Bead and wire chain is a great beginner/advanced beginner (though time consuming) wirework project. Basically, you make a wrapped loop at one end of a piece of wire, slip a bead on, then make a wrapped loop at the other end, so you have a little beaded unit with a loop on each end. To [...]

I got some great picture frame pendants from artbeads, and I wanted to share how I incorporated images onto two different types of frame pendants. The sterling silver pendant, on the left, has little slots on the back that you can slide an image into. First, I cut an image to size and made sure [...]

My friend Cyndi from Beading Arts has a new e-book out all about bead embroidery – and it’s free! 59 pages of information on various stitches, plus a beginner project. If you’ve been thinking about trying the very versatile medium of bead embroidery, definitely check out this free book. Also – are you a creative [...]

Stamping metal isn’t difficult, and with a little practice, this easy metalworking technique can be used to personalize your jewelry and other metal creations. You will need metal stamps – alphanumeric if you want to stamp things like words and dates, or shapes and symbols to decorate your piece. You’ll also need a piece of [...]

If you have metal scraps and are looking for a way to recycle them, you might want to try water casting. It is really easy to do and all you need is a torch, scraps of metal, something to hold the metal while you melt it, and a dish of water (I used a large [...]

Copper is a beautiful metal for jewelry, but it oxidizes (tarnishes) more quickly than silver, so it requires a bit of extra care if you want it to stay shiny. I recommend cleaning your copper jewelry after every time you wear it. Use a mild soap and water, rinse completely, and dry with a soft [...]

Now is the time to start thinking about holiday gifts, especially if you like to give handmade gifts. You need some time to gather your supplies, experiment with the techniques you are using, and of course to make everything and wrap it up beautifully. (And, if you don’t want to make your own gifts, might [...]

I was reading a thread on the etsy forums and saw a link to this great tutorial on oxidizing silver. Oxidizing is something that occurs naturally over time with silver as the oxygen in the air and chemicals the silver comes into contact with gradually darken it – but if you want a piece of [...]

To follow up my 10 second kid craft idea, here’s something you can make yourself in a minute! What you need: 1 donut-style bead (or donut shaped found object) 3 feet of fancy yarn or cord And here’s what you do: fold the yarn in half, slip it through the donut, slip the ends through [...]

For the last day of August, here’s another addictive Youtube channel to browse through: Art Jewelry Magazine. If you make jewelry, you might be familiar with the magazine, which publishes jewelry techniques and projects using a variety of media. Here’s a sample video to check out, on piercing (in non-metalsmith language, this means essentially drilling [...]