As the economy continues to be in a bit of a slump, many of us are looking for ways to cut our costs without sacrificing taste and artistic merit.  For several years now, I’ve been mixing copper, brass, and pewter into my designs…at first because I liked the look, and in addition now because they are more affordable.
I have a list of metal bead suppliers that has links to many fine companies, but I notice that most of them specialize in silver and gold.  Vintaj is listed, a wholesaler of brass beads and findings, and also Green Girl Studios, which …read more

Artist: Linda Kaye-Moses
Linda Kaye-Moses has been creating jewels since 1976 and in 1996 she became a Certified Precious Metal Clay artisan. She has shown her work in galleries and shows across the country including the Smithsonian Craft Show, ACC Craft Fairs, and The Paradise City Arts Festivals. Linda’s art has also been published in Art Jewelry Today and Art Jewelry Today I, Creative Metal Clay Jewelry, Fabulous Jewelry from Found Objects, PMC Decade, and Making Metal Beads. She is currently writing a book on metal clay, tentatively titled: Jewelry Arts Workshop: Making Pure Silver Beads with Metal …read more

Making Metal Beads
by Pauline Warg
This is an astounding book! Like all Lark Publications, it is filled with beautiful photographs, in this case close-ups of lovely fabricated metal beads and the steps to create them.
Warning: this is not a book on metal clay. Pauline’s book covers traditional metalsmithing techniques, so it’s not for everyone. But if you’ve ever thought that you’d like to try your hand at making metal beads from scratch (or in this case, from sheet metal!), this is the book for you. She has a brief section on doctoring up premade metal beads, giving them texture and more …read more