As the holidays get closer, we know there will be some people we want to give presents to.If you are on a tight budget, what can you give? Well, you can make them a gift!
A simple thing you can create is jewelry.Jewelry is a gift that can be used longer than baked goods. Additionally, sometimes it is even cheaper. Here are 2 easy types of jewelry to make: beaded earrings or bracelets. Earrings are usually cheaper to make as there are less beads involved. However, sometimes the beads used to make bracelets are really inexpensive. And of course, you can always make a matching set! So lets go over how to make jewelry!
Getting Started
First you need to get supplies.Craft stores like ArtBeads, Micheals, and Joanns should carry everything you need. For either project you need: beads, round nose pliers and wire cutters. For earrings you will also want earwires, headpins and tweezers; for bracelets, you need memory wire.Most crafters will create both types of jewelry for some extra variety.
Remember that fancier beads will make fancier jewelry. Sometimes you can get freshwater pearls rather inexpensively that makes wonderful jewelry.
Making The Jewelry
Both types of jewelry need loops to be created.Use your round nose pliers to create these.Wirecutters make trimming off extra wire a snap.
For earrings: add beads to each headpin, close off headpin with a loop and attach the loop to the earwires' loop.
For bracelets: create a starting loop, add beads, and then close it off with a loop.
Nice Touches
Putting the earrings on cardboard or a blank business card makes them look more professional. Having the earrings or bracelet in a small plastic baggie helps make certain that the beautiful jewelry won't be damaged. If you have extra jewelry boxes around, these help even more.
Pearls have had a long history as precious gemstones - as gifts for ancient royals or prized possessions sought-after by anxious criminals - from China, to Europe, to the Americas. Learning how to choose the right pearl earrings for the right occasion is a skill you can benefit from if you want accessories that flatter your best features.
Pearls are naturally created when foreign particles enter oyster shells. The oysters produce a calcium-type substance around the foreigner and this substance coats the particle in thin concentric layers, creating a pearl. Naturally formed pears are rarely symmetrical or well shaped enough to be used as jewelry. As such, pearls are generally cultured and grown so that their shape and size can be regulated.
If you’re interested in choosing the right pearl earrings for the right occasion, it pays to familiarize yourself with how pearls are valued, whether they are pearl drop earrings or otherwise. Pearls are measured based on their diameter with larger pearls being more highly valued. Several factors determine the value of a pearl - color, overtone, size, shape, luster and surface quality.
The color of a pearl can range from white, cream, silver, blue, pink, gold and black. Choose a color to suit your skin tone and the occasions you may be wearing your pearl drop earrings to. Luster refers to the reflective quality of a pearl and the more luster a pearl has the more valuable it is. Surface quality is also an important consideration; the less imperfections like bumps there are on a pearl, the more highly prized it is.
Remember that pearls are delicate because of the material they are made from. They tend to be softer than other jewels and therefore more prone to cracks and scratches. Try cleaning your pearls with a soft, damp cloth and you can also wash them on occasion with some water and soap. To further protect your pearl drop earrings, wear them after you’ve worn your makeup, perfume or even moisturizer.
Earrings worn as accessories are designed to draw attention to the face and should be carefully chosen to flatter your features, depending on the shape of your specific face. Learning how to choose the right pearl earrings for the right occasion begins with determining your face shape.
admin | October 29, 2009
