JewelleryMaker.com

Jewellery Maker is a family owned business operating since 2010 as part of 'The Genuine Gemstone Company'. The station is available to watch free online at www.jewellerymaker.com or on SKY 655, Virgin 756, Freesat 807 and Freeview 30. You can also watch past shows on the Jewellery Maker YouTubeChannel. Jewellery Maker ethically source their gemstones from all over the world in some of the most remote locations and for the best possible prices. They offer everything you could need to make a piece of jewellery to suit any style and taste and better yet they have the best guest designers live everyday to show you the different ways to use all of their amazing products. There are also workshops available on-site taught by the same great designers giving you the chance to work alongside your favourite designers and get great hints and tips for making beautiful jewellery. I have chosen a few of my favourite pieces from the Jewellery Maker website to share with you. 

Jewellery Maker offers a wide range of jewellery kits to suit all price ranges. Each kit is themed and comes with the findings needed to make any piece of jewellery you could want to try. My favourite at the moment has to be the SpringGarden Jewellery Kit. It comes with beautiful pastel shade beads and rose gold plated findings. These kits could keep you busy for quite awhile. 

On the Jewellery Maker website you are spoilt for choice when looking for gems and beads. They offer strands and single beads and range in price. Of course they are the best quality. My favourite strand are these beautiful BlackDiamond faceted roundels. The strand contains 5cts of Black Diamonds and the roundels are approx 2x1mm on an 8cm strand. But of course its hard to pick out a favourite here. I would be very happy having everything. 

Findings are my weakness when it comes to shopping for jewellery supplies so I am lost when looking around the Jewellery Maker website in the Findings section. They stock everything from headpins and catches to charms and spacer beads in every type of metal you could need or want. I just love the RoseGold Plated Filigree Pendant. It is made of 925 sterling silver. There are so many ways it can be used and would add such class and elegance to a piece of jewellery.

Who doesn't love a website that offers a great range of stringing materials? If like me you dabble in different styles of jewellery making you don't want to be running around trying to find things in different places. So check out the ThreadingMaterials Section of the Jewellery Maker Website. Here you can find silk threads and recycled Sari ribbons along with coloured copper wire and hemp cords to name just a few. The recycled SariRibbons are my favourite especially the Ash Grey colour. It is just so warm and beautiful on its own don't you agree?

Having a stash of chains is a must have for all jewellery makers and choosing the right one and make or break a piece of jewellery. So being able to get high quality chain in a range of finishes, link sizes and patterns in one place is brilliant. Jewellery Maker offer chain in aluminium right up to Sterling Silver along with different plated finishes. Like this RoseGold plated 925 Sterling Silver chain. Each link has a detailed pattern and measured approx 10mm.

Another of my favourite products is the LeatherJewellery Starter Kit. The kit has Soft Lamb Nappa Leather and the tools to get you started making beautiful leather jewellery including a dvd. 

I could go on for days about all the beautiful tools and products available but why not check out the website for yourself here. 

My Rain Cloud Pendant in Make and Sell Jewellery

I finally got my hands on the latest issue (62) of Make and Sell Jewellery Magazine today and I was really happy to see they printed my Rain Cloud Pendant. I made it after seeing the Make a Statement with Weather Motifs feature in the April issue. I made mine using aluminium sheet and glass beads on chain instead of acrylic sheet. 

This is a lovely start to the week and I'm starting a run your own business course this evening which will run for a few weeks in the evenings so things are getting moving in the right direction again.

My Jewellery in Bead and Jewellery Magazine

The wedding special of Bead and Jewellery Magazine is out which I have been waiting for for a long while. I applied to be part of the issues Bead Soup pages and made and sent off the pieces a long while ago. I made a bracelet, earrings and a necklace using the beautiful beads I was sent from Bead Stampede.

I'm not entirely sure why the necklace and earrings where photographed the way they are (the magazine does their own photos) but the necklace and earrings look very odd. All of those strands in the middle of the photo of the necklace should be with the bottom strand as it is a mulistrand necklace. The earrings should have the chain hanging down behind the beaded looped drop. The jewellery really isn't shown great in these photos which is such a shame because I am quite proud of the pieces I made. I guess I am a bit biased on how the jewellery looks in the pictures so hopefully others understand how they should look.

Happy Easter

I spent the morning today at the Viking Festival which was commemorating the 1000 year anniversary of The Battle Of Clontarf. There was a a whole tented village set up selling loads of different things and of course I found myself a few small beads. I also got a hand struck coin which Im going to use as a pendant or charm on a bracelet.

And here are just a few photos from the festival and around the park. Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend.

Belfast Creative Craft Show

I won a few tickets to the Belfast Creative Craft Show a while ago from Beads and Beyond Magazine and today was finally the day to go. I had been once before about a year and a half ago. Belfast is about a 2 hour drive from where I live so we had a very early start today but it was all worth it. I have loads of photos to show off of everything I bought so I'm going to post them under the shop names which are linked to their websites. I have no idea what I'm going to use half of this for but I've grown my stash a bit and might have to stop myself ordering anything for a while.

Abacus Beads

Beads 4 Crafts

The Southampton Bead Shop

The Bead Wholesaler

The Lucky Magpie

Totally Beads

Oh Lovely Things Came Today

I ordered some things from Beads Unlimited last week using the £25 voucher I received from Beads and Beyond Magazine when they printed my picture last month, and today they arrived. 

I'm so happy with everything and always love the quality of Beads Unlimited products. My favourites have to be the ceramic owl beads. I have no idea how I'm going to use them yet but when I saw them I had to add them to my basket. The teapot clasps are fun looking and the toggle bar is a spoon. I did get some basics, glass beads and glass pearls but also got some new things I hadn't ever tried working with before like the large wooden heart pendants. I have a bit of an idea for those already so hopefully you will be seeing pictures of them again soon. 

I think I'm going to have a bit of fun playing with all of this today.

Tutorial: Copper Spike Necklace

I made this necklace a little while ago and put together a tutorial to show how I made it after a lot of interest when I showed it off on pinterest and other places. Let me know if you try it out in the comments below, I love seeing peoples takes on my tutorials.

What you need: 

1: Heavy Gauge Copper Wire (I've used 3mm Here)

2: Glass Beads (Choose your colour)

3: A Ruler

4: Hammer and Metal Block

Measure out one piece of wire to 1.5 inches, two pieces to 1 1/4 inches & two final pieces to 1 inch in length. 

Cut the pieces of wire to the required lengths.

Hammer flat about a third of the way up each length of wire.

Add a bead onto each length of wire deciding which pieces you want where. If the bead falls too far over the hammered piece then extend the hammering slightly higher.

Make a loop at the top of each piece of wire and slide all five pieces onto another piece of copper wire about 1.5 inches long. Loop the ends of this piece also. You can now attach chain to either side of the pendant and your done. 

My Wire Heart Necklace in Making Jewellery Magazine

I sent a picture of the wire heart necklace I made a while back into Making Jewellery Magazine. I had made it after seeing the tutorial by Sian Hamilton and it was printed in May's issue which came out today.

So if your visiting my blog for the first time after seeing the piece welcome and don't forget to follow the blog to keep up to date with everything I'm doing.