Upcoming Wedding

Filed under: Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry, Uncategorized

Well, I haven’t written too much and I haven’t had a ton of time to even make a lot of new pieces. I am getting married on August 1st, and there is still so much to do that I feel like it’s never going to get finished in time. I’ll post a separate blog on that fiasco later!

I did make this bracelet and called it “Something Blue”. I thought that I might wear it on my own wedding day. I still might, I am not sure. Nevertheless the bracelet is beautiful, and I think anyone would be happy to own it. It is made of the same great quality materials that I always use; Swarovski Crystal and Freshwater pearls along with Bali and Sterling silvers. Keep in mind that this bracelet, should you want one for yourself, can be customized with any color pearl, and various colors of crystal in these graphite and butterfly shapes.

I did have some time a few weeks ago to complete some new pieces with beads that I had waiting to be used. The photographs aren’t the best, as I have procrastinated on purchasing a really good lighting system. I don’t seem to be very good at juggling being a mommy of 2, a wife-to-be, a poker player, and jewelry maker all at the same time. I’ll get it together one of these days. It’s a goal of mine! Anyway here is a piece from the “Breakfast at Bella’s” collection that I had started. In this collection I used handmade glass beads from Laurie Whitney of Mermaid Glass. Here is one of the newer pieces. It is a Cupcake and Doughnut set and it’s accented with Swarovski crystal bicone beads and sterling silver. The chain was cut and assembled by me so the length is completely customizable.

The next piece is something I just love, although the picture surely own reflect it’s beauty. This I call the “Grand Slam”. It is a very solid sterling silver rolo bracelet with toggle clasp, and on it several delicious charms accented in sterling silver and Hill Tribes silver dangle delicately, and just tempt your taste buds! You’ll find a complete breakfast of bacon and eggs along with a short stack of syrup smothered pancakes.

Tags: cupcake, doughnut, earrings, Glass Beads, Hill Tribes Silver, Necklace, sterling silver, swar

Happy Easter! (and other Holidays)

Filed under: Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry, Holiday Jewelry

Happy Easter! (and other Holidays too!)

It’s been a while since I have put out a blog. I have new items from my “Breakfast at Bella’s” collection that still need to be added, but I am finding that time is scarce since I had my second child. Once I photograph and re-size these items I will add them to the store for all to see (and buy!) Also I have been collaborating with Laurie from Mermaid Glass and our ideas are complete and the beads are being made for my next collection. I promise to have the breakfast pieces up first though.

I am obviously still trying to find myself as a jewelry designer among other things. There are so many beautiful mediums to use within a creation, I want to experiment with all of them before settling down into one specific area, which I swear to the almighty poker gods I will do one day.

To keep with my new tradition I would like to introduce you to my featured Guest Jeweler this month. She is award winning artist, Ann Marie Hodrick

Ann Marie Hodrick has been artistic from birth, developing her creativity in one medium or another all her life.

Ann Marie crafted as a young child, developing a keen sense of color and fine motor skills.  In high school she pursued the fine arts of painting, printmaking, ceramics and silversmithing.   She continued her exploration of these mediums while at Loyola University in New Orleans pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts. After earning her BA degree she went to work as a video editor choosing to voice her creativity on television while earning a regular income to help support her growing family, all the while never losing her artistic desire.  Her current foray into jewelry design is simply a part of her life-long dedication to artistic expression. She has won multiple national awards for her jewelry designs.

Ann Marie currently lives in Oakland, Ca. with her husband and two teenage sons. As for her philosophy, Ann Marie uses skills from all areas of her past art studies. She has synthesized a unique style, blending her romantic nature and experience in the arts with a fascination for the art of personal adornment. Nature and architectural design inspire much of Ann Marie’s work. It is because of this influence that she does not confine herself to one specific jewelry technique, allowing the materials and stones to inspire her final design.

This design is one of my favorites from Ann Marie because of its simplicity and richness. Please click on the photo to view the item in our store.

If any of you are interested in being a featured artist on my site, or you know anyone who might be interested, please contact me for details on how to get started!

