heavy 16-gauge straight wire, 12 inches long, solder that is great to use when soldering from the stick. There is no curvature to it, and it's sturdy, just right for bezels and getting into those hard-to-reach areas. I love it.

Something else fun and exciting is that I'll be teaching "Soldering With Success" at Beadfest in Santa Fe in March of 2011. I'm looking forward to meeting and working with our readers. Plus, I'll be assisting in Helen Driggs's classes, and she'll be assisting in mine. What fun!

Q: What are your top soldering tips?

A: Hmmmm . . .

•   Probably the biggest thing is that cleanliness is so important when soldering. Everything must be clean, otherwise the solder will just ball up and never flow.

•   Knowing the melting points of the metal you are working with verses the melting point of the solder is important. When working with sterling silver wire, you reach that melting point awfully fast. It's good to know the indicators of just when that metal is getting ready to collapse or ball up.

•   It's important to know that if you do make a mistake, you can un-solder pieces and make adjustments.

•   It all just takes practice. LOTS of practice. My favorite soldering quote is "Doing 1,400 different things doesn't make you a pro. Doing one thing 1,400 times makes you a pro."

Q: What's coming up in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine for you?

A: OH, WOW! The most exciting news is that I am doing a monthly series on soldering, taking it from the very basics of "What is solder?" that came out this month, (December, 2010) all the way through advanced soldering, including difficult metals to solder, soldering gold, multiple layer soldering, and soldering jump rings, which has some great tips. Along the way there will be three or four step-by-steps. It's great for beginning students just learning, and even those who have been soldering for years may pick up some new tips.

Q: Worst soldering experience?

A: Only one? Oh! I have enough to write a book on what NOT to do! Let's see . . . there's the time I caught my bangs on fire . . . in class . . . in front of twenty students. But I'm probably not the first to do that. What's fun about being a teacher to so many beginners is that I see all kinds of fun, almost impossible, situations that require soldering. They don't understand the physics of design yet, and they really tax my imagination and creativity as I try to make it happen. I have learned so much by answering my students' questions. But the best story, and worst time, was when I was teaching at Baum School of Art in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I told a student to put a penny under his multi-level piece to raise it to the level he needed for the final soldering. It was a beautiful piece, and as he heated the piece, the penny just melted and his piece sunk right into the "copper" penny, which of course, is no longer copper but an alloy of much lower melting temperature metals. I still feel bad about that one, but he took it very well, changed his college major to jewelry, graduated with honors, and is an up-and-coming young jeweler on the East Coast. We still e-mail. Of course, now I just tell students to use the piece of folded copper I carry around in my toolbox for such instances. But I was so embarrassed!

Q: Favorite gemstone, bead, and cab?

A: Gemstone--without a doubt--padparadscha. I just wish I could afford a 15-carat one! Bead--I'm a sucker for serpentine beads. I buy them and never part with them. Mine, all mine! (Greedily rubbing my hands together.) Cabochon--petrified palm wood and dino doo-doo!

Q: What do you like about Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine?

A: It's a long history for me. My dad was a geophysicist and subscribed to Lapidary Journal since its inception in 1947. Every night, I took either a Lapidary Journal or a National Geographic to read in bed. Then I became an archaeologist and a jeweler. Never doubt the power of the printed word! When I became a jeweler in the 1980s, my goal was that one day I would get mentioned, just once, in the magazine. Now I'm a regular contributor and a multiple cover-artist, I just can't believe my good fortune. I'm truly blessed. I love the rich variety of ideas in LJJA and the inspirations. I love the tips from the Benhams, I devour everything Sharon Elaine Thompson writes on stones, and I laugh through my friend Terri Haag's funny true-life stories. I read it from cover to cover and keep them forever. But the photos and interviews of the artists and cutters who now have become friends are so enlightening. Most of all, LJJA is a tremendous inspiration with great tips.

Take a tip from Lexi and give a great holiday gift of inspiration to a buddy or yourself with Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. Just be sure to pay attention to your hair when soldering!

