When designing jewellery, one wants it to be attractive whether a simple or gaudier look is desired. Even if the creation is more chaotic in design, it is designed that way. Beads made from wood offer a variety in natural, stained, or painted colors. They can be incorporated into traditional styled necklaces, earrings or pins, primitive, or modern pieces. Stained beads made with grained woods can be beautifully highlighted. Round, squared, or barrel shapes are common, but some cross sections sliced into abstracts or oval cuts can be created for a pendant effect. Something as simple as a dried, drilled cherry pit can be a novel accent for jewellery made from natural ingredients.
Other beads can be made of paper cut from 1 inch by 6 inch tapered triangles. These are rolled from wide to skinniest point on a toothpick or small dowel rod and glued at the end. Remove from the dowel and place spaced apart on a straight wire such as a cut wire clothes hanger. Spray or brush on an acrylic sealer. Once they are dry they can be used with other traditional beads or strung by themselves. Very pretty and fun to make from wrapping paper, magazines, or whatever you choose. Tissue papers are a little too thin to work with so try to use a slightly heavier paper.
Glass beads are also a beautiful bead if one is skilled at this art. Color varieties are endless and shapes are whatever you choose. This is a wonderful hobby to pursue, but does take some learning and care to master. Precious metals can be added to clear glass. When fired to certain temperatures, gold can have red to purple shades that blend and highlight.
Polymer clay has gotten more and more popular. This clay can be formed into shapes by hand or by mold. Blends of colors that resemble natural stones are ideal for jewellery making. A blend of brown, gold, yellow with a hint of black and white, passed through a crank type pasta machine several times to blend can resemble tiger's eye beautifully. This can be wrapped around a scrap piece of clay or just shaped with hands or mold. The key to getting good color that doesn't resemble mud or dirty dish water is not to over blend. If that happens, use it for the centers of beads that won't show. Waste not, want not.
Beads can be a lot of fun to work with as well as make. The finished beads, strung together, can give highlight to many things besides jewellery. Lamp shades, beaded curtains, card making, and many other things can be adorned with beads. Imagination tapped into is unstoppable.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlesbacklink.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
