We had a small batch of these unique bead caps enter our world a few weeks ago and they sold out within days. So I just want to announce that a new shipment of antique brass acorn beadcaps have arrived and already are selling briskly.

We added the acorn bead cap in antique silver plating. They are lovely as well.

More to come, talk soon

Cynthia

ohiobeads.com 

Love these new antique brass pieces that arrived this week. 

• Pinch Bail- makes hanging pendants and drops easy.

• The 10 petal filigrees are light as air, try them for earrings or hook together with jumps and make a bracelet.

• The new braided frames are ready for your favorite photo. Great for charm bracelets, centerpieces on necklaces and heck why not funky little wine glass charms!

• The medallion is beautiful vintage like addition used as a stand alone on leather, ribbon, chain, or a compliment to your beadwork.

Check out the growing antique brass findings, caps, rings and filigrees here.

Stay Tuned!!

Cynthia 

I've been in this biz for some time now and I can wholeheartedly state beaded rings are always popular pieces of jewelry to make and wear. These 8 loop ring blanks are plated silver and gold, adjustable and priced right. Most importantly the hard work is already done for you. No more wrapping wire around mandrels, just add beads with headpins or weave with wire. Our sample made by Alyssa is loaded with Swarovski crystal attached with headpins. We've also made these with pretty pearls and petite garnet stones. 

What a steal at 80 cents a piece!!  

Stack..Slide..Connect…Hang!

The possibilities are endless designing with closed rings in these great vintagey finishes. The mixture of smooth and textured finishes keep your designs fresh and unique.

The goal in Jewelry design, I feel, is to keeping your pieces very unique.  So mix things up this season and make something fun and full of rich antique brass and copper rings.

Just so you know

All the above rings are made from qualitly brass and plated with copper flash and then finished off with an antique brass and copper finish.

Cynthia

ohiobeads.com 

Antique Copper Chain 

Antique Silver Chain 

Cable chains are versatile staples for your beading designs. Use these as your primary focus in necklaces and bracelets. These cable chains are excellent choices for chain extensions. Affordabley priced, with a new price break offered at 50ft amounts. Ohiobeads.com carries a large variety of unique chains in many different metals and finishes.

All the Best,

Cynthia 

I posted this easy to make necklace on my brandolina blog site back in March. It generated quite a bit of BUZZ in bloggy land and now that the featured centerpiece ring is back in stock, I wanted to post here for you to see.

This is a make and take weekend project that is especially designed to use those orphaned beads hanging around on your bead board.

Beading supplies you will need: Hey no tools required, just scissors!

• 3 pieces of waxed linen cut in 5 foot lengths ( You can use any cording , thinner silk strands look fantastic)

• Assortment of beads with hole sizes that fit the cord

• A ring that has an opening large enough to fit up to 6 strands. The ring is available in antique copper finish and antique brass finish

Start by folding the cord in half and thread the folded half through the ring from underneath.

Then take the opposite end of the cords and feed through the center of the folded cord, pulling to form a noose.

Size the cord and ring around your neck and make sure you knot beads in place at the desired lengths. Also make sure the beads fit through the center of the ring.

Slide bead on the cord and secure with an overhand knot on the bottom of the bead to hold in place.

Keep knotting beads on all six strands. For added interest you can vary the lengths of the linen. Double knot under the last bead and dab a small amount of jewelers glue then trim excess with snippers.

Have fun wearing your new attention grabbing necklace. 

happy fall,

Cynthia

Don't be shy leave a comment!

New for Fall Jewelry Making!

Rich antique copper bead caps just arrived and posted on the shopping cart. Already a great seller, these fancy bead caps are great for dressing up your beaded jewelry designs that your making during this fall season. Antique copper is an ideal finish that coordinates well with the fall color palette. The "acorn" bead cap is a particularly popular seller. Hope to post some new pics this week using these caps. 

Also just a note… the antique copper medallion is back in stock.  Add a antique copper bail and  hang on your favorite chain, leather or silk. Couldn't be easier, a great make and take project!

Happy Fall,

Cynthia

These unique bead caps were specially selected and enhanced with a beautiful vintage finish and they've arrived just in time for fall. These will make your jewelry designs look like no other. Our new antique brass bead caps range in sizes, with the small dotted cap measuring 7mm and the large fancy and the oh so cute acorn bead cap are larger, measuring 12-14mm. All pair well with our antique brass plated chains and other antique brass findings. Also the the center medallion is new in this finish and gives you a great new centerpiece to mingle into your beadwork. I've tried to be patient for the new antiqued goodies to arrive (very hard for me I might add) and the wait was well worth the time. Check out the antique brass ox page here to get the full details. 

