Photo & Mixed Media Jewellery Inspirations

Jewellery Making Project - Using Photo Jewellery Products
By Nicky Townsend

Use Altered Art techniques along with our Photo Pendants range to create a multitude of fabulous pendants and jewellery with a vintage look or even a fresh, modern feel.  You can use scrapbook papers, copyright free images or even family photographs to decorate.  Finish off with charms or, for a steampunk style, add a scattering of tiny watch components which are also available on our website.  You can use glass cabochons to complete the pendants or set charms inside using a super product called Glossy Accents, which sets clear and hard and holds the charms in place.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

Bezel settings - see full range here

A selection of images, photos or fancy paper

Glue ‘n’ Seal  - see here

Glossy Accents (see here) or Glass Cabochons - see full range here

A selection of Charms (see here) or Watch parts (optional) - see here

TOOLS

Scissors

Paintbrushes

Pencil

STEP 1

Choose a photo, image or paper that you’d like to use as the background in your piece.  Place a Glass Cabochon onto the paper and move around until you’re happy with what you see through the glass then draw around the glass to create a template.

STEP 2

The next step is to seal the paper or photo to lock in the colours and prevent any ink from bleeding out.  Use Glue ‘n’ Seal for this.  Paint a thin coat over each of your templates; you must seal both sides back and front.  Leave to dry and then paint on another coat and leave that to dry completely.  It’s easier to do this before cutting out the template especially for smaller templates

STEP 3

Cut out your sealed paper templates.  Take a small dab of the Glue ‘n’ Seal on a paint brush and paint into the base of the Bezel setting.  Press in one of your paper sections and use a dry paintbrush to smooth down from the centre outwards this also removes any air bubbles that may have got trapped underneath the paper.  Don’t forget to pay attention to the edges.

STEP 4

In my design I used a simple striped background paper and decided I’d like to embellish this with some detail.  I picked out some tiny images from a scrapbook paper; these also need to be sealed with Glue ‘n’ Seal and cut out once dry.  I then painted an extra layer of Glue ‘n’ Seal onto the background paper and placed the images inside the Bezel.  To finish, coat with another layer of sealant and leave it to dry thoroughly.

STEP 5

To finish with glass cabochons squeeze a thin and even coat of Glossy Accents over the back of the tile, let it spread out naturally to cover the whole area and press firmly into the Bezel.  You will need to press firmly from the centre out to the edges to squeeze out any air bubbles that may have got trapped underneath.

To set charms or watch components into the bezel place your chosen Charms into the Bezel and arrange them.  Now squeeze Glossy Accents  into the Bezel starting close to the charms and working your way out to the edge.  Fill the whole recess, completely covering the charms with Glossy Accents .  Once the recess is filled take some time to prick out any air bubbles which may have appeared.  Use a pin or gently tap the surface of the bubble with a dry paintbrush.  Leave to set completely, this usually takes around 24 hours to set to a hard clear finish.  Once dry you may notice that there are some areas that have appeared unfilled, simply squeeze on another layer of Glossy Accents  and leave to dry.  You can repeat this as often as needed.

TIP - When using Glossy Accents  it is important that the bottle isn’t shaken at any time as it creates air bubbles. These air bubbles will then pass through the nozzle and appear in your finished piece, which you don’t really want. 

STEP 6

I finished my pendant with a tiny resin rose cabochon from my own bead stock to add another dimension to the finished piece.  If you don’t have any of these available you can simply use a charm attached with a jump ring to finish or one of the Lucite Flowers which are available on the International Craft website.

RESOURCES

All materials available at www.internationalcraft.com

Free scrapbook papers are available to print at http://freevintagedigistamps.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/free-digital-scrapbook-paper-circa.html

DESIGNER CONTACT DETAILS

Nicky Townsend

Website: www.enchantedhandmadejewellery.com

Swarovski – How a Crystal Empire Began

Swarovski Round Facet Bead, Emerald

Swarovski is a brand of crystal glass that is renowned for its ability to reflect light into a rainbow of colour.  Swarovski is easily recognised by the Swan logo and is used for sculptures, miniatures, chandeliers and many types of jewellery. Specifically, a brand under The Swarovski Group, Swarovski Elements produce the coveted Swarovski beads designers use in their jewellery making.

Swarovski BiconeBead

To create the distinctive Swarovski crystal glass, Swarovski coats some of its products with special metallic chemical coatings, the most popular being the ‘AB’ or Aurora Borealis – this gives the surface a rainbow appearance.  Others include Crystal Transmission, Aurum, Dorado and Volcano.  Some crystals are only partially coated and others coated twice, where a 2X is added to the coating name.


Where did it all begin?

