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The Bead Shop

13/09/2013

How To Pick The Correct Beadalon Jewellery Wire

We stock Beadalon Jewellery Wire The different reels, 7 strand, 19 strand and 49 strand indicates how many pieces of stainless steel have been put together inside the nylon coating. Don’t be fooled though, this doesn’t mean that the higher the number of strands the thicker the wire;the higher the number simply means the flexibility increases. Now that you know what Beadalon Jewellery Wire we have to offer, the question is which one do you choose?! Choosing The Right Beadalon Wire When choosing which Beadalon Wire is best suited for... Read More

10/09/2013

How To Pick The Right Jewellery Glue

Choosing the right Jewellery Glue Glues, adhesives and glazes are essential for many jewellery making projects you’ll come across on your journey. We have a wide range of high quality adhesives for numerous tasks all at affordable prices – Read the pro’s and con’s of our most popular glues below.    E6000 Glue A silicone based industrial strength one part epoxy adhesive. E6000 jewellery glue can be used on; wood, metal, glass fiberglass, ceramics, mosaics as well as, leather, rubber, vinyl, most plastics, masonry and concrete.   Pros. Perfect for gluing... Read More

04/09/2013

How To Get The £380 Designer Look for Less

Be under no illusion; a hefty price tag does not necessary guarantee precious metals, rubies or diamonds. In fact, most designer costume jewellery is assembled in much the same way as things you’d make at home; making an unaffordable designer look, very easy to replicate.   We want to show you how simple it can be to achieve a designer look on a budget, so to demonstrate this; we selected a necklace by Marquis & Camus from their ‘Victorian Rebel’ Collection.   Marquis & Camus create timeless looking jewellery that... Read More

28/08/2013

How To Use Leather Cord In Your Bracelets Designs

This month we are inspired by leather cord, travel and the new spectrum of colours that autumn brings; dusky pinks, blues and earthy tones are the ‘go to’ colours of this season. In keeping with the travel theme, I designed this piece using black leather cord and vintage bronze craft wire, giving it a rustic earthy feel. Maybe just add a couple of wooden beads and make them for the fellas in your life I think beading sometimes can be too technical, I liked making these bracelets because they don’t... Read More

27/08/2013

Discover The Autumnal ‘Wunderlust’ Palette

The appeal of adventure! Travel has inspired and heightened the urge for adventure and exploration, which is reflected within the autumnal ‘wunderlust’ palette. Already this year we begin to see the distinction between fashion and the outdoors become blurred in new exciting ways.   This trend, one of the three main trends for the season, is influenced greatly by the outdoors, exploration and voyage! Integrated in to the fabrics, clothing, accessories and footwear through the earthy hues of moss green, darkened brown, lifted by icy grey tones!  There are elements of forest... Read More

21/08/2013
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How To Make Your Own Jewellery Findings with Craft Wire

Up until recently I didn’t have much knowledge of craft wire. It’s one of those products that, if not used regularly, you can shy away from altogether. In my day to day jewellery making I tend to only use craft wire for making connectors between beads or for wrapping stones, but to my pleasant surprise, there are no end to the possibilities of craft wire. When I’m struggling with ideas, I like to browse the internet for inspiration and get my creative juices flowing.  There is such a broad spectrum... Read More

19/08/2013

How To Use French Wire & Wire Guardians in Jewellery Making

Wire guardians give your designs an extended lifespan. General wear and tear eventually gets the better of all our favourite jewellery. Bracelets and Necklaces are particularly prone to this and will, over time fray and snap. The breaking point almost always occurs at points of high stress, somewhere near the end, were the thread meets the clasp. So when making jewellery at home or producing items to sell, it’s worth considering ‘extra measures’ of security. Wire Guardians & French Wire give your designs that extended lifespan. The most commonly used... Read More

16/08/2013

Super Duo Bracelet Demonstration

We would like to introduce you to the latest new exciting product that has come into the bead world, Super duo beads,a  seed bead with two holes. As with a lot of new beads and beading products that come onto the market, many people struggle to know what to do with them, so we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to hold our first ever demonstration in The Bead Shop in Afflecks Palace Manchester and show our customers how to use Superduo seed beads. The Demonstration will take place... Read More

14/08/2013

How Pom Pom’s & Tassels Inspired my Necklace Design

The world has gone tassel crazy! Fringing, Tassels and pom poms are a must for this summer; Gucci, Matthew Williamson and Dolce & Gabbana have all featured them on their catwalks and Jimmy Choo has even tasselled his shoes! With this in mind I wanted to create a piece of jewellery that celebrates this fantastic look. It is so fun and playful; I was excited to get to work. One of my earlier blogs featured an Aztec jewellery range and as I loved the design of the necklace and bracelet... Read More

