CHALLENGE Response: Designing Jewelry for Girls (Happy 10th B-day!)

I know a fabulously sweet girl who is turning 10 this month!    She has always been one for dressing up and looking cute and comfy in her pinks and purples and reds.   A couple of years ago, I began giving her small pieces of jewelry as gifts.  The first piece was a small red and white elastic bracelet.   Later, when I found out she had pierced ears, I made her small dangle red and white earrings to match. 


It's fun to do something a bit different for her.  (Many of the earrings I make are long dangles, but I keep hers a little shorter.)


This year I sent a couple of small journals, a tin to keep her jewelry in, and 3 pairs of earrings.   Here are the first 2 pair.

And because she's a grown-up 10 this year, 

she's getting a pair that's a bit longer and Fall-like, 

made with the copper wire.

She's a very appreciative young woman and always seems pleased with her gifts, but I'm hoping she truly enjoys each pair of these and has a wonderful 10th birthday and year to follow!    

(If you are reading, "Happy B-day, L!")

--Sharyl

Blog Followers:  Remember, it's "CHALLENGE TIME!"  If you've designed jewelry for young people, we'd love to hear about it and/or see it!  Please comment!    

CHALLENGE TIME!--Designing jewelry for special audiences

I've been talking away here for 3 months, but this time, the entry is all about YOUR ideas and I hope you will share!  So get ready...

**It's CHALLENGE TIME!**    

I'd like to hear your experiences, ideas, and/or questions regarding designing jewelry for special groups of people!

• In an upcoming entry I will show you  a few pieces of jewelry I just designed for a special young person in my life. I've done a few pieces for kids in my family, but that's the extent of my jewelry-making experience for young people.  Has anyone else designed jewelry for the younger set?  What can you share?

• Do you have ideas, questions, concerns about designing for any other specific group?  (I don't mean to offend anyone by putting various people together, but this topic is wide open.  It might include clasps for people with physical impairments.   It might just as well be jewelry-making activity ideas for groups of any age or ability.  It might have to do with a culture or religion.  Dream big!  Be open!  We want to hear from you!)

• One group I'm interested in is the elderly (a large and varied group to be sure)!   I did some pieces for my mother when she was living, and have some ideas of what her special needs were I can share, but I'd like to hear more ideas for residents of nursing facilities-- (either jewelry to give, or projects residents could make with guidance.)

Guidelines for submitting ideas:

It's quite easy really!  I know there are only a few regular followers here.  (I'm grateful for each one of you!)  I want you (and anyone else reading) to feel welcome to offer suggestions and ask your own questions too.   I'd love to hear your ideas and interests and learn about your projects.  I'm sure others will also!  Even if you have ideas you haven't tried, feel free to offer them up.  Brainstorming sessions are not for criticism but for sparking great ideas!

• Describe your ideas or projects on designing jewelry for special groups.  You can also request comments on a group you would like more info on yourself. 

• Submit it as a "comment" to this post entry.   Submit as many times as you want.

• Feel free to include a link to your website or blog in the comment if it illustrates your point.  I'll read them then they'll go up on the blog.  I'll post as many as I can as we go along, to keep the discussion moving.  However, if you don't see your comment posted, please don't worry,...

At the end, I'll write a new entry summarizing the comments I received and highlighting special projects. 


Your comments are always welcome here, but let's aim for a Sept. 22th deadline to be included in the summary. 

 Note: Changed to -->

I hope we all enjoy this opportunity to participate and learn from one another.  (Please submit something or there will be a mighty pathetic summary at the end of this project!)  :-)

Thanks!  Can't wait to hear from you!

Sharyl

P.S. Please feel free to spread the word of this "Challenge" to your other jewelry-making friends or anyone who might have an interest in a certain group.  Everyone is welcome!

