A simple guide to jewelry findings

I have been talking about certain terms that you as a beginner would be confused about. If you haven’t done a little research and are still wondering what jewelry findings are and why are they even used? Well, if you have come across to my blog posts before then you must have noticed that there are certain objects repeating in nearly every project.

Today, you will find answers to your questions regarding them. Let me present you with a basic guide. The term “jewelry findings” stands of jewelry making materials that are not referred to as beads, wires, stones and etc. They are the pivots and fundamentals of any jewelry, and are basically the tools you work with. Some of the names include eye pins, jump rings, bails, chandeliers, ear wires and etc.

Historically, jewelers made everything out of their hands. They would find these findings from abandoned metal and then left them over. They were eventually named by them as findings.

So now, let us have a broad outlook into some of the most common jewelry findings:

Jump ring: It is applied as a connector. They are round shaped usually but you can come across to oval shape as well. The two kinds of jump rings are closed & open rings. Closed are shut all through, so that they are not opened by anyone. They are useful when you need to join a strong connector for a jewelry piece that’s heavy or worthy. Whereas the open rings, they have an opening in between and are vertically pulled by pliers to open or close them.

Chandelier:  A chandelier is usually brought into use as earring connectors. With them, you can make dangle earrings by simply putting beads or chain to the holes. You also have to fix an ear wire atop the hole that connects.

Ear wire: As mentioned above, they are the key element in making earrings. It goes through your pierced ear holes. To the hole connecting it, you have to add components like metal works, buttons or beads to make different styles.

Eye & head pins: These jewelry findings are usually incorporated with beads to form workings for bracelets, earrings, necklaces and etc. Take a headpin, slide several beads and use cutters and pliers to form a loop that would take you to join it to one more component that is the ear wire. The head pin anatomy is usually round or flat and works as bead stopper. Eye pins on the other hand, have a link that work as a connector. You can make longer jewelry pieces therefore..

Bails: Bails are used for fixing a component such as a focal bead to a chain to form a pendant. Through a bail, you can easily fix a pendant to your chain without any third party material, such as metal-smith.

That’s it! I hope my guide to jewelry findings proved informative and considerable for you in terms of deciding what you need and how to use. Keep reading more posts!

  

How to make a bracelet using lampwork beads?

Hi friends! I am back with another crafty tutorial this time, using our dearly tendered glass beads. I generally recommend using lampwork beads because they simply are more attractive than any (in my opinion). So, let us stop talking now and begin!

First of all, make sure you check listed all the supplies mentioned below:

·         Lampwork beads

·         Beadalon wire – 19 strand

·         Toggle clasp

·         Jump rings – 2x, 5 to 6mm

·         Calottes – 2x

·         Swarovski crystal beads (optional to use) – blue

·         Bali Spacer beads – (optional to use)

·         Crimp beads

·         Crimp pliers

·         Chain-nose pliers

·         Wire cutters

Step 1: Grab your cutter and cut out a wire piece around 1” longer than your bracelet’s actual length. Followed by, string a crimp bead onto the ending point of your wire. Compress your bead using crimp pliers. Then, slide your calotte onto your wire and reach the middle of your calotte with it. You do not need any parts sticking out, so trim away the wire part in excess on the side of your crimp bead.

Step 2: Followed by, close your calotte using your flat-nose pliers or your chain until it is absolutely closed.

Step 3: Afterwards, open your calotte’s loop using the chain-nose pliers and put a jump ring into it. Then, close it using chain-nose pliers again.

Step 4: Now, fix a jump ring by opening your calotte’s loop using the pliers. Open the jump ring and then put your toggle clasp’s bar. The same way as you opened the jump ring, close it.

Step 5: Time to string your lampwork beads! I would recommend you follow my order, but you are absolutely free to go for your own: Swarovski beads, lampwork beads, Swarovski beads again, bali beads, Swarovski beads again and finally lampwork.

Step 6: Get the desired size of your bracelet’s length. You need to keep in mind that your toggle clasp will have a jump ring & a calotte eventually. Insert your calotte once you have reached the perfect length and then the crimp bead. Do not open your calotte too much; relax and open it slowly. I come from an experience of breaking my calottes and then frustrating myself. I would strictly advise you not to use crimp pliers for this particular crimp bead because they will break. You can use bent-nose pliers or a chain. Put the wire in one hand of yours and then use your chain-nose pliers in order to compress your crimp bead.

Step 7: Trim the extension of your wire away using wire cutters. Now gently close the sidings of your calotte using flat-nose pliers or a chain.

Step 8: Followed by, open up the loop of your calotte and put the next jump ring. Now close the loop. In order to insert the ring of the clasp, open your jump ring. Close the jump ring now, and your lampwork beads bracelet is all done!

That is all! I hope you enjoyed this lampwork beads tutorial. Stay tuned for more guided tutorials on my blog.

DIY a Pair of Easy Turquoise Beading Drop Earrings

Hello, dear readers! Wanna making turquoise jewelry? Here I will share an easy pair of turquoise bead earrings with you guys. This pair of beading earrings is so easy to make that you all can DIY a pair yourself quickly at home. Hope you like them. Then, let’s see.

Jewelry making supplies you will need in making the beaded drop earrings:

8mm Red Faceted Glass Bead

Bronze Earring Hooks

16mm Turquoise Square Beads

Tibetan Style Bead Caps

Brass Bronze Headpins

Brass Silver Flat Spacers

Round Nose Plier

Step 1: Thread a 16mm turquoise bead, a Tibetan style bead cap, a brass silver flat spacer and an 8mm red faceted glass bead to a brass bronze headpin in sequence as pictured.