All the Best,

Cynthia 

P.S. Don't be shy, leave a comment!! 

This takes no time at all

A simple technique

Quality ingredients (they look expensive) ( all sterling silver components)

Impressive to give

or

Keep for yourself, they're fun to wear 

If you can open and close a jumpring then you can make these earrings.  In this case I used a small jumpring, to connect the round bezel Pink CZ to the Marquis shape. Use a needle nose plier and gently open with a slight twist the loop of the earwire (under the ball end) attach the sterling silver marquis shape into the earwire, close the loop securing the marquis and Viola you have beautiful earrings!.

Super cute sterling silver circle ballend earwires pair well with these Pink CZ teardrops. Notice the small jumpring connecting the CZ to the earwire. Open .. Close.. Your done!!

Not a pink kinda gal, try the clear CZ they look fabulous also. 

P.S. Pink is perfect for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Limited supply!!

Talk Soon,

Cynthia

ohiobeads.com 

Vintage with a modern flair!   and…

No wire wrapping skills needed! These lovely filigree and chain earrings are made with pieces of chain attached to the gunmetal filigree with petite size jumprings. Lightweight for measuring 2 and 1/2 inches long.

Tips to follow: 

1. Determine how long you want the earrings to be. Hey they're your creations you decide length.The longest piece of chain used in the sample above measures 4 inches.
2. Start with the longest chain first, then add the shortest section next. From here you can fill in the spaces with chain sections you think look best.
3. You connect the fine gunmetal chain to the filigree with small jumprings . In this case I used 2 sterling silver jumpring to each ring of the filigree. The silver adds a whisper of light to the earrings.
4. I also connected a 3mm sterling silver round bead on the single strand with a gunmetal headpin looped to the chain link.
5. Connect the leverback earwire directly to the top loop of the filigree. The ring on the leverback opens easily using a slight twist of the wrist while holding a needle nose plier. 

The most important advice I can give you is to cut lengths of chain for each filigree at the same time. This helps you have earrings looking like a matched pair, while avoiding frustration and wasting chain.

Ingredients list: 

1 package gunmetal filigree 

Sterling silver jumprings

3 mm sterling silver beads

Gunmetal leverbacks

Gunmetal headpins

1-2 feet of gunmetal double rollo chain #28 

All the Best,

Cynthia 

Who else needs wants more sterling silver earwires? I sure do! These sterling silver earwires just arrived and are loaded up on the shopping cart at ohiobeads.com.

It's always a thrill to open new packages of findings. These new kidney wires are popping up in the antique brass marketplace and like them just as well in sterling, with two sizes to choose from. The long ball end earwire will look fantastic with pearl coins or cz drops.  The circle ball earwire is delicate and just plain cute.  Click this link to get more details about these happy new additions.

These earrings use 2 components.

• One pair of plain front sterling silver leverback earwires
• 2 cubic zirconia 6mm princess cut and sterling silver drop with a flat front ring

Thats It!!

Use a needle nose plier and gently open the ring of the leverback. Just a gentle twist of the wrist will do.

Once the ring is open attach the CZ ring to the open ring and close the ring using your needle pliers.

My sister loved them…Friends and family were impressed!  

I like how she used the fine double rollo gunmetal chain as the support for the heart locket. You will notice in the second shot that she attached the locket with a matching gunmetal headpin and made two wire wraps with the added sparkle of vitrail color crystal. In this case the top loop slides freely on the chain. But you could easily attach directly to the link of the chain. Another thing I like about this is the use of the the larger link chain in the back as the chain extension. This simple gunmetal cable chain is still light weight, which does not over power the delicate rollo chain. It ads interest and and gives the wearer the option to lengthen their necklace with ease.

Below I've listed the components used in this necklace design. Oh by the way…The lockets our currently on sale. Hint, Hint!! They are sterling silver plate over brass, and they look fantastic mixed with gunmetal chain.

• 16 inches of gunmetal chain #28 double rollo
• 3-4 inches of gunmetal chain #29 plain cable
• 1 medium size lobster claw 
• 1 package of thin 2 inch gunmetal headpins 
• 1 sterling silver plated locket
• 3 4mm crystals or other beads you like

Stay Tuned for Part II

"Is that some of the jewelry you sell ?" the gal at the checkout counter asked, while staring at my bracelet.

