Melinda Barta came up with a brilliant idea for this fun book. Instead of spreading her many talents out too thinly, she concentrated on just three areas: pendants, charms, and clasps.

It’s often hard to find exactly that perfect piece to customize your jewelry, and if you can make your own pendants, charms, and clasps, you can add them to readily available lain beads to create a masterpiece that is distinctively yours. Melinda includes over 275 quick and easy ideas for mixed media components as well as 7 full stringing projects. Once you start making these components, you’ll never run out of ideas about what to do with them!

Custom Cool Jewelry teaches you how to create personalized, affordable, and unique alternatives to store-bought beading components using a wide range of jewelry and basic crafting materials including embossing powder, collage papers, wire, fibers, glass etching cream, patinas, found objects, fabric, memorabilia and more.

Check out The Bookshop for lots more links to books about jewelry-making in addition to this fine guide!

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A Stitch in Time,
using beads and cabochons from Earthenwood Studios (see below)

Some folks say that Steampunk is dead, but I don’t agree, and neither do many of you! I’ve received requests for more more more of this funky style that combines Victorian sensibilities with steampowered technology. Steampunk merges the two into an alternative future where steampower still reigns. I love the look, because it allows me to combine many of the elements that I love the most into a form that stops short of being completely masculine. Not that steampunk can’t be masculine, but not usually in my hands!

Here are some pieces that I’ve made this year:

Time to Run

A Stitch in Time (which will be in an upcoming issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry!)

Other steampunk designers (not all jewelry):

Steampunk Workshop

Steampunk Jewelry blog

edm.designs

Sillof’s Workshop

Eric Freitas

Molly “Porkshanks” Friedrich

The Builder’s Studio

Steampunk Jewelry and Art lens

The Steampunk Home

Gizmodo

Brass Goggles

Supplies for making your own:

Earthenwood Studios

Steampunk supplies on Etsy

Steampunk supplies on eBay

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“Discovered Objects and Jewelry d’Art” is the tagline of this delightful Etsy shop, featuring steampunk style jewelry that is beautifully made. Sometimes “steampunk” ends up equated with “sloppy”, but that just shouldn’t be. And it is certainly not the case at edm.designs!

I am especially taken by his rings, but that’s only the beginning. You will find necklaces, bracelets, pendants, pins, cufflinks, and earrings as well.

Post from: Jewelry and Beading