The Beading Gem's Journal

Metal and Polymer Clay Art Jewelry by Lizards Jewelry

2013-05-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

What Liz Hall does is truly extraordinary. Her jewelry designs on her Etsy store, Lizards Jewelry, are all one of a kind (OOAK). She combines metal and polymer clay for some of the most amazing jewelry I have ever seen!

She uses small inlaid polymer clay pieces and iridescent medium to add color in her intricate and modern designs. They show her meticulous skill and creative talent.

Liz started making jewelry in art college where she majored in jewelry making. Her designs won numerous awards even then. Her work has now been featured in magazines and books.

Liz and her family live on a Virginia farm where they combine her husband's sculpture, her jewelry and computer graphics business along with their Pinto sporthorse breeding business. Throw in renovation of the house and farm and you've got some idea of how busy Liz is!

Check out her Youtube video gallery which includes some awesome evil eye designs!

Before You Go:

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips

Winner of Om Tara's Easy Crimp™ Crimpling Pliers

2013-05-20T18:30:00.000-04:00

Heavens! Last week's giveaway of a pair of Om Tara Easy Crimp™ Crimping Pliers revealed just how incredibly frustrating regular crimping pliers are. Many of you reported repeated failures. So it was not surprising that many also wanted this nifty pair.

One lucky person is now due to receive a solution to this problem! I numbered all the eligible entries and consulted random.org's random number generator. The winning number belonged to Wendy of Sweet Water Gifts. Congratulations and happy crimping!

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips

The Beading Room's $100 Gift Certificate Giveaway

2013-05-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Nova Scotia, Canada is a small province. There aren't really a whole lot of jobs even when times are good. So when Hollie Ferrall's husband wanted to spend more time at home in the Halifax area rather than work abroad, it made sense to start their own business. It was the only solution if they wished to remain in the Maritimes. They bought and relaunched The Beading Room in early 2009 and never looked back. An online store made sense as it does not matter where it is located!

Square Wire for Wire Wrapping

It is a truly family run business as there are only two people, Hollie and Brian doing all the work! Not all couples can work so well together but they do by sharing the load. Hollie says she "deals with all the ordering, website, social media, customer service and shipping, while Brian picks, counts and packs all the orders, photographs all the stock as it comes in, and does the free door-to-door deliveries in Halifax on Thursday mornings. It is a nice way to meet some of our local customers face-to-face!"

Lazee Daizee Viking Knit Tool Set

They focus mainly on glass and crystal beads as well as accessories and tools. Their inventory is growing month by month. Shown here are some of my picks.

Kumihimo Starter Kit

The Ferralls pride themselves in listening to what our customers want and having a personal relationship with each of them. They do welcome creations and links on their Facebook page.

Miyuki Christmas Present Beading Kit

Giveaway
If you'd like to win a $100 Gift Certificate from The Beading Room for all sorts of goodies, please make a comment below. Make sure you leave contact info if you do not have an online shop or blog.

Subscribers need to click on the post title to come to my actual blog. Scroll down and enter your comment. Pick Name/URL. If you don't have a store or blog, leave the URL blank.

This giveaway is international.

Extra entries if you become or are a blog subscriber or follower etc. If you also do shout outs about this giveaway, those will count as additional entries too! Please say so in the comments.

It ends in a week's time at 6 pm EST Monday, May 27, 2013. I will pick the winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to leave a contact email if you don't have an online link or make sure you come back and check! Otherwise I will redraw in a week. Good luck!

Before You Go:

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips

Tiffany Jewelry for The Great Gatsby

2013-05-19T08:00:00.004-04:00

Jewelry lovers are in for a visual treat if they were to go and see the latest movie version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby. The tale of decadence, betrayal and murder is set in the 1920's. From a jewelry design perspective, the movie beautifully evokes jazz age glamor with the stunning art deco pieces.

Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan

Catherine Martin, the costume and jewelry designer for the movie collaborated with Tiffany and Co in part because Fitzgerald himself patronized the iconic jewelry firm in the 1920s. Inspiration came from Tiffany's archival drawings and pieces.

Tiffany's Savoy Headpiece ($200,000) from the Great Gatsby Collection

One outstanding design is the Savoy platinum headpiece worn by Daisy Buchanan to the Gatsby party. A vision in pearls and diamonds, the headpiece also features an off center detachable brooch. It was copied from an original Tiffany design from that era. Jon King, executive vice president at Tiffany, explained, "For example, Tiffany looked to Native Americans for many designs, like the headdress with diamonds made to look like a feather that Daisy wears."

Also note Daisy's Indian style platinum hand piece which features diamonds pearls! That particular design was based on a Tiffany drawing of bracelet and compact combination.

Catherine Martin said, "Plus, in the book, Tom Buchanan gives Daisy a string of pearls worth $300,000 on the eve of their wedding, and Tiffany had been promoting pearls as a female rite of passage during that exact time. I thought it was a wonderful connection."

Other pieces in the movie included a daisy motif for a signet ring worn by Leonardo DiCaprio who plays Gatsby, the Daisy heart locket and a gorgeous Daisy brooch.

Daisy Locket from Tiffany's Ziegfield Collection

Luxury replicas of the 30 jewelry pieces shown in the movie are available as the Great Gatsby Collection. Tiffany also has the 14-piece movie inspired Ziegfeld Collection which is more moderately priced and available from their stores.

Pearl and Onyx Ring from Tiffany's Ziegfeld Collection

Check out the video about the Tiffany jewelry for the movie. The actresses who were so lucky enough to wear these gorgeous luxury pieces were clearly overwhelmed!

Via

Before You Go:

______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips

The Beading Gem's Journal

Metal and Polymer Clay Art Jewelry by Lizards Jewelry

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Tiffany Jewelry for The Great Gatsby

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