Some Common Abbreviations…and more!

You will see a lot of these abbreviations used in the jewelry world. You are probably already familiar with “mm” (millimeter), but have you ever run across “id?” Recently when shopping online for chain, I ran across this abbreviation, which I learned meant “inside diameter.” They were telling me the diameter within the links of the chain, something important to know if you plan to use headpins to make dangles, for instance. In addition to this list, I want to share with you one of my favorite online resources, the metric conversion website located at http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/conversions.html.

I use this frequently because many of the items I sell come in either yards or meters, and I want my American customers to know how many yards on a 5 meter spool (5.47) and my European customers to know how many meters on a 100 foot spool (30.48.)

So here are a few abbreviations:

cc – cubic centimeter

cm – centimeter

dwt – pennyweight

ft (or ‘ ) – foot

in (or ” ) – inch

g – gram

id – inside diameter

kg – kilogram

m – meter

mg – milligram

mm – millimeter

od – outside diameter

oz – ounce

Why Do Some Small Beads Cost More Than Larger Beads?

Have you ever been surprised to see that a strand of 2mm or 3mm beads were more costly than the same length strand of 8mm? There is a reason that smaller beads are sometimes more expensive than larger.

For one thing, when the stone cutter is forming smaller beads, more rough material goes to waste. Larger beads take up more room on the rough material so there is more finished yield. And don’t forget – you get almost twice as many beads on a strand of 2mm than you do on a strand of 4mm!

Another reason is that making smaller beads is more labor-intensive. Cutting, finishing and stringing tiny beads takes much more time.

One of the nice things about smaller gemstone beads is that they can be used sparingly to great effect. Tiny gemstone beads can be used to pick up the colors of larger cloissone beads, or used for fringe, or for a loop around a decorative button to form a clasp. In the picture below, although you can’t see it very well, I used some 3mm hematite on either side of the Bali beads surrounding the garnets, and they gave just enough of a space and echoed the marcasite so that I was perfectly happy with my design!

I have in my “personal stash” some 2 and 3mm rosequartz and hematite I can’t wait to use!

 

 

Necklace Lengths

Ever hear anyone talk about a “matinee length pearl necklace”? Wondered what the heck was? Well, here is a handy chart to help you know whether you are making a choker or a “princess” length necklace!

Upon looking at this, although the official “lariat” necklace size is 48″ or more, I consider a lariat to be any long necklace without a clasp, which is intended to be worn by looping the necklace over itself like a scarf.  I’d like to hear my readers weigh in on this!

Choker – 14” – 16”

Princess - 18”

Matinee – 20” – 24”

Opera – 28” – 32”

Rope – 40” – 45”

Lariat – 48” or more

Tools and Tips for Measuring

With some of my beading projects, I actually work over a ruler.  An example would be when I make an illusion-style necklace.  I like to start from the middle and work from side to side.  In order to keep my intervals between beads nice and even, I set the beads in place right over a regular plastic school ruler.

Here are a few ideas for keeping a measuring instrument at hand!

At the hardware store, you can purchase self-sticking measuring tape for around $2. Use a strip on your bead table, another on your bead tray, or even on your traveling bead case.

Keep a measuring tape in your traveling bead box. You don’t need a 6′ measuring tape, so you will be able to find one that is compact and fits easily with your gear.

Beadsmith came out with a little job called “The Ultimate Folding Ruler.” I ordered some and will be listing them in my eBay store. It is very clever – it folds out into the length of a regular ruler, with both inches and centimeters, but then it folds up into a little compact cube about the size of a Chunky candy bar! (actual measurements 1.5″x 1.5″x 1″.) It will retail for about $1.75 and is cute as a bug!

In a later post I will address the tools you can use to measure your beads.

 

The Patti/Patti Connection

My friend Patti Whiteley, who is a fused glass beadmaker and jewelry designer (you can see her work in the book 1000 Glass Beads) has been using a lot of the Patti Cahill’s lampworked beads in her designs.

Patti Cahill’s company, Dyed in the Fire Designs, produces the most wonderful beads. I have been admiring Patti Cahill’s beads since I first met her many years ago at an Intergalactic Bead Show. I can always recognize a Patti Cahill bead – she has the most amazing color sense. I own a few of her beads – in fact, I have some “brewing” until everything falls together…the beads I own are a soft minty green with fuschia and periwinkle. Delicious.

Patti Whiteley recently sent me a picture of some earrings designed with Patti Cahill’s beads. Take a look!  (You can click on the image to enlarge it.)

Birthstones

Here’s a handy list for your design book. Birthstone jewelry is always popular, and don’t forget that you needn’t be strict about this – crystals in these colors will work just as well!

Birthstones:

January – Garnet

February – Amethyst

March – Aquamarine

April – Diamond

May – Emerald

June – Pearl or Alexandrite

July – Ruby

August – Peridot

September – Sapphire

October – Opal or Pink Tourmaline

November – Topaz

December – Turquoise or Blue Zircon

An Easy Button Brooch Project

Get out your glue gun! This project could not be easier, and as you can see, you can make a very nice pin.

I started with a wood heart shape that I purchased from the craft store. They are around $.25 each. You can spray paint it a background color if you wish. Next, get out your button box and fish around for the buttons you want to use. Be careful – you do not want to glue on buttons which may be old or valuable and which would be damaged beyond repair by gluing. In my brooch, I used buttons that are antique-looking, as well as some ubiquitous shirt and blouse buttons in the color scheme I chose, in order to fill in any open spaces. You will want a variety of small to large buttons to get the effect of my brooch.

Trace your heart shape onto a piece of paper and then play with arranging your buttons in a pleasing fashion. When you are happy, get your glue gun heated up, and start gluing, beginning with the buttons on the bottom layer. Having flat sew-through buttons on the bottom will help you to arrange the shank buttons so that they also lay flat.

After your buttons are glued on and the glue is dry, glue a pin back onto the back of the heart. Viola!

I once took these heart shapes (with the pinback already glued on) to my son’s second grade class for Valentine’s Day. I provided the children with colorful shirt buttons, glitter, confetti, and bits of ribbon. First they used crayons to color the heart cutout. This meant that they didn’t have to cover the whole thing with buttons. Of course, the Room Moms did the gluing, the children did the designing. I still love the pin my son made for me!

Kathy’s Take

One of my readers, Kathy, sent me a picture of a great necklace which she designed. I loved the story behind it, because this has happened to me! She offered to make a friend a necklace for her birthday, and the friend responded by presenting Kathy with a picture of a $200 necklace in a magazine. Now you know if you have ever tried to replicate a necklace from a magazine or catalog, it ain’t easy. The reason for this is simple: the jewelry made for catalog or other jewelry companies has components which have been designed and manufactured for that company only, and therefore are not available on the open market. That’s why you can search forever and not find a particular clasp, shape bead, etc. But a little inspiration, imagination and ingenuity will give you something just as nice, and also something you can call your own!

Kathy says, “It’s very heavy, and was a good lesson in sizing for the person you’re making it for and relative weight of stones and crystals vs. resin or wood….not sure either pic is worth putting up just because of the photo quality. I AM proud of the necklace however!

“I made my own version of (the necklace), having invested in some chunk turquoise and a string of turquoise nuggets, glass beads, other real semi-precious stones and some great silver. Wish I could find the picture of the original I derived it from!”

I think Kathy did a superb job!  You can click on the thumbnails to see details.