Jewellery making by Gill Clement
Showing posts with label Jewelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jewelry. Show all posts
Handmade Beaded Jewelry Makes Great Gifts For Any Occasion
By Amber Skye
How many times have you wasted hours on searching for that perfect gift, only to decide on something entirely overpriced after an excruciating five hours of finding nothing that felt right for the occasion?
How many dollars have you wasted paying way too much for an item that was worth only half of what you were paying, simply out of desperation?
How many times have you wished you had a skill to hand design a gift for giving, for any occasion?
Well perhaps beading is just what you need. With handmade beaded jewelry you can personally design the perfect gift for any occasion, be it a birthday, Christmas, baby shower, or even a wedding, specific to the receivers' tastes.
The prime advantage of handmade jewelry as a gift, is that it is cost effective. Conduct a test. Find a beaded necklace at one of your local retailers, say one made from turquoise, noting the materials used and of course, the price. Then visit your local hobby shop to price out the turquoise beads needed to make the same thing. Better yet, price them out online as you will get a much better price than locally. You will find that you will be able to create the same piece for a third of the cost. That alone is reason enough to consider hand making your own beaded jewelry to give as gifts.
Need more incentive? Then consider the personal touch that makes a handmade gift so much more special than one that is store bought. By giving the gift of something you laboriously made by hand shows the recipient that you cared enough to take the time to find just the right items needed for your gift; you took the time to find just the right colors that you knew where their favorites. And you poured love into designing the finished products. I for one can honestly say I have always been more touched by presents from the heart than presents from an assembly line.
And finally there is the appeal of your handmade gift becoming a treasured keepsake to be passed down over generations. I myself have a rosary that was given to my grandmother by my great grandmother on her wedding day. The rosary was handmade by my great grandmother from soybeans of all things, but it is beautiful and full of character and unspoken stories, and it means more to me than the strand I have of cultured pearls. That above all else should be incentive enough for making your own handmade beaded jewelry for gift giving.
So the next time you are faced with a blank wall of what to give your niece on her graduation day, or your sister at her bridal shower, or even your granddaughter for being accepted onto the softball team, remember how beautiful handmade beaded jewelry can be, and how easy and fun it is to make.
Handmade beaded jewelry is a gift of joy for both the giver and the receiver to be treasured for a lifetime.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amber_Skye
Gemstones For Jewellery Making
By A Hunter
The Earth yields up a rich variety of gemstones that can be used in jewellery making, with every hue and colour imaginable available to incorporate into stunning pieces that will compliment any outfit. The choice of which gemstone to include in a piece is purely down to the individual and is subject to all kinds of influences including birthdate, fashion or even superstition.
Birthstones are a good place to start. Each zodiac sign has a particular gemstone associated with it, and giving someone a piece of jewellery that incorporates that stone shows the recipient that much more thought has gone into the piece. The gemstones range from the lavish such as sapphires, emeralds and rubies, to the more subtle like moonstone and lapis lazuli. Because of the sheer range of gemstones available, you can spend as little or as much as you like and still have a beautiful piece of jewellery with a hidden meaning, which will be cherished by the recipient.
Breaking down gemstones by colour is also an alternative. If you like red but can't afford to buy a high quality ruby, then you could look at cheaper alternatives such as garnets or spinel. Spinel can range in colour to a delicate pink through to a deep red and can look every bit as stunning as a ruby. Garnets offer a deeper shade of red with hints of violet and purple in them. They're popular in eastern jewellery and can be used to produce exotic looking jewellery at a fraction of the cost of most rubies.
For blue stones, sapphires are the first choice, but even though these range in colour, quality and price, there are other alternatives. A particular favourite is the deep royal blue of lapis lazuli, which is often flecked with gold within the stone. This can produce a stunning effect with gold findings. Lapis can also be bought as beads as well as cabochons, meaning that the stone can be used in necklaces or as a setting for a ring, for example. Kunzite is another alternative that has a violet tint and is a relatively cheap alternative to precious gemstones such as sapphires.
Not strictly a gemstone but still valued highly in jewellery making, amber is a perennial favourite. Its warm, golden tone compliments silver findings perfectly and it has a honey-like lustre that is hard to resist. It can be a difficult gem to work with as it is very soft, but the results it produces are well worth the effort. Baltic amber is the most highly prized, but Middle Eastern amber can range in tone from a golden yellow to a deep red.
The most obvious green gemstone to go for is emerald, and surprisingly these can be far less expensive than you first think. Again, quality stones will cost more, but if you're willing and capable of doing a little work to refine a lower quality stone the effects can still be beautiful. Peridot is a cheaper alternative and is a much paler green with a translucency that is extremely delicate and effective for use with small findings.
