Artist Beads and Earrings - Learning the Jewelry Basics

Sometimes in life, things work out in ways that you feel pretty fortunate.

Like having the opportunity to spend a good portion of my 30's making beads and traveling around the U.S. to sell them (before the internet took over).

Marsha Neal Studio and Thornburg Bead Studio Artist Bead Earrings

While traveling, meeting SO many wonderful bead makers, jewelry designers, jewelry hobbyists (which a lot of those people had serious jobs, and dabbling with jewelry making was their relaxation and they did not want it to be another job).

 Growing up I never dreamed of making beads or jewelry, but I always dabbled.

Here is a bad photo of a back shelf where I have all of my beads purchased at big craft stores, as I grew up. There are also some beads in there from when I first discovered the bead shows in my area. I quite remember getting sold "silver" beads, but the silver plating coming off over time, then the vendor - the next time the show came around - denied that they were his beads (he had more of the exact bead strand on the table - what a jerk taking advantage of a new beader!)

We all have to start dabbling somewhere. Sometimes the easy and cheap is the way we go.

And that is great when you are experimenting, or can use the product in ways that are very creative.

But your work goes to the next level (in my opinion) when you start to really understand your materials, and can start to design with them to have a great look, a good wearable feel - if that is your goal, and will hold up over time with intended wear.

I work part time at a wool shop and art house in Elkton, MD called Sarafina Art House.

It has been a blessing for me to have a job outside of the house around inspiring people and creative energy. We all bring a little something extra to the table creatively, and when it comes to classes, I tend to lean to the basic jewelry side of things.

The above photo is a quick shot of some of the materials I am going to bring with me to a series of classes I am going to teach in October "Earrings in an Hour". I am going to go over some of the basics of jewelry making: tools, supplies, techniques, design and inspirations. Each person is going to be able to make up to two pairs of earrings that night to take home, and I am going to be doing this for three weeks straight - with two different designs each week!

I really wanted to help people understand some different things about materials so they can start to find their creative way with jewelry making.

What are some fun tips you would share if you were teaching a beginners wire working class?

I may print some of these off with your name of course and let them read them in their take home.

PS - I have a ton of things in my head already, so asking for "tips" is just to make sure I don't forget anything important - which can happen frequently once you get comfortable with your wire work.

boot camp - asymmetry in earring design

mary jane dodd

mjd

creating asymmetry in earrings can add great interest. 

there are different ways to achieve this effect - 

you can use the same beads/elements and arrange them differently on each one - 

or you can strike your balance with beads of similar size, 'weight' and color. 

when i am working this way in necklaces or earrings, i tend to view my work as if there is an 'x' present - checking to see if there is balance across the work and from top to bottom, side to side. 

in the first pair of earrings i merely switched the arrangement of the turquoise and amber. subtle asymmetry.

here, the ever inventive fanci shows how to create balance across the set. 

fanciful devices

she keeps the structure and size of the earrings similar but switches up her beads in terms of color and/or shape.

stacilouise

in this pair by our own staci, she kept her color scheme and scale consistent, but created interest with different shapes of beads and switching the arrangement of the discs from top to bottom. when viewed side by side, you can see how there is balance across the set when you are looking at it as an 'x'.

mjd

all of the same components were used in this example - i just changed the orientation of the accent beads from horizontal to vertical. the scale, color and shape are consistent. 

kate buxton - quisnam

i love how the eye moves in this pair - kate has balanced them across the set, keeping scale and color consistent, she plays beautifully with shapes. 

mjd

here i have played with the negative space on the left by filling it with chain and beads. on the right, a bead from the same set is used, but i have left the negative space open. 

janis kerman

this is a gorgeous example of asymmetry in earring design - color, overall shape and size are consistent. here the balance is more in the form of triangles - top and bottom of left related to center of right and vice versa. 

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i wanted to add some thoughts re: designing necklaces. i agree completely with the other women in the group about how weight is crucial. a necklace that stuns flat on your work table but slides all around your neck is not a successful design. 

developing an asymmetrical way of thinking isn't always easy. some people take right to it, others find it to be more challenging. if you are finding it hard to do, remember, even throwing in one bead of a different color or shape (with a similar relative scale) on one side of the design creates asymmetry. it does not have to be complex. it can be, but doesn't have to be. 

mjd

in my fiber necklaces, if you look closely, you can see that the neck piece has 4 different sections - all in the same color scheme. closest to the pouch, i have used threads with strung beads on one side and linen with accent beads of the same sort stitched to it on the right. 

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so have fun - whether your version of asymmetry is bold or subtle, it adds much interest to designs and helps you to define your own look.