The Sparkle of Silver (And Other Favorite Metals)

re: The Sparkle of Silver (And Other Favorite Metals)

LoriP — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:34:59 GMT

Thank you Michelle and Sandi for including my beads in Beadingdaily.com!!! Love, Lori Peterson (loribeads)

re: The Sparkle of Silver (And Other Favorite Metals)

MichelleM — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:49:43 GMT

Hi Linda, Here's one article I found on the subject: Copper Beads Information. I'd be interested in hearing other people's experiences with this!

re: The Sparkle of Silver (And Other Favorite Metals)

rakuspirit — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:37:15 GMT

Thanks for the musings about silver, gold and copper. I go through stages where one looks better to me than another, but I have always loved copper above all, even before anyone else used it in anything. I had to go out and find cheap jewelry and pull it apart to make projects. I do have a question. When I was at my local bead shop (Garden of Beaden), the person there told me that for some people contact with copper turns their skin green or black. How do we avoid that? Is there a coating we can put on the ear wires or the beads?

Thanks and happy beading.

re: The Sparkle of Silver (And Other Favorite Metals)

rakuspirit — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:37:10 GMT

re: The Sparkle of Silver (And Other Favorite Metals)

SaraF — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 08:31:27 GMT

Woops. My Notepad inserted double spacing (making it look even LONGER . . .*eep*)

re: The Sparkle of Silver (And Other Favorite Metals)

SaraF — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 08:30:40 GMT

They had some new copper beads (antiqued, not bright) and FINDINGS, and not just clasps for

findings, either, but headpins and such! Woohoo! They also have vintagey gold-look, and

other vintagey beads, pendants, and findings in that same product line, arranged together.

Not that I'm an ad for Michael's or anything, but since you mentioned the big craft stores,

and I saw them just putting these out, well I thought I'd mention. I've also seen

copper(y?) ones by Blue Moon Beads at Ben Franklin, for areas with that craft store chain.

Here in Utah, Roberts (the retail arm of Provo Craft) has recently been increasing their

bead offerings, although nowhere near to the glorious extent when Michael's added their

huge cube-o'beads in sorted by color sections of beads of a host of materials and a couple

price ranges, a year or 18 months ago.

A local bead store closed, though, and while I understand they have to make money, I just

could. not. afford. to shop there.

I LOVE Sandi's Afternoon Tea necklace! It's pretty, and sometimes a balanced, simple or

semi-simple design seems like the hardest thing to come up with at times. I may try out

this design, as I've been stumped for how to use some coral & brown lampworked beads I've

had for awhile.

I picked up Easy Wire a couple days ago too, even though my wire-level is beyond beginner,

because even for the subjects I've had some (or a little) experience in, there's always

more inspiration to be had. I can't tell you how much I LOVE the way you've set this

magazine up as a progressive "class" or series of lessons.

Oh, Titania was the piece that most spoke to me when I saw these recently. I LOVE it!

(Sorry for the novel . . .)

re: The Sparkle of Silver (And Other Favorite Metals)

SaraF — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 08:27:02 GMT

Okay, this post today is TRULY my cup of tea (even though I only occasionally drink herbal

teas that naturally don't have caffeine).

First, I LOVE silver (except the tarnishing part, although I hope to try argentium silver

and some of the other newer types or "brands" of silver wire/etc. that have little to no

copper in them, and so tarnish alot slower, supposedly!)

I love gold too, but that love has to be more abstract for me, as even gold-filled stuff is

alot spendier than it used to be (I splurged on some when I first started beading, which

was before the huge upward rise in gold prices, but when desperate for money 18 months

later I sold the gold-filled off, for a surprising (to me) amount of money.

I want to go gold-filled (and rarely, full solid-karat gold, say, a couple of stardust

beads as the centerpiece of a short necklace w/sterling chain (if I'm going full gold on a

couple beads fro the front, I'm not putting them on gold-filled chain, kinda defeats the

point . . .))

I like copper and vintagey looking chains and beads, too; I was at Michaels yesterday,

where they were just putting out a LOAD of new beady goodness; my husband had a hard time

dragging me out; I like that the vast new variety of chains say when they are

silver-plate, so you can easily tell, although I generally don't use plate.

re: The Sparkle of Silver (And Other Favorite Metals)

Janet — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 04:25:13 GMT

Hi Michelle!

I used to be really fond of gold, but I found it to be too soft for some of my projects. Lower quality golds are stronger, but don't have the same color that I like. Now I use on silver for my metalwork. Even though silver tarnishes, I kind of like how the details take on a blackish patina.