Daily Blogs : earrings

The Best of Stringing celebrates top designs from Stringing magazine!

Erin Carey — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:30:00 GMT

Here’s a little snippet of beady publishing history that you might find interesting...
In 2002 Interweave’s founder, Linda Ligon, and I sat in a hotel lobby in New York to discuss starting a new magazine that solely concerned stringing beads. It was a completely revolutionary idea at the time and, quite frankly, I thought it was a bit nuts; beadweavers like me often viewed stringing as our community’s wallflower cousin. She said she wanted a magazine that stretched people’s creativity, helping them explore new materials to expand their vision of what stringing could be. Her general edict was, “Make it beautiful, make it colorful, and I don’t want to see page after page of ‘bumps on a string.’ What I want is page after page of gorgeous pieces that you might find at a museum shop or gallery. No ‘safe’ jewelry in this one.”

When I got back to the office in Colorado, I broke it to the Beadwork magazine team (then Jamie Hogsett and Dustin Wedekind) that we were starting up a new magazine. It would include 100 pieces, have jaw-dropping work, and there could be absolutely no 'bumps on a string.' I think Jamie and Dustin thought the idea was a little crazy, too; we were all pretty beadweaving-centric at that time. In our discussion that day I sketched out some little drawings to explain what I think Linda was talking about. Miraculously, I found those sketches in a file cabinet in the basement this morning; and can share those first bright glimmers of Stringing with you now. Sometimes it pays to be a packrat!

We set off as a team to break out of our little design boxes and to bust up our notions of what stringing beads on a cord could be. The exercise produced 100 really nice pieces for our first special issue, and I know it gave us all a rich appreciation for the technique. Now, after 5 years, dozens of issues, and hundreds of gorgeous pieces later, I see Linda's idea for Stringing magazine was right on. I guess that's why she's the boss.

Danielle Fox, Stringing magazine's current editor, recently sent me a copy of The Best of Stringing, a fantastic issue with 183 projects--21 of which are brand new. She attached this note that made me tear up a little. This magazine, as well as the technique in general, has certainly "grow'd up" in the last several years, certainly past my little sketches. It's been due, in large part, to how bravely our community of designers, teachers, vendors, and publishers have embraced and experimented with this technique. We've gone far beyond 'bumps on a string', that's for sure.

Danielle had her own warm and fuzzy moment seeing this magazine come together: "I've been on the Stringing staff since its second issue. I'll tell you, it's been so much fun to watch and help the magazine grow. I'm really excited about The Best of Stringing because it brings together all of our favorite projects in a single edition. The hardest part was narrowing down our selections. What I think we came up with is a great mix of evergreen projects, the kind that inspire you again and again."

So I guess the challenge going forward, for all of us who love to string beads, is to continue to play and experiment, pushing the technique to unexplored creative highs. How will you contribute? What new stringing techniques or materials have you been using to make your work new and unique? What trends do you see around the bend? Why not share your ideas and thoughts below or on the Beading Daily forums?

New Right-Angle Weave eBook: 5 Free Projects

Michelle M. — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:33:00 GMT

One of the fascinating things about beading is that just by changing the beads you can make a project look completely different. Take the Triple Quatrefoil by Tina Koyama, one of the featured projects in our latest free ebook, Right Angle Weave: Beading Daily Presents 5 Free Beadweaving Patterns. In her original version, Tina used a base of 4mm fire-polished rounds with size 10, 11, and 13 Czech charlottes for the edging and embellishment. I loved her fun, summery version, but I didn't have any beads like that in my stash and I didn't want to wait until I had time to shop. ...(read more)

7 Ideas for Displaying Earrings

Erin Carey — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Several years ago, I made a pair of earrings that I wanted to submit to a magazine. Normally, I photographed all my jewelry flat on a piece of scrapbooking paper, but these elegant, multi-part dangles looked like a jumbled mess when I tried that. ...(read more)