Step 2: Make a small loop on the other end of the headpin, and attach this beaded drop to a bronze earring hook.

Step 3: Repeat above steps to make the other one earring.

Here is the final look of the turquoise bead earrings. Love them?

I know many of you are interested in jewelry making, but you may feel a little difficult in DIY. Then I hope today’s tutorial on making turquoise jewelry can give you some encouragement and inspiration in jewelry making. Also, you can change the turquoise beads into jade beads or pearl beads. Anyway, this pair of beading earrings is so easy to make, why not have a try?

DIY Purple Bead Earrings with Seed Beads and Pearl Beads

Do you love purple? Purple always seems quite romantic and attractive, and today, you will be amazing for I combine romantic purple seed beads and elegant white pearl beads on a pair of leaves earrings. I can bet you will love this pair of beading earrings. Now, let’s see HOW together!

Jewelry making supplies you will need in making the purple bead earrings:

5x3.5x3mm blue superduo 2-hole seed beads

4mm white pearl beads

golden earring hooks

0.3mm tiger wire

Scissors

Step 1: Snick off a piece of tiger tail, thread an earring hook on it, and thread 4 white pearl beads and a purple seed bead on the wire as pictured. Thread tiger wire through the seed bead, tighten up and thread one wire through the lower hole of the seed bead.

Step 2: Add 6 white pearl beads and 5 purple seed beads on one wire as pictured, thread the wire with beads through the upper seed bead, and cross it through the upper hole as pictured.

Step 3: Thread 2 white pearl beads on the right wire, cross it through the next seed bead, and then add a pearl bead and a purple seed bead on this wire, cross it through the next seed bead. Thread 2 seed beads on this wire, cross it through the next seed bead. Repeat above steps to make another side of the bead drop.

Step 4: Thread a pearl bead on the left wire, cross it through the next seed bead, then continue add a seed bead on the left wire, cross it through the next seed bead, then repeat above steps to add other 3 seed beads on the wire and cross it through the seed beads as pictured.

Step 5: cross the wire on the right side through the next seed bead as shown, thread a seed bead on this wire, cross it through the next seed bead, repeat above steps to add 3 seed beads along as pictured.

Step 6: cross the wire on the left side back through the next bead, add 4 seed beads on it, repeat above steps to add other 3 seed beads on the wire till a leaf shape formed as shown in the picture.

Done!

Hey, so cute a pair of seed beads earrings, yes? I love this pair of pearl beads earrings so much, and you? If you also love the leaves earrings, why not try to make yourself? Hope you have a nice DIY journey and have a nice day~

4 Drop Earrings Worth attention

As an indispensible part of women’s accessories, earrings play an important role to make us more beautiful. Especially drop earrings are favored by more girls for the combination of vogue designs and unique drops. Maybe you don’t know much drop earrings before, today I will show you some of my favorite drop earrings, hope you like them, too.

Gemstone drop earrings

I love this blue so much!! Made by gemstone, these drop earrings look so glittring and translucent in blue. I think this color is fit to every kind of outfit and it will definitely level you up.

Glass beaded drop earrings

Amazing job!! It is a wonder that glass beads and steel earring hooks can work out such gorgeous eye-catching drop earrings. To make things more delightful, this kind of beaded earrings is not that complicated and requires only few minutes while the result is so terrific.

Wooden drop earrings

In fact, this is the first time I saw wooden drop earrings. I didn’t know that wooden drop earrings could be so pretty and the wood could make this drop earrings super match to a date with beloved boyfriend or an old friends’ gathering party.

Pearl drop earrings

Tell me the truth, have this pair of pearl drop earrings reminded you of “Downton Abby”? In the TV plays, ladies love to wear this kind of earrings, which make them look noble and elegant. What gorgeous and glorious earrings they are! I even want to wear them to take a photo, hah.

So what do you think of the drop earrings mentioned above? Do you like them? Do you have a crush to make one yourself? Those earrings are easy to make if you want to. Go get some jewelry making supplies now, I bet you will be amazed at the works you created.

Top 5 Beaded Earrings Roundup

Be still your eyes (no matter what)! Beaded earrings, including beaded hoop earrings, beading wire earrings, beaded chandelier earrings, beaded fringe earrings and beaded dangle earrings are nearly the most flavor earrings for jewelry designers to make. Agree? This week I will share 5 Beading Earrings Roundup with a last Beaded Earrings Tutorial. To create your own earrings, let's have a look at the roundup!

Pandahall LC Center starts us off with Howto Make Native American Beaded Hoop Earrings, perfect for new designers! Super simple materials you need to prepare: seed beads in black, white, red and yellow color; jewelry wire and earring making supplies like earring hooks, jump rings.

JudyLarson takes us back to Jewelry making class to make this delicate and elegant Beaded Wire Earrings.

Need a simple beaded earring idea? These DIYBling Bling Rhinestone Chandelier Earrings can be made in minutes!

Anabel encourages us to make turquoise and gold beaded fringe earrings! So cute!

Kiwi Kiss crochets handcrafted beaded dangle earrings with cool green gemstones, jewelry wire and other basic earring making supplies.

Whether you want or love to make pretty beaded earrings, how to wrap or how to slide or else technique puzzle, hope this can help you in some way. And I am very glad to see you showing off your new crafts of earring designs! :）