Daniel Swarovski (1862 – 1956), son of a glass cutter, served his apprenticeship in his father’s glass factory in Bohemia (now Czech Republic).  He quickly acquired the skills needed and in 1892 Daniel patented an electric cutting machine which advanced the process of crystal cutting to a higher and more efficient level. 

Swarovski Crystal Heart

 In 1895, with the help of two financiers, a company was formed, A. Kosmann, Daniel Swartz & Co with a factory set up at Wattens, Austria, due to its accessibility to hydro power, a source of energy they needed for the intensive grinding processes.

Originally the logo was a traditional edelweiss flower, replaced by an S.A.L logo, finally replaced by the recognisable Swan logo in 1988.  The company, now The Swarovski Group, includes Tyrolit (makers of abrasive and cutting tools); Swareflex (reflective and luminous road markings); Signity (synthetic and natural gemstones) and Swarovski Optikm makers of optical instruments such as binoculars and rifle scopes.

Swarovski Peardrop Pendant

At the Wattens site is The Crystal Worlds Centre created by Andre Heller in 1995 to celebrate 100 years of Swarovski.  The building is an indoor crystal theme park/exhibition centre, featuring a giant head with colour changing crystal eyes and a fountain coming from the mouth.  The building features many crystal related exhibitions within its 14+ subterranean ‘Chambers of Wonder’.  Definitely worth a visit.

Worldwide, The Swarovski Group now employ almost 31,500 people, 26, 140 of whom work with the crystal.  Production has expanded to eight different countries and Swarovski is the company leader in cut crystal, genuine gemstones and created stones.

International Craft  enable you to use the finest Swarovski crystal beads, along with perfect findings, to create your very own distinctive and beautiful Swarovski bracelet, necklace, earrings or cuff links.  CLICK HERE to see our premium range of the Swarovski brand.

Gemstone Folklore and Symbolism of Beads

Since ancient times and through the centuries, gemstones have had a mysterious, magical history that has always fascinated people, regardless of continent or culture.   Almost any stone or metal is said to have beneficial qualities that aid the wearer's healing by shielding against illnesses and spells.   Specific stones, we are told, help the wearer concentrate during psychic and clairvoyant activities. 

The word bead comes from the Anglo Saxon words bidden (to pray) and bede (prayer.)  Prayer beads are used across the world and help to keep track number of number of prayers and sequence. Beads can also ward off evil, help bring wisdom and fortune or be used as a ‘worry’ – helping with decision making or to keep the hands busy.  

The meaning of some of the gemstone beads are:-
 Amethyst Beads

Amethyst Beads

The mythology surrounding the amethyst mostly derives from ancient Greece.  It is a symbol of sincerity and stability.  The amethyst is instantly recognisable with its unique purple shades and is known as the “Rose de France”.  It is a jewel that is coveted by both secular and ecclesiastical princes.  The Russian Empress, Catherine the Great, sent thousands of miners into the Urals to look for it.  As well as the popular belief it protects against ‘drunkenness’ being sobering and cleansing, it was also said to protect crops against tempests and locusts, bring good fortune in war and in the hunt, drive out evil spirits and inspire the intellect.

One feature of the amethyst is that it changes colour upon heating.  Common sources of the stone are Brazil, Madagascar and Uruguay.

Black Onyx Beads

Onyx is a branded variety of chalcedony.

Onyx is known to separate. It can help release negative emotions such as sorrow and grief. It is used to soften the blow of ending unhappy or bothersome relationships.

Black Onyx

Onyx jewellery is worn to ward off black magic or negativity directed at the user.  The onyx gemstone promotes self- confidence and responsibility, sharpens the senses, helps self-mastery and self- control.  It is believed to revive us when feeling depleted of energy.  Onyx is a powerful gemstone to use in difficult or confusing times this gemstone will help you gain emotional balance.

Onyx was a popular stone of the ancient Greeks and Romans.  The name comes from the Greek word onux, meaning fingernail.  Not the most attractive incentive to wear it, but the Greeks and Romans believed the stone came from the Goddess Venus' fingernails, which the mischievous Cupid cut off while she was asleep.  The Fates decided to turn the clippings into stone to ‘leave no heavenly part of the body to perish’.  

Mother of Pearl Beads

Mother of Pearl (or Nacre) derives from the inner shell layer of molluscs, such as the oyster.  It is iridescent, strong and resilient. 

Mother of Pearl

Crystal healing and folklore tradition say that Mother of Pearl helps with high blood pressure, improving vision, dizziness, cataracts, and healing wounds. Mother of Pearl signifies innocence, faith and charity.  It is a stone that is also known as a stone of sincerity, truth and loyalty.  It is a protective stone, ‘mother’s love’.  As the pearl is white, it therefore absorbs the heat, so is cooling and restful.  