How to Create the Perfect Gift Earrings

Michelle M. — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:23:00 GMT

My husband and I will be married 20 years next month, so I was thinking about something to get him as a gift. We always go practical (he set the tone with the Listerine incident of 1985), so I was thinking of something more fun, like tickets to a musical or a weekend at a spa . . . Okay, okay, I guess those would be the gifts I’d like to receive....(read more)

New Free Earrings eBook

Michelle M. — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:42:00 GMT

6 Reasons We Love to Make Earrings

Soon after joining Twitter (under the name BeadingDaily), I asked jewelry designers to tell me what they liked about making earrings. Within minutes, I was deluged with reasons. Here are just six:

1. "It's fun and there's no reason to worry about them not fitting." (HappyCloud)
2. "They (usually) take considerably less time and energy. More room for experimentation." (SandFibers)
3. "I usually make a few pairs of earrings as a warm-up. Earrings are not such a commitment when you're on a budget." (LauraStaley)
4. "They are little self-contained art pieces that are easy to wear and enhance the wearer the most." (YIKESStudio)
5. "Earrings are small canvases of designs, versatile, constantly changeable displays of beautiful adornment. And FUN to make!" (AgDrgn)
6. "Earrings were the first jewelry pieces I made . . . because they were easier! Ha!" (StoneDragonfly)

I laughed at StoneDragonfly's response because beginners often do think that smaller projects are easier. In truth, earrings, just like bracelets and necklaces, come in a range of types--easy, difficult, fast, slow, pricey, inexpensive. Just take a look at our latest free ebook, Jewelry Making with Beading Daily: How to Make Earrings: Five Free Jewelry Projects. You'll find all kinds of earrings inside. Here's an overview:

Copper Caper Earrings
by Carole Rodgers
Slide a trendy mix of copper and silver beads on a fancy head pin and then finish with a wrapped loop. Earrings don't get much easier than this!

Indian Summer Earrings
by Jill MacKay
Show off your favorite pearls or gemstones in these handmade silver frames. These unusual earrings use beading wire and crimps, rather than wire.

Corona Crystal Earrings
by Pilar Burg
Play with color combinations with these easy netted crystal earrings. Once you create the basic earring, you'll find yourself creating simple variations.

Unexpected Pearl Earrings
by Denise Peck
Bring out your hammer and practice adding texture to metal with these modern earrings. You'll also learn a simple way to punch holes in metal.

Hydrangea Earrings
by Kelli Burns
Combine seed bead fringe and flower-shaped crystals (marguerites) for lovely earrings that you'll want to wear all summer long.

Download this whole set of free earring projects in Jewelry Making with Beading Daily: How to Make Earrings: Five Free Jewelry Projects. With a mix of beading techniques, materials, and styles, this free earring ebook will spark some new ideas no matter what kind of earrings you like best. The back of the ebook includes helpful illustrations for all the basic techniques you'll need—stringing, crimping, wrapped loops, netting, and fringe—so even if you've never made earrings before, you can get started right away. Don't forget to tell your friends, so they can download their own copy of this new jewelry ebook!

Jewelry Making with Beading Daily
How to Make Earrings: Five Free Jewelry Projects

Free Metalwork Earring Instructions

Michelle M. — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:54:00 GMT

Last month I was lucky enough to take an intensive 2-day jewelry making workshop. Not only did I learn a lot in the workshop (notably, how much easier it is to use a jeweler's saw if you don't push down into the metal as hard as you possibly can), but I also learned a lot from my repeated trips to the hardware store and from peeking into the toolboxes of my classmates. Jewelry designers, particularly those who work with metal, have terrific tools....(read more)

New: Free Wire Jewelry Ebook

Michelle M. — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:03:00 GMT

A Lifetime Supply of Wire

When I started working with wire, my local bead shop talked me into a 20-foot spool of silver craft wire for practicing wrapped loops. I left there convinced that I had bought a "lifetime" supply of wire. It took me forever to make a single wrapped loop--I was always pausing and hesitating, trying to figure out if I was holding the pliers correctly and making the right motions with my hands.