Come bead with me!

Creatively,

Top Tips for Aspiring Metalworkers—A Jewelry Expert's Dos and Don'ts

Kristal Wick — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:56:00 GMT

I find metals exciting, intimidating, fun, alluring... most of the time. Dabbling in metals is one thing: jumping off the cliff and diving in, quite another. I asked our metal expert and managing editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Helen Driggs for her advice on starting out in serious metalworking.

Get started in jewelry metalwork with the right tools and expert advice.

Kristal: What's your best advice for anyone who wants to begin working in metal?

Helen: The most important thing I did was take a 10-week Jewelry and Metals class at the The University of The Arts in Philadelphia. It gave me a firm foundation in all of the basics, plus I learned to solder, use the shop tools properly, and I had access to open-studio time to continue working after hours. That time was invaluable, because I was able to see what the metals majors were working on, ask lots of questions, and I was exposed to many techniques and metalworking disciplines that weren't covered in my basics class, such as blacksmithing, enameling, forging, and casting. Seeing that work going on helped me to decide what I wanted to pursue in my own work. Plus, art school is just a kick!

Kristal: Dos and Don'ts for the aspiring metal worker?

Helen: DON'T buy every tool just because it is there. Buy what you need, as you need it, or as you learn how to use it. Buy it if you are certain you need that tool at least once a week. It's really better to have lots of metal than lots of tools! Although I seem to have lots and lots of tools...

DO take every class or workshop you possibly can, according to your interests. Being a good metalworker is based on skill building: each thing you learn builds on what you have already learned. Even if you don't want to go in the specific direction the class is focused on, be open to learning what that teacher can show you. Pay attention and commit to making the object you are learning to make to the best of your ability. Do it the way the teacher shows you. Take a lot of notes and ask the teacher for more information. Then, you can freelance later at home.

DON'T work too far above your skill level, because you will only become frustrated. Sure, everybody wants to make complex, well-designed, interesting, and beautiful pieces with gold and precious metal. But first you need to be a competent fabricator, be able to solder well, use your tools like an expert, know how to set stones, and work in several metals to do that. The best thing to do is practice a technique without a thought of making a piece of jewelry. Work in copper or brass. Get good at sawing, forming, and soldering. When you perform a specific task over and over, you'll eventually have what it takes to make nice jewelry. Make twenty bezels just for the sake of learning. It's worth it. "Go slow and get them all" is my motto.

DO read everything you can to learn about techniques. There are literally millions of ways you can go with metal. It's your job as an artist to find your way. Once you find a technique you like, try making 5 or 10 pieces using that technique to build a body of work with a logical progression. Eventually, you'll figure out where to go next.

DON'T give up. If a piece stonewalls you, set it aside for awhile and start something else. Eventually, through good work and practice, an idea to solve the problem on the set- aside piece will spring up. All artists have blocks—it is a natural part of the cycle of creativity. I always have four or five works running at once. Breaking away to do something different is often just what I need to help me go back to address a problem in another work.

DO try something spontaneous once in awhile. Creativity is really just play. Just take out a hammer and a sheet of copper and see what happens. Or, find a project in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and give it a whirl. If you don't have the exact materials, do the best you can with what you have. Remember—you are learning, so no effort is wasted.

Riveted Mixed Media Bracelet by Connie Fox
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist, March 2010
Photo by Jim Lawson

Kristal: What's new and exciting coming up in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist?

Helen: Our August issue is full of cool stuff for every level of metalworker, but it is particularly perfect for people who are interested in giving metal a try without too much investment in tools or materials. For wire enthusiasts, we've got a chain mail bracelet and a complete "Megaguide" to jump rings—how to make them, measure them, use them, and store them. If you want to try soldering, but don't have the space, time, or courage to purchase a jeweler's torch, check out "Torch Lite," a look at using various brands of butane torches for jewelry, which is accompanied by a project "Micro Torch Soldered Bezel."

