Removing that Chalky Bead Release, Part II

So this is actually pretty funny.  I wrote a post a while back about using denture tablets to remove bead release.

Recently I received a shipment of beautiful Indian lampworked glass beads, all FULL of that nasty chalk.  But…no denture tablets arounds.  On a scheduled trip to the dentist, I asked for a sample, but they no longer provide them.  So…what to do?  GOOGLE IT, of course!

To my surprise, the very first thing that came up was my own blog!  That didn’t help me one bit – I already knew the denture tablet trick.  I couldn’t find another thing about it!

I gave it a little thought and decided to try a little trick I use to clean my sinks (thank you, Heloise.)  I put the beads in a plastic dishpan, put in some baking soda, and then covered the beads with vinegar!  The combination causes a lot of fierce bubbling.  I let the beads soak for a while, and when I drained off the vinegar solution, the bottom of the pan was thick with bead release.

So there you go…a cheap, eco-friendly way to clean beads.

Swarovski Crystal Birthstone Equivalent Chart

Let’s face it – you can’t ALWAYS use diamonds in your work, but you want to do something with a birthstone theme. Here is a chart of Austrian crystal equivalents to use in place of real gemstones.

January – Garnet

February – Amethyst

March – Aqua

April – Clear Crystal

May – Emerald

June – Light Amethyst

July – Ruby

August – Peridot

September – Sapphire

October – Rose

November – Topaz

December – Blue Zircon or Light Sapphire or Montana

Patti Whiteley – Friend and Fellow Beader

On Saturday, January 31st, the bead community lost an active and creative community member in Patti Whiteley. Patti was a long-time member of the Bead Society of New Jersey, a member of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers and other bead and glass beadmaking groups.

Patti was a designer and fused-glass beadmaker. Her work was featured in the book “1000 Glass Beads.” She often attended Bead & Button, taking classes and enjoying the shopping and schmoozing. She was very active in many online bead communities as well.

Beyond all that, Patti was my dear friend.  We often lunched together (Thai being our favorite – Patti was so fond of the mango mousse she would get a plate of that first before getting her entree!  We always laughed about it.)  We gave each other advice and counsel, and commiserated.   I will forever miss her friendship.  I can hear the sound of her voice in my ears even now.

Patti’s work can be seen at http://www.pattiwhiteley.com/.

Patti's Fused Glass Pendant

1000 Glass Beads

Can you restring this for me?

When I get new beading students, one of the first things I tell them is, “decide now whether you are going to charge for restringing beaded jewelry, because everyone you know has a box of broken beads.  And when they find out you know how to do this, they are gonna come a-knockin’ at your door!”

If you have been beading for a while, you know this is true – your family, friends, colleagues at work will approach you with,  “My bracelet broke.  Can you fix it for me?”  Pretty soon you will be spending a lot of time restringing broken items – not a great way to exercise your creative talents.  However, if you choose to charge to do restringing,  it can be some extra money in your pocket.

Should you decide to charge, you must decide how to charge:  by the piece, or by the inch being the usual modes.  You might try calling your local jewelers and finding out what they charge – and base your charges on that.  Being able to say, “Jay’s Jewelers charges $3.00 an inch for knotted jewelry.  My price is $2.00 an inch” may encourage your prospective clients.

I charge by the inch, with one rate for knotted jewelry and another for straight stringing.  I do not charge for stringing material, crimps, or french wire.  I do charge extra for any parts which must be replaced, such as clasps or other components.

Personally, I dislike restringing unless the client has come to me with a piece to be redesigned.  Straight restringing is b-o-r-i-n-g.  So I charge plenty for it!  At least I will be compensated for spending my time doing something I do not enjoy.

At a later date I plan to write more about restringing fine gemstone and pearl jewelry and some caveats to observe should you decide to take this on.

Tim Gunn Sez:

First of all let me say that I adore Project Runway’s “Mother Hen,” Tim Gunn.  In fact, I would become a gay man to be with Tim Gunn.

Tim says:

“Fashion is really having a jewelry moment – statement pieces are back in a big way.”

Have you noticed this trend?  I found this quote in Style Magazine’s January 2009 issue, which was illustrated with big, BIG,  chunky, clunky and oversized jewelry.

Sempione Necklaces

Jeanette’s Wedding Jewelry

When my niece Jeanette got engaged, she came to me for the wedding party jewelry. Jeanette had a little antique boutique, and she had set aside a few vintage faux-pearl necklaces which she originally intended to use as her bridesmaids’ jewelry. She decided instead to do something a little funkier and fun.

She brought the necklaces into my store.  I placed them on a tray and asked her to put everything on the tray that appealed to her.  In the end we had a nice palette of ivory, peach, grey and bronze.  Her picks included some smoky topaz cubes, peach freshwater pearls and coco-colored faux pearls.  I added some Swarovski crystal rondelles and some rhinestone “disco ball” beads.

Using the findings from the vintage pieces, and incorporating the vintage pearls, I made the bridesmaids 3 strand necklaces.  Each strand incorporated a color – peach, white or smoky/bronze, and the necklaces were able to be worn either with the strands laying upon the neck, or twisted.  Each one was completely different.

The maid-of-honor didn’t want a necklace, she wanted a bracelet, so I designed a “porcupine” bracelet of hundreds of drops of stacked beads which were then strung with pearls in between every 3 drops.

I was thrilled that all the bridesmaids (and my niece) liked their jewelry, and with the black dresses they wore, it looked great.  They each had a unique piece which could be worn thereafter without looking like “wedding jewelry!”

Welcome to Hye on Beads!

I hope to provide beaders with a useful and fun blog, containing tips and tricks, some interesting bead history, book reviews and more.

Please feel free to e-mail me with your questions and comments. I would also welcome pictures of your beadwork and some information about it. You may be featured here in the future!

I hope you will check out my eBay store, Hye on Beads, at http://stores.ebay.com/Hye-on-Beads. You will find a great variety of stringing materials, tools and books at great prices with low shipping and combined shipping for multiple purchases.

If you are in the Central New Jersey area, stop by my store, Hye on Beads located at 228 Mounts Mills Rd., Monroe Township, NJ 08831. We are open Mon & Tues 10-4, Wed 3:30 – 8, Fri 12 -6 and Sat 11 -5. Besides tools, books and stringing material, I have a wonderful variety of gemstone beads, Vintage glass beads, Czech crystal and glass, Swarovski crystal and tons more. I also have a lovely variety of Vintage Czech and West German glass buttons.