Tags: Easter, gemstones, glass jewelry, gold, guest artist, guest jeweler, Necklaces, new collection

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Filed under: Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry, Holiday Jewelry

Well it’s been an interesting 2 weeks to say the least. My Tungsten lights blew out so I have no adequate light in which to photograph my jewelry until the new lights arrive. We had a wind storm that blew out the electric so we had to take ourselves, along with our 2 children (one is 2 years old and the other is 2 months old) to the Country Buffet for dinner the other night. Two pieces of the aluminum on one of the roof peaks blew off in that storm so now we have to replace the the aluminum on all THREE peaks so that it matches. The material isn’t much but the labor is where they get you, obviously.

I did have a few good things happen too, though. I bought a new camera so hopefully that will aid in better pictures for the future. Today was a first for me. Some of you might be able to sympathize with my plight, but probably not. I created several pieces of jewelry with a 2 month old napping in an upright position on my lap. At this very moment I am typing my blog with one finger and the wrong hand because I am feeding him with the other! Listen…you gotta do what you gotta do.

I have a new collection of handmade bracelets that I will be adding to continuously. I call it the “Breakfast at Bella’s” collection. These bracelets are all handmade sterling silver and they feature handmade glass charms made by Laurie of Mermaid Glass. She has my business for life. I LOVE these bracelets and the beads. I used sterling findings and Hill Tribes silver charms throughout the design, and each one is different. There is more breakfast to be served so keep your eyes peeled for new additions!

Also these Swarovski Crystal heart earrings were supposed to be for Valentine’s Day, but again, camera and lighting issues prevented me from listing them sooner. Anyway, they are great to wear anytime obviously and they are now listed in the store.

We have introduced 5 new Guest Artists for the month of February. They are in no particular order: Alexsandra Gifford - aka Wild Pearly. Alexsandra makes the most amazing handbags I have ever seen. They are creative and vibrant, and you definitely need to check them out. They are all OOAK items and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Here is an example of her work…

Next we have Connie Loyet of “Riverbed” creations. Here is another great artist who brings us unique gemstone and mineral pendants. Some of her beautiful creations are personally mined! Below is just an example of Connie’s work. Please click on the photo to view the item in the store as well as her other four offerings for a total of five showcased items!

Megan Huffaker of Tesoro Bella Jewelry is a 36-year-old stay-at-home mother with a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Genetics. Megan is joined in design, creation, and distribution by her sisters Becky, Katie, and Chris, by her nieces Kathryn (Kat) and Maddeline, by her parents Jay and Rosie, and by her close friend Kari. Please see a glimpse of what Megan has to offer below. Click on the picture to be taken to the store and explore some of Megan’s other wonderful creations!

Next is Manda Link of Manda Panda Creations. Her jewelry is as unique as her name. I know that you will just love her pieces. Below is my personal favorite from Manda’s submitted collection. Please click the photo to be taken to that item in the store, or just visit the store to view six more of Manda’s creations!

Jewelry Fetish is a relatively young business that grew out of three women’s passions for custom made pieces. Those women are Teresa Ellens, Stephanie Ponius, and Jocelyn Walker. Please see just one of the many creations that they have to offer. Click on the photo to be taken to this item in the store and read more about it, or add it to your collection before someone else does!

Tags: earrings, handcrafted jewelry, Handmade Beaded Jewelry, handmade gifts, handmade glass beads, Holiday gifts, Holiday jewelry, sterling silver

Boro Bead Bonanza!

Filed under: Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry

Here are a few new items using some handmade boro beads that I happen to have in stock. The first two items are made using handmade “Journey” boro beads from Beau’s Beads. I used Hill Tribes pure silver throughout most of the bracelet with the exception of the Swarovski crystals and the Bali bead caps that accent them.

Each boro bead is flanked with handmade Hill Tribes silver beads caps and is then separated by Hill Tribes decorative spacers. The flower tube bead that are used in the “band” portion of the bracelet are also handmade Hill Tribes silver as well as the round toggle that terminates the bracelet. The citrine colored Swarovski crystals nicely accent the yellow color in the glass boro bead. This bracelet measures 7″ in length. Another of its kind can be made as long as the boro bead is still available.

Also available is this matching boro ring. The band is handmade sterling silver form McDuck Creations and features a round topper. This particular ring is a size 7. Please contact me for available sizes.

The last addtion is another boro bead ring, which also features a handmade band from McDuck Creations. This is a sterling silver hammered band with a conical topper. This ring however is decorated with a boro bead in rich, deep colors made by one of my most favorite glass artists, Lisa Atchison of Touch Of Glass Designs. This ring is also a size 7 and due to the fact that there is only one of these beads at this time, this ring is the only one of its kind.

