Bead For Life - Custom Made Bead Order Received!

Hand Rolled, Custom, Unique Beads

I was so excited to go to my mailbox and find the custom, hand made beads I had ordered from the Bead For Life website. If you aren't familiar with Bead for Life, please look at my older posts and watch the video or check out their website.  Bead for Life is an organization that gives women in Uganda the ability to learn a trade and earn money to sustain their families and in some cases, start their own businesses. 

I wanted to follow up with my first post and say that I am extremely satisfied with the beads that I received.  The shipping was quick and there were also tags included to send with my own custom made jewelry using the beads I bought from Bead for Life.  I took some pictures and wanted to include them with this post and I will be making jewelry soon with these great beads!!  I chose the multi-colored and the natural colored loose beads, but you can pick from many different styles and colors already made by the talented Ugandan women of  Bead for Life.  I hope you let me know if you have looked at the site and would love to hear your comments!!  Please check back for my custom made creations featuring Bead for Life beads and like always, thanks for reading!!

Beads come with tags for your own custom made creations

 Earth Tone Beads from Bead For Life

Pink Sapphire Ring Displays Elegance and Grace

Available at MyJewelryBox.com for
only $199.00!  

Even though I didn't custom make this beautiful ring, I thought it was very elegant and wanted to include it in a post!!  I love the heart shaped pink sapphires and since I don't really make too many rings, I thought it would be a good find for some of you that may be looking.  The ring is made 10kt white gold and is accentuated with diamonds on both sides.  I could definitely custom make something that would go great with this ring!!  If you end up getting this ring or have some other jewelry that you want to have matched, please let me know and I can custom make any kind of jewelry, just send me any requests!!

Taking Quality Photos of Your Custom Made Jewelry

Detail of Jonquil Swarovski Crystal
Necklace - $30

Taking quality photos of your custom made jewelry can prove to be trying at times, especially if you don't have the right kind of camera.  The best details of beads and jewelry are captured in photos by high resolution settings, however, you may find that your pictures of your custom made jewelry load slower than they would if they were a lower resolution.

You may have to give up some picture quality to make the overall custom jewelry webpage load faster and smoother, because as anyone knows that surfs the internet "window shopping", you only have a few minutes before they switch to a different site.

Make sure that you take pictures on a neutral background and don't use anything in the background that has a pattern that will distract from your custom made jewelry.  You want your custom made jewelry to be the star of the photo, so make sure that it is not too dark or too over exposed either.  Just move around your space until you find a good mix of light and dark.

Avoid shadows also, which will give you uneven results, making your jewelry not as easily seen.  The best way to assure that you get good photos, of course, is to have a quality camera.  If you don't own one, then borrow one from someone that does have one.  It is key to have good pictures of your jewelry for internet exposure.  If I can help at all please contact me...my info is on the contact page.

Coral and Lampwork Glass
 Bead Necklace - $25 

Aqua Glass & Seahorse Custom
 Necklace - $30

Using Flea Markets and Events to Sell Your Custom Made Jewelry

   

A picture of the booth with my
jewelry set up at the Rodeo.

My custom made jewelry 

booth set up...check out
the car in the background.

My little candy grabbers.
(L-R Cody, Jade & Chloe)
 at the Bonifay Rodeo
Oct. 2010

You can use flea markets and other events to sell your custom made jewelry.  Like so many other artisans that are trying to make some money from their crafts, I have found that it is hard to find a venue to sell my custom made jewelry through, especially since I live in a rural area outside of a small town.

There is not a lot of room for exposure in a remote area, so you have to think about branching out in any available outlets.  If you have been in that area for awhile, then you probably already know of flea markets, thrift stores, and even some small locally owned businesses that may possibly market your custom made jewelry or other crafts.

 I talked to a kind local business owner and he let me set up a booth during the 2010 Bonifay Rodeo weekend and had mild success, but it was still good to get out there and have people stop by and look at my jewelry and get some good feedback.

If  you aren't from that area or are looking to go to a more populated area to try to sell, then talking to some locals, in a grocery store or gas station and asking them where things are is a great way to get information.  Usually, if you pipe up and ask a question in general to a room full of people you will get a lot of feedback...sometimes the information is not quite what you wanted to know, but that's the way it goes! Also, the other option is via the internet.  There are plenty of options that the internet has to offer, but also a lot of scams, so just be cautious!  If I can help at all with anything, just let me know!  My info is on my contact page!

