Gail Nettles

Posts Tagged ‘beaded jewelry’

Well, it's New Year's Eve day, and the end of 2008.  High time to plan how to bling in the New Year!

As you know, I've been doing some collecting of costume jewelry, as well as doing a redux on pieces.  My latest acquisitions have been some crystal necklaces, probably from the late 60's through the 70's.  Or, they could even be newer, but based on the materials used, I'd say probably late 70's.

I took apart these necklaces for three reasons.  One, they aren't Swarovski -- crystal, yes; Swarovski, no.  But the AB beads sure are pretty!

Second, they weren't strung as well as they could have been; way too tight, so they didn't hang right.

The last reason were the clasps, which were really nice.  The clasps would be lovely in a re-done piece!  All three included chatons, one of them with AB chatons.

So I've got plenty of materials to work with in 2009!  (I won't talk at the moment about all the other bead necklaces I've disassembled lately....)

Finding the Bling

I've been watching the ebay auctions for costume jewelry, as well as haunting some flea markets.  Some days I find all kinds of treasures; some days I am empty-handed.  But I've since gotten over buying just any "bling" -- I wait until something jumps up and screams in my face, "Bring me home!"

Sometimes the pieces just need to be taken apart for a redux, like the crystal necklaces I just disassembled.  Some pieces stay whole, like some brooches I recently bought.

And hey, I found a great way to use my Christmas Tree pins!  OK, I'm a little late this year in telling you, but it's something you can do year-round.

One of my pins is large and heavy, and kept flopping when I wore it.  The pinback itself is vertical, so I had the idea to pin it onto a necklace (in my case, a vintage faux pearl necklace).  The pin hung there wonderfully!  So now I know what to do with the large Christmas Tree pins next year.  And what I can do with large brooches all year long.

Bling in the New Year!

So let's make a deal here; resolve to bring some bling into 2009.  Whether your bling style is modest or in-your-face, there's a place for it in all our lives.  Something sparkly to liven up our dull days, and pretty, to look at when we are stressed.

At any rate, here are some to consider, for starting your own vintage "bling" redux collection (below are just a few examples). 

Oh, and Happy New Year!

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If you're a beader (or just otherwise love beads), vintage beads can be a big lure. I'm not just talking about dZi beads, old African trade beads or anything; I'm talking about beads from a bygone era that have history or a story behind them.

But here's a story of a vintage beading experience gone wrong! Yes, it happened to me, and hopefully it hasn't happened to you.

The Lure of the Flea Market

I'm a sucker for flea markets, when the weather gets cooler.  While most flea market these days seem more like malls, there are usually a few booths with regular people selling off some unused things.  These are the tables I gravitate towards.

One market I stumbled across while on a vacation had a table of beaded necklaces.  I figured I may as well look, and if the price was right, I could take apart the necklace for the beads.

Nothing I saw appealed to me until I saw a triple-strand crystal aurora borealis necklace.  All three strands were graduated, and the beads ranged from 4mm to 12mm.  Even in the dim light of the tent they sparkled!  The necklace also came with the original display case and a pair of matching earrings.

After a little haggling, I walked off with my treasures.  And when I got home, proceeded to dismantle the necklace for the beads.  Don't know if they were Swarovski, but they certainly rivaled them in sparkle and fire.

What Were They?

Now that I've been cruising ebay for vintage costume jewelry, I feel heartsick.  The story behind the beads is that they belonged to the seller's mother, and she had gotten them in the 50's.  So I've been trying to find what they might have been.

I've seen several close examples which might be the same maker as mine, selling for some quite nice prices.  Certainly more than what I paid for mine.  Unfortunately, I don't even have the presentation box anymore, which might have given me a clue as to the designer...and would also add to the price!

So now I'm a little more careful.  I've seen collections of what they call "repair jewelry" that have plenty of pretty beads.  ( is somehow damaged, like having lost beads or rhinestones, that can be used to repair other more valuable pieces.)  Those are the kinds of vintage jewelry I look for these days, both online and offline, when I'm in search of vintage beads!

Anyway, here are some costume jewelry repair lot auctions, many of which include vintage beads!

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Are you like me -- you have beaded jewelry projects all around, in various states of completion?  I hope I'm not the only one, who half-way through a project gets another idea that I just have to start!