Tags: boro bead ring, boro beads, glass bead ring, Glass Beads, handmade glass beads, Handmade Jewelry, sterling silver, sterling silver ring

New Choker

Filed under: Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry, Holiday Jewelry, Uncategorized

I wanted to introduce you to a new piece that I’ve recently created. In past blogs I highly praised my friend Lisa Atchison of Touch of Glass designs for her amazing handmade glass beads. While hoarding all of the beads that I liked, I waited a long time before ever creating a piece using those beads, and when I did I used a design similar to that of Lisa’s own designs (with her permission of course). However, when I saw this black and white bead for the first time I was inspired to create something vastly different from the other designs I had already made using her beads. Hence, the “Black Sea” choker was born.

I call it “Black Sea” because the whirling waves in the bead along with the contrast of white used intermittently in the bead reminds me of an ocean wave in the dark of night. Along with this beautiful, sophisticated bead I used Swarovski crystal mystic black round and pear shaped pearls to complete the choker. The sides of the focal bead are accented with Sterling silver stardust beads, which bring out the CZ stones that Lisa incorporated into her creation of the bead. The choker is terminated with a silver filigree clasp and measures approximately 16″ in length. This is a one of a kind design. While there will be others that could look similar, due to the fact that no glass bead can ever be exactly duplicated this is an original!

Please click on the picture below to see a larger image of the bead. I hope that you’ll leave your questions or comments on this design. I can’t wait to make the next one!

In upcoming news, as the end of January is quickly approaching I am getting ready to introduce upcoming Featured Guest Jewelers for the month of February, and we have quite a few! All are talented each with unique designs, and I look forward to sharing their stories with you! If you would like to be a Featured Guest Designer on my site please E-mail me for details.

Tags: choker, Glass Beads, great gifts, Handmade Beaded Jewelry, handmade glass beads, Handmade Jewelry, valentine's day gifts

January FREE GIFT Winner!

Filed under: Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry, Holiday Jewelry

Hello Everyone,

Once again we thank everyone who has registered their E-mail address with us and registered to win a free gift. Isabella’s Beads would like to congratulate this month’s winner of our FREE GIFT drawing, Margie Atz. Margie will receive a pair of Millefiori “Be Mine” heart earrings pictured below, for FREE. These earrings have a retail value of $15.00!

For those who are interested, these earrings are also available for sale in our store. If you are interested in purchasing one of these purse hangers please click the photo to be directly connected to that item in our store. Be sure to register your E-mail address with us for your chance to win a FREE GIFT!

Tags: Free Gift, free gift drawing, free jewelry, Glass Beads, handmade gifts, Handmade Jewelry, heart beads, valentine's day gifts

How much do you charge?

Filed under: Events, Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry, Uncategorized

I recently came across an article written by Teri of S&T Creations. Teri asks “Are you really adding in ALL of your costs?” The article in it’s entirety can be viewed by clicking here. Below is a copy of Teri’s article as well as my response. Any thoughts that you have are encouraged to be posted, especially from those artist that do a lot of shows. Please leave your comments on my blog.

Preface: While Teri clearly realizes how expensive it is to actually have a beading business, like so many others in the industry I am not sure that she has completely crossed over from having a “Hobby” to having a full fledged business. As with any business you will incur start up costs such as tools, storage materials, equipment, advertising etc.. It is my feeling that these things should be written off as business expenses when filing your business taxes. Teri is trying to find a way to compensate for these expenses, and rightfully so, but she is thinking of passing along those expenses to her customers rather than writing them off as I believe she should be doing.

Teri Writes:

“I still struggle with pricing my work, something that I think many designers, particularly new ones, have a tendency to do. Until we gain confidence and truly appreciate the value of our work, we can miss some things in our calculations. So, I tried to write a list—WOW, was I surprised. Here are some things you may not consider when you are putting a price tag on a piece of jewelry.