12/08/2013

How To Incorporate Tassels Into Your Jewellery

There’s no denying it; tassels are fun, fun, fun! Born from the family of pompoms and rosette; tassels are ornamental, tactile, historical and cute. Incorporating them into your style will add a hint of ceremony to any outfit. The versatility of the tassel is what makes it so great. Wearing them large or small, they are a playful accompaniment to shoes, bags, clothing and jewellery.  The beloved tassel has remained a fashion favourite all through history but its appearance has shifted throughout time. During the Renaissance we favoured a small... Read More

09/08/2013

‘Beat the High Street Challenge’ Summer Time Multi-strand Necklace

For this month’s  ‘Beat the High Street Challenge’ we chose a multi-strand necklace from Accessorize. The High Street version was made using gold coloured plastic spacer beads, seed beads and gold coloured eye pins. We have decided to give ours a personal touch by changing the colour of the eye pins for an altogether fresh look. Our necklace has been made using three bags of size 6 seed beads and one reel of 0.4mm budget coloured craft wire. As eye pins don’t come in bright colours other than gold, silver,... Read More

02/08/2013

5 Tips For Wearing Neon Successfully

Tip 3 Wearing neon jewellery with black will take you from Gothic to glamorous in one easy step. Tip 4 There is no better place to experiment with fluorescent than on holiday. Neon looks amazing on dark skin. Wear bracelets with your beach wear or a brightly coloured anklet. Paint your toenails to match. Tip 5 The truth is, wearing Neon correctly doesn’t have to be complicated as long as you follow one simple rule: KEEP IT SIMPLE! Helpful Links Swarovski Neon Pearl Beads 0.6mm Shamballa/Chinese Knotting Nylon Cord –... Read More

31/07/2013

Pom Pom & Tassel Jewellery Trend

The ‘Modern Artisan’ and ‘New Renaissance’ 2013 trends are mixed together in a fashion melting pot and produce a love for Mediterranean travel chic by fore fronting Pom-Poms and tassel inspired garments and jewellery. They can be worn trimming a simple top, a feature to your summer scarf or as a statement piece of jewellery. A personal pick for jewellery is the colourful thread variations mixed with tarnished chunky metal structure. With the addition of pom-pom’s or tassels to your summer wardrobe you can stand out from the crowd and... Read More

22/07/2013

How to Make Aztec Tribal Jewellery

How to Make a Aztec Style Necklace     How to Make a Aztec Style Bracelet For the clasp on the bracelet; with round nose pliers, make a loop on the end of the 1mm craft wire, hold the loop against the Sharpie marker and bend the wire over the marker away from the loop. With round nose pliers, make a small bend outward at the end of the wire. Once you are happy, hammer the hook, and then wrap a small amount of 0.5mm wire around the bend, this will then attach... Read More

17/07/2013

Boho Chic Indian Style Necklace

The Bohemian look or ‘Boho Chic’ as it is also known has hit the high street for Summer 2013. This look celebrates warm colours and layering, vibrant shades with an earthy rustic feel; a nostalgic nod to the 1960’s and 70’s, Flower Power, Free Love and flowers in your hair!!! To replicate this look in jewellery, the Indian hand painted glass beads and the Venetian glass, work perfectly, giving the piece a rustic earthy looking style. The use of bold colours combined with gold or copper findings and a large... Read More

13/07/2013

How to Use Chinese Knotting Cord

Traditionally used in Chinese folk art, Knotting Cord is used as a decorative handicraft. Chinese knotting is the process of creating a symmetrical shape using one length of thread to produce a seamless design that is identical on both sides. Red coloured cord is favored in the traditional process as a symbol of luck and prosperity. More recently, the cord has been popularized as a key material when creating ‘Shambala’ style bracelets.  The shambala bracelet features a technique called Macramé; in particular, the square knotting technique, for which Chinese Knotting... Read More

06/07/2013

How To Make a Retro Wrapped Wire Square Bangles

 Create Janine’s eye-catching square bangles. Why not stack these in a mixture of metals and beads for a retro look that is easy to make, without the need to solder use any specialist equipment. These bangles are a great introduction to creating cold connections. It can sometimes be a bit scary to start creating chunky, metal and wire based pieces, but with these bangles, there is no need to have any specialised equipment and no need to solder. The bangles are made simply with a wire wrapping technique and can... Read More

02/07/2013

Be Inspired – Vintage Sunflower Spiral Necklace

So this month yellow was the brief, the colour that represents ‘happiness’ and the colour of the sun. My problem with this was that yellow would usually be my least likely colour choice given the option, so my aim for this jewellery making project was to take this super sunny colour and tone it down a notch or two.  I feel that the antique copper craft wire works beautifully alongside the yellow fimo flower beads, because it and creates a slightly more delicate tone to it and that it sprinkles... Read More