Jewelry Making

I was contacted by Lisa Braithwaite the other day about her DIY jewelry outfit called Elle B. and decided to make a post about it since she has a large variety of handmade earrings, necklaces and bracelets in her store. Based in Santa Barbara, she makes use of unique shape and color combinations in her jewelry. Although I think a lot of the beads, glass and findings that she uses in her creations may be available in shops, it’s the delightful way that they are integrated that makes her work stand out.

A little bit about her, from her website:

… Always an artistic thinker, Lisa explored drawing, painting, singing, acting and costume design before finding her calling in the jewelry arts. She has been designing and creating vibrant, wearable art for more than 20 years.

As her hobby has grown into a business, Lisa’s art has evolved, too. Her one-of-a-kind pieces incorporate modern and vintage glass, brilliant silver and vivid hues. Graceful movement and lively color make Elle B. jewelry playful and distinctive - wearable art for unique women.

Continue reading “Elle B. Jewelry” …

For our second interview we got a chance to interview Tammy Powley who is perhaps best known for being the Jewelry Making Guide on About.com since 1998. She is also a writer and the author of many jewelry books such as Making Designer Bead and Wire Jewelry and runs several jewelry making web logs.

Our interview with her was not only fun but educational as we spoke of her career change from technical writing to being involved with the jewelry making business. We also touched upon some of the tips for jewelry makers just starting out.

This interview was done over email and is recommended reading for the beginning jewelry maker and seasoned pros alike.

Interview with Tammy Powley, About.com’s Jewelry Making

Hey jewelry makers: I was tipped off to the upcoming “Your Design Here” 2006 contest over at Rings ‘n Things the other day. This might be worth a look if you make jewelry and are looking to get some possible exposure for your designs.

So what is the “Your Design Here” contest? They basically created this contest as a way to encourage their customers to come up with unique and beautiful jewelry designs. You can enter your work in one of seven categories: Glass, Gemstones, Nature, Mostly Metal, Polymer Clay, Metal Clay and Alternative Materials.. The judges select the best entries (the deciding factors are: Originality, Craftsmanship and Aesthetics) and the winning designs will potentially be featured in their enormous print catalog as well as other promotions worldwide.

If you haven’t heard of the Rings ‘n Things company yet, they are one of the best places to find jewelry making supplies on the web. Sorry, this may sound like a commercial but we’ve ordered from them many times and have always been impressed with the speed of service and professionalism. Not to mention the selection of findings, precious stones, crystals and just about everything else related to jewelry.

Continue reading “Rings and Things Contest” …

I haven’t really written up a DIY jewelry making project article in so long. I finally had the time to put this one together on Making Simple Beaded Rings which I’ve been meaning to write about forever.

These beaded rings use tiny seed beads and monofilament line to create simple but very pretty looking jewelry. One nice thing about this project is that it only requires a few supplies, both of which are readily available:

Tutorial on How To Make Beaded Rings