Artist: Aria Nero-Seder
Website: Aria Nero
I’ve always had a passion for being creative, and ever since I began creating my jewelry line, I’ve found it to be the most natural form of creative expression for me. I find my inspiration in the world all around me, from times of the past, other cultures, art, nature, and really just from anything that I find to be beautiful or interesting.

I am truly inspired by fashion from all periods of history, from the Victorian Age to modern times, from the simple to the extravagant. I thrive on the ability to translate these many …read more

Artist: Kate Casolaro
Website: Kate Casolaro Designs
Kate Casolaro’s jewelry designs evolve from the shape of a single bead into creations that celebrate the infinite and complex relationships between color, form, and texture. A freshwater pearl takes on a life of its own when combined with the bright orange of vintage coral beads on a delicate pendant. Necklines demand attention when gemstones like chalcedony, citrine, carnelian and labradorite, as well as pearls, crystals and unique glass beads are woven through her diverse necklaces. Her crocheted wire necklaces are sparkling and organic and her hammered silver and gold-filled forms are artistic and funky. …read more

I’m ending my June tribute to pearls with a big BANG and this fabulous crystal and pearl necklace designed by Design by Apple and written by Tammy Honaman, Media Content Manager for Fire Moutain Gem & Beads. It’s called Crystal and Pearl Mystique.

Nothing beats the classic designs when it comes to pearls, and WigJig offers a free pearl project on its site to shows how to include some WigJig style clasps into different pearl designs, including the necklace pictures.

If you want to learn a little more about pearls, not just how to make pearl jewelry, but also info on things like history, pearl care, and more, then consider reading my article, The Power of Pearls. It goes into more detail about this wonderful gift from the sea, or actually, now I guess it’s a gift from pearl farmers!

For those who want a more intensive lesson on knotting and some practice to boot, you may want to consider taking one of my two free knotting e-courses. Pearls aren’t the only beads you can knot between, and if you’ve been stringing for awhile (in fact, I recommend you know how to do bead stringing first before signing up for one of these), then learning to knot between beads can take your stringing skills to the next level:

Crash Course Bead Knotting: You’ll get a lesson a day, so this is a course designed for those who want it now, now, …read more

For those traditionalists, you can find instructions here: Traditional Knotting. Pearls can be delicate and you don’t want them to rub together too much, so knotting is a good way to keep a little distance between each pearl bead. Knotting is also helpful in case a necklace breaks. This will keep the beads from going all over the place. If you wear your pearls a lot, then normally it’s a good idea to reknot them about once a year.

Side-drilled pearls are beautiful, but they can also be a buger to try to design jewelry with. I came up with these earrings as a way to incorporate them into dangle elements at the end of the earrings: Side-Drilled Pearl Solution Earrings.

Of course, I had to make a complete set for my prom pal, and I wasn’t sure what she wanted as far as a necklace. Thus, I ended up making one for her that was adjustable. It combines chain sections with pearls, crystals, and hematite hear beads. Plus, it has a sterling heart bead at the end. This can be worn a number of different ways.
Though I orginally made this for someone going to the prom, the design could easily be adapted for a bride as well: Adjustable Prom Queen Necklace project.

Nothing sweeter than pearls, crystals, and little hematite hearts – so that’s what I combined in this bracelet I made for a young friend of mine who was going to attend her high school’s prom: Prom Queen Bracelet.