I answered, "These are some new components we are selling on our website and this is how I linked them together to make this new bracelet."

Then I walk out to the parking lot to meet a friend, she notices the bracelet and wants these nifty new links and C connectors to jazz up some jewelry she is making.

And…after receiving more positive feedback I thought to include this "How To Make" in today's post highlighting a bracelet project using some new goodies from ohiobeads.com

It' easy to make, only takes a few minutes and requires enough skill to use a needle nose plier.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 packages of antique brass twisty rings measuring 20mm or 26mm round
• 1-2 packages of antique brass stamped C connector
• Open jumprings or figure eight rings
• Large lobster claw 

This bracelet is made by opening and closing C connectors to twisty wire rings using needle nose pliers. 

1. Lay out the components on a flat surface making it easier to measure length and establish a pattern.

2. Using a needle nose plier curl one side of the c connector around the twist wire link. These C connectors are quite strong so take it slow, being careful not to mark into the brass.

3. Repeat making the connections by rolling the C connector over the link and back into the center turning the "C" shape into a "B" shape.  

4. Attach the lobster claw clasp with a jumpring or try the new figure 8 link for something different.  Using 2 needle nose pliers open and close each end to connect the clasp to the bracelet. 

These new links and connectors can be used for many different jewelry making applications. These beauties are chock full of potential design and creativity. Pendants, chain linking, earring drops, clasp components, and on and on it goes. Check them out and make it your own.

Tap into your wild side with this big link antique copper chain. This is stand alone chain, just attach a clasp with jump ring in one hand and pliers in another and your off and running lookin good without lots of time. We posted yesterday about this chain in antique brass suggesting other ways to incorporate this chain.

Like the big links, but just need something light and simple?

New cables are now on the antique copper ox chain shopping page ready to buy. These are small cables with 8-10 links per inch. Excellent for earrings, lariats, chain weaves, and layering. The antique copper on these new styles is dark and rich giving an aged look. Perk up your fall wardrobe with antique copper chain and findings.

It is always a thrill to tear open boxes of jewelry making goodies. You think by now we would have the box cutters handy for such thrill seeking, yet through the excitement we find jamming the keys through the six inches of packing tape to be equally effective. Oh well! Yesterday's excitement included new spools of antique brass ox chain. The picture shows off the textural chain with big ole' links perfect for one long drapey necklace or mixed with with a couple other chains for a multi-strand bracelet. My friend will hang three links from an ear wire and call it done, which would be easy to say the least. Then we just needed a simple cable chain in antique brass. Sturdy enough to hang lots of wrapped loops, or even making a a lariat necklace which is prominent in all the magazines. Either chain makes jewelry design more and more fun!

I've been busy creating earrings this week. Monday through Friday I have and continue to post a new earring design on Brandolina.typepad.com. I liked this pair so much I thought to share it here also. I worked in a monochromatic color scheme using various values and intensities of blue glass beads. The copper findings are complimentary in color and brighten the overall look. The big ring used is a link from a chain customers have named Hippie Chain. The paddle findings are light weight and these earrings can move. If you sell your jewelry at shows these are impressive looking, especially if you had several color versions. Gunmetal components would alos look great, making them a little dressier. Next time around I plan to make these in gunmetal mixed with iridescent colored glass, with a splash of gold and silver.

Popular 2 stranded czechglass beads offer so many creative possibilities. When these strands arrived one of our instructors made a bracelet very similar to this one featured, and displayed it in the showcase. One customer after another scooped these up designing many versions of this bracelet. They later brought their creations in to show off many color and bead combos. The glass bars are 1/2 inch long and crystals used here are 4mm. We paired these beads with a magnetized two strand tube clasp. However, single ring clasps and toggles work just as well. Just make sure the clasp is large enough balancing the look and size of the beads. Click here to view these 2 stranded beads in jet.

Thumbing through many jewelry magazines, you'll quickly notice that chain is used as the foundation of jewelry design. Adding centerpieces further personalizes your look. Many jewelry components can be used and look great as center pieces in necklaces. Here's another visual solution for you using this new pretty filigree with gunmetal finish. These are packaged in pairs, which also makes them great choice for creating earrings. Possibilities are endless with the kinds and colors of beads you mix together. Pearls add to the Victorian look , however you could use crystals, glass, or gemstones.

In this necklace I mixed gunmetal and copper chain and findings.