Anyway, I'm sorry I don't have the peyote stitch beading project ready for prime time yet.  I'm done except for the clasp.  Right now I'm struggling to find a cool button to use for my clasp.  I thought I had a ton of them.  Well I do, but they are all in shades of gold and white and pink and black...not colors I can use for this bracelet.  So, it will be another day at least until I can get the button clasp finished.

"Autumn Winds" PMC Pendant With Man-Made Ruby

But all hasn't been lost!  In my hunt for buttons, I came across some projects, supplies and items that I totally forgot I had (has anyone else had that happen?).  Even the infamous beaded shoe project!  (More about that later.)

But quickly, here are two of my PMC projects; I really like the one with the dichroic glass cab.  But the one with the ruby (man-made) has a funny story.

I had made a pendant that I really liked, but unfortunately, I didn't make it strong/thick enough, and part of it broke off.  Grrr.

So, I took part of the pendant and went back to the drawing board.  I added more PMC and the ruby.  Finally, fired it and lo and behold...something very organic looking.  But when I brought it to class, people oohed and ahhed.  Moral of the story -- never throw anything away, you never know how it can be recycled.

(It really is prettier than the photo shows -- for the life of me, I can't get the ruby to sparkle in a photo like it does in real life.)

Now, onward to more of what I found. Like the shoe.

Beaded Jewelry Projects and "The Shoe"

I found tons of beaded necklaces, mostly peyote with bling added. They were made back when I was learning beading, so they're fairly unusable "as is". Unusable mainly because they are so darned heavy! But I'm confident that I can re-make them. One for sure I can re-do as a bracelet. The others...well, I have to keep at least one the way it is. Why? So when I get depressed because the beaded jewelry isn't going well, I can see how far I've come.

"Sea Lights" PMC Pendant With Dichroic Glass

Now to my shoe project.  Yes, a real shoe (size 6) that I am covering in beads.  I got the idea after taking a bead embroidery class.  I decided to cut out some suede in the shape of the shoe (in parts, naturally).  Then, I would bead embroider each piece, and eventually piece it all together onto the shoe itself.

It's all done up in shades of red.  From fire engine to deep garnet, I have all kinds.  Some are seed beads, some bugle, some gemstone beads, all in a joyful melange of textures.

Am I done?  Of course not -- maybe half way.  I was originally making it for a contest, but ran behind and missed the deadline (and stopped working on the project).  Guess I'll have to start it back up again.

OK, let me go so I can get the peyote bracelet done and get a photo for you.  Catch you later!

Bead jewelry - is it in your blood? If you're reading this blog, you probably love beads, in one form or another. Maybe you like making them, from glass or polymer or silver clay. Maybe you like making bead jewelry -- lampwork, seed beads, Swarovski, gemstones -- it's all fair game. Or perhaps you just love wearing one-of-a-kind original artwork?

Whatever your love of beads, there exists (somewhere) beads for you. And although I'll go into it in greater detail in a different post, there also exists the best beads for you project. But in a nutshell; you don't want to use expensive artisan-made lampwork and loads of Swarovski crystals for a bracelet for a young child; inexpensive lampwork and generic crystal glass work just fine.

Conversely, you don't want to use cheap lampwork and generic crystal in what I term "grown up jewelry". Nope, now is when you want to select the most wonderful lampwork, the real Swarovski and maybe some sterling silver and/or gemstone beads. (In a separate post I'll talk more about how to determine the quality of lampwork beads).

Lampwork Bead Necklace (Click to Enlarge)

What I'm really trying to say is make sure the quality of the beads and supplies match the intended purpose. Yes, one time I tried making a beautiful Swarovski bracelet and necklace for my young niece. It didn't last long before she grew out of the bracelet and lost the necklace. Now, I'm waiting til she gets a little older before I try that again!

I've also made inexpensive "fun" bracelets for some craft shows I attend, just so the little ones clutching tight to a dollar or two can proudly buy something. But I wouldn't use the beads from those bracelets for anything even moderately upscale. Once again; use the supplies appropriate for the intended purpose.

OK, I've gone on enough for one post! I'll close with another photo from Jennie. Once again, these are some of my very early beads (mid-2005 I'm guessing), but I think Jennie did a nice job with them.  I'm especially fond of the tassels hanging down from the focal; I just like some movement in my jewelry.  Thanks, Jennie, for sending me this photo to post -- I appreciate it!