What I didn't realize is how quickly things would change. I became obsessed with making simple and wrapped loops, working on them nearly every evening. As you might have guessed, my "lifetime" supply of wire quickly disappeared and now I have a whole drawer packed with all different kinds of wire.

If you're obsessed with wire too or just want to learn more about it, you'll want to take a look at our newest free ebook, Making Wire Jewelry: 6 Free Wire Designs from Beading Daily. Here's a glimpse of what you'll find inside:

• If you are new to wireworking or want a quick project: Cerulean Falls by Danielle Fox. You just need to know how to make 6 wrapped loops and open and close 4 jump rings.

• If you want to learn to make beaded chain or practice your wrapped loops: In Full Bloom by Ricky Talmage. This pearl and aquamarine necklace has 30 wrapped loops!

• If you want to practice a lot of skills in one project (coiling, hammering, forming a bangle, making a clasp) or want to use up a bunch of leftover beads: Gypsy Wire Bangle by Janice Berkebile. This fun bracelet has a little something for everyone.

• If you want to use up short scraps of wire or learn how to twist wire with a pin vise: Dancing Spirals by Heather Trundle. What a fun way to "go green" and recycle those 1" and 2" scraps!

• If you want to do your own thing: Freeform Wire Earrings by Leeza Khoury. Learn to frame gemstones with wire and add crystal embellishments.

• If you want to practice wirewrapping or learn to use a ring mandrel: Ring-a-Ding Rings by Martha Umberger. Experiment with using 2 different colors of wire for a modern look.

Making Wire Jewelry: 6 Free Wire Designs from Beading Daily

You can download this whole set of free wire projects in Making Wire Jewelry: 6 Free Wire Designs from Beading Daily.

Don't forget to tell your friends, so they can download their own copy of this new wire jewelry ebook!

Michelle Mach shares free projects every Friday on Beading Daily. If you have comments or questions for Michelle, please post them on the website.

Create These Easy Crystal and Seed Bead Earrings

Michelle M. — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:39:00 GMT

I've been looking for an earring project for an April birthday gift and this week's free project from Step by Step Beads, Crystal Corona Earrings, is perfect. The materials (crystal bicones, seed beads, ear wires) are common ones you're likely to have in your stash already or could easily purchase at your local bead shop. It's also astonishingly quick--I finished the first earring in less than half an hour. The project illustrations are excellent--they are fairly large with arrows showing the thread path and numbered beads, so you know exactly what to do next even if half your attention is diverted by the subtitles on Heroes. ...(read more)

Create Oxidized Wire Post Earrings

Michelle M. — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:32:00 GMT

Some days (OK, most days) you amaze me! In the Reader Showcase area of the forums, I was blown away by Australian member Huan Pham who created the beautiful wireworked seahorse pictured here. Isn't it amazing? View the larger photo in the forums if you want to be impressed by his precise wirewrapping skills!...(read more)

Match Your Jewelry to Your Neckline

Michelle M. — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:30:00 GMT

In the winter issue of Stringing, editor Danielle Fox wrote a great article titled "Jewelry Rules: How to Accessorize 5 Favorite Tops." The basic idea is that different types of necklines work best with different types of jewelry. I found the article fascinating--probably because I've figured this out only with a lot of trial and error....(read more)

Make Easy Patterned Metal Earrings

Michelle M. — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:12:00 GMT

My friend Jan recently dragged me to a knitting class. Of course, I knew that we'd need to buy yarn and needles (I do work for Interweave, after all!), but I was suprised to learn that we needed more than two needles, plus a stitch holder and darning needle. (And a crochet hook for those klutzy types who kept dropping their stitches . . . ahem.) It was a bit of a shock to get my credit card bill and realize just how expensive those mittens were, especially since I wasn't sure how much knitting I'd be doing in my future. ...(read more)

Free Wire Spiral Earrings, Plus New Reader Gallery

Michelle M. — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:40:00 GMT

What makes a piece of jewelry a "winter" design? Is it jewelry type? I hardly ever create bracelets for winter because I know they'll just be buried under miles of sweaters and jackets. ...(read more)

