Vacation was a good thing and I enjoyed myself thoroughly. However we are back now and I am getting to work! If you are interested in finding out more about our great vacation then head on over to Life or Something Like It.
The day is coming to a close. I have worked hard and gotten all my work done. I almost have my family packed and I am very excited for the time ahead of us. Tomorrow morning we will be getting up early and heading out on nine days of crazy adventure and calling it a vacation. I shall be back on September 9th and look forward to continuing at that time. Till Next Time.
Agates are readily available in a wide range of bead shapes and sizes. They also come in a wide range of color and many varieties have an earthy feel to them. These are beads that have a richer feel then glass, often bearing a natural look. They are easily mixed with each other as well as other items of your choice. One thing that should be noted about working with agate is that it can get heavy and it is important to make sure that your stringing material can handle the weight of the piece.
Agates are microcrystalline varieties of quartz. They come in several varieties that share different aspects of color, banding, and layers. Some are then taken naturally and others are dyed to achieve a desired result.
Blue Agate-This agate is one that is found in many places, most common in South America and is simply gray in color. It is then taken to Germany where it is dyed a bright sky blue. The methods used in dying these stones have been a closely guarded secret since the 16th century and the blue in this agate is simply stunning.
Crazy Lace Agate-This natural swirl of neutral colors is stunning and beautiful. Each bead is its own with a swirl of whites, browns, grays, golds, and even the occasional pink or peach tone. This stone is particularly calming and is a great addition to fall color schemes and relaxing neutral pieces.
Golden Leaf Agate-This natural agate is a deep brown with golden and tan colored swirls pressed deep within it. It is often described as being like the leaves of a forest with the deep browns clinging to the beautiful golds. This is another great one to mix into the natural color schemes as well as a good one to add when you need that deep rich brown.
Tree Agate-This lovely agate is usually mostly white with dappled green leaf like patterns present among the bright white colors. It is lovely and has an ancient and natural feel. Some beads carry more green then others and that can make a huge difference for how you mix them in with your designs.
Blue Lace Agate-This is the palest of all blues and it has a gentle lace pattern across the surface of it. It is very pale and easy to use in design with almost anything else that you wish.
Fossil Agate-Fossil agate is usually shades of gray with small fossils embedded within the stone. Some fossil agates also have a wide range of pink shades mixed in with the gray background.
Green Agate-Much like the blue agate, the green agate is carefully dyed into a bright rich green color. These practices are old and lend an air of richness to the agate, however dyed agates don’t have the natural feel of the natural ones (such as the fossil, blue lace, crazy lace, and tree agates mentioned above.
Moss Agate-Moss agate is a stone that often has deep green colors and patterns much like moss. However, this stone isn’t classified as true agate. It still remains a beautiful option for adding to a lot of different types of jewelry with clear formations and beautiful colors that definitely remind the world of nature.
Golden Lace Agate-This is an agate with a tawny mix of colors that usually include browns, golds, with a touch of a black ribbon. Most commonly mined from Africa this is an exotic and earthy beauty!
Botswana Agate-This is a distinctly banded agate with browns, creams, and whites in lovely shades. It comes from South Africa and has a wild yet dignified feel to it and it has so many uses in jewelry design.
Agates can also be dyed in many more colors including black and purples. However, these are your most common agates. Occasionally you may come across a stone that is under a different name. I bought tree agate under the name “leaf agate”, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is indeed white agate with lacy green leaf like patterns on the surface. Working with agates is often a pleasure and there are many different design options for these beautiful stones.
There are a wide range of supplies and where to find ones that you like working with can be difficult. I get a lot of supplies from Walmart. While the quality of their beads is lower then some are willing to use, they have some very beautiful options and the price is something that everyone can afford. I also enjoy shopping at both Hobby Lobby and Michael’s Craft Store. Both of these options have higher quality items and they have a wide selection. Finding specific items is sometimes difficult, but it this can be one way to get items. I also purchase items from Fire Mountain Gems which has a huge variety of options. I have purchased a few items from eBay as well, however it is hard to find the exact items that you want and you need to be careful not to pay more then you would somewhere else. It is easy to get excited about bidding and pay too much. There is also a bead store here that has decent prices and great items. They let you buy many of them by the piece allowing you to get exactly what you need or want for the project at hand.
Look around your area to see what you have available to you for hands on shopping and check out online sources for a variety of options and great pieces.
When you decide that you want to make a wide range of jewelry items and beaded projects there there really isn’t a limit to what you can make. Imagination is the only thing that holds you back and as you learn more techniques you gain more options to expand that imagination. While it isn’t always easy to figure out where it will all take you it is possible to figure out where you want to go and the things that you like doing.
Bead Stringing-One of the easiest things to do in the beading and jewelry making categories is bead stringing. This is simple, quick, and easy, but still provides you with a wide range of options as to how you can do it and where you want to take it. Expanding your market in this realm can include trying more complex stringing methods as well as trying new materials to work with.
Earring Making-While bracelets, necklaces, and even some other objects can fall into the stringing category, earring making is rather different and offers you a chance to have a lot of fun in design and creativity. There are many different techniques that can be used here and they will draw on things learned in stringing methods, using head and eye pins, and a wide range of other creative devices.
Stitches-Many stitches use seed beads or other small beads to create interesting looks. There are a wide range of stitches to learn that come from all over the world and throughout history. These can be made into a wide range of products and even mixed and matched for some great looks.
