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While there is definitely something magical about the look of crystals, my personal style means that I prefer to have crystals play a supporting role, instead of the lead, in most of my beading projects. The good news is that even when crystals take a backseat to other kinds of beads, they can still...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 17, 2013
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Bracelet Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Laura McCabe's necklace, 2013 Saul Bell Award competition It's the time of year for you to get your bead on! There are some great bead contests going on, and I love seeing the different styles and techniques used by artists all over the world! Recently, Laura McCabe, a past Beadwork contributor...
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If you're fairly new to jewelry making, it might be difficult at first to determine what type of clasp you should use when designing your bracelet or necklace. Below are seven of the most common. (Photos courtesy of FusionBeads.com) Box clasps are shaped like a box on one end and have a bent metal...
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Why should you learn about beadmaking? Even if you only ever do bead-weaving (or think that you'll only ever do bead-weaving, and nothing else!) knowing a little bit about beadmaking can actually help when you're working on your own beaded jewelry designs, or making a beading project your own...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 17, 2013
Filed under:
Filed under: Gemstones, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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I recently made a necklace for the Fall issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine using 24-gauge gunmetal wire. As I was sifting through my box of wires deciding which to use for this project, I realized it might be useful to discuss wires...especially the wires I couldn't bead without. If you're a...
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One of the many things that I love about my job is when I get to see new beading products before they're available to the general public. My friend Sunyoung Park of Ezel Findings made my day last week when she sent me their latest innovative beading and jewelry-making product, the Beading Pal. The...
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It's true -- pearls never go out of style. Whether you like to do bead stringing or bead stitching, freshwater pearls are an elegant and classic addition to any beaded jewelry design. Pearls come in so many different shapes these days that it's easy to find just the right style to compliment...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 13, 2013
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Pearl
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I love a good challenge, don't you? How about the challenge of using a cabochon, without a hole, in a piece of beaded jewelry? When I was learning how to bead, I was thrilled to find out that I didn't need to know metal smithing techniques to include my favorite gemstone cabochons in my beaded...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 10, 2013
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry, Cabochon, Cabachon
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From Jennifer: Spring is in full swing here in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York, and that means it's time to freshen up my jewelry-making projects with some new gemstones! Whether you love to use gemstones as beads for jewelry stringing projects, or you're like me and prefer to use...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 6, 2013
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Pearls, Bead Making, Stringing, How To Bead, Lapidary, Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Whenever I teach a beadweaving class, my students always want to know: what was the first beadweaving stitch you learned? (Followed closely by: which beadweaving stitch is the easiest and best stitch to learn?) It only took me a few hours to make my very first peyote stitch amulet bag, but it took me...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 3, 2013
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Brick Stitch, Wire Jewelry, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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What I'm about to tell you is something that I've never before declared publicly. You may be shocked. You may be appalled. You may even urge me to seek counseling. But it needs to be said, so here it goes: I designed this necklace using just vintage glass stones and vintage glass pearls. No crystals...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 26, 2013
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Filed under: Gemstones, Pearls, Crystals, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Gemstone Jewelry
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When it comes to favoring a particular type of bracelet design, honestly, I'm all over the board. It just depends on my mood and my outfit. Is your style casual and easy-going? Or do you love the sophistication of more classic pieces? Perhaps bold statement jewelry or whimsical accessories show off...
Posted to
Inside Jewelry Stringing Magazine
by
Dblair
on
Mar 31, 2013
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Filed under: Pearls, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Bracelet Making, Wire Jewelry, Chain Maille, Mixed Media Jewelry, Bead-weaving, Crystals, How to Bead, Beaded Jewelry Design, Wire Wrapping, Beads, Beaded Jewelry
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Are you a member of the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club from A Grain of Sand ? If not, April might be your lucky month -- A Grain of Sand is having a Design Challenge using a special vintage jewelry-making component included in the April club boxes. The staff of A Grain of Sand will choose the design they...
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Oh, yes, even though I always seem to have a hard time coming up with designs for beaded earrings, I love to stitch up earring making projects from other talented beading designers! I really can't get enough of them -- earring making projects are great for last-minute gifts, or when I just need a...
Posted to
Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 22, 2013
Filed under:
Filed under: Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Earring Making, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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St. Patrick's Day is just a few days away! What better way to accessorize your St. Paddy's ensemble than with a piece of handmade green jewelry? If you don't have time to create a design if your own, browse through our collection of eProjects (just $4 each) to find the perfect piece. I've...