Best of Art Bead Scene: Garden Gate Clasp

I've been clicking through some of our 'oldies but goodies' posts, and thought that some of you might like to revisit this awesome clasp from Heather. I think it would look really fab in a chunky, organicly rustic bracelet - how about you? Share your pictures with us if you have a go - over on our Facebook page or in the 'Art Bead Scene Lounge'!

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Garden Gate Clasp

Create a wire hook and eye clasp to use with a multi-strand design.  I think this would look great on a bracelet with some floral inspired art beads.  Ah, spring - so glad you are here!

Supplies:

9" 18 gauge half hard sterling silver wire

4" 22 gauge copper wire

Tools: Round and chain nose pliers, flush wire cutters, chasing hammer, bench block

Directions:

1. Cut the silver wire into two 4.5" lengths.  Bend the wires around a tube of beads (or a Sharpie Marker), form into two circles.  

2. Use your fingers to bend and form one circle into a slightly oval shape, a little thinner than the circle.  This part of the clasp will need to fit inside the circle.  

3. Create spirals on the end of wires with round nose pliers, keeping the spirals as uniform as possible.

4. Hammer the ends of the spirals with the chasing hammer on a bench block.  Hammer the circle on the round clasp and the end of the oval.  Don't hammer on the part of the wires that crosses over each other.  

5. With the chain nose pliers, bend the oval clasp section in half to form the hook.

6. Cut the copper wire into two 2" lengths and wrap around the center of the clasps.

The last two photos show the clasp in it's natural state and antiqued with liver of sulphur. 

Designers note: Use brass or copper wire to practice this design before trying it in silver wire.

Originally posted by Heather Powers, April 2011.

Best of ABS - Square Knot Bracelet Tutorial - with Rebecca of Songbead

Today we have a 'Best of ABS' post - throwback to 2012 and this tutorial showing you one way to incorporate fibres into your work. Ribbon, cord, leather, fibre - it's still on trend - so try your hand at this simple yet versatile macrame technique, perfect for the summer months ahead!

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Knotting techniques and using fibre in jewellery are all the rage at the moment and you may well have used some sari silk, cord or ribbon in your jewellery. It can add a relaxed vibe; a softness and bountiful colour possibilities! It also allows a piece of jewellery to be made entirely without the use of metal, which could be important if designing for someone who has an intolerance (although I have used a copper clasp, you could easily replace this with clasp of a different material, or even a knotted closure). I have long taught knotting classes at my local bead shop, and fellow ABS editor Erin Siegel along with Lorelei Eurto have an exciting book coming out soon - Bohemian Inspired Jewelry, for which I personally can't wait! These ladies are both so talented and I am looking forward to seeing their beautiful fibre led designs.

One of the oldest knotting techniques is macrame, originally used by sailors I believe. I thought I'd offer up a tutorial using the classic macrame knot, the square knot.

**If you are not sure about a lark's head knot, check out my blogtomorrow**

{I accidentally jumped from step 5 to step 7.  There isn't a missing step, I just left the number 6 out by mistake! Oops.}

***Can you see the cord coming over itself on the LH side, where I have drawn with green pen? This means the following half-knot must start with a LH loop. Similarly, if this bit of cord was on the R, I would begin the next knot with a RH loop. I find it useful to check this if I have to put my work down whilst knotting.***

I finish off the silk cord by tying a bow, and then double knotting it. 


Have a look at some other bracelets using the same technique.

Beading by Malin de Koning
Malin has used cord to knot and shows how beads of different shapes and sizes can be combined using square knots. Check out her blog for many more square knotted pieces.

Erin Siegel
This photograph really whets my appetite for Bohemian Inspired Jewelry - just look at those beautiful colours and contrasting textures! Erin shows how even a thicker ribbon can be used for knotting.

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer; currently living in Edinburgh, capital of her native land. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.

Bead Chat Magazine - ABS June Review

The Artisan Whimsy group puts out a great e-magazine each month called Bead Chat.  The Art Bead Scene is proud to be a new monthly contributor and will share the links to our news stories here on the blog.

June’s Challenge was a watercolor painting entitled, “Jackknife Village” by Franklin Carmichael from 1926.  This painting inspired a great collection of sun-drenched beach house creations and sea-themed jewelry.  Be sure to check out the blog to see the latest hop and the challenge for July. 

Here is a necklace by Art Bead Scene editor, Heather Powers inspired by the challenge.  Art beads by Humblebeads, Genea Beads and Green Girl Studio.

Best of the ABS

“Down by the River Earrings” - a great free earring project from Gaea Cannaday.  Follow along with Gaea’s easy pictorial tutorial and you’ll be whipping up a pair of these earrings in time for your next stroll along with waterfront! 

