Jewelry Making Beads and Other Materials

Whether you’re interested in the material available in jewelry making beads for your own unique creations or if you’re looking to purchase jewelry, there are so many options available in the types of materials that are used. Jewelry making supplies may come from the earth, the sea, the animals, the plants, the trees and maybe even the sky! I think anytime anyone discovered something unique, they probably picked it up, gave it the once over and said, “Wow, how can I wear this?” Maybe they think like me because that's exactly what I do. I look at everything in terms of how I can turn it into wearable art!

Aside from all the "magic gemstones" available out there, people from all over the world use whatever is geographically available in their handmade ethnic jewelry designs. I found many of their choices extremely interesting.

For instance, I’ve always seen the rudraksha jewelry making beads, especially back in my “hippie days”, but never gave them much thought. They were quite popular then. We wore them, but I never knew what they were all about until I read many of the rudaksha faqs available online. During my search for ethnic tribal jewelry, I found extremely interesting information on them. (ie. How they need to be blessed. How they are interpreted. How people make fake ones, etc..) It's so interesting how you may not like something until you learn more about it and you, then, acquire a different appreciation. That's how I was with the rudraksha beads. I was particularly impressed with the Indian designs as they incorporated rudraksha with coral, jade and other living gemstones. Now after reading all the history, I really like them.

I've often seen tagua rainforest ivory carvings, but really never gave them a thought, either. Little did I know the process of creating these veggie ivory masterpieces with nothing more than a little nut from South America that falls off the Tagua Tree. Now they’re using these nuts to make everything from jewelry to figurines to even household items. The fact that Tagua Rainforest Ivory has made a comeback now is contributed to the slaughtering of elephants. The promotion of Tagua Ivory as a substitute for mammouth ivory is one way of helping out.

Another widely used material is pearls. I didn't need much encouragement to use pearls. I really enjoy making pearl gem stone jewelry and I was always interested in pearls, since the first pearl I ever saw. In fact, the first piece of "fine jewelry" I ever purchased was a pair of pearl earrings. There's a lot of "attention-grabbing" information on pearls, too, though. I was especially excited when I read a clip about a pearl seeder receiving one million dollars a year for his amazing talent. I read about this quite awhile ago and I still can't believe it. I really wish someone would email me with more information about why a pearl seeder is paid so generously. I'm sure there is a dangerous aspect to the craft. Other than that, I have searched everywhere on the internet to find out if it's really true and what being a "pearl seeder" actually entails! No success yet! If you know anything about becoming a pearl seeder, please contact me. Maybe I'm looking for a new job! LOL

Regardless, as I said, I have always loved pearl gem stone jewelry and combine unexpected rough gemstones in my designs, resulting in an unusually striking piece of wearable art. It's kind of like the "leather and lace" look and I absolutely love that type of a design.

Next up for discussion is sea glass! How fascinating it was for me to learn that sea glass art, once nothing more than pure rubbish, is now termed the newest “gems of the sea,”. Artists are coming up with all types of creative uses for sea glass, such as, mosaic pendants, beautiful bracelets, Christmas ornaments, chimes and even wine bottle stoppers. If you get a high speed drill, you can even create your own jewelry making beads out of the little tiny pieces of sea glass. They're pretty hard to drill, though. My high speed drill just pops a hole through just about anything, but drilling glass is another story. You need to lubricate it so it doesn't get too hot and you still have to be careful not to break the glass. Ever since I heard about sea glass art, I can’t stay away from a coastline in search of it. It becomes addicting because every time you see that little sparkle of color, it creates such a rush. Then, you want to do it again! Next thing ya know, it's dark and you're lost on the beach!

And speaking of glass, it’s hard to even choose one type to work with or buy. I am a glass freak. I have curios full of depression glass, Waterford Crystal, Swarovski Crystal, Baccaret, etc. etc. etc. I absolutely love glass as it's used in jewelry, as well as in decorating my home. In the way of glass for jewelry making beads, there is dichrotic glass, lampworking, (photo left) crystal, Murano Glass, Czech Glass, and the list goes on and on. At this time, I work with Swarovski crystal and have signed up for a lampwork bead making class. That's one craft in which I haven't attempted, but look forward to doing.

Another material used to make stunning jewelry designs is coral. There are remarkable stories about diving for coral reef treasures. I’ve always incorporated coral into my jewelry making designs and didn't need additional information to appreciate coral. I first got interested in coral when I bought Native American Jewelry directly from the Indians back in the seventies. As you can see, I have always been such a hopeless jewelry "freak"! I remember laying away hundreds of dollars worth of Indian Jewelry until I finally went out west and bought it directly from the Indians, myself!

The cinnabar mineral reminds me somewhat of coral, even though the only thing the two actually have in common is the color. Coral was invented and is made in China from a type of resin. Numerous jewelry pieces are made using cinnabar and some of the carvings available are absolutely exquisite.

Tibetan Dzi beads are thousands of years old and another interesting find. The history of these beads is surrounded with amazing facts, myths and folklore. Lots of Asian costume jewelry is made using Dzi Beads. They are very collectible and some can be quite pricey.

Tibet. Wood is used for jewelry making beads and is a popular choice right now. The very best example of a creative use for wood is the coconut earrings that are hand carved in the most unusual Afrocentric designs. They either use little tiny carved pins to place the earrings in your ears or they incorporate the back of the earring into the design. Both are extremely unusual and reflective of the culture in the jungle. They were designed when the natives had very little to work with. They make some of their earrings using ebony wood and others using bone.

Another good example of using bone is seen in the Maori bone carving design. I was truly amazed by the in-depth information available about the art of carving bone. Crafters actually practice their craft for years before it is perfected and are able to command some high prices for their carvings, once their art is perfected.

You may or may not have heard of a creature called an ammonite, These are large, natural fossil shells and are another unique example of a jewelry making material that absolutely "floored me"! They are a truly amazing creature of the sea and are millions of years old! Be sure to click and read about them, if you haven't already.

I find it extremely difficult to make decisions on what I want to work with or purchase, since there are hundreds of jewelry making beads and other materials to choose from. With all the equipment and so many techniques, I sometimes become overwhelmed! There's not enough time in the day to do all of them, although I sure do try. There are numerous bead and jewelry making supply houses if you want to try your hand at making your own jewelry. As I continue to add onto my jewelry making guide, I’ll sometimes add little jewelry making courses on my site. You may even want to start your own jewelry making business in which I could help you with. Jewelry has supplemented my income for the major part of my life!

If you would like to see examples of various types of handmade ethnic jewelry, visit my store, Jewelry! Jewelry! Online! For information about jewelry making beads, other materials, living gemstones, and (pretty soon) everything you ever wanted to know about handmade ethnic jewelry, visit my home page.

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