Using Semi-precious Beads in Clothing

How use semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls, and crystals in your garments

Beads are often used in everyday life items that aren’t considered to be pieces of jewelry. When I think of beads that are used outside of jewelry I think of either home décor or clothing.
Most notably beads can be found on evening wear or wedding dresses. Adding beads to a special occasion dress or outfit like crystal just add some sparkle to the outfit and work to highlight certain areas by catching and reflecting the light, giving the outfit, and the person a sense of glamour. Pearls are often also found on wedding dresses as they give the dress some visual texture, and they just look so good with lace!

Beads can also be found on everyday items of clothing like tops, dresses, and even pants. They work to dress up a piece of clothing a little more, and give the consumer yet one more reason to buy that special item of clothing.
Adding beads to clothing is not all that difficult. It is often quite fun to do, and the sense of accomplishment once you are done and the piece looks amazing is well worth it. My suggestion when adding beads to an item of clothing that are going to be permanently attached to the garment is to work with a smaller sized bead. Three millimeter crystals , or size ten seed beads work well, as a rule I would not go much above four millimeters, but ultimately it is going to come down to the type of garment you are working on, and the bead that you want to use and if it will be a good fit. Three millimeter crystals , are a favorite as they are a perfect size and they give both a fun sparkle and some colour to the piece.
When sewing the beads on, work with embroidery floss, preferably the colour of the clothing item so that your stitches will disappear. Embroidery floss comes with six strands so I suggest pulling the strands apart, and sewing the beads on with either two or thee strands of the floss. Embroidery floss will be stronger then regular sewing thread, but you could also use something like nylon if you prefer.

If you want to add something to a dress, top, skirt or jacket with out making it permanent there are a few things that you can do. Not making your changes permanent will have a few benefits, the first being that it will make the item much easier to wash- with no fear of looking any of the beads in the bottom of your washing machine, and the second being that it will give you the ability to give a garment multiple looks. First you can embellish a separate piece of fabric with stones, pearls or crystals , and then using snaps or hooks you can attach the fabric to the item of clothing that you are wanting to add it on to. Another thing to do is securely attach clasps to your item of clothing, at the shoulders for a top or dress, or main seam lines for other garments, and then create strands or 'faux necklaces'. Once you are done, finish them off with soldered rings on both ends, and then you can mix and match them onto your garment.
With all of these many different techniques to try out, there are endless possibilities for the person that just simply can’t get enough of beading.

It's our Mardi Gras Sale!

For our annual Mardi Gras sale we thought we’d go Big & Colourful and offer you 50% off All Shells, All Coral and Fire Agate products. This includes popular and favourite products such as Abalone, Fossil Coral, Red Coral and much, much more.

To view the complete list of sale items, please visit: Stones and Findings SPECIALS

Our offer is only valid from Tuesday February 2nd, 2010 to Monday February 15th, 2010!
*Minimum order of $150.00 still applies.

Please Note: Our showroom will be closed on Monday, February 15th for Family Day. However you can still place an order online at www.stonesandfindings.com to qualify for the sale. Happy Shopping!

Jewelry Parent Concerned about Sexual Predators 2

Parents should teach their children to be alert of dangers without robbing them of their childhood and happiness. Aside from letting my kids sketch alongside me when I am designing sterling silver components, I make an effort to engage them in conversations about being careful when I am not there with them.

Continued from Jewelry Parent Concerned about Sexual Predators 1 here are some more tips and advice from a parenting coach:

Help define who is a stranger, who is family, who is within the circle of friends. Parents should spell out who is included in the circle of family, and then who is considered a family friend, and so on. Rules of engagement should be clearly defined, age appropriately, for the child. This way, the child will easily be able to identify who is a stranger, and know not to accept candies or go home with them. I have no problems telling our children if a sterling silver component is a clasp or a piece of chain. My four year old knows what to do when she sees something that looks like a clasp. Teaching them how to classify is important in everything we do. It is a basic tool, and in this case, an important one for survival.