We were giving a puppy away
and my son, Cody
was lending a hand!! 

Trendy Jewelry: A New Anklet Toe Ring; Flips, No Flops

Flips - An ankle bracelet and
toe ring combination. - $20 each
or $35/pr.

Do you love ankle bracelets or toe rings?  I have seen other versions of this idea, however, this is my custom made take on the sole less flip-flop. Ankle bracelets and toe rings are a popular choice, however, sometimes can be uncomfortable or not practical for wearing them in certain situations.

 I have decided to name my version, Flips - you know, the flip without the flop. Kind of a play on the fact that they look like flip flops from the top, but have no sole on the bottom. They are a cross between an ankle bracelet and a toe ring in the fact that the wire does actually slip over the toe and attach around the ankle. I have always thought that these would be perfect for the beach and being a Florida resident, beaches are always near.

You have to take off your shoes as soon as you hit the beach, because it is so hard to walk in the white sand beaches off of Panama City without filling your shoes up with sand or losing them in the sand when you are walking. I love going barefoot anyway, but Flips let you have the bling you want without trying to walk through the sand with sandals on.

Custom made to fit any size and
color requested. $20 each
or $35/pr.

They are fine in water, sand, and any kind of weather where you are going to go barefoot. They would not be practical for colder weather, since you primarily have to go barefoot while wearing them! But if you are a lover of the summer, these just might be what you want to finish off your favorite summer outfits from bikinis to skirts!

Just a word of caution - Although the likelihood is not very great, there is still a factor that I must mention. Flips are made out of nylon covered flex wire and do fit around your second toe. If there is any chance that your Flips may get tangled, caught or stuck on anything in the situation that you find yourself in, please remove them since the possibility is there for injury. Please use your best judgement when wearing Flips. Thank you.

Making Your Own Pendants For Your Custom Made Necklace

Coral & Lampwork Glass Necklace - $30

Silver Leaf & Clear Glass Crackle Bead

Necklace - $25

Swarovski Starfish Necklace - $30

Custom made necklaces may require that you make your own pendant to match. Sometimes, you will be in the unique position that you have all the other components of your custom made necklace complete, except for one small problem.

 You don't have a pendant that you want to use with it or you can't find a pendant that fits what you have in mind. One easy way to get around this problem is to make your own pendants. You can make a pendant from any kind of assembly of beads and the only limit is your imagination.

I have included some pictures of necklaces that I have made the pendant out of several smaller beads that are included in the main design of the necklace. As you can see, you can be simplistic, as in the case of the ruby and Swarovski crystal necklace or you can be more detailed as see in the Swarovski crystal starfish pendant that I created.

 If you would like to purchase any of these necklaces or you have an idea of your own that you want me to recreate, please let me know!

Ruby & Swarovski Crystal

Necklace - $30

Custom Jewelry Trends: Cabochons

Opal & Blue Glass Necklace - $25

Cabochons are still making a climb in the custom jewelry world. Unlike their faceted cousins, cabochons are usually made from an opaque precious or semi-precious stone that is ground down so that it has a flat side and polished and rounded on the other and then it is usually affixed to a backing piece, so that it becomes a pendant or they can be attached to a piece of custom jewelry directly, like a bracelet or the like.

I have put up a few pictures of custom made necklaces that I have made that feature cabochons as the star of the piece, the pendant. As you can see, they are different in the fact that they do not sparkle like a clear, faceted stone, but depending on what they are made of, they can have natural sparkle on their own.

 The purple and silver necklace has a cabochon pendant made of purple sun sitara, which is a stone I truly love, while the yellow and silver necklace has a cabochon of yellow adventurine. The other custom made necklace that I have featured here is a man made opal cabochon pendant.

Purple Sun Sitara & .925 Sterling

Silver Necklace - $30

I have got quite a few cabochons in my jewelry making case, so I am getting ideas of some other nice necklaces I can make. If you'd like to have one made especially for you, please let me know!