Materials-Materials that you use can open the door to so many creative products and projects. You can choose to work with different stringing materials including wire, ribbon, leather, cotton, and more. These materials can offer you a lot of design choices including wire work and links, knotting, and other forming of materials for interesting pieces created with creativity in mind.
Limitless-If you let your mind go then you are not limited by what you see before you. You can take the techniques you learn and turn them into a wide range of jewelry pieces and even artwork. Stepping into the world of imagination is only the beginning to working your way into a fantastic future.
Products-There is a limitless list of items you can make and here is just a small list to get you started in your creative thought process.
Of course, if I listed them all then there wouldn’t be room for additions to this page. Your goal is to learn the various techniques and work your way into creating the things you enjoy making and the different styles that touch who you are.
InWhether you shop at Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, a bead store, Walmart, or even online there are lots of options for beads, findings, and even other great options. Choosing isn’t always an easy part of a jewelry maker’s job, but there are a few things that can help you in the process.
Specific Projects-If you have some specific projects in mind this process can be a little easier then if you are in there with a budget and a dream (which if you are like me is usually a lot larger then your budget!).
Increasing your supplies-It is very fun to go shopping with your budget and your dream (I am sure it would be even more fun to go shopping without a budget, but I have yet to experience that!). When this comes there are still a few items that are helpful for choosing your items.
Buy to fit other needs-There are several times where it is worth buying to fit other needs.
It is also a good idea to go through your supplies and use up those items that you just haven’t ever used. This can make for a huge difference in your organization and you will often find that you will come up with some very creative and often awesome pieces at times like these.
Whether you pick up designs on the Internet, in free locations (Hobby Lobby has free patterns available), or you buy a book you have to figure out how to adapt the pattern to meet your needs. You could search hard and find the exact materials of the project list. You could find ones of the same type, or you can take that concept and use it in a variety of ways. The Stretchy Ladder Stitch Bracelet is one example. You could hunt down bicone beads in the 8mm size (though I didn’t tell you they were 8mm because any size bead can be used as long as the stretchy cord goes through it twice). You could find them in the lovely powder blue I used and use black seed beads to accent the piece. Or you can use red rectangular beads and pewter colored seed beads such as the last picture. Or you can use oval disc beads that are 12mm with 4 mm round beads as your side beads. The idea behind it is to take the basic instructions and make it into something that is yours.
You don’t want to take it and make it exactly the same way as shown, add your own style, your own beads, and you to the mix! I will show you a few more options on how to do this in the coming days.
This piece is fun and easy to make. You simply create a series of triangles that are then used for earrings, bracelets, or necklaces of your choice. It could even be used for accessories such as eye glass chain, a purse handle, or even a sweater guard.
You will need: You are going to need bugle beads, seed beads, and thin 22 or 24 gauge wire. You will also need any findings that go with your project (whether you are turning them into earrings, necklace, bracelet, or some other great item.
To begin, cut a long wire about three times the length of your finished piece. You can then fold it in half and add either a clasp or begin working right there and add a clasp later. The pattern doesn’t require you to start at one end of the triangle or the other so you will either want a seed bead on both strands, one bugle bead and one seed bead on each strand, and finally a bugle bead that both wires go through one from the right and the other from the left. Or you will want to begin with a bugle bead in the middle, one seed bead and one bugle bead on each side, and finish with a seed bead to both strands.
Either way that you begin you must continue the pattern. Bugle bead through which both wires run (one from the right and one from the left), one seed bead and one bugle bead to each wire, a seed bead on both wires, a bugle bead and a seed bead to each wire, and then another bugle bead through which both wires pass through (one from the left and one from the right). 
Once the piece is long enough for whatever the project you are doing you can run the wire back through the piece and add clasps or findings as needed. This is also a piece that can be used as a chain for a charm bracelet or to have pendants added to it for great necklaces. Have fun with the colors and you can have a whole lot of fun and funky pieces.
Beads can be made of all sorts of materials. As such you can choose a wide range of different types of beads for different looks. This offers the designer a million and one different things that he or she can do. You are really only held back by your imagination. An example of a wonderful option for your beaded jewelry is bone beads. These come in a wide range of colors, sizes, shapes, and styles.
Picture provided by Fire Mountain Gems, the best place to find all your jewelry making supplies. Used with permission.
Many of these beads are dyed to a pleasing color (usually a shade of white, cream, ivory, tan, brown, or black) and some have a wide range of designs available. You can find them with the designs dyed a deeper color then the rest of the bead or even white on a dark colored bead. This gives you a ton of great possibilities for using them in design. Some popular options is to use them in leather jewelry making, knot them onto cotton cords, or mix them with other natural materials such as gemstones, shells, or wooden beads. They have a great deal of detail adding wonderful texture to the piece as well as their visual elegance and lovely natural looks. Natural beads have a lot of great uses, bone beads are certainly one of the greats!
I write about this topic so often that there is a ton of information floating around created by me. Not that this is to brag or anything, but you could be missing some great articles. So, here are a few that might interest you:
Make Awesome Necklaces Quickly and Easily
Making a Ladder Stitch Bracelet with Beautiful Beads
Making Easy Multi-Strand Necklaces
How to Choose the Right Clasp for Your Project
Other Articles that Might Interest You:
Photographing Jewelry with a Scanner
If you have great blogs, articles, or other materials related to jewelry making and beadwork then you can send the link to me at aiden@falonofthetower.com for a review. Who knows, I just might get it into next times Articles of Interest!