TIME   (not the time it took you to actual design and lay out, make and finish the piece but the following)

a. Time in research, writing and entering your blog articles

b. Time preparing your set, taking, editing and uploading pictures of your item

c. Time writing your listing, the description, creating tags, shipping plan

d. Time prepping an item to ship: gather package, wrapping, thank you note, any gift or coupon, postage and return address/mailing address

e. Driving to and from post office to drop off, pick up packages

f. Time maintaining your inventory, if you enter that in a software program, manually in a ledger, if you create labels, etc.

g. Time searching, buying and paying online for your components & supplies

h. Time driving to and from and while you are at bead stores and shows

i. Time filing sales tax, keeping receipts and preparing all that for taxes each year

j. Time preparing and submitting booth entry or jury entry for a show

EXPENSES

a. Domain costs for your webpage, possibly a web hosting cost, maybe you use a web developer too

b. Camera for photos, lights and possibly a light box

c. Storage of your components: cases, files, shelving, boxes, binders, plastic tubs

d. Books, dvds, tutorials, subscriptions to magazines, any websites you subscribe to

e. Equipment and tools you’ve purchased (and what you store them in), your beadboards, props for your photos

f. Your calendar, scheduler

g. Cost of the designs you made for YOU—you are an advertising billboard of your own work

h. Cost of items you do make for gifts

i. Broken beads

j. Your computer, printer, paper, ink, and software

k. Cost of internet connectivity

l. In home office cost: space, utilities, filing cabinets, closets, telephone

m. Business cards, signs, posters

n. Booth costs: table clothes, skirts, displays, price tags, bags

1.Your costs for the show—food, drinks, lodging, travel

o. Mileage to everywhere mentioned above

p. Booth and Show entry fees, jury fees, fees to enter bead shows

q. Cost of all classes you’ve taken

r.     Any consignment costs, or hostess arrangements you may also have for shows

“Other, Miscellaneous Things”

a. Those “orphan” beads left over from a design but not enough to make another

b. Beads you purchased, then later realized you didn’t like them and don’t use

c. The small “leftovers” from your supplies—that extra 6 inches of cord, wire, beadalon, tigertail, etc that you can’t do anything with except throw away

d. The items already in your home and garage that also support your business, maybe you use your microwave, or your stove, or tools from the toolbox, toothpicks, clothespins, needles or pins, scissors, twist ties, sealable bags, notepads, fingernail polish, sandpaper or emery boards

e. Cost of any repairs you were asked to make, or adjustments to length, change out clasp or switch from pierced to clip-ons, etc

f. Any thefts you might have had at a show (hopefully not, but things do happen)

g. Any items that become broken when packing and setting up/tearing down from a show

Even with this list, I didn’t count for personal “costs” such as time away from home because you have a show to do, or just how tiring packing, setting up, tearing down and putting away everything can be from doing a show, and those very intangible items that we all make choices about when we book an event.

I hope you found some new things to consider.  Feel free to comment on anything else I’ve forgotten!! Teri”

My Response:

This is a very well thought out article, however I think you must consider are that you cannot pass along all of your expenses to your customer. Some of these things are the natural part of having a business such as your web site, storage compartments, tools, software, etc. The reward for having these necessary items is the eventual sale of your product.

Let’s just say that you were to pass along these charges. Over what period of time are you factoring in those charges, or for how long? A storage compartment (plastic) can cost $1.00. Over how many pieces of jewelry (or other items) are you factoring in that $1.00? When the $1.00 has been compensated for, do you then lower your price?

In my humble opinion, these are business expenses and should be written off  as such when you do your taxes, not passed along to your customers.

One of the first things I did when starting this business was to look on the Internet for the average hourly rate for the profession of a jeweler in my state. Then I factored in my experience and education and selected the rate that I thought was fair for myself and my customers. Over the past 3 years I have given myself a raise

Therefore, the “cost of the classes you’ve taken” as you mentioned, should already be factored into your established hourly labor rate.

I have a program that allows me to keep inventory, calculates the cost of each bead, design a piece, and then it automatically calculates a proper selling price for that piece (wholesale, direct, and retail). I simply set the parameters for my markup  in each category (which in my case is relatively low compared to the market), and my hourly labor rate and the program does the rest.

I see the blog writing and article writing as necessary self promotion and I don’t factor charges into my designs for that, because if I were to do “professional” advertising or hire someone to write would cost a lot of money.

Many people also use free web pages available to promote their business such as Myspace, Facebook, and other free blog pages. This eliminates hosting fees. And, while the competition on Etsy is vast, it is definitely the cheapest place to sell your items for those without a shopping cart integrated into their site.