Don't force your children to be affectionate to everyone. We all want our children to be polite to strangers and, especially, our friends. We want them to show affection to, even asking them to kiss, our friends and acquaintances, many of whom our children have just met. There are sometimes social expectations that polite children should do this. Parents sometimes get upset when they child is too shy to show such social graces. However, this tells a child that being affectionate to strangers is politeness and expected of them. Parents certainly don't want their child to be affectionate to strangers in the park. So, it is much better not to force a child to kiss, and instead to teach them how to say hello politely, or not say anything at all to a stranger in the park.

I have a few other personal beliefs along the same line:

Live in the safest neighbourhood you can possibly afford. My husband wanted to live in a more socio-economically mixed neighbourhood. He felt that our children should not be sheltered in a safe and affluent neighbourhood, not appreciating how other less fortunate people live. There have been many cases of abductions and murders by transient and criminal neighbours. My husband is an ideologue, but naive. I vetoed it reflexively. He has since changed his mind also. Designing sterling silver components is not financially very rewarding. If I have to, I'd make more jewellery and sales to live in a safer environment for my children. You can't control your neighbours, but you can choose where you live, and by doing so, you have already reduced the risks significantly.

Monitor play date environments. Play dates are great, but only if the environment is safe. Take it slow, have a few meals or outings with the other parents. Try to covertly find out what kind of environment they will provide your child, and what could happen when you are not present, and whether or not it is acceptable to you. Don't make it like a job interview or interrogation, but close. I know many parents raise an eyebrow when they hear that I design sterling silver components for a living. Stability is on their minds, too.

Put contact information with your child when the child is going out. I usually write a note "If I am separated from my parents, please call: ...." with all of the contact information. I do this even if I am going out with them, in case we become separated in a crowd. I also made a necklace with sterling silver components that could encase a little note in the locket. I made it unique and a bit interesting figuring that if a policeman found her, they were certain to ask her about the necklace or check it out.

Teach your child her full name and the parents' names as early as possible. At age two we taught our child to recite and spell out her full name and our first names, with the hope that in case she gets lost, and does not have our contact information on her, she could tell the authorities who she is and our names for easy contact. My older daughter liked pretty jewellery from an early age. I taught her to say Stones and Findings. It was not necessary, and a bit silly, but anything helps.

Be present. One of my friends was molested repeatedly by a sport instructor after sessions. You also hear about horrors of hockey coaches. If it is a private session, be present, or in the next room, and preferably with access to video monitoring. Be present, bring your sterling silver components and work on some designs to past the time, and insist on no alone time after sessions. If you cannot pick them up, ask a parent you can trust to help drop your child off. It is sick, but you do hear often paedophiles drawn to working with children for easier access. Minimize this access. Let the instructors know that you are involved and take an active interest in your child's safety.

To go back and read the first half of this article, Jewelry Parent Concerned about Sexual Predators 1 you can click here.

Organizing Sterling Silver Findings

I really can't say enough about the importance of organizing one's supplies, like sterling silver findings. There are two different categories of organization: physical organization, and informational organization. And I'd like to touch on both and tell you a bit from personal experience, and invite you to send me your thoughts, personal solutions that you'd like to share with others, and tips on how to improve our system at Stones and Findings . Perhaps I'll write an update on our progress and some of your comments later on.


Sterling Silver Findings - Physical Organization

Physical organization mantra: a place for everything, and everything in its place . This is especially tricky with you have hundreds of different sterling silver findings, and some as small as 2mm. I'm not tidy by nature, but I will make the effort and when it takes me more than 3 minutes to find something on my desk, I take it as a higher sign that I need to do some cleaning. The worst organizer I met was a jewellery designer I had hired fresh from OCA (the prestigious Ontario College of Art). On her first full day of design work after orientation, she took jewellery findings out of bins and spread them all out on the large table. As I walked past many times throughout that day, I become increasingly alarmed by the build up of beads and sterling silver findings. When it came time for cleanup, company rule of 30 minutes before leaving for home, she had built up at least 2 litres in volume of tiny beads and pearls , all completely mixed. She asked if it was okay to leave it. The answer was a curt no, of course. She told me that one of her professors at the College was like this and that was how he functioned. She was young and so, I thought I'd do her the favour of not softening the edges of truth. I looked at her work for the day and I told her that she should try to emulate the professor's creative artistry and not just the mess. It wasn't long before I had to let her go. Jewellery really wasn't her forte, and her messiness was dragging everyone else down. Artistic talent is never a valid excuse for sloppy inefficiency.

