How to Design Jewelry

The following are a few important steps I’ve found on the road to creating a great and memorable piece of jewelry. I call this piece “Indigo Mood Bracelet”.
First, you fall in love. When you find a great bead it…

I happened upon a fun idea after I went through my jewelry box recently. I keep saying how much I value simplicity, but you couldn’t tell that by looking through my jewelry box — there were way too many earrings!…

I am in the midst of painting various rooms in our house. I know, I know…lots of fun, right? Well, not exactly. For those of you who have ever painted a room, you know there is a lot more involved…

If you have an eye for color and a taste for the bold (yet classic!) you’re going to love this necklace.
Round up your usual beading materials: gold beading wire, a gold hook clasp, crimp beads, crimping pliers, chain-nose pliers,…

As you begin to think of creating jewelry pieces for spring, consider the effects that color might have on those who may wear your jewelry — even if it’s just you.
Have you ever wondered about the effects that certain…

As a mom of two toddlers, I’ve understandably come to appreciate one stop shopping. Just because I’m cruisin’ down the bread aisle, doesn’t mean I can’t check out some jewelry on the way to the checkout counter.
I’ve learned that…

When I first started beading last summer, I fell in love with it instantly, and I felt that I was a pretty quick study. But I really struggled with clasps, and was less than impressed at my best efforts to…

I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a granola sort, so trying something new like a leather cord necklace really appealed to me, as it has an earthy sort of feel. I also wanted to break a few rules by mixing…

Many beaders have been there: face-to-face with a bead the likes of which they’ve never seen before. And hope to never see again. They roll their eyes; quickly turn on heel and head in the other direction.
But you needn’t…

A few years back I bought my mother-in-law a jewelry gift set I thought she might like. Wrong! The set was just too plain for her. Now that I make jewelry, she recently gave the set back to me for…