What is that Finding?

Whilst I was picking up some of the beads and findings that had scattered across the studio floor today, I spotted a strange piece of metal catching the light. At first I thought it was just an offcut of twisted wire but as I got closer to it, I realised it was a wire guardian - those strange little horse shoe shaped findings. It's been a while since I took a look at an unusual shaped finding so this is a perfect opportunity to see just what a wire guardian is and more importantly, how you use it. Wire guardians are used at the beginning and end of bracelets and necklaces to help protect the beading wire from abrasion by your clasp, especially in bracelet designs which can take a bit of knocking about as you wear them. Here's a quick tutorial on how to use them: String a crimp tube on the end of your beading wire. Thread the wire up through one arm of the wire guardian.....    and down through the other arm. String the clasp (or split ring, or whatever fi...

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How to Replace the Jaws on Nylon Jawed Pliers

My book deadline is inching closer every day and it's time to begin photography of the step-by-steps. I've done the test photos to make sure the lighting is good and I've got all the settings right on my camera and my publisher has approved them. But it's amazing what detail the macro lens picks up. Apart from my hands being under the microscope (I see a manicure in the very near future!), so are my tools. And it's quite apparent that I have loved them almost to death. Take a look at my nylon jaw pliers to see what I mean.... Luckily, just like my hands and nails, my nylon jaw pliers too can have a makeover! Here's how you do it. Just undo the screw with a screwdriver Replace the old nylon sleeve with a new one .....  and screw it back in with a bit of pressure so that the screw penetrates the nylon. And that's all there is to it - brand new pliers to straighten out all my kinked wire! Want to see this in action? Watch the...

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Guest Blog Post for Cousin - Elfin Earring Wires Tutorial

I'm the guest blogger over at Cousin Corp this week.  I hope you'll wander over to take a look at my post on how to make elfin or almond-shaped earring wires . If you're a regular reader of my blog or if you've ever bought one of my tutorials, you'll know that I like to give you LOTS of step-by-step photos so that you can see exactly how to create the project at hand. So I've included another couple of design ideas below which didn't quite fit the space constraints of the blog post. These pearl earrings are referred to as "ear wires 5" in the article. The bead is threaded on to the head pin before being turned into an earing wire. It's such a sleek but elegant look without a loop on the earring!   And these are referred to as "ear wires 2" - they have a longer tail and a shorter loop section so the point of the earring wire won't poke you in the neck. Cousin are currently hosting a series of guest blog posts from je...

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Boho Style - Recipe for how to make a Successful Bangle Stack

Bracelet and bangle stacks are a huge trend in the fashion world at the moment and if you're a jewellery maker then this is a very easy look for you to achieve. It's an "anything goes" look but if you follow the recipe below, you'll nail this trend. Ingredients colour - monochromatic or complementary a variety of widths  texture  Comments Start with one statement piece and then use a stack of simple bracelets to build around it. Method Choose a monochromatic colour scheme to be on the safe side or add some pop with a complementary colour - it will turn your bangle stack into an eyestopper. Start with one wide bangle as the base for your bangle stack. Select several narrower bangles and bracelets in varying widths Include texture to add interest to your bangle stack - use organic materials like leather/suede-lace, textured or smooth metals, glossy or matt glass, natural or stained wood, resin/acrylics - think about using a variety of materials. The ...

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