The opal carries a great deal of superstition with it, but is probably one of the most beautiful gemstones to work with. It ranges from a milky white to deep blue or even the rare 'fire opal', which is like a small firework captured in stone. Its ability to catch the light and produce a rainbow of colours is dazzling, and opal retains its popularity even today.
There are thousands of gemstones to choose from, and a good supplier will carry a full selection, ranging from top-quality emeralds and rubies right through to cheaper but no less beautiful alternatives. Don't be afraid of including gemstones in your jewellery making - the results can be inspiring.
Adam Hunter - E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of jewellery making supplies from over 10,000 products including gold and silver, gemstones, tools, precious metal clay and gold and silver sheet - gold, silver, platinum and palladium plus technical information for jewellers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students.
Contacts
Adam Hunter
E-commerce Marketing Manager
Tel(DDI): +44 (0) 121 212 6491
E-mail: adam.hunter@cooksongold.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A_Hunter
How to Use Precious Metal Clay in Jewelery Making
By A Hunter
Precious metal clay (brand names are PMC and Art Clay) is modern-day alchemy. PMC is a clay base with tiny pieces of silver suspended within it that, when heated, burns off the clay leaving a solid silver residue. The clay base acts as a binder for the metal particles. Once this has been removed, the remaining silver particles bind together, giving you the finished product.
The real beauty of precious metal clay is that it can be manipulated like any ordinary modeling clay, making it perfect for jewelery making. The modern precious metal clay can be using a jeweler's torch, as the firing temperature is much lower than the early versions of this clay.
However, a small kiln will produce a much more constant temperature range and can be controlled exactly, meaning that the results will be more consistent.
Precious Metal Clay once had a very bad reputation for shrinkage, making it unsuitable for fine work or detail. Modern precious metal clays have a much lower shrinkage rate (around 10-15%), but you still need to factor this into the final piece to ensure that really fine detail is not lost in the firing process.
Once fired, the silver piece will seem very lackluster and dull, so it will need finishing. The dull matt surface hides the real beauty underneath, so finishing and polishing will reveal the shining silver below. When soldering finished precious metal clay pieces it is essential to remember that the surface will be more porous than standard sterling silver, so it is best to burnish the piece prior to soldering. But because it is almost pure silver there is little risk of fire stain on the surface and the final results are almost indistinguishable from sterling silver.
Because precious metal clay is a clay, it takes impressions very well. A design can be pressed onto the surface of the clay and be revealed in the final silver piece. Patterned rollers, lace or even leaves can be used to create unique effects that are difficult to reproduce in ordinary silver unless it has been cast. Precious metal clay is a popular way of making silver beads. The clay can be formed into beads, decorated with a surface pattern and then fired in a kiln quickly and easily, producing high quality silver beads.
Safety considerations have to be taken into account when working with precious metal clay because of the high temperatures required to fire the clay. A small enameling kiln allows you to safely achieve the temperatures required for optimum results, but ensure that you have all the correct equipment such as tongs with heat resistant handles to extract work from the kiln safely and a heat-proof surface upon which to work.
Precious metal clay is an ideal medium to work in if you want to create pieces of silver jewelery that are unique to you. The only thing that limits you is your imagination. Precious metal silver clay is widely available from good jewelery equipment suppliers. There are two main brands - Precious Metal Clay and Art Clay Silver. The clay is also available in other metals including gold, but the cost is significantly higher than the silver clay.
Adam Hunter - E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of jewelery making supplies from over 10,000 products including gold and silver, jewelery findings, tools, precious metal clay and gold and silver sheet - gold, silver, platinum and palladium plus technical information for jewelers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students.
Contacts Adam HunterE-commerce Marketing ManagerTel(DDI): +44 (0) 121 212 6491E-mail: adam.hunter@cooksongold.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A_Hunter
Precious metal clay (brand names are PMC and Art Clay) is modern-day alchemy. PMC is a clay base with tiny pieces of silver suspended within it that, when heated, burns off the clay leaving a solid silver residue. The clay base acts as a binder for the metal particles. Once this has been removed, the remaining silver particles bind together, giving you the finished product.
The real beauty of precious metal clay is that it can be manipulated like any ordinary modeling clay, making it perfect for jewelery making. The modern precious metal clay can be using a jeweler's torch, as the firing temperature is much lower than the early versions of this clay.
However, a small kiln will produce a much more constant temperature range and can be controlled exactly, meaning that the results will be more consistent.
Precious Metal Clay once had a very bad reputation for shrinkage, making it unsuitable for fine work or detail. Modern precious metal clays have a much lower shrinkage rate (around 10-15%), but you still need to factor this into the final piece to ensure that really fine detail is not lost in the firing process.
Once fired, the silver piece will seem very lackluster and dull, so it will need finishing. The dull matt surface hides the real beauty underneath, so finishing and polishing will reveal the shining silver below. When soldering finished precious metal clay pieces it is essential to remember that the surface will be more porous than standard sterling silver, so it is best to burnish the piece prior to soldering. But because it is almost pure silver there is little risk of fire stain on the surface and the final results are almost indistinguishable from sterling silver.
