Famous Jewelry Collections: August 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Murder Jewelry Collection by Super Fertile

Posted: 31 Aug 2012 04:25 AM PDT

I would be the first to admit that jewelry making is not just a passion but an endeavor which allows me to escape into a pretty, safe and trouble-free world. The real world though is not.

London-based Kali Arulpragasam of Super Fertile is known for being bold enough to create jewelry influenced by really difficult human issues. Hunger was one past collection I wrote about ( Jewelry Inspired by Food) where a partnership with Oxfam raised money for the hungry and awareness for the global food crisis.

Murder, her 2011 Autumn/Winter collection is her most provocative to date. Gemstones such as rubies, sapphires and garnets were used in the designs which deliberately and graphically evoke bullet wounds and slashes.

Her political consciousness and social activism to a large part stem from the fact that her Tamil family went back to live in their native Sri Lanka for several years until the violent civil war there forced them to return to Britain.

Some of the Murder collection photographs by Amarpaul Kalirai are particularly disturbing as they include stage blood and fake bruises. The most emotionally charged ones were those with a child model and a bound and blindfolded woman. It was clearly intended to be a thought provoking collection especially for those of us who live in safe places. Many men, women, and children in different parts of the world do not.

Kali is the older sister of British recording artist and activist Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A).

Via

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
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Thursday, August 30, 2012

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Book Review - 30 Minute Earrings and Free Tutorial

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:00 AM PDT

Remember the wonderful book on how to make rings in 30 minutes? Well there are 3 more in the series. If you are like me you'll probably love the earrings one. I enjoy making earrings a great deal because they are fast to make and don't cost a lot in terms of materials.

The book, 30-Minute Earrings features 60 designs which used a variety of techniques and materials to create some of the most innovative styles. There is a bias towards wire and metal work due to the time factor. The book format shows pictures of the completed projects with written instructions. There are no step-by-step pictures unlike other books.

Shown here are some of my favorites. The earrings by Ann L. Lumsden doubles up on sparkles because the reflections. The techniques required for this design are sawing, filing, sanding, polishing, drilling, bending and wire work.

Ann Lumsden Earrings

I also liked the clever way in which Ellen Gerritse folded sterling silver stripes for her contemporary earrings. The designer made soldering optional so the techniques needed are sanding, polishing, drilling and wire work.

Ellen Gerritse Earrings

The book also had a selection of earrings made from unusual materials. Laura Itkonen's ingenious use of VHS videotape (remember those?) resulted in this fun eco earrings.

Laura Itkonen Earrings

Whimsical designs were also covered as seen with this cute wire hedgehog earrings by Karen Rakoski.

Karen Rakoski

Having used paper punches before on thin metal ( see How to Make Riveted Recycled Soda Can Earrings) I was intrigued by Lisa Cain's use of said punches on both ordinary copper sheets and metal clay sheets. Neat!

There is one free tutorial by Brenda Schweder for a simple fun circle earrings.

Brenda Schweder earrings

One thing the book showed was that earring designs can be so much more than just simple dangles.

Disclosure

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

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Open Wire Work Cabochon Pendant Tutorial

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:50 AM PDT

Guest Tutorial by Judy Larson
Judy sent me her amazingly comprehensive Viking knit bracelet tutorial and has followed up with an open wire work cabochon pendant tutorial which will compliment a Viking Knit necklace!

What distinguishes this design from other traditional cabochon ones is the beautiful curves of the open work. She also put the wire tails to good use by creating an extended coiled bail to hold the Viking Knit necklace. It makes for a striking focal.

Judy does not sell jewelry nor has a website. But she does give free jewelry making lessons locally and has graciously allowed me to share her PDFs originally written for her students. Read more about Judy here.

I have uploaded the PDF to Scribd, a free document sharing site. I cannot attach PDFs to blog posts but I can embed the tutorials. The easiest way to download the tutorial is to return to my blog, click on the post title and find the download link at the bottom of the embedded tutorial. More instructions here. You've accessed the site incorrectly if you came across a premium payment option.

Openwork Wire Cabochon Pendant Tutorial

Stay tuned for Judy's next tutorial - it is an ingenious way to help with wire wrapped cabochons!

Judy's Past Tutorials:

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