The issue features a wealth of stone and stone-working information, tips on tools and materials, the latest on shows, books and events, and loads of other jewelry-making information that's too good to miss. Don't miss this exciting issue or all the year-round inspiration, subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist today.

Show Off Your Cabochons

Leslie Rogalski — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Working with cabochons

I used to have something called a worry stone. It was a small polished stone with a smooth indentation, offering a tactile path to serenity, like a kid who rubs the satin on a comfort blankie. I have the same sense of “ahhhh” when I touch a shiny cabochon. Made of stone, glass, gemstone, or other materials, cabochons usually have no holes. They’re level on one side and domed to some extent on the other and come every shape and size you can imagine.

Bezels
Bezels are the rims that hold a cabochon or other focal piece in place. I know many of you have already made pendants with wire or metal, enclosing stones, shells, even buttons. Some of you have even used metal techniques such as prongs to hold a special stone in design. I haven’t ventured too far into metalsmithing myself yet, but I am such a fan of cabochons in jewelry––whether rings, pins, or pendants, cabochons can be showcased in beadwork, wirework, even clay, as well as metalsmithing.

Jeff Barber is a lampwork artist known for his beads but who also makes glass cabochons such as these with their striking swirls of pattern and color. And look, a couple have beaded bezels.

The Entangled Wire Bezel by Lisa Niven Kelly shows the adaptability and texture of wire for different-shaped focal cabs.

Editor Helen Driggs shows an unusual approach to a metal bezel in her Carrasite and Copper pendant. Her bezel plays around the shape of the focal piece.


Bead a cabochon pendant Here’s one of the ways I incorporate a cabochon as a beader: I use circular netting because it allows more of the focal to show than if I covered its sides with a more solid beadwork stitch. It's more a cage than a bezel. Use a symmetrical round or oval shape for your first go at this. Shown here: a 35mm black tigereye cabochon, beading thread, and two sizes of beads: size 11˚ seed beads and 3mm round crystals.

1: On a comfortable length of thread, string a circle alternating 1 crystal and 1 seed bead, to form a ring that will fit on top of your cab but well within the perimeter, leaving about ¼" around the edge. My ring uses 18 crystals and 18 seed beads. Tie the tail and the working thread securely.		2: Form a starburst of picot points around this ring: string 3 seed beads, 1 crystal, and 1 seed bead. Pass back through the crystal. String 3 seed beads. Skip 1 crystal in the ring and pass through the next, forming a point. Repeat for 9 points around the circle.

3: Exit the 3 seed beads, the crystal, and the tip seed bead in one of the picot points.		4: Work another round of netting, looping between the tip seed beads of the picot points: string 10 seed beads,1 crystal and 10 seed beads. Pass through the next tip seed bead. Repeat to form 9 large loops.

5: When you return to the first loop, pass through the first 10 seed beads and the crystal in the center of the loop. Lay the cabochon face down inside this netted circle.		6: String twice through all the center crystals for a secure circle, pulling them into a snug ring in the middle of the back of the cabochon. And yes, you can wear this side facing out!

		7: For a bail, exit near the top of one of the back strands of seed beads. I used 2-drop square stitch to form a strip and joined it to a bead at the front of the cabochon.

Learn to bezel with the best
If I were working in metal, I’d be at my bench instantly after seeing the 10 Cabochon Pendant Jewelry Projects eBook from Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist. These designs are so unique and the stones and gems so gorgeous, I get goose granulations all over just looking at them! See if you don’t, too.

Have you found a way to wear a fabulous cabochon? Share it on our Beading Daily galleries!

Make Your Own Summer Memories Charm Bracelet

Michelle Mach — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:24:00 GMT

Have you ever really stopped to look closely at someone’s charm bracelet? Have you ever wondered what inspired them to pick certain charms? Maybe they picked them up on vacations they’ve taken. Maybe they have a theme throughout the bracelet. Or maybe it’s an eclectic mix of hearts, stars, or flowers....(read more)