Because precious metal clay is a clay, it takes impressions very well. A design can be pressed onto the surface of the clay and be revealed in the final silver piece. Patterned rollers, lace or even leaves can be used to create unique effects that are difficult to reproduce in ordinary silver unless it has been cast. Precious metal clay is a popular way of making silver beads. The clay can be formed into beads, decorated with a surface pattern and then fired in a kiln quickly and easily, producing high quality silver beads.
Safety considerations have to be taken into account when working with precious metal clay because of the high temperatures required to fire the clay. A small enameling kiln allows you to safely achieve the temperatures required for optimum results, but ensure that you have all the correct equipment such as tongs with heat resistant handles to extract work from the kiln safely and a heat-proof surface upon which to work.
Precious metal clay is an ideal medium to work in if you want to create pieces of silver jewelery that are unique to you. The only thing that limits you is your imagination. Precious metal silver clay is widely available from good jewelery equipment suppliers. There are two main brands - Precious Metal Clay and Art Clay Silver. The clay is also available in other metals including gold, but the cost is significantly higher than the silver clay.
Adam Hunter - E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of jewelery making supplies from over 10,000 products including gold and silver, jewelery findings, tools, precious metal clay and gold and silver sheet - gold, silver, platinum and palladium plus technical information for jewelers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students.
Contacts Adam HunterE-commerce Marketing ManagerTel(DDI): +44 (0) 121 212 6491E-mail: adam.hunter@cooksongold.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A_Hunter
Sea Shell Jewelry and Craft Ideas
By Alan Reisch
Anyone that has ever been to the beach has spent a little time checking out all the different sea shells and treasures that have washed ashore. Most of us have even picked up a few "pretty ones" with the thought of doing something creative with them later.
Of course, just like so many other things in our life, we put them away only to forget about our "treasures" until spring cleaning some year. Again we think of all the possibilities we could use the sea shells for, only to repeat the previous cycle. Fortunately, all it takes to break the cycle is a little excitement and motivation.
The potential of sea shells is limited only by your imagination. One common problem of working with shells is how fragile and brittle they can be. The easiest way to alleviate this problem is to attach the shells to a hard surface such as wood. Great examples of this method are frames, jewelry boxes, and mirrors. All it takes is glue that bonds well with wood and organic material, some unfinished wood products, your shells, and some creativity.
To finish your design off, a non-yellowing clear gloss will keep the shells shiny and provide some protection and durability. Most of the products you need for these projects can be purchased at your local craft store.
Another use for your beautiful sea shells is handmade jewelry. I know beading has become a very popular hobby and business venture; sea shells can be used in the same way. You may have to take a jewelry making class or spend some time practicing techniques and designs, but the end results can be amazing and very satisfying. Again, what type of jewelry you make and how you use the sea shells is nearly limitless. So it's time to find that old shoe box of sea shells and start making you own works of art.
Alan Reisch founded and operates HB Shells & Sea. He creates unique, handcrafted, jewelry and other beautiful sea shell products exclusively using sea shells found naturally along the beach. Visit his site at http://www.hbshellsandsea.com/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Reisch
Anyone that has ever been to the beach has spent a little time checking out all the different sea shells and treasures that have washed ashore. Most of us have even picked up a few "pretty ones" with the thought of doing something creative with them later.
Of course, just like so many other things in our life, we put them away only to forget about our "treasures" until spring cleaning some year. Again we think of all the possibilities we could use the sea shells for, only to repeat the previous cycle. Fortunately, all it takes to break the cycle is a little excitement and motivation.
The potential of sea shells is limited only by your imagination. One common problem of working with shells is how fragile and brittle they can be. The easiest way to alleviate this problem is to attach the shells to a hard surface such as wood. Great examples of this method are frames, jewelry boxes, and mirrors. All it takes is glue that bonds well with wood and organic material, some unfinished wood products, your shells, and some creativity.
To finish your design off, a non-yellowing clear gloss will keep the shells shiny and provide some protection and durability. Most of the products you need for these projects can be purchased at your local craft store.
Another use for your beautiful sea shells is handmade jewelry. I know beading has become a very popular hobby and business venture; sea shells can be used in the same way. You may have to take a jewelry making class or spend some time practicing techniques and designs, but the end results can be amazing and very satisfying. Again, what type of jewelry you make and how you use the sea shells is nearly limitless. So it's time to find that old shoe box of sea shells and start making you own works of art.
Alan Reisch founded and operates HB Shells & Sea. He creates unique, handcrafted, jewelry and other beautiful sea shell products exclusively using sea shells found naturally along the beach. Visit his site at http://www.hbshellsandsea.com/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Reisch
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