Filed in archive Beads
by Maggie MacLean on April 01, 2008
I once thought Polymer Clay wasn't a medium for real jewelry designers. It was for stay-at-home moms who wanted a material they could play around with, to make a cute little ladybug charm or...
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Filed in archive Beads
by Maggie MacLean on March 17, 2008
A Bead's Life on the Glasscapes website is a complete explanation of how glass canes are made, including pictures. I have attempted to give a shorter description of the process below the images,...
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Filed in archive Beads
by Maggie MacLean on March 11, 2008
I was doing some research for a post I'm writing about Lampwork Beads when I found this website, and I soon discovered that it's about so much more than just lampwork beads. Andrew Roberts at...
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Filed in archive Beads
by Maggie MacLean on February 29, 2008
Bead for Life Eradicating Poverty One Bead at a Time It's a pleasure to write about projects like the Bead for Life program. This organization has found a way for impoverished women in Uganda to...
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Filed in archive Beads
by Maggie MacLean on February 27, 2008
Kim Wertz and Greg Galardy "escaped" from the high-tech world, and opened one of California's premier bead stores in 1990. After five years of buying, selling, and admiring contemporary...
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by Maggie MacLean on February 19, 2008
Great Design Idea: Silver-Core Focal Beads These beads have been designed to be worn with the Silver Core prominently visible. The openings of the silver cores inside the beads come in small, medium,...
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Filed in archive Beads
by Maggie MacLean on February 18, 2008
Venetian Glass is so named because it is made by Old World artisans on the island of Murano near Venice, Italy. They make some of the most beautiful glass produced in the world, and have done so for...
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Filed in archive Beads
by Maggie MacLean on February 01, 2008
Mary Harding works mostly with earthenware and low-fire clay. She likes the way the clay expresses itself even after multiple firings. There is always that element of the unexpected. Mary's work...
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Filed in archive Beads
by Maggie MacLean on January 30, 2008
Ann Baldwin at Schermo Beads started out using seed beads in her teens, and has evolved into a full-blown glass bead artist. Her site is extremely interesting and informative, complete with pictures,...
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Filed in archive Beads
by Maggie MacLean on January 28, 2008
Zoya Gutina: Jewelry Designer Zoya at My Lovely Beads works with seed beads, but she also creates designer gemstone jewelry, and much of her work is a combination of the two. She is well-known for her...
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Filed in archive Beads
by Maggie MacLean on January 24, 2008
Czech pressed glass beads are made in the Czech Republic the traditional way, by pressing hot glass into a heated mold. The 19th century was a period of industrial innovation, and new machines that...
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by Maggie MacLean on January 20, 2008
This post began with researching art beads, but then I found Humble Beads by Heather Powers. And I fell in love with this lady's beads. I know there are lots of beads out there in the marketplace,...
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by Maggie MacLean on January 13, 2008
Cloisonné is a distinctive art form that was developed in China in the 13th century, and it has grown to be one of China's number one exports. The making of cloisonné requires several processes:...
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Lori Mendelhall makes beautiful polymer beads. As a lover of beads but a complete ingenue, I am struck with the glorious, swirling colors as well as Lori's whimsical shapes, like this abstract...
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I'm the first to admit that I am probably the only jeweler on earth who knows nothing about beading. I can fabricate, forge, weld, solder, form, pierce, and otherwise manipulate metal. I love the...
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Filed in archive Beads
, Necklaces
by tammy on November 06, 2007
You'll find nothing fishing about Manic Trout jewelry, a jewelry and art company owned and operated by Sierra Bailey. Along with lots of great beaded jewelry, you'll find some of her artwork...
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by tammy on October 15, 2007
Such a story book ending for this beginning jewelry designer - she discovers beads one day and the next is flying of to Paris to show her collection along with some of the big name clothing designers...
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by tammy on August 09, 2007
I can probably say truthfully that I never met a bead I did not like, and that goes double for gemstones beads. They are my first love, the beginning of my trip into the world of jewelry. In fact,...
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Filed in archive Beads
by tammy on June 05, 2007
As a bead-lover, I never get tired of quality beaded jewelry, and I appreciate it when a designer is able to incorporate beads that many of jewelers might use but still manage to create unique jewelry...
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by tammy on April 20, 2007
Mother's Day is on the way, and that means you BETTER get something m-o-m like n-o-w! Jewelry, of course, is always appreciated. If you are not exactly sure what to get for her, consider a jewelry...
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Filed in archive Beads
by tammy on January 30, 2007
Often with beaded jewelry you can get a lot of bang for your buck. That is true with some of the bead finds on the Avisa Imports web site. They have loads of gemstone beaded jewelry at (pardon the...
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Filed in archive Beads
by tammy on January 30, 2007
One of the biggest jewelry gift-giving holidays of the year is coming up - Valentine's Day! Kenneth Fron knows that all too well and is a busy bead stringing jewelry designer as he prepares some...
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by tammy on January 28, 2007
A friend of mine tipped me off to these wonderfully long wrapped necklaces from Korean Arts.com. You'll notice they don't have a clasp, no need to. They are designed to wrap multiple times...
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