International Craft have a large selection of semi-precious beads, perfect for many aspects of jewellery making, all with their own special meaning.  CLICK HERE to browse the page.

What is a Gemstone Cabochon?

What is a Gemstone Cabochon? 

Red Abalone Cabochon

The word ‘Cabochon’ derives from the pre 17^th Century French word caboche, meaning head.  It describes a gemstone that is shaped and polished in such a way that results in a flat bottom with a convex top.  

This is opposed to faceted, which creates flat faces on geometric shapes, accentuating light reflection within the stone.  A cabochon gemstone is usually opaque, or if the gemstone is regarded as ‘soft’ and therefore prone to scratches, the stone is usually polished as a cabochon rather than faceted.  Traditional cabochon stones are glass, tiger eye quartz, sapphires, sardonyx and hematite.

Malachite Cabochon

The traditional shape for a cabochon stone is an ellipse (closed curve/oval), as apparently the eye is less sensitive to the asymmetries in an ellipse to that of circles. 

How is the cabochon effect achieved? 

A slab of rough rock is cut with a slab saw (a traditional saw for cutting large pieces of large natural stone).  The stone is trimmed to the desired shape using a diamond bladed trim saw.  Wheels with diamond or silicone carbide are used to grind the stone down – the diamond being the preferred tool.

The process is completed by hand, known as ‘dopping’.  This is where the stone is fixed onto a wooden dowel (dop stick) with hard wax to enable the piece to be ground to the desired shape and the traditional dome shape sanded and polished.

How are gemstone cabochons used in jewellery making?

Plated Rings

Gemstone Cabochons, with their flat bottoms, have no hole so are not beads.  The stone has to be glued or set into a corresponding jewellery findings or setting. International Craft specialise in supplying high quality cabochon gemstones as well as high quality findings in which to set your pieces, to produce a beautiful item of jewellery.  All the tools needed, including pliers and glue are available to enable you to have all your jewellery making requirements in one place.

Gemstone Cabochons are ideal for pendants, brooches, cufflinks, rings and earrings.

16.01.2013

A Guide to Selling your Handmade Jewellery (or Craft Shows for Dummies!)

by Lyn Sanderson

Whether it is called a Craft Show, Craft Fair, Craft Market or any combination you have already made the difficult decision, to sell your handmade jewellery to strangers!  People who don’t have to say ‘how lovely’ or ‘aren’t you clever’.  They are usually hard-nosed craft devotees who can spot a fake from a mile away.  Don’t panic!  They will love your work, and will usually have an understanding of how it is made and, therefore, are more inclined to buy your lovely stuff!

Now all you have to do is convince them!  Have a glance through my short guide, and learn from my 10 years of experience in selling to the public!

1. The very first thing to do is collect together all the things you think you want to sell (have to sell, how will you buy more materials to make more stuff!).  Then find yourself a nice big table (most tables at Craft Shows are 6ft x 3ft), a pasting table is ideal, and display your items as you would at the real event.  Then take away about a third of it.  I know, you think you want to show everything you have, so people can see how versatile you are.  Big news, if you watch people when they are shopping, they scan the items in front of them, picking out the items they like the look of, if there are too many things to look at, they give up!  That means no sales = no new stuff!  Just take the extra items with you, and replenish what is sold.

2. Then think about the actual display.  You need to have interest (apart from your handmade jewellery and crafty items!).  That means, height, colour and depth.  This adds ‘texture’ to your display and makes it both easier and more interesting for people to scan your display.   Think about it, unless you are selling carrots, it’s going to look bad if all your jewellery making hard work is just plonked flat on the table!  Use the same creativity and imagination that you used to make your jewellery, to create your display.  Place shallow boxes or wooden blocks on the table and cover with a fancy cloth to create   depth and layers to showcase your jewellery from.  Use simple jewellery display stands and jewellery presentation boxes to show off your creations.

3. Once you have done this, you need to think about pricing your items.  There is lots and lots of information out there telling you to do this and that.  My experience tells me that roughly 3 times the cost of making is what hits the right note.  Add a little bit more for ‘wriggle’ room.  That means that when someone is wavering, you have room to knock a little bit off and let them have the bargain they were looking for.  The price is not cast in stone, there is no law, you won’t get into trouble, it’s your work, and you can charge what you like.  The one thing that all the books and advice websites tell you is that you should charge so much for your time, sadly, these days that is the one thing you cannot charge for.

4. So now you have contacted the organiser and they have a space for you, yippee!  They all have their own little ways; some will have application forms as long as war and peace others are a little more realistic.  Whatever it is, just fill it in and send it back, once it’s done, it’s done!  Some organisers will also insist on you having Public Liability Insurance (PLI).  It’s their party, they can insist if they want to.  It is not (yet) a legal requirement; however, it is for your benefit to have it.  A good insurer will charge only £50 per year.

