Author

The Bead Shop

24/04/2013

Semi precious stones and Swarovski Jewellery Set By Jenny

What have you made and why do you like it? fluorite, swarovski, necklace, bracelet and ring set.  I love this because the semi precious stones and swarovski make it feel special What inspired you? swarovski purple mix and the mesh clasps and brooch kits Which type of beads you have used and why? 36mm sieve brooch, finger ring with mesh 1, 17mm box clasp with mesh, 8mm fluorite beads, silver head pins, swarovski purple mix 4mm x 2, swarovski glass pearl beads 4mm crystal dark and mauve, 6mm swarovski bicone... Read More

22/04/2013

How To Make Memory wire Hoop Spike Earrings

 Make a bold statement with this spike hoop earring. Made using memory wire antique silver plated spike charms. Diamante rhondells and metal spacer beads. Fine steel chain is added for a delicate touch. You will learn how to turn a loop, and open and close jump rings. You will need rounds nose pliers and chain nose pliers, and wire cutters. This is for Beginners Step one Thread on your beads to the memory wire, the fine chain goes directly onto the wire. Step two Thread the memory wire through the... Read More

19/04/2013

A really cool technique using your favourite ribbon

Charm bracelets have always been a favourite piece of jewellery for many people and whenever we make a new charm bracelet kit here at the Bead Shop, these tend to sell very quickly. Charm bracelets are a great way to keep memories close and to build a collection of charms and beads from your travels and from special occasions. Our kits are no exception, why not use one of our lovely charm bracelet kits as a base and add to them as the years go on? We currently have a... Read More

19/04/2013

Inspired by our Beaded Firework Burst Bracelet kit

Why not try a new kit. Teach yourself a new technique and experiment with it. Once you have completed your kit it doesn’t have to end there! The possibilities are endless! Fran completed our very own ‘Beaded Firework Burst Bracelet kit’ and got a little bit addicted. At first glance she thought the kit would be too hard for her to follow as she prefers to be shown harder techniques such as bead weaving, but as soon as she started reading the easy to follow step by step instructions there was no... Read More

15/04/2013

How To Make… Freshwater Pearl and Semi- Precious Necklace

This necklace combines Purple freshwater pearls with Semi Precious Gemstones alongside black plated chain and findings to give an elegant and sophisticated looking piece of jewellery. This kit will teach you how to open and close jump rings and how to attach calottes. Step One Start by cutting the tiger tail wire in half. Take one half and attach a calotte to one end. Step Two Take the thinner of the two chains and cut in half and set half aside. Step Three Thread the end link of the chain onto the wire... Read More

10/04/2013
,

Opening a Jump Ring

Some jewellery-making techniques seem far more simple in theory than they are in practice, or vice versa. The opening and closing of a jump ring requires little explanation but if key steps are not followed carefully it can ruin the jump ring. Using a pair of flat nose pliers hold your jump ring steady so that the join is at the top. Now take another pair of flat nose pliers and twist the opposite side towards yourself. Please note: do not open these outwards as you will lose the shape and strength... Read More

10/04/2013

Bead Embroidered Necklace by Judy Evans Pennington

What have you made and why do you like it?  Bead Embroidered Necklace. I love the very feminine appeal of the colors and design.  What inspired you?  I pretty much begin by getting an idea of what colors I want to use and then start going through my beads to see what catches my fancy.  Which type of beads you have used and why?  Glass pearls, glass seed beads in a wonderful mauve and pearly white, pale pink and silver lined delicas, pink bugle beads, and lucite flowers in two... Read More

08/04/2013

How To Make…Shamballa Style Sparkle Bracelet

  Shamballa style bracelets are one of the latest crazes to hit the beading world. Although they look difficult, they’re actually really easy to make, as the whole bracelet is based around one technique. It’s much easier to make if you have a flat surface like a table or tray, as you can stick your bracelet down as you make it. Make sure you’re not using something coated in varnish or paint, though, because it might come off when you remove the tape! Now, onto the bracelet! Step One Firstly,... Read More

28/03/2013

Soutache Necklace by Letitia Vilceanu

What have you made and why do you like it?  I’ve made a Soutache necklace because I am in love with this type of jewelry . What inspired you?  My muse is everything around me. Which type of beads you have used and why?  I like Swarovski beads , they’re so precious and shiny , but every beads is beautiful in their own way. Also gemstone beads are very nice , that’s way the necklace send it is made with turquoise . Social Media & Website Links – My Website Facebook