Color Inspiration

Every month designer Brandi Hussey puts together a series of color palettes based on art beads.  This month was all about beach and beads by MayaHoney. Check out June’s Art Bead Color Palettes.

Brandi just released a book on color theory that is a must for designers and artists.  Understanding Color: Color Theory Made Easy is 84 pages filled with practical advice and amazing color palettes. 

Summer is Calling:

Humblebeads 

Gaea 

Tesori Trovati

Best of the ABS: Recycle a Tomato Cage: Alternative Use of Art Beads

Recycling is gaining popularity. Most of us wouldn't think recycling and art beads go together but I created a garden sculpture doing just that in this 2007 ABS post....

I've been staring at an old tomato cage for a few months. It looked like a tree, it was asking me to make something from it. I had to think, though. I'm a rabid recycler but my weakness is that I ALWAYS think I can re-use something - even when it's broken beyond repair. But this tomato cage wouldn't let me send it to the curb. I finally figured out what it wanted to be - a beaded garden sculpture! I've been keeping those pretty beads that weren't saleable in a bowl in the studio. No one is allowed to take them - well, ok, maybe I've let a few kids take them - but they're just not up to the standards I have for saleable items. They're little pieces of art, though, and I just couldn't bear to put them into the glass garbage.

I think the beads whispered to the tomato cage - "let's work together." I know, I know, the beads don't talk and neither does the tomato cage, but sometimes art does have a way of speaking to us. Does it speak to you?

Best of the ABS - Seeds of Invention

On September 3rd, Lynn shared some inspiration for stretching your beading budget with seed beads.

Many jewelry designers start out in the beginning of their learning process using seed beads and then somehow gradually move away from seed beads in their designs as they begin to use lampwork, ceramic, polymer clay and other kinds of art beads. But there are many ways that colorful, fun and simple seed beads can fit into a sophisticated jewelry design and work well with art beads as the finishing touch.

This design by Lorelei Eurto uses a Humblebead's chrysanthemum bead, wire, metal chain and seed beads combined with metal charms. The seed beads add texture, color and a lighthearted touch to the design. The tone and matte finish of the seed beads works perfectly with the warm metal and focal bead colors, and there's something very attractive about all those tiny bead shapes in a strand like this.

This Lotus Flower Bracelet signature cuff bracelet design with Heather's lotus flower art bead six-hole divider combines seed beads with crystals, pearls and stones. Beautiful colors, totally compatible with a great jewelry design and using seed beads blended with an art bead spacer to make a unified color statement that's linear and balanced.

I've been doing some reading about the history of crafts and found out about a designer named Ramona Solberg, a legendary groundbreaker in jewelry design from the 1960's who created a series of this style of necklace using strands of various shimmery colors of seed beads combined onto wire like the one pictured at the left. It's almost structural, and the colors and textures are really unique.

One of the very best things about seed beads is that they are easily available, come in multitudes of rainbow colors, in glossy and matte finishes, and they are very inexpensive. And that leaves you more money to invest in your art beads and special finishing items!

Here is a trellis bracelet tutorial by Heather on her blog that shows how to use seed beads to create your clasp for a bracelet. Let's add versatile to the list of descriptions for seed beads.

Stretching your art bead budget using colorful seed beads is a very good thing!

Best of Art Bead Scene: Collaborations Explored

This post was originally posted on October 13th, 2007 by Melanie. Since this time, even more Collaboration Explorations hav ebeen done by the editors of Art Bead Scene, and it is one of our favorite offshoot ideas that has come out of working on ABS. We are looking for more Collaborators for the new year, so if you are interested, please post a comment!

Several of the editors here at Art Bead Scene have been busy collaborating with bead makers and designers on all sorts of exciting side projects lately!

One of the projects is called Collaboration Exploration, and is the idea of Cindy Gimbrone. This project involves two beadmakers working with a designer. All three get the same sets of beads from the two bead makers, and all three have to design jewelry or other crafts with those items. They do it secretly, and all reveal at the same time. It is an exciting surprise to see the different ways each has used the beads. Its a ton of fun!

Check out the Collaboration entries by these three artists, who used the same handcrafted enamelled components and lampwork beads:

Cindy Gimbrone

Bridgitte Tucker

Laura Bracken

Now check out the collaborations between these three artists, who used the same handmade porcelain and polymer beads:
Melanie Brooks Lukacs

Melissa Lee

Heather Powers

The editors here are addicted to this fun process, so if you think you would like to collaborate in the future, either as a bead maker or a designer, please post a comment here. Let's explore!

Join us tomorrow for May's monthly challenge!