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Royalty Free  Images:

• Writing instruments:  http://www.wpclipart.com/education/supplies/writing_instruments.jpg
• Paper doll diversity graphic:   http://www.wpclipart.com/people/groups/more_groups/community_1.jpg 
• Note:  http://www.wpclipart.com/education/supplies/notebook/note.jpg
• Envelope: http://www.wpclipart.com/signs_symbol/icons_oversized/open_envelope_w_arrow.png.html
• Calendar, Sept. 22: http://www.wpclipart.com/time/calendar/09_September/calendar_September_22.jpg 

Krista's Jewelry

I told you what I was doing over Labor Day, and now have a report in from one of our "Followers!"  

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

First, a little background:  Krista started following this blog a while back, and I'll admit now that we've known each other a long while.   Krista is very talented in many ways.   

• She has had her own blog regarding knitting and yarns.  
• She operated an Etsy shop displaying her sewing, featuring pillowcases made from a delightful array of unique cotton fabrics.   
• And she's had a photography business.  (Her photographs of children look spontaneous and natural, thus beautiful without appearing posed.)  

She probably has even more artistic talents, but these are the ones that immediately come to my mind!

She's returned to graduate school now, but I think our talk of jewelry, and her own natural pull toward creative and artistic endeavors, have had her yearning to join us in the jewelry-making adventure!  To that, I can only say, "Bra-vo!"

Krista went bead shopping over Labor Day, then got busy creating!  She sent me photos of what she made (and when I asked, gave me permission to post)!  Thank you, Krista!

She started with this necklace.   It looks so ambitious for a first project. I would think she's been holding out on us, but I know I don't need to question her honesty!     (I've long wanted to do something like this, but don't have the vision or the patience  for it!  I think it looks marvelous!)

If it were me, I would have called it a day after making the necklace, but... she wrote me midway though the day to say she was continuing her work, and again later to say she had completed more!    

The dark beads are made of lava.  They are a porous-looking bead, and their color and round shape  make a nice contrast to the flatter, smooth/shiny grey shell beads.  The spacer beads add a professional touch.   (I wish my early attempts had turned out this well!)

Nice work, Krista!   Thanks so much for sharing your photos with us!    Keep it up--we'll look forward to hearing and seeing more from you!   

Hope everyone else enjoyed their day too!

--Sharyl
Sharyl's Jewelry


Credits:

• Photos & Jewelry by Krista, 9/5/11

Working on Labor Day

I'll be working this Labor Day.* 
I work most holidays.   Like many others, it's just the type of job I have.


(Jewelry-making, though it is a fledgling business for me, is what I do for fun.  Thus, I will gladly do it any day!)    


I am a librarian by profession and work for a virtual library service that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including  holidays.  In fact, holidays can be some of our busiest times as more traditional libraries are often closed.   I enjoy that work very much too.   Not everyone is so lucky to have a job, much less work they enjoy, so I know not to take that for granted.   


But today in honor of Labor Day, I thought I'd take it a bit easy on myself and share a few thoughts from others on the world of work, labor, and rest: 

I can't imagine anything more worthwhile than doing what I most love. And they pay me for it.
Edgar Winter  


Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
Theodore Roosevelt


All things are difficult before they are easy.
Thomas Fuller



If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.
Herodotus



If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend.
Doug Larson

However you spend it, have a safe and happy Labor Day! --Sharyl

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Note:

* "Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September (September 5 in 2011) that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers."    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

Graphics:

• Working on computer:  http://www.wpclipart.com/computer/people_on_computers/computer_users/working_on_laptop.jpg
• Person not working sign:   http://www.wpclipart.com/cartoon/signs/man_not_working_ahead.jpg
• Sunshine:  http://www.wpclipart.com/weather/sun/sun_5/sun_wearing_sunglasses.jpg

Learning through Shopping--Types of Beads

As a person who always did my shopping for beads at local stores, I tended to go in, pick out whatever I liked the looks of, make my purchase, and be happy, just with the look and feel of the beads.  I might look over colors, trying to find just the right shade I liked, or pick out a shape I thought would be comfortable for a bracelet.  I would consider what beads would coordinate with other beads in a creation. 