Yellow Adventurine & .925 Sterling

Silver Necklace - $35

Choosing a Jewelry Tag for Custom Made Jewelry

Tags for my Custom Made Jewelry

If you are custom making jewelry and you have decided that you are at the point where you are going to enter into the world of marketing it to sell to the public, you need to think about a lot of different things and custom jewelry tags are just one of them. I have found a site that I have gotten my jewelry tags from in the past.

The site is Dolphin Bead Designs and their pricing is quite fair. The have a lot of different choices and styles and a multitude of fonts and bells and whistles. They also feature a really neat interface on their site that you can design your own tags, pick a logo, choose colors and styles of both the tag and font, and a lot of other cool little features. Check out their site and let me know what you think!! You can find them at www.dolphinbead.com/

Custom Jewelry Projects for Friends and Relatives

Custom Bracelet and Earrings to
Match Blue Glass Necklace

Custom Made Blue Glass Necklace

Turquoise & Silver Custom Made

Earrings

Some of the best custom made jewelry that I have produced has been for friends.  When I first started custom making jewelry, which has been about 2 years now, I had a neighbor that I had met when I first moved to Florida. She and her family kind of took us in and I became very close to her and if I needed to talk or needed her to help, she has done her best to be there. Her birthday was coming around and I decided to make her a special custom made jewelry set for her present from me. Her favorite color is blue, so of course, that's what color I decided to make her jewelry set.

As you can see, I made the set from blue and white glass beads. Once she received the necklace, bracelet and earrings, she had shown them to her step-daughter and she said she really liked my work. She then commissioned me to make another custom jewelry set for her step-daughter with the request that she loves turquoise. I have included some of the pictures from the turquoise set as well.

The main point to this story, is that revenue can come from a number of different sources, sometimes unexpectedly, so if you are trying to sell your jewelry, try to network with friends and family. Get them to wear your jewelry to different functions, events, etc. You may be surprised with the feedback!

 Also, as always, if you have a request for anything custom made, or you see something that I have already made that you like, contact me and let me know, I'd be happy to work with you! Good luck!

Custom Made Turquoise & Silver

Necklace, Earrings and Bracelet

Making Unique Findings for Your Custom Made Jewelry

Custom Made Finding for Necklace

Custom Made Jewelry Finding

Unique findings can elevate a piece of custom made jewelry over and above expectations if the right one is selected. Since I have started making jewelry, one of the issues that I have faced is when I am getting ready to put a custom made necklace together, I get to the pendant and then I have to decide what kind of finding that I want to use on it. Just a quick note - Findings are basically any component that is used to put your custom made jewelry together. I.E. - clasps, hooks, pins, etc.

Sometimes, just a simple "O" ring is not quite what you looking for in the WOW factor, so you may have to create your own findings. I have included some pictures of some of the different custom made necklaces that I have made findings for in the past to try to achieve the look that I wanted.

 As you can see from the pictures, you can be as imaginative as you want, as long as you can get your pendant on the wire. I suggest using a cheaper metal than .925 sterling silver, since it is pricey to start out with. I have a spool of cheaper wire that is about the same density and strength as the .925 sterling silver wire that I use to make all my custom findings from and I do a trial run of an idea first with that wire to make sure that it will work for the final process.

If you see any ideas that you would like to have on your necklace or have any suggestions, please contact me and let me know!! Hope to hear from you soon and happy beading!!

Choosing Jewelry Wire That Works With Your Budget and Custom Jewelry Projects

Example of Silver Wire for Custom
Made Jewelry

Choosing the right jewelry wire for your custom made jewelry is crucial.  When I first started out making jewelry, I had no frame of reference in regard to all the different wire that is out in the custom made jewelry market today. When I started trying to choose which one that I wanted, it was look up what I could find on the internet and hope that what I was getting was the right thing. I just wanted to do a post that maybe would help anyone that is going through the same thing I was.

The basic rule of thumb when looking for .925 sterling silver wire is that the gauges range from 4 to 26 and can be either round, square or half round. I have included this chart that I found on Land of Odds:

GAUGE	THICKNESS	ROUND	SQUARE	HALF ROUND
4
6
8
9
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30

                             Silver Chart for Custom Made Jewelry

I have used all the jewelry wire mentioned above, however, I usually use round wire and try to stay around the 20 or 21 gauge wire, which is pretty versatile for custom made jewelry. Let me know if you would like anything custom made, wire wrapped or crafted especially for you.