Posts Tagged ‘lampwork jewelry’
Making Beaded Jewelry
Making beaded jewelry has been part of my life so long. And when I realized I'd been feeling kind of blue lately, I remembered that I hadn't made anything in a few months.
Horrors! Can it really be that long, at least 3 months since I've had beads in hand? No wonder I have felt out-of-sorts.
But here's the problem -- what should I make? It always seems to be the same way for me -- either I have too many ideas and can't decide what I want to do first...or no ideas at all! Do you ever find that happening to you?
I decided to get out some photos of my lampwork beads and see if they could give me inspiration. And you know what's funny? Of the hundreds (and probably thousands) of lampwork beads I have made, I probably have....maybe a dozen to call my own.
Making Beaded Jewelry
If you've been making beaded jewelry for any length of time, you know what bead paralysis is. You have beads of all kinds - lampwork, gemstone, crystal - and findings galore. Got beading cord or string? Check. Are the tools handy? Yep.
Then....so much to choose from and so little time to bead it all up! How to choose what to make first?
When I am totally stumped, I make a bracelet. It's faster than a necklace but involves me a little more than most earrings do. And you know what's funny? I tend to make jewelry that I don't have anything to wear with! I mean, I see a color combination to die for -- I make something up and then realize nothing I have coordinates with it.
Ever have that happen to you?
So now I am staring at the few remaining of my own lampwork beads that I have in my possession. I'll need to root around some, but I should be able to find my Swarovski and my sterling beads. Findings...that may be tough; hopefully I have at least one clasp floating around in my stash. If not, I have a lot of silver wire, so I can improvise.
Decisions after beading decisions...
OK, so let me go and see what I can come up with, as far as making beaded jewelry. Meanwhile I'll leave you with some beady pictures of other lampwork artists on ebay (my other source of inspiration).
Catch up with you later!
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 RAPUNSELS Purple Passion Lampwork Focal Bead SRA ISGB  US $10.99
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 Happy Bird Glass lampwork beads Proud US $42.00
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 RAPUNSELS Clouded Sky Lampwork BHB Bead SRA ISGB US $9.99
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 30mm Lampwork Glass Beads Flower Heart Pendant 1pc US $2.99
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 AMR Mix 3 Lampwork Beads SRA US $24.95
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Bead Jewelry and Choosing Your Supplies
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!
More Lampwork Jewelry Photos
Here are more lampwork jewelry photos, courtesy of Jennie. Like I said in the previous post, I'm always thrilled and touched when people send me pictures of their creations, made from my beads.
Lampwork Jewelry Set (Click to Enlarge)
I really liked what Jennie did with this one set of beads. I think I named them "Storm Warnings", but she did a much better job of capturing their aura.
It's neat, what Jennie did with the sides of the necklace, don't you think? The soft ovals are a contrast to the more squarish pillow shaped beads, but the effect is marvelous!
With her lampwork jewelry bracelets, Jennie says that she likes to make them adjustable by the wearer. When you're making a bracelet, the exact length is hard to estimate. After all, not everyone has thin or thick wrists; not everyone likes them tight (or loose). And by having a small extension that makes the bracelet adjustable, it lets the wearer decide what suits.
And I'm glad Jennie does this, because I mentioned that I had bought one of her bracelets. Since I've had the wonderful bracelet, I've lost in the neighborhood of 60 pounds. And yes, my wrists are thinner now! But thanks to being adjustable, I don't need to worry about it.
Hey folks, if anyone has jewelry made with my beads, send me a photo and I'll gladly publish it here, and give you the credit/link! (And in case you might have forgotten, my "professional" studio name was/is TasminAnn Studio.) 
