Wrap, Stitch, Fold & Rivet by Mary Hettmansberger is a great jewelry making book that explains how to use a lot of creative cold connections in metal and fiber jewelry work. If you like rustic looking jewelry, you’ll love this book. The projects all have that handmade look, and the author encourages experimenting. I love [...]

I’ve had an obsession with circles for the past six months or so. They pop up in almost all of my jewelry designs, and when I don’t have a new idea I sometimes make a bunch of fused circles just so I’ll have them on hand when inspiration strikes. It was just a matter of [...]

Buying jewelry can be confusing – there are so many metals used to make jewelry, and most people don’t know what the various metal names mean. I’ve created a list of some of the most commonly used metals for jewelry, and added a bit of information about each one. This is by no means a [...]

I just read about this new jewelry making book, The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniques: A Comprehensive Guide for Jewelers and Metalsmiths, and I want it! Apparently it has chapters on all kinds of non-traditional jewelry making materials, like paper, plastic, etc as well as the usual information on basic metalsmithing techniques. Sounds pretty [...]

I found a great video tutorial for string art pendants on facebook: I love string art. When I was in about fourth grade, I did a book report about a book that showed how to make these line drawings, which would be beautiful recreated in string. Using graph paper, I made a bunch of them, [...]

I was listening to podcasts the other day, and yet again, was intrigued by the topic on Craftypod. Sister Diane was interviewing Paul Overton on the subject of “crafting for money vs. passion”, which happens to be the topic of one of his recent blog posts. Lots to think about. I’m pretty sure most of [...]

I just heard about a beading/jewelry making contest that sounds like a lot of fun – the Use the Muse contest over at The Beader’s Muse blog. Basically, anyone who wants to participate buys a kit with exactly the same beads, and they design a piece using some or all of the kit contents, plus [...]

Modern Jewelry from Modular Parts: Easy Projects Using Readymade Components by Marthe Le Van is a book I was immediately drawn to when I saw it. The cover had some pictures of very modern looking metal jewelry, and the title claims you can make this jewelry with “readymade components”. This is partially true. You can [...]

My recently stumbled earwire tutorial has gotten some really interesting comments. One in particular got me thinking. This person mentioned that they wanted to buy some earrings at a Rennaissance Fair but thought they were expensive – but now, with the aid of my tutorial, they will be able to make their own earrings for [...]

At the recent ZNE Convenzione, I was thrilled to hear Michele Beschen speak and get to meet her. If you’ve ever seen her DIY Network show, B. Original, you already know that she’s a beautiful, talented, energetic woman. But you might not know that she is the person behind creating her TV show, and that [...]