And it looks like a big one!  It’s a “buy one get one free” sale, aimed at clearing out some space on Melanie’s shelves.  If you’re in the market for wonderful Earthenwood Studio ceramic beads, check it out.  Some Halloween items like the one below are available.

Glasses and sunglasses are an accessory topic that I don’t often remark on.  I do think that the right glasses are important in putting together your total look, and I actually have friends who treat their glasses as a piece of jewelry, swapping out various styles for various look. The major reason I don’t is because I don’t wear glasses, except for a cheap pair of magnifiers.
But for those of you who do wear glasses and consider them as important as your necklace and earrings, check this out.  You can now custom design your own eyewear or sunglasses with Indivijual …read more

Visit JewelerMe for unique jewelry kits that make it incredibly easy to create your own jewelry. Instead of figuring out a design and then searching for the best beads and findings to put it together, you can just purchase one of their kits! They’ve put together a variety of different jewelry designs and then organized the materials, so all you need to do is follow the directions.
Selene Bracelet
Nikki and Barb, site owners write:
We’ve been making our own jewelry for years now, but when we first started it was daunting to search for the right findings, the correct beading wire size …read more

Understanding how color works technically is one thing, being able to choose lovely colorways for your designs can be another!  Beverly Ash Gilbert, who shared a wonderful artist profile with us back in March, is an absolute master at chosing palettes and working with color in her pieces.  Now Beverly has published a new tool called The Eye for Color system which will help you put into practice the principles behind great color selection.

Beverly’s packet has two color wheels and six color harmony templates with a unique snap-together construction.  There is a beautiful inspirational booklet that comes with the system, …read more

I had the opportunity to try out Consumer Crafts‘ relatively new website.  Their mission is to provide competitive pricing on a wide selection of craft supplies, and I found that for jewelry makers, there is a very nice selection of beads and findings available.

I received a shipment of Jill MacKay findings and am very pleased with the quality.   The website was very easy to navigate and use, and the shipment went out the very next day.   I had my order a mere two days after placing it!  The findings that I ordered are silver and gold plate, and as you’ll …read more

If you had it in mind to learn a new technique or two this summer, but you still haven’t gotten started on that goal, here’s something to consider.  There are lots of sites where you can buy a kit or a pattern, where you will learn in excruciating detail how to perform a certain task.  Sometimes we just need it in excruciating detail, huh?
Earring kit by Laura McCabe available from Beads East
For example, my friend Dulcey Heller creates kits and patterns for a site called simply Buy the Kit.  Despite the name, they also sell “bead-less kits”, a clever way …read more

Fire Mountain Gems has been sending out their brand new Jewelry Maker’s Comprehensive Catalog for 2009 to 2010 over the past couple of weeks.  Long  before I got my copy, I was getting emails and wall posts on Facebook from friends who had seen my piece from a year ago in the new catalog!
Andromeda’s Pearls (shown below) was the gold medal winner in the pearls category for 2008.  And there it is on page 454, less than half way through this bohemoth of a catalog!  You can also see it on the Fire Mountain Gems website or on my own …read more

I love making pieces with domed epoxy resin, often using bottle caps and the like to create bezels.  Well, if you’ve been wanting to try making resin jewelry, Rings & Things has a couple of resources available for you!  First up is a new line of brass bezel cups, just perfect for holding an image and some do-dads.  Each is 1/8 inch deep, so you’ll even be able to use them for earrings where weight can be an issue.

In addition, R & T has added a pdf file to share resin tips with you.  For example, there is helpful advice …read more

There are brands of beading wire available that fit just about every budget, but you’ll find that if I specify a brand, it is usually SoftFlex.  They don’t pay me to do it, so why?  Because it’s the best quality beading wire you’re going to find out there.  It’s also more expensive, but when you spend the amount of time making a piece that most of us do, it’s worth it to use the best.
I knew that it had the softest drape of any wire, but that it was also the strongest…how can that be?  A few weeks ago, Sara …read more

Rings & Things is offering a new “Product Reviews Contest” complete with five prizes of $50 gift certificates!  All you need to do to enter is to write a review of a product available through the online store.
1. In our online store, pick a Rings & Things product you’ve bought from us before.
2. Click on the ‘Write your own review’ link.
3. Rate the product, between 1 and 5 stars, and write an honest review.
All the details can be found on the R&T blog. Deadline for entry is July 31, 2009.

Image: Rings & Things