Baroque Pearl Earring Remake

I always find doing jewellery repairs an interesting challenge - you can learn so much about jewellery construction by studying the way the piece has been put together. Many of the costume jewellery pieces I've repaired over the years are constructed using different methods to those we regularly use as jewellery makers today and I find I learn valuable techniques to add to my repertoire by studying the way a piece has been constructed. The baroque pearl earrings on my desk today are a really good example so I want to share with you the step-by-step reconstruction of them. My customer received them as a gift from her mother so they have sentimental value to her but after years of wear, the fine gauge wire that they're constructed with has become kinked, making the earrings unattractive. So a remake is in order - my brief is to try to recreate the original design if possible. The earrings have an unusual construction method: one continuous length of wire runs through the pea......

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What is that Finding?

It's time for another instalment in the What is that Finding? series. At first glance, this little finding, with its round cup at one end and tag with a hole at the other, looks rather similar to a calotte (aka clam shell or bead tip). Like a calotte, this finding is designed to encase the stringing material ready for attachment to a clasp. But because it's hinged on the side rather than on the end, it's able to accommodate a different kind of stringing material. Can you guess what that stringing material might be? Let me give you a hint. It's a type of chain. If you've guessed ball chain then you're spot on. This little finding is called a ball chain end or a ball chain crimp end. If you've worked with ball chain before, you're probably more familiar with the ball chain connector that has a slit at each end for the last link of ball chain to sit in. A ball chain connector eliminates the need for a clasp but it only works for a sing......

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Spool Tamers...... I Don't Know How I Ever Managed Without Them!

Have you ever removed the end of a wire spool and had it go BOING on you? Don't you hate it when that happens! Well, Beadalon have come up with a clever little accessory called a Spool Tamer that will put an end to your unravelling spools. It's simple to use and works really well! This little gadget will make your springing spool struggles a thing of the past, not only with your wire spools, but also beading elastic, beading thread and beading wire. A couple of the clever features of Spool Tamers are that they are elasticized for easy placement around the spool and they are also adjustable so they can be resized to fit most size spools. Let's take a look at one in action. Begin by removing the plastic cuff from the spool, or unhook the end of your stringing material from the notch - take care that the spool doesn't completely unravel, especially if it is wire. Thread the stringing material through the hole in the adjustable plastic buckle, fro......

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