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multipurposing

Ready for May birthstones?

April 7, 2009

Plan ahead for May birthstones!

There’s one main birthstone for May, emerald. This is also the seasonal birthstone for Spring, so it’s doubly appropriate. For an economical emerald look, think about glass beads. Anything from these metal-core Calypso™ (“Pandora”-style) lampwork beads…

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…to the ever-popular, economical Cosmic Crystal™ bicone…

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…can be an evocative way to play on the emerald theme. Just search our online store for “emerald”! Or for “sapphire”, which some consider a birthstone for Taurus. Now that’s multi-purposing your components!

Speaking of zodiac signs, Gemini’s birthstone is agate. We always seem to have dozens of varieties of it at Rings & Things’ BeadTour bead shows, and you can always find agate beads in our online store. A couple of favorites are Botswana agate, like these faceted rounds…

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…and blue lace agate, like this bib:

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Less well-known May gemstones, according to various traditions, are chrysolite, carbuncle, and chalcedony. For reliable, honest background information, you can look these and many more up in our popular Gemstone Beads Index!

What’s your favorite May birthstone, or birthday jewelry? Share it in a comment below. You can even link to pictures of your own creations!

April giveaway: “DIY Display Ideas”:
* You enter by leaving comments under the March 31 giveaway announcement
* At the end of April, 2 winners will receive coveted Rings & Things goodie packs!
*So read the blog regularly to see if you won!

Multi-purposing frame charms: Inchies

April 2, 2009

Quick post today!

A trend we’ve noticed in the scrapbooking world is “inchies”. These are like little challenges to yourself: Create a nice collage in the space of a square inch (ergo the name). What about wearable inchies?

Can you say "inchies"?!

Can you say “inchies”?!

Check out our item #49-441-0, 30mm square brass picture-frame charm! The usable surface inside the frame is almost exactly a square inch. This finding is perfect for gluing things onto. You could even follow Dawno’s idea and incorporate some brass wire into your collage, for a neat faux cloisonné look.

Thanks to Amy M for this idea. PS: a 2″x2″ collage is called a twinchie!

More mini-collage ideas? Share ’em here in a comment!

April giveaway: “DIY Display Ideas”:
* You enter by leaving comments under the March 31 giveaway announcement
* At the end of April, 2 winners will receive coveted Rings & Things goodie packs!
*So read the blog regularly to see if you won!

Another use for… Orange miracle beads

March 30, 2009

Looking for another market for your beaded productions? How about fishermen…or more accurately, fish?

Mmmm, beads!

Mmmm, beads!

It turns out that beads make good bait for certain fish. Trout think orange-colored Miracle beads are salmon eggs, and will try to eat them. Steelhead, less easily fooled, just think the beads are inferior to their own eggs and try to move them away–which gets them caught on the hook.

Local anglers have told us that the shine of the bead catches the fish’s eye very successfully. They put one bead on the line with a hook below it and a bobber on the top of the line. Both the 8mm and the 4mm sizes have been used.

This makes us curious, what other beads can you use in lures, artificial flies, etc.? What about the other orange beads, like opaque glass ones? Share your experiences and ideas in a comment below!

March news: New monthly lottery, right here on the Rings & Things blog. Here’s how it works:
* You enter by leaving comments. Comment on any March post(s).
* At the end of March, I’ll randomly draw 2 winners of surprise goodie packs! …So read the blog regularly to see if you won!

Multi-purposing your art beads: Beadable pen findings (& more)

March 27, 2009

Rings & Things has introduced a popular line of beadable-pen findings, perfect for displaying art beads!

These pens are the perfect partner for any bead artisan’s wares. (Lampwork? Clay? The possibilities go on…) They’re also a great way of showing customers that they can “multi-purpose” any beads they buy from you.

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Artists can set off the charms of their glass, ceramic, metal or other bead creations to maximum advantage by pairing them with a choice of pen colors. A range of seven hues, from pearl white or matte silver to burgundy or copper, is on hand.

Made of genuine brass alloy, these blue-ink beadable ballpoints have an anodized finish. Each pen is 6″ long with a 2.5″ beadable section (adjustable by 0.125″). The pen nib retracts with a twist. The rod (mandrel) is 3/32″, perfect for showing off lampwork beads with 2.5mm holes or greater. The metal casing has good heft, unlike plastic varieties. The shorter threads of the rod screw into the base of the pen.

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These pens become even more of a permanent treasure with the addition of optional ink refills. Refills are offered separately in either black or blue ink.

We carry an ever-growing line of ‘beadable’ specialty findings, from magnifying glasses to lighter covers to bookmarks. Keep an eye on our site for more new items that you can bead in various ways!

Have a favorite beadable finding? Looking for one but haven’t found just the right thing yet? Leave a comment below to talk about it!

March news: New monthly lottery, right here on the Rings & Things blog. Here’s how it works:
* You enter by leaving comments. Comment on any March post(s).
* At the end of March, I’ll randomly draw 2 winners of surprise goodie packs! …So read the blog regularly to see if you won!

Another use for: African & trade beads

March 23, 2009

Love the Earth? Love trade beads, and looking for more ways to use them? Breathe a new spirit into your rosaries!

We found a great blog post by Anne of Atelier-Beads, about two sorts of multipurposed jewelry in one. She writes about “Rosaries that Care: Recycled Glass Beads from Africa.” (You’ve got to click through so you’ll see a great photo of one of these rosaries!)

Anne sums up well when she says, “Ghana recycled glass is a wonderful rosary application. Not only is it innovative and beautiful, but it also promotes good stewardship both in the re-use of manmade materials and in the provision of employment and income to the artisans who create the beads.”

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She’s writing about traditional-style powdered-glass beads, made by recycling modern materials from medicine bottles to TV screens. Africans have been crushing old glass into powder for centuries, though, to make these beads (also called “sand beads” sometimes). You can buy a good selection of older powdered-glass beads in our online store; we don’t have information at this time to suggest any of these are more recent.

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The great-looking rosary shown in Anne’s blog post makes use of an Ethiopian cross pendant. These reflect a unique, ancient Christian style that many North Americans are unfamiliar with (Legend has it that Christianity came to Ethiopia quite early, around AD 300, but the country was not in close contact with other Christian nations.) So these cross pendants add a fascinating bit of history, and a beautiful style, to any rosary that you make.

Did you know Rings & Things sells many other Ethiopian beads and pendants? We’re also known for our extensive line of African & trade beads in glass (some even have “cross” designs), metal and natural materials. And don’t miss out on our many other recycled-material beads!

March news: New monthly lottery, right here on the Rings & Things blog. Here’s how it works:
* You enter by leaving comments. Comment on any March post(s).
* At the end of March, I’ll randomly draw 2 winners of surprise goodie packs! …So read the blog regularly to see if you won!