If you truly want to make it a business then you should incorporate, which is also pretty inexpensive. If you do a lot of shows where you feel that theft is a problem you should consider insurance that would cover your losses, and perhaps breakage, etc. I have never done this myself because I don’t do shows at this time, but I imagine that this is possible. Some locations may even offer insurance (and if they don’t perhaps they should start!)

You wrote: “e. Driving to and from post office to drop off, pick up packages”

Did you know that in most areas, if not all, that USPS will pick up items from your home for free? Their packaging is also free and can be ordered over the Internet and will be delivered to your home or business. (This obviously eliminates your driving time to and from the PO, your mileage, and the use of gas)

“b. Beads you purchased, then later realized you didn’t like them and don’t use”

You cannot charge customers for this. This is was your judgment. I suggest gathering all of your miscellaneous things that you don’t want, putting them in a nice container with partitions, and selling it as a starter package (older tools, extra beads and findings, extra cord or wire). You might not recover all of your costs, but it is better than leaving them to rot.

This is EXACTLY how I started my “hobby”. I purchased someone’s leftovers on Ebay just to see if I would actually like beading and 3 years later I have a beautiful website and really enjoy my small business.

Also, if you don’t already, try purchasing from a reputable place like Firemountain Gems, who has a “No Questions Asked” return policy on their items. If you buy something and don’t like it, return it. It’s that simple.

“Cost of Internet connectivity”

This is something else that you shouldn’t charge for, as you would probably have Internet connectivity without your business. However, even if the Internet was strictly being used for your business, all of these things (like the use of your microwave, electric, or certain areas of your home) can be written off as business expenses when you file your taxes. If you dedicate let’s say 15% of your home to your business, as long as you can prove this you should write it off. If you are not familiar with how to do this then you can consult an accountant (and probably find FREE information on the Internet).

Therefore, there is no need to pass these charges along to your customers because they are business write offs.

Thank you, and I hope that I have also given you some insight! Best wishes always…

Tags: business expenses, handcrafted jewelry, Handmade Beaded Jewelry, jewelry shows, pricing your jewelry

Holiday gifts under $25!!!!

Filed under: Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry, Holiday Jewelry

Here are a few new items that I have posted in the store. They are novelty watches featuring a glittering Santa or a Christmas tree for the holidays, and you can find them in the Holiday Collections section.

There is also one new addition to the Necklaces category. I have been busy with themed jewelry for the holidays so I haven’t made any glass bead necklaces in the past week, and I still have at least 10 one-of-a-kind beads left to use. I don’t have a favorite because they are all so very beautiful and believe me when I tell you that the pictures NEVER do them justice. This necklace is made with a deep ocean blue electroform bead handmade by Lisa Atchison. The leaf is hand picked from her backyard. This handmade pendant is gently suspended from a copper bail, which hangs on hand-dyed silk ribbon from Jamn Glass. With this pendant I did something just a bit different and made Swarovski crystal components in complimentary colors and dangled them from the base of the bead for added sparkle! As usual with the silk ribbon necklaces, the copper coil closure allows for an adjustable length before tying closed.

Are you looking for stocking stuffers? Check out our “Great Gifts” section of the store where you can search our inventory by price. We have a ton of great gifts that would make perfect stocking stuffers for under $25, and many wonderful and unique gifts under $10 from hair jewelry, to macramé bracelets, to brocade satin lipstick cases.

Here’s an original idea…every woman could use a Purse Hanger. You don’t think about it until you actually have one. You never have to go to a restaurant and place your bag on the chair or on the floor, when you go to the casino and sit at the blackjack or poker table you can conveniently hang your purse close to you. They are available in 8 great styles! Select yours from the drop down menu when making your purchase.
We also carry Phone Finders. Keep your phone handy - just hook it to a “Finders for Fones” for a functional and fashionable way to decorate your purse. And we carry Key Finders so that you never have to dig in the bottom of your purse for your keys again! These unique gifts come in a variety of styles, more than 60 styles from which you can choose. Just visit our Cell Phone Accessories category or click on the photo below.

Meet Beary Spoiled Bear. These adorable “Kritters” can be used as either purse charms or key chains. There are 12 from which to choose and each has its own personality. Please see each one to make sure you select the Kritter that best suits your personality! You can find these in our Purse Charm section of the store.