25/03/2013

Evoke the glamour of 1940’s Hollywood with the gorgeous chandelier earrings

Janine is Office Manager at The Beadshop Manchester, and has been designing jewellery both at work and in her spare time for about 3 years. She loves to use Swarovski, mixed metals and loves experimenting with different techniques. Using Simple wire wrapping and bending techniques, without using specialist tools, Janine shows you how to achieve an elegant and professional glamorous look. The antique brass colours mixed with deep Swarovski Crystals add a slightly gothic edge to these gorgeous creations. STEP 1 Start by making the main filigree part of your... Read More

22/03/2013

‘Beat the High Street’ challenge

  Each month we will be setting ourselves a ‘Beat the High Street’ challenge.  The challenge will be to select jewellery from popular high street stores and make our own version for less. It’s a little known fact that making your own jewellery can be much cheaper than buying from big high street stores. Little independent stores such as ourselves will never be as cheap as Primark, but we can guarantee your designs will be unique, higher quality and still affordable.  The necklace we made has plenty of metal spikes,... Read More

20/03/2013

St. Patrick’s Day

As usual, this year’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations were unrestrained and raucous, with hundreds of celebrations taking place all over the world. The Chicago River was dyed the distinctive shade of green that has made  it world famous and, closer to home, Manchester’s Irish Festival maintained its position as the biggest Irish festival in Europe; this year’s 17 day event was attended by over 200,000 people.   The bright greens of St. Patrick’s Day are also making frequent appearances in this year’s design trends. Pantone are a paint brand who... Read More

18/03/2013

Blue Jade Bracelet by Penny Laine

 What have you made and why do you like it? Blue jade bracelet.  What inspired you? Sea greens and blues reminds me of the seaside holidays as a child. Didnt we always have lovely summers? Which type of beads you have used and why? Chinese jade, and crystal Social Media & Website Links Elamass

07/03/2013

Key Trends from London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week is always a highlight in the fashion calendar, and this year was no exception. With classic houses showcasing their work alongside fresh young designers, there were hundreds of cutting edge new looks in jewellery, accessories and ready-to-wear clothing. To help you discover the best looks of the week, we’ve picked five of this year’s key trends and assembled a handy guide to help you introduce haute looks to your everyday accessorising. We’ll be looking at a few different designers over the coming months, so if you have... Read More

04/03/2013

Handmade beads are totally unique

Welcome to February’s blog, last month I promised to talk a little about beads. I make ceramic beads, which maybe not many of you have used. Handmade beads generally are much more expensive than the beautiful beads you can buy in the Bead Shop, because whatever they are made from, clay, polymer, metal or glass, it is a very time consuming process and ceramic beads can take a week to produce. Jewellery designers will often use just a few handmade beads in a piece, mixing them with less expensive beads.... Read More

20/02/2013

Don’t let obstacles such as time get in your way of making jewellery

Last month we introduced you to The Bead Shop’s new feature on how to achieve your jewellery-related goals for 2013. This week we look at how you can stick to these goals. It is easy for us to set ourselves goals such as “Create exciting new necklace designs” but when we are asked “How will you know when you’ve reached your goal?” most of us are unsure. To be honest most of us probably haven’t really thought about it! But that doesn’t matter as we all live very busy lives... Read More

19/02/2013

Jewellery Kit of the Week – Copper Love Heart Bracelet and Earrings Set

This week’s jewellery kit is our Copper Love Heart bracelet and earrings set designed by Fran. The antique copper plated set showcases earthy tones and features Indian glass beads, Swarovski Crystals, Czech faceted glass beads and charms. Here’s how you make it! For the bracelet, place a gold Czech bead onto a headpin and make a loop. Repeat so you have three in total, then open the loops and attach one to each of the heart and key charms. Place a Swarovski bead and a gold Czech bead on a... Read More

15/02/2013

Fantastic EZ Findings from Beadalon

Brand new to the Bead Shop are these fantastic EZ Findings from Beadalon.  They are so easy to use and give great professional results whether you are a beginner or a more advanced jewellery maker. This large range comes in silver and gold plated and the crimp ends are available with or without the clasp already attached, therefore you can use them in conjunction with your own clasps, for a more personalised look. To make the bracelet above, I cut a piece Beadalon wire (you can use upto size.026in/0.66mm Beadalon... Read More

14/02/2013

Floral jewellery tributes decorate collections on Spring/Summer catwalks

It’s currently fashion week in New York and the Spring/Summer runways are awash with pretty flowers. Floral influences have been seen across many collections from Chanel to Sass & Bide. Floral blooms are a popular pattern choice that helps perk up winter wardrobes and chase away those winter blues. For us, the floral theme also channels that much desired retro vibe. Embroidered and embellished flowers have been used in exciting ways to accessorise outfits at designer label Chanel, and Ralph Lauren showcased gorgeous black and red floral clutch bags. Floral... Read More