Jewelry Blog

First there was silver, then gold, then bronze made a big splash not that long ago, and now - ta da! - we have copper clay available to us!

This is really good news for a few reasons. First, it’s cool that we have metal clay available for all four of the main metals used in jewelry making (finally!). Then there’s the fact that copper and bronze cost way less then silver or gold, both when it comes to clay as well as regular metal. In fact, a 100 gram package of Rio Grande’s CopprClay goes for about $20. Not too shabby! Plus, to top all of this off, base metals like brass and copper are very popular right now, and the notion of mixing metals is a huge jewelry trend.

What do you think of copper and brass clays? Have you used them? Do you think the time is right for these new jewelry making products?

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton will slip on this diamond encrusted helmet for the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix, 77 laps around Monte Carlo’s winding streets. The helmet is courtesy of Steinmetz, a sponsor of the McLaren Mercedes team. Teammate Heikki Kovalainen will wear his own specially designed red helmet during the race.

Diamonds, vividly colored gemstones, lush gold, asymmetrical pieces — you’ll find a wide mixture of jewelry at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. And although some celebrities are wearing less jewelry this year, or have replaced diamonds with other materials, for the majority it appears to be business as usual. How do you feel about that? Should celebrities exhibit more empathy for people who are struggling to make ends meet during the current worldwide recession, or do you expect them to dress as richly as they always have?

_{Photo of Mariah Carey by by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images}

Adding simple swirl dangles is one way to give these wire hanger earrings, which use howlite beads, a different look than my original version of this project called No Wire Hangers!

To make these you will need the following items:

1 pair of No Wire Hangers!
4 inches of wire
Wire cutters
Round-nosed pliers
Chain-nosed pliers
Jewelers’ files

Loops are a very important elements in most wire designs. With these Gypsy Wire and Bead Earrings, you can dangle beads from five of the loops for a fun gypsy look. This design can either be done using a jig or by hand using round nosed pliers.

You’ll need the following tools and supplies:

12 inches of 18 or 20-gauge round wire
4 inches of chain
2 ear hooks
10 head pins
Your choice of beads
Ruler
Wire cutters
Jeweler’s files
Round-nosed pliers
Nylon-nosed pliers
Chain-nosed pliers

I’m using copper chain and gold-tone findings in this tutorial, but you could use any type of metals, mixed or matched.

Developing and using patterns is an important element when designing jewelry. It doesn’t matter what kind of jewelry you are talking about, but this is especially true when it comes to any type of jewelry that involved beads.

Beadwork magazine has a challenge out to its readers to create unique jewelry patterns. The deadline is early August and the idea is to take a pattern that already exists, like something from nature or piece of fabric, and use that as the design inspiration for your jewelry piece. Winners will have their jewelry work featured in the late August issue of Beadwork magazine. For all the details and rules, go to the Beading Daily weblog.