Put the Pretties Front and Center!

Put the Pretties Front and Center!

There are few things I love in this world more than a beautiful, substantial toggle, but I hate wasting all of that silvery goodness at the back of my neck.  No matter how much I love a clasp, there's no sense paying for something that people may never even see.  What's a girl to do?  I say...put the toggle in the front of the necklace!  When you use a high end designer clasp, it can be the most stunning element of your entire piece.   (The toggle shown above left currently retails at Bead World for $16.50.)

Once you get used to the idea of  placing a toggle at the front of a piece, it opens up a whole new world of engineering options.  A toggle is a great place to anchor a pendant or large gemstone.  In the piece shown at right, turquoise and a pearl were wire wrapped onto a sleek, modern toggle.  This creates a "Y" neckline while maintaining the necklace's clean lines. 

You can wire wrap on any number of different decorative elements.  You can even add a cascade of mutiple dangles and drops.  In the necklace shown at left, three dangles shimmy down from the center toggle.  Each dangle is composed of multiple elements from the main necklace, and they are individually wire wrapped together.  It's an expensive, elegant look, but take note: it's made up entirely of leftovers that the designer had on hand! 

Have fun with big toggles and don't let them scare you.  Once you start experimenting, you'll see how much fun they can be!  I can't wait to see the gorgeous ideas y'all come up with!

If beautiful gemstones are the meat and potatoes of a lovely jewelry meal, then spacer beads are the herbs and spices.  While they tend to be small, they never go unnoticed.  They literally determine the tone of a given piece of jewelry.  Imagine a pearl necklace... now add simple Bali silver daisy spacers every few pearls.  You have a traditional, classic necklace.  Now change those daisies to large sterling silver rondelles.  Suddenly the same piece is modern and bold.  Throw in stamped Thai silver beads, and now it's funky.  Maybe skip the silver entirely and use a gemstone rondelle... Get the picture? 

My current favorite spacer bead right now is the Bali sterling silver potato chip spacer (shown above in various sizes).  It's a disc of silver, pierced through the middle and curved like a Pringle chip.  Stacked together in pairs (or more), they create a fun wavy texture that is somehow both modern and funky.  It gives a fresh look to all of your favorite beading materials.  Check out the fun necklace we have hanging in our Scottsdale store.  It's great inspiration!

Loving the Leaf Chains!

Fringy, swingy leaf chains have been all the rage lately, and I can't get enough.  Sweet tiny leaf charms are incorporated right into the chain, giving an "I worked sooooo hard" look simply and easily.  Bead World currently offers this chain in both hot metals of the moment, brass and copper (copper shown above left, brass shown lower right).  With so much going on in this chain, it's not inexpensive ($17.35 per foot at Bead World).  Luckily, we sell chain by the inch at Bead World, so you can buy just enough to make a super chic pair of earrings if you prefer!  When you consider how many tiny charms are loaded onto the chains as well as your time savings, it's clear that leaf chains are an amazing bargain.

At right you can see the fun earrings I made with the brass leaf chain.  I've been working through an obsession with long linear dangles lately, as you can clearly see.  Each of these little swingers has two inches of chain plus an ear wire.  That's about as easy as it gets, folks!  Plus, it looks amazingly high end.  And these cute little guys will only set you back around $8.50.  (Pricing is based on Bead World stores.)

There is plenty of space left in these links for a wire wrap, so the possibilities are truly endless.  You could add a gemstone drop at the bottom, add tiny Swarovski crystals throughout...  I look forward to seeing all the great ideas you guys come up with!

My Favorite Jewelry Finding of All Time!

I'm pretty picky when it comes to choosing findings for my beaded treasures.  I like my pieces to be modern, clean lined and very, very solidly built.  Wimpy, wiggly ear wires simply will not do!  That said, this 40mm sterling silver hoop finding from Nina Designs is my absolute favorite finding OF ALL TIME.  I've been using it for years, and continue to go back to it time and again.  It is quite substantial and holds up to an amazing amount of wear and tear.  Of course, there are less expensive hoop findings out there. (This one retails for around $40.00 in our Bead World stores, with a smaller version for around $25.00.)  But I've never found a hoop finding that feels or looks this good.  I'm happy to pay a bit more for a piece of jewelry that will last and look every bit as fresh and new five years later.  A couple of examples of the earrings I've made...

Faceted 4mm apatite rondelles with sterling silver spacers

Smooth 3mm ruby rondelles... you can never go wrong with rubies!

Let me know what your favorites are!

I am madly in love with TierraCast's newest line, Viva Mexicana!  I'm a major fan of TierraCast in general, because their quality is impeccable.  Their highly detailed lead-free pewter charms are richly plated with gold, silver, rhodium or copper, creating a gorgeous finish that does not wear out.  (I'm always a bit skeptical about plated items, but trust me -- this is good stuff.  And yes, they are in line with the new California lead laws.)  I was completely thrilled when these new charms and findings came in that they exceeded even TierraCast's high standards for excellence.

      

Living in Arizona, we have a strong appreciation for Mexican art and culture. It's all around us every day!  The Viva Mexicana! line features elements from the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), as well as symbols of religious iconography and milagros, Mexico's very own kind of home grown miracles.  All are depicted in a way that honors Mexico's folk art heritage.  The sacred heart charm and sassy dancing skeletons (shown above) are perfect examples of the spirit and fun these new pieces can bring to your beaded jewelry.  TierraCast's website showcased the gorgeous lapis lazuli rosary (shown below), utilizing the collection's rosary center and folk art cross.

I'm excited to make fun Dia de los Muertos jewelry with these fun little pretties!  Maybe my grandma needs another rosary...   Let us know what you think!

Just Back from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show!

I spent the better part of last week shopping for Bead World (and myself!) at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. Proximity to the largest gem show in the world is certainly an advantage for our stores. We drive in to Tucson, stay a few nights and drive home with a van stuffed full of gems, pearls, sterling silver beads and findings, handmade glass and so much more for our clients. In addition, we have the opportunity to interact with amazing vendors and exchange an incredible amount of information about jewelry design and the beading industry. The folks from Nina Designs, Pegasus Findings, Dakota Stones, Hands of the Hills and Bead Palace are among our best bead show friends. If you encounter them at a show, buy with confidence. And tell them that the Bead World gals say Hi!

My favorite area to focus on is always gemstone beads, and this show was no exception! Every show seems to have "standout stones"; gemstones that are abundant, well priced and particularly beautiful. My favorites for Tucson February 2010 are:

* Tanzanite: This glorious little lavender stone made an amazing comeback this year. All of the sudden, it's everywhere! Gorgeous faceting, luminous smooth cuts, tiny, huge... You name it, it was available, and for prices that blew my mind!

* Moonstone: It has already been labeled "the stone of the season" by those who get to decide these things. I'm afraid I have to agree with them. The quality of the moonstone available this year was really exciting. We bought, literally, everything we could find.

* Sapphire: Okay, so everyone loves sapphire all the time. I know. But when we can sell large faceted sapphire rondelles in our retail stores for under $100.00 per 16 inch strand, we have a truly wonderful situation.

Go, my friends, go forth and bead! Make gorgeous, sparkly gemstone treasures! And let me know... What are your current favorites?

Much love,

Lezli