Seed Bead and Wire Halloween Earrings

Michelle M. — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:36:00 GMT

Do you bead for the holidays? Which ones? Halloween? Easter? Christmas? How about National Chocolate Day (October 28), Poppy Day (November 11), or Read a New Book Month (December)?...(read more)

Simple Wire and Crystal Ribbon Earrings

Michelle M. — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:15:00 GMT

I recently heard from my high school friend Kristy who was planning on running a race in California to raise money for cancer research. When I saw Sandra Lupo's wire earring project, I immediately bought some half-round silver wire and a 5mm rose Swarovski crystal pearl to make a pendant version for Kristy. As much as I loved the original earrings, I wanted to give my friend some flexibility in wearing this design. By adding a closed jump ring , she can wear the ribbon like a pendant on a simple chain or cord. She could also add an open jump ring and lobster clasp and attach it to a jacket zipper....(read more)

5-Minute Hammered Wire Earrings

Michelle M. — Fri, 30 May 2008 00:16:00 GMT

Each month, one of the magazine editors will share a free project with Beading Daily. Today's guest editor is Denise Peck, editor in chief of Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine and senior editor of Jewelry Artist. An editor by trade and a lifelong lover of jewelry, she was able to pursue both when she joined Lapidary Journal in 2004. Denise has a bench jeweler's certificate from Studio Jeweler's Ltd. Her first book with Interweave Press, Wire Style, is due out in August 2008. She's currently working on her second book..--Michelle Mach, Beading Daily editor.

5-Minute Jewelry

by Denise Peck, Step by Step Wire Jewelry

So you think you might want to broaden your jewelry-making skills or just switch gears for a bit and tackle a few wire techniques? I talk to lots of beaders at our shows who are intrigued at the thought of using more tools and venturing into the world of metal. The good news is that a lot of you already know some of the basics, like making a wire-wrapped loop on a head pin or finishing off an end cone with a piece of wire.

Here’s a little secret, though, for those of you who may not know this: you can make wire jewelry way faster than beaded jewelry!


	Bead crochet bracelet by Denise Peck

For so many of us who work with tiny little seed beads, we end up doing it for the love of it. Not because there’s a future in selling our handiwork. In fact, rarely does it seem as though we could make money on bead creations, as it takes so many hours of our time.
Not so with wire. You really can whip up a piece of jewelry in a matter of minutes. Additionally, wire is a very forgiving medium. If you make a wrong bend, you can usually just unbend it!


5 Minute Earrings by Denise Peck

It's so much fun to design a pair of earrings or a bracelet that you'll finish within the hour that I decided to challenge myself—how about jewelry in 5 minutes? No kidding. Just imagine how many pieces you could churn out for your next craft show. Now there's a way to support your bead habit!

Project: 5 Minute Earrings by Denise Peck
The free preview period for Beading Daily readers has ended.

Free eBook
Making Wire Jewelry: 6 Free Wire Designs from Beading Daily

Create 6 stunning wire jewelry projects (2 wire necklaces, a wire bracelet, 2 pairs of wire earrings, and a wire ring) with this free eBook that contains step by step wire jewelry instructions for each project. Jewelry designs range in difficulty from beginner to intermediate and use a variety of wire work techniques, including spirals, coiling, wirewrapping, hammering, and twisting wire. Download Making Wire Jewelry: 6 Free Wire Designs from Beading Daily

Free eBook
Making Jewelry with Beading Daily
How to Make Earrings: Five Free Jewelry Projects

This free earrings ebook, Making Jewelry with Beading Daily: How to Make Earrings: Five Free Jewelry Projects, includes five earring patterns that use a range of techniques (simple stringing, wirework, simple metalwork, seed bead netting and fringe) and a variety of materials (silver, copper, seed beads, crystals, pearls, gemstones). Both beginners and more experienced jewelry makers will find at least one beaded earring design that will inspire them to catch the handmade earring craze!

If you have a favorite quick design, I'd love to see them. (Send them to me at dpeck@interweave.com.) And if you have any questions or challenges while you're learning to work with wire, feel free to post your questions on the website.