Then customers started asking me what certain minerals certain beads where made of, and asked me to look for certain types of materials--such as natural crystals as opposed to glass crystals. (See "Crystals Delight" entry.) At that point, I had to do some research by getting books from my library, searching online, and visiting with my local bead store staff to learn more.

Most recently, my learning about beads has occurred in the most innocent of ways--I was in a situation where I couldn't go out to shop and decided to order some beads online.   You've been hearing me talk about this over my last several blog entries, but I have to share... 
...a few things I learned along the way.


Glass Crystal:


These are very popular beads.   (Think Swarovski, for example.)   I have used them at times, though  somewhat sparingly, generally preferring the look of ceramic, stone, blown glass, wood, or other types of beads. I tend to use them as accent beads rather than focal points in my jewelry.   

I know from my local bead shops that Chinese glass crystals are gaining in popularity.  Online shopping brought me in touch with Czech glass crystals. 
They can be less expensive than some of the well-known glass crystal providers, but in my experience (and in talking to and reading what others have to say), they can be of good quality and add fine detail to many pieces.   

I found them online for sale in many, many colors and shapes.   
They are typically more rounded (as opposed to bicone beads which are pointed in the middle of the bead), making them much more comfortable for bracelets.  The facets give them a lot of shine and yet they don't look "fake" or "plastic" as some beads do.   (It's a shame to buy glass crystals and have them mistaken for plastic beads!)


Many of the beads I purchased were "Czech Fire Polish Glass Crystal beads." I took a close look at the photos when ordering these.  Some had a richer, higher-quality look to them than others. I trusted my instincts from the photos and was not disappointed.  


When purchasing online, the seller would give the type of bead,  the size in millimeters, the number of beads or length of the strand, and the color.  It took my first order to realize that I needed to have a better concept of what a 4mm bead would be like (quite small), when what I might really want was more like an 8-10mm bead.  It seems like such a "beginner's" mistake, but not one I had to deal with when the beads were right in front of me in the shops!  So no harm done, I'm putting all the beads to use, and now I've learned to estimate the size and to get out a ruler if I'm unsure. 

Czeck Druk: 

Another type of bead I learned about was Czech Druk beads.   They are smooth round beads of pressed glass.   I have shopped for weeks on end to find a shade of red I liked, and  finally found it here.  It's called "Siam."   (These are 4 mm, so at the top of my next order wish-list are Druk beads, color Siam, size 8-10mm!) 

Minerals:

Of course I also bought mineral/stone beads, which I've always loved and used, but seldom bothered to learn the names of.   I'm trying to change that habit by naming them in my posts and on my jewelry labels.  (Like a new resolution I'm already breaking, I won't list all the minerals and colors in this photo, as there are many, especially in the square collection.)   

My last post talked about semi-precious fan bead sets.  These are also minerals, just sliced into multiple lengths (known as "daggers.")   I won't recap that, just include a photo and link back to that entry if you missed it.  

So, lots of beads and lots of learning has been taking place during my shopping trips and online ordering of late.  (See, shopping isn't just for spending money; it can be educational too!)   No matter how I learn, I enjoy a new discovery when it comes to jewelry-making!  

Enjoy!   --Sharyl 

Sharyl's Jewelry.com

P.S. This is the last in the series regarding the "online bead buying experiment."   Fresh new batch of topics coming up next week!   

Moss Agate Fan Necklace (& Jasper Earrings to go!)

In my last order of beads, I purchased two sets of agate "fan" bead sets.   I have seen these, but never made anything with them before myself.   


One of the sets is very colorful and is called the "Picasso Jasper Gemstone Fan." (See photo on left.)  I liked it so much because of the many colors of stone.  (The photo doesn't do it justice.  There are beads that look more purple, blue, etc., and much darker and brighter.)   But the many colors also pose a challenge; I haven't decided colors to use with the fan set and if I have enough beads in the colors I would need.  I'm thinking I may not, so I decide to start with the other fan set first.    