5. While you are waiting for your crafty event to arrive, and in between rushing to make even more stuff to take with you, think about how you are going to get people there to buy all your lovely stuff.  It is not only the organisers’ job to do the advertising; even if they don’t ask you to, make sure you tell all your family, friends, neighbours, put it on your Facebook page (open one if you haven’t got one), put it on your own website, in fact anything you can think of to help, it will help you too!  You need to play your part in driving people to the event rather than sitting there wondering where everyone is and moaning about it later!

6. The day has finally arrived, follow my steps above to help you to set up, take your time, it’s not a race (unless you get up late)!  Remember, all those other crafters you see are not your sworn enemy, even if they make the same things you do, they are not taking your customers, they are not out to get you!  You need to be aware of what other people are doing but, and here’s the hard bit, not let them affect what you do!

7. Always bring some of your beads, jewellery making supplies and unfinished (or unstarted) work with you; it gives you something to do, it also gives you a couple of seconds before you have to acknowledge a customer if you are nervous and it shows living craft.  It can also help nervous customers to strike up a conversation with you.  Don't forget your jewellery making tools either.

8. Perhaps the hardest bit of all, how to deal with customers.  You need to make them feel that they are welcome and you are friendly without getting on their nerves!  I find that the easiest way, is just to give them a smile and a hello, they then feel able to talk if they want to or wander about if they don’t.  Customers don’t like to be ignored and they don’t like over the top friendliness either.

9. Now it’s the end of the day and you are packed away, tired but thankful, you think it’s all over.  WRONG!  The least you can do is put your table away, see if anyone else needs help with their stuff, a lot of people get into selling their craft ‘full-time’ because they are in some way unwell, and may need a little bit of help.  You won’t know until you ask and just think how nice they will think you are if you do!!

10. And that’s all there is to it. Simples!

I hope that my little guide will help you, I have been making items for other people for over thirty years, selling full-time for 10 years and now organise my own events at Creative Craft Markets.  Feel free to contact me if you ever need any help, (you won’t, but just in case!).  http://www.creativecraftmarkets.com/

Voluntary Teaching and Jewellery Making with Children

One of our Customers Laura Cassidy from www.lauracassidydesign.com who specialises in Millinery and Jewellery Making has just returned from Cambodia where she was part of a voluntary teaching project run by the SCOOP Foundation. She spent 4 weeks teaching the pupils (whose ages ranged up to 19 years) English and various Arts and Crafts which included Jewellery Making . The children only have access to notepads and pencils so she had to supply her own resources for what ever projects she had in mind to teach the children.

Laura approached us with her dilemma and we were very touched and taken by what she was about to do. The whole trip including the flight tickets was funded by Laura, so when she asked for help we were more than happy to supply some Beads, Elastic , basic Jewellery Findings and Jewellery Making Tools for her to take with her.

Here's a email from Laura to us after she had returned.

I returned from Cambodia last week and I have just sent you a link to my photographs of the children and teenagers making jewellery with the tools and resources you kindly donated. 

The projects were amazing and the children, teenagers, volunteers and local teachers were delighted with the resources. We made simple bracelets with the younger children in the school and used the pliers and findings with the teenagers. The photographs speak from themselves in showing you how engaged and delighted the students were.

The school stemmed from an orphanage that is now called a children centre with additional classrooms. I brought the tools and resources here after completing the projects in the school. I worked with the small group of children and teenagers who live at the centre. The older students were then teaching and helping the younger ones. The jewellery they made is now displayed in a cabinet and on sale to volunteers and visitors to the centre. An American charity who is also involved in fundraising are going to take some of the jewellery back to America to sell them there.

All in all it was an amazing trip and an amazing experience to teach the children and watch them create. This could not have been possible without your donations.

Many thanks again,

Laura Cassidy

Here are a few of the images Laura sent to us - they just go to show what an amazing thing Laura and the SCOOP Foundation are doing. 

The smiles on the children's faces speak for themselves and just goes to show how much fun making jewellery can be.  

The ''Scoop Foundation'' is a Dublin based charity and has the mission statement

'Turning new ideas into new schools…Our mission is to support local grass root organisations who share our desire to build schools and to create opportunities for children living in the poorest and more corrupt parts of the world. Every child has the right to a home. Every child has the right to an education. Not one child should be left behind….'

They are continually looking for volunteers to help with various teaching projects in India and Cambodia.

Olympic Inspired Pendant

Made using coloured Shamballa Style Beads matching your Country's flag. Support your Country's athletes.

Simply made with basic Jewellery Findings such as head pins, eye pins, bead caps and jump rings.