How about gifts for your Children’s schoolteachers? These handmade beaded bookmarkers will be one of the best gifts they ever receive. There aren’t many listed in the store right now because the pictures are not very good, and many are already sold so I have to make more and then re-photograph them. However, all of them are custom made and I can do anything that you like in any color. The Millefiori bookmarkers to the right are customizable with over 10 different styles of Millefiori beads. Choose your favorite from the drop down menu when ordering.

If you’d like something custom made using other materials, please E-mail me for inquiries.

Tags: gifts under $25, Handmade Beaded Jewelry, handmade gifts, handmade glass beads, holiday accessories, holiday gift ideas, Holiday jewelry, Holiday watches

Swarovski® Crystal Pendant Necklaces

Filed under: Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry, Holiday Jewelry

Before I introduce the new crystal pieces I want to preface this blog with one more glass bead necklace. For those of you who have been reading you know that lately I have been focusing on Lisa Atchison’s glass beads. As I’ve stated before they are remarkable, one-of-a-kind beads unlike anything that I have ever seen. In most cases the pictures do not do the beads justice. Please review previous blogs for my most recent creations. I will introduce one new piece to you where I used the combination of a copper mesh necklace along with one of Lisa’s electroformed leaf beads.

This necklace is comprised of fine, Italian brass mesh. There is a 3mm leatherette cord inserted into copper-colored brass mesh for durability. The necklace measures 18″ in length and is terminated with a lobster claw clasp. I used copper findings, and pure copper wire to make the handmade bail from which the beautiful, ocean-colored bead is suspended. As you view both photos of the bead itself, notice that the bead is only electroformed with a leaf on one side, which adds to its versatility.

OK, now for the crystal. First I’ll begin very quickly with the introduction of the “more classy” version of the Christmas tree earrings. I featured the classic-colored tree earrings in a previous blog, which was a green crystal tree accented in red and silver. This new pair is made using clear Swarovski® crystals along with an aurum 2x crystal topper and Colorado topaz base. They dangle from fancy gold-plated ear wires. These adorable creations can be worn all season long so get yours now!

Swarovski® crystal is the finest crystal in the world. I absolutely LOVE what Swarovski® has done this season with their new pendants. Of course these are perfect for any occasion, but hey, the winter season is upon us and in celebration of it I offer you a Swarovski® snowflake pendant necklace!

This sparkling creation has a flat table and faceted edges. The light reflects brilliantly from this classic pendant. I have attached a sterling silver teardrop bail to the snowflake, which dangles from a 20″ sterling silver textured loop chain. I terminated the chain with a sterling silver lobster claw clasp.

Also new this season is the 18mm flat-faced heart pendant. With the amazing sparkle only Swarovski® can create, the feminine heart drop has faceted, beveled edges and a smooth center. Stunning glacier blue color, the crystal ignites flashes of blue, green and yellow. I used a sterling silver ice pick heart bail, and attached it to a sterling silver Italian chain for instant elegance. Makes a fabulous gift for any occasion!

I have started working with a new medium. I am not sure if I like it yet as it is very new and extremely delicate, but I feel that the potential for creativeness using this product is just itching to burst through! This woven mesh originates as an extremely fine brass wire, loosely woven and anodized into a glorious color palette. It can be used to create a myriad of styles. Because this mesh is very fragile, it is recommended that it be used like a ribbon with beads strung on the outside only. However, I am a bit of a rebel and I decided to string beads, twist the mesh, and even fill the tube with pearls! (I feel like I just ripped off one of those “DO NOT REMOVE” mattress tags)

This is a David Christensen cane glass bead necklace with sterling silver accents and Swarovski® pearls strung on, and in the mesh tube. The black and white glass beads are from David’s “Sophisticate Collection”. These are the finest manufactured cane glass beads in the world. I featured his “Harvest Collection” beads on another necklace, which was featured in another blog a short while ago. This necklace is approximately 18″ in length and is terminated with a tube-like lobster claw clasp.

That’s all for now. I am expecting the birth of our son on December 10th so I am trying to get as much completed and listed on my site, before he arrives! Happy Holidays to all

Ciao!

