Designer Challenge in Beads And Beyond Magazine

I took part in the bead soup challenge for Beads and Beyond Magazine again (October 2014 issue). I love doing these challenges. I always get new things I have never worked with before and it is a great personal challenge to try and use these pieces. It also offers me a look into the items carried in shops I may never have known about or had the chance to shop in yet. 

This months challenge pack was put together by Beadsisters. Beadsisters have a huge range of rings for making chainmaille so I was really happy to find out the pack was coming from them. The pack had some great jump rings and pearls in it in beautiful colours. I made some pieces that are quite different for my style but I love how they turned out. I made three in total. 

I think my favourite piece is the necklace. Its simple and stunning at the same time. The colours of the beads that Beadsisters picked out work so well together with the colours of all the findings. Don't forget to pick up the October issue of Beads and Beyond Magazine (click here to buy online) and see what the other designers made using the same pack. 

Best of 2012

This is what I expect to be part one of my Best of 2012 videos. I have already posted this onto my YouTube  channel and its been viewed quite a few times already. Ive tried to put at least one of each style of jewellery I have done from rosary beads to earrings and bookmarks. Hopefully you will like the pieces in the video.

How to Make a Wire Coil

These are used in a lot of things to dress up plain wire or add a little extra and can be made in a lot of different wire colours and sizes.

What you need:
Wire cutters
Flat nose Pliers - just to help with the final piece around the nail
A Nail - or anything that is the size of the Jump Rings you want to make
A length of wire - I use 0.8mm Silver plated Copper here

Step 1:

Wrap the wire around the nail until all the wire is used up. Wrap it as tightly together as possible as gaps result in oval and mis-shapen rings.

Step 2:

Remove the coil from the nail.

You can not place this over a plain piece of wire or beading thread in-between beads to add somethings different. 

Click here to view a video of this tutorial.

How to Make Jump RIngs

I make a lot of these out of scraps of wire that I wouldn't have much other use for. Also its not always easy to go get ready made ones or wait for them to arrive. There are loads of different ways to make them, everyone has their own style,there are even mandrels made in specific gauges but I use a nail. Its the only thing I had handy one night when I ran out of the ready made ones to finish off a bracelet. So here's how I make mine. See the bottom of this post for a video tutorial.

What you need:
Wire cutters
Flat nose Pliers - just to help with the final piece around the nail
A Nail - or anything that is the size of the Jump Rings you want to make
A length of wire - I use 0.8mm Silver plated Copper here

Step 1:

Wrap the wire around the nail until all the wire is used up. Wrap it as tightly together as possible as gaps result in oval and mis-shapen rings. 

Step 2:

Remove the coil from the nail.

Step 3:

Starting at one end of the coil you need to cut where the wire is just meeting the next coil so when you cut here you will have a full ring that will be slightly open. 

Step 4:
Now you can use your jump rings you just open them further or close them up.

Jump Rings are needed for practically everything you do in jewellery making and will never go to waste so always make a few extra and keep them stored. You don't want to have to make loads of them when you only need 1 or 2.

Click here to view a video of this tutorial.

Competition Entry

Ive entered this piece into the "Design of the Week" competition on Cookson Gold Facebook page today. This week the prize is a texture hammer that could come in very handy in the workshop!! There are some fantastic pieces entered already so fingers crossed!!

See the album of entries here:          Design of the Week

Byzantine Bracelets

I made these bracelets as Christmas gifts using the Byzantine Weave. I really like this weave it can be a bit time consuming but isn't as hard as it looks at first. Some of the jump rings I used I bought ready made but the purple ones I made myself using wire I already had. Every bracelet looks different depending on the colour of the jump rings used. I used toggle clasps on my bracelets but any type of clasp can be used to give the bracelet a different look.