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Rings & Things Products

Only at R&T, only the best: sterling ring blanks

April 15, 2010

They’re a bestseller, but you can only get them here: our featured finding is exclusive, adjustable, sterling ring blanks!

Only at R&T, only the best!

Only at R&T, only the best!

As a wise colleague says, “Don’t settle for gumball-machine quality rings.” While these ring blanks are affordable, they make for a pro look, resulting in upscale jewelry of your own making.

Four of these R&T-exclusive ring forms have gluing pads that are textured for the securest possible bond with your baubles. In contrast, the bezel cup styles shown here are tailor-made for adding cutout images and for “resin-ating”.

Eager for more options? While you’re with us, also check out new styles of silver-plated rings and our full line of finger ring blanks.

Some ideas for using R&T’s ring blanks:

Get a great look easily. Glue a glass cabochon or other handmade bauble onto your ring blank:

"Blue On Blue" Ring

“Blue On Blue” Ring

Bezel-cup ring blanks make wonderful showcases for your handmade glass, cutout images (paper), and cast resin designs, among other things:

"The Grass is Always Greener" Ring

“The Grass is Always Greener” Ring

Get all medieval with a gemstone–it doesn’t take any sorcery:

"Saxon Shield" Ring

“Saxon Shield” Ring

You might enjoy checking out the rest of our Rings & Things exclusives

Spring supplement

April 8, 2010

Coming to a mailbox near you:

The Spring 2010 supplement, from Rings & Things!

Click to browse. Go on!

Click to browse…and shop!

Not only is the “Spring supp” pretty, it’s packed with great new stuff!

Just randomly picking neat things I see in the supp, we bring you banded agate slabs, red creek jasper, shell pearls, donut holders, BeadAligners, a snazzy zebra-striped tool set, and (pause to breathe) tons of neat new designs showcasing our new items!

Plus, we’ve put an electronic version online. Use your mouse to “flip” through the pages, and click right on each item that you want. It gets added to your R&T shopping cart, just like that.

Do check it out — and come back here to tell me what you think!

It’s 40 pages of fun shopping for beads and jewelry-making supplies. Don’t miss it!

Trade beads on CNN?

April 6, 2010

As seen on CNN:

There was a really neat story on CNN the other day about how traditional beads are making a comeback in Ghana (West Africa).

as_seen_on_cnn

There were several interesting points made by Ghanaians interviewed in the story.

• Wearing beads is seen as enhancing one’s femininity.

• The Ghanaian bead industry is a good example of recycling. It turns soft-drink bottles into wearable art! (Learn about more recycled glass beads.)

• Each bead color has a traditional meaning: gold for wealth, blue for purity, and more.

Rings & Things’ confessed bead addict / owner, Russ Nobbs, had a few observations about the story:

“Many of the Ashanti powder glass beads we carry in the ‘African and trade bead‘ category are the sort shown in the video.

“The multicolored beads shown in the video include a lot of ‘writing method’ beads where plain beads are decorated with ceramic colorants to resemble old European and African beads. This technique has expanded in both quality and variety in recent years.

Powder glass beads are often referred to as ‘sand beads’ although they are not made from sand. Instead, they are made from crushed and powdered glass fused or sintered into beads. The powder glass industry is an important source of income for this area of Ghana.”

You’ll find plenty of glass African and trade beads in Rings & Things’ online store, as well as at our popular BeadTour bead shows. You may also enjoy our offerings of metal and natural-material beads from Africa!

Fern green & provence lavender

March 31, 2010

These are the new Swarovski colors!

fern-green_province_lav

Fern green (color #193) sprouts up with an organic, woodsy tinge, making a great springtime addition! Puts me in mind of our coastal rainforests here in the Northwest.

Provence lavender (color #194) evokes an impression of peaceful fields in the south of France. You can practically inhale the bucolic bliss 🙂

While they each have a very different feel, both colors are offered in a similarly broad range of shapes: butterfly beads, cube beads, bicones (rondelle beads), faceted rounds, bicone drops, briolettes, heart pendants and rivoli pendants.

Another way to score great beads

March 23, 2010

We’re always working hard to bring you wonderful beads. Here’s a hint you won’t get from any other bead supplier:

Cost: $0

Cost: $0

Dig the beads!

Literally. Most towns have older areas where nobody lives (anymore). You may spot old trash or bottles on a hillside, etc. Take your shovel there, and see what you find:

۰ I found the 1930s-40s Czech glass bead above, near my home. Gotta go back to see if there are any more 🙂 But even one is a fun, vintage, conversation piece.

۰ A friend of mine once found an early 1800s Hudson Bay Company trade bead while walking along a river bank.

۰ Some people in Georgia found a whole treasure trove of 400-year-old beads!

Ever found old beads in the ground? Share your