The other set is called a "Moss Agate Gemstone Fan" (below) which comes in 13 pieces of the same kind of stone in graduated sizes.   The beads are predominately grey in color.   This will be my starting place. From here, only imagination (and the limitation of bead quantities) guide the way!  A perfect mixture for creativity! 

"Spacing the Daggers"


My first challenge is deciding whether to space the "daggers" with other beads or to leave the daggers placed together.   (Who knew the terminology would be so fun?   I feel like a fiction writer for some ancient adventure war story yelling "Space the Daggers!  Space the Daggers!")    I decide to separate the daggers with an accent bead, believing it will make the piece look more dramatic.  


"Choosing sides"


Though I've made necklaces, I more often make pendants.  So to complete this piece I would need to decide what to do with the sides of the necklace, what beads to use, what colors, size, and how long the necklace should be.

The daggers are spaced by small round 

Honey Yellow Jade beads.  

The set is followed by 3 peachy/rose glass beads 

on each side, a silver spacer, 

a couple of sets of Czech glass "Montana" beads (grey) 

with silver spacers, then up the rest of the necklace are large, clear glass seed beads.

"I'm up to my neck!"


My final decision concerns the clasp.   I make all my clasps so there is no decision about whether to do so for this piece, but I realize I have to keep the 2 pieces very similar in size for the necklace to hang properly.   I want something very smooth, so that it will not irritate the neck, and I want to make sure none of the wires  come apart.   The necklace is not heavy, but does contain a lot of beads, so having them "escape" would be a disaster.   I've made several types of clasps in the past, and after two tries,  I think I have this clasp worked out to satisfaction.


"Closing the Gap"


As I finish making the necklace, I conclude I like the subtle colors in this necklace, and may like it better than the next fan set that awaits me!

Completed necklace.

"But wait, there's more!" 


I also made these earrings, not with the necklace in mind, but when I finished the earrings, I noticed the necklace and earrings went well together.

Silver Leaf Faceted Jasper Earrings

Fan necklace and earrings.

Regarding that bead order, I'm wishing now I had doubled it!   That way I could sell one and keep one of the things I'm making!  Ha!  (Anyone else have that problem?)

I'm having fun.  Hope you are too!  --Sharyl 

Sharyl's Jewelry

More New Fall Jewelry--Bracelets & More Bracelets!

After getting in my new shipments of beads, I just couldn't wait to get back to work on making jewelry!   Just in terms of quantities, I tend to produce jewelry in this order:
1.  pendants
2.  earrings
3.  bracelets


Recently, I've been turning things on their head and working on:
1. bracelets 
2. full necklaces
3. rings/earrings/pendants


While I've been working with minerals a lot this Fall, I ordered a wide variety of Czech glass beads online so you'll see more glass here than you've seen since Summer, and some bracelets with integrated materials.


Above you'll see a pile of some of my Fall bracelets.  I just finished putting crimp covers on and making clasps for the last of them today.  Below, you'll see a few more...

Three bracelets with petite beads, primarily Czech glass crystals, 

Czech Fire Polish glass beads, Yellow Honey Jade, and seed beads.  

On bottom row, Czech Cathedral glass beads in sapphire/gold.

One more for the mineral collection:

Carnelian and Jade Serpentine bead bracelet.

Czech Fire Polish glass and Czech Glass Druk Round beads.  
(The color is called "Montana"--a deep, rich, smokey grey.)

I have many more (non-bracelet) items I've been at work on, but I'll save some for future posts!

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P.S.  I just updated my website, Sharyl's Jewelry,  to include more of the Fall line.   Now I have a whole new batch of jewelry!   Which just shows, you'll always see it here first!  

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  ...to our new follower, Gayle!   She has already posted a few comments here, and I'm happy she's joined us.   You can read more about Gayle and her "Kit and Caboodle Shop" on Etsy.    Gayle also writes the blog, "This Artist's Journey."   Warm greetings to Gayle!

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