Beaded Chain Jewelry by the Light of the Moon

re: Beaded Chain Jewelry by the Light of the Moon

JOwl — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:00:54 GMT

I am new to beading and have fallen in love with the necklace in the second photo on this page. Is there a tutorial for this or perhaps it appears in a magazine? I would love to try my hand at this necklace as it is really beautiful.

It's title is 'Stitching up beaded chains using 4mm beads makes the project go quickly'.

Joan

re: Beaded Chain Jewelry by the Light of the Moon

Tia Dalma — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:11:31 GMT

Cbernau,

if you look at the top of this page and hover over the tab that says Blogs, there will be a drop down list that says:

Beading Daily

Beading Supplies We Love

Beading Instructions

Click on beading instructions and this chain should be the first blog on the page!

re: Beaded Chain Jewelry by the Light of the Moon

Tia Dalma — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:09:07 GMT

Helen Weaver,

I am assuming Jen is talking about the finish wearing off of the metallic beads here and using a sealant of some sort to protect the finish.

Some metallic finishes wear off really fast and others are more durable...a lot of this depends on the quality of the beads as well as the type of finish. Galvanized finishes tend to wear off fairly quickly while metallic iris finishes seem to last longer...then there are the Permanent Finish and Duracoat finish seed beads from Toho and Miyuki. I dont think any of them are actually permanent but they are much more durable.

This also depends greatly on how the piece of beadwork will be used or worn, and the person's specific chemical balance as well as lotions, perfumes, water, light etc.

All of these things will have some sort of effect on the bead finishes...a bracelet for example will have more contact with a persons skin causing more friction and possibly wearing off the finish than a pair of dangly earrings...

So some people recommend sealing the beads with some sort of sealant like Krylon Clear Coat spray paint and other craft sealers. This is usually done before stitching the beads...you can put them in a plastic baggie and spray the sealant into the baggie in spurts then shake it up dispersing the sealant over the beads more evenly!

Then you would lay them out to dry on a flat surface before using them in a project! I have never used this method, but I also haven't had any real problems yet with any of the beads I use...maybe my skin doesn't react with the finish? Who knows why?

But some people have the color come off on their fingers before they are even done stitching and others can wear the same beads with no problems at all...but it does make sense to put some thought into the placement of any beads that might have an iffy metallic finish on them!

re: Beaded Chain Jewelry by the Light of the Moon

Cbernau — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:20:10 GMT

Hi, for the life of me, I can't find where the instructions are! HELP!!

re: Beaded Chain Jewelry by the Light of the Moon

Helen weaver — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:01:50 GMT

HI!

What do you mean by: "Just make sure that you seal or treat the beads before using if the chain will be for a bracelet."

Thanks!