Here's a list of components I used:

• Jumprings- to add clasp to chain and attach filigree components to chain
• Headpins (24 gauge)- to wire wrap the beads to the filigree and in this piece adding pearls to the chain body
• 3 different chain styles and finishes
• 1 pack of gunmetal filigree
• Pearls, 4mm rounds and 6mm oval/teardrop
• Clasp 

Nothing looks better than multiple colors of crystal mixed with antique brass chain. A little of this color and a little of that shape is all it takes to make this pretty necklace dripping with crystals in all your favorite colors.

A little undecided about color choices for your next beading project?

No worries this necklace has it all. I can't think of anyone I know who doesn't have a collection of swarvoski crystals or fire polish czech glass in vast arrays of color.

This necklace mixes those leftovers in a pleasing combination of peridot, pinks, sapphires, emerald, citrine, and whatever color appeals to you. Most if not all these beads were leftovers on my bead tray from past projects. After picking out a variety of color, shapes and sizes, antique brass bead caps were added randomly for texture and interest. All attached with headpins and jumprings in antique brass.

Making it come together.

After choosing your beads lay them out on your bead tray or mat so that colors, sizes and shapes are spread apart. Don't take too much time on this … you just want to separate lights and darks and keep like colors spread around the necklace. Wire wrap each bead, then cluster in groups of three and slide onto a jumpring. After working through this, attach these rings to your chain links with a heavy concentration of clusters in the center of the necklace. I spaced clusters farther apart with smaller beads around the sides and back of necklace. Set aside about an hour and half to complete this necklace design. (this depends on how wire wrapping skill level) Of course numerous variations exist. Add other trinkets, charms or centerpieces. A monochromatic color combination would be very dramatic. I think I'll try this next. Give it a try and put those leftovers to good use.

Another addition to ohiobeads ever growing jewelry chain supply, this lightweight chain is excellent to use for necklaces and earrings. Layering this chain (like the picture) looks nice. You could mix and layer with beaded strands. Also, this chain would work well in many earring ideas. The antique copper finish will be a big hit for fall jewelry designs. And the silver gives a bright fresh look without the price tag of sterling silver. You can't go wrong at $1.97 per foot. Click here to see other new additions to our store.

Top selling bar link gunmetal jewelry chain back in stock! The petite scalloping of this bar link chain offers many design options. First, the chain looks great on its own. I've seen customers simply wear it plain with layering strands at varying lengths. The design above has three strands in the front of the piece, connecting to one strand around to the back of the necklace.

I like working with bar link chain because of obvious rings to ad wire wraps, jumprings and other trinkets, which evenly spaces your color, texture and shape in your jewelry piece. Adding small Swarovski crystals or czech glass in any color combo look dynamite with this chain. Hundreds of feet are waiting for your creative design expertise.

P.S. Just wanted to mention we have NEW 1 1/2 inch, 24 gauge,  gunmetal headpins in stock. When adding small drops with single beads, shorter headpins help you get the job done!  

These Italian made cutters are excellent for cutting thick wire and heavy links of chain. They are rated to cut 11 gauge wire or finer. Strong black steel blades will snip wire clean and flush. We cut ALOT of jewelry chain and these cutters have outperformed all other cutters. Treat yourself and invest in the right tools.

Here's a quick and easy jazzy pair of earrings you can make up before joining your friends for lunch. Dig into your beads stash, and grab a couple of your favorite colored crystals, czech glass or stone beads. The best size to look for would be 6mm in round, cube or diamond shapes. Collect 4 smaller beads (3mmish) and arrange and stack them onto a headpin. In this example we wire wrapped toward the top of the headpin, leaving an inch of headpin exposed. Gunmetal headpins look fab showing through glass beads and the ball-end ear wires add nice detail to the finished set. **The secret to making equal lengths is to bend both pins at the same time when making your first right angle bend before wire wrapping individually.**

We are busily counting out packages of new antique brass findings. I really like having the option of  using our new 1.5 inch 24 gauge headpin. You won't feel like your wasting supplies when you only need to ad one bead to headpin. We are are also broadening our collection of antique brass jumprings. Currently we have 4mm, 6mm, and 8mm jump rings. Split rings in 7mm and closed rings in 6mm and 7mm. These findings are nickel free. Our new medium size lobster has a different design. This clasp matches our new antique brass chain that I recently posted about. Please tell us what other sizes of jumprings you would be interested using in your jewelry design? You can post your answer here below in the comments section.