Tags: Cane glass, Glass Beads, handcrafted jewelry, Handmade Beaded Jewelry, handmade glass beads, Handmade Jewelry, Mesh, mesh necklace, silver pendant, sterling silver, Swarovski Crystals, Swarovski pendants

Glass on Silk

Filed under: Glass Beads, Handmade Jewelry

I wanted to start this blog off by touching on a few new additions. I have quite a few blog pages and all of them feature the same articles, however the main blog page, which is part of my website www.isabellasbeads.com, has several additions such as an event calendar and a blog roll featuring other talented bloggers that I discover along the way. I will try to get all of the blog links on my main site coordinated with these other blog pages so that I can share the talented artists whom I have been introduced to with you!

OK. In the past few blogs I have listed many new pieces of jewelry having various themes and using a multitude of different materials. Holiday jewelry will obviously be prevalent over the next few weeks with December, the holidays, and winter seasons quickly approaching. Here is an item that is new this year appropriately named “Cat’s Eye Christmas” necklace. It is made with Grade A cat’s eye beads, Swarovski Crystals and Sterling silver along with a handmade pendant with a Santa focal glass bead.

I have also focused a lot on handmade glass beads and one artist in particular, Lisa Atchison. I know that there are many talented glass artists out there, but right now she is my favorite.

I have been hoarding Lisa’s handmade glass beads for quite some time now without ever turning out a design, until recently. Every aspect of these handmade glass beads is so very special that I really wanted to take time before I did anything with them. In the end it was once again Lisa’s own creativity in the art of handmade jewelry design that led me to make these amazing necklaces. One other thing about Lisa that I should mention is that she is never ever selfish. She is always willing to share with others and me the tricks of the trade as well as information on beads and suppliers, and for that I am very grateful. Thank you, Lisa.

I do my very best to support all artists who create handmade jewelry, materials, and findings. I believe that more love, care, and pride goes into the creation of each piece when someone takes the time to do it themselves rather than have a machine cut thousands of the same thing all day long. I know that for me creativity doesn’t just flow like a peaceful river, so I take a lot of time to look at the handmade designs of other talented artists for inspiration, and I am thankful to all of you for being instrumental in my work.

The following necklaces are created using Lisa’s handmade glass beads. Each design is a one-of-a-kind for the simple fact that no handmade bead can ever be duplicated exactly. Also, the metals and findings will always vary according to the size, color and style of the glass bead. For these handmade necklaces I have incorporated the works of 3 other artists. First, all of the focal glass beads are from Lisa Atchison at Touch of Glass Designs. The silk ribbon in three of the necklaces is hand dyed silk made by Heidi from Jamn Glass. Lastly, Mary Poineal of McDuck Creations makes the change-a-bead pendant bails.

(The first item is already sold so no link to the store is provided. For the remaining pictures you can view additional angles in my store by clicking on the photo.)

I take pride in using only the finest materials available in my designs. For example, the silver spacer beads are Hill Tribes fine silver rather than just sterling silver. And, when I use crystal in my designs, you can rest assured that the only crystal you will see is Swarovski crystal. I am sure that the less expensive beads have a place, but right now that place is not with me.

This next design is also an example of the quality of the glass beads that I incorporate. Although these are now manufactured, David Christensen is without a doubt the best maker of cane glass beads in the world. No one seems to argue this point. David’s beads are special in many ways. Perhaps you’ve wondered how David could compete in the marketplace with prices over $100.00 or more per pound. The fact is that the Chinese do not use as high of a quality of glass as David Christensen. Also, their caning process is nowhere near as sophisticated as David’s process. The edges of their glass beads are square while David’s are slightly rounded.  The slightly rounded edges protect the medium on which the beads are strung, and when using them on silk like I have done in this next design that was obviously very important. In this necklace I used beads from his “Harvest Collection” symbolic of the fall season.

Again, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any place for Chinese cane glass. It is a great alternative for a new or young beading artist, their beads are also nice if you want to create many inexpensive bracelets, and they’re wonderful if your customers are looking for a fashionable item at a low price. As for me I prefer to stick with David Christensen and the American made cane glass beads.

I think that I have rambled enough for now so I’ll see you again soon. I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

Ciao,

Mariealena

Tags: Cane glass, David Christensen, Glass Beads, handcrafted jewelry, Handmade Beaded Jewelry, handmade glass beads, Handmade Jewelry, Necklace, silk, silver pendant