On the other end of the mess meter was my experience on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship last Christmas. Occupancy was at its maximum, however, I never felt crowded, except in our cabin, with my kids' toys and clothes strewn everywhere. On the ship, every single wall panel had shallow shelving behind it, it seemed. These places held things like extra tea bags to napkins. Everything had a built-in place for it and the staff did a great job putting things back. I was really inspired and realized we have a long way to go and there are many exciting opportunities for improvement. Just remember that the time spent searching for things is money.

There are many simple things you can do to improve physical organization of your sterling silver components or jewellery business:

- For those designing with fewer sterling silver components , and jewellery beads or with lower budget, simple tackle boxes and food jars can go a long way. Food jars are bulky and you lose some room because they're round, but it's better than nothing and they usually come free. Canadian Tire has the best selection of tackle or sewing kit boxes

- Use Avery labels to label everything, including cost and supplier, if you don't mind others knowing

- If you're taking things out of their places to design, pour them out onto little saucers instead of building up a massive pool

- We've since made many strides in improving the organization of sterling silver findings in our shelves, with proper labelling and location. More can be done and I invite you to let us know how.

Feel free to click here and read on about Informational Organization of Sterling Silver Findings and Jewellery Supplies .

Sterling Silver Beads

Silver Beads

Silver Beads allow for great accents to Jewellery Making. They come in all shapes, sizes and forms, and from different countries. Silver Beads make great accompaniment for Semi-precious Stone Beads , Fresh Water Pearls and crystals, because of the contrast in lustre and texture. Silver Beads is an effective and inexpensive way to add accent to earrings.

Shiny Silver Beads

Some of the best shiny Silver Beads come from Italy. They are machine made, and are seamless. Italians are known for their laser cut Silver Beads. They reflect light like a funky disco ball. Satin Silver Beads add a feeling of luxury. However, satin Silver Beads are difficult to clean once they have tarnished. Most Italian silver is plated or coated for anti-tarnish. Chinese factories produce excellent Silver Beads, but usually they are not coated in lacquer and tarnish faster than Italian Silver Beads.

Antique Silver Beads

Some of the best antique Silver Beads come from Bali. This style of antique and intricate Silver Beads is famously known as Bali Beads. However, many similar Silver Beads are made in India, but some still call them Bali Beads, when they are in fact, not made in Bali at all. You can tell the difference between Silver Beads made in India from those made in Bali. Bali silver is generally better quality, and more intricate. Generations of Indonesians have been making Silver Beads in their homes. The craft has been passed from generation to generation. Indian Silver Beads have come on the market in the past decade as a cheaper alternative, however, their quality has been improving and they are gaining a larger share of the Silver Beads market.

Shiny Brushed Silver Beads

Indians have been making brushed hollow Silver Beads, which have become very popular with the North American Jewellery Making crowd. They are modern, and lend an update look to the venerableSilver Bead. These Silver Beads work very well with Silver Chains and crystals and stones. They lend a clean look to balance colours and unusual shapes.

Hollow-form Silver Beads

Some of the most interesting hollow-form Silver Beads from Isreal. Stones and Findings carries a large variety of Isreali hollow Silver Beads, to see a sample: Sterling Hollow Bead. Instead of casting from a rubber mould, Silver Beads is made in was, lightly painted in a conductive paint, and sat in the plating tank for hours. A heavy layer of Silver is formed on top of the wax shape. The wax is then melted and dripped out of a hole in the Silver Beads. What you're left with is just the Silver in the Silver Bead. It is a much more labour intensive process, and will cost more per gram then solid Silver Beads. However, the bead requires a lot less silver. Hollow Silver Beads are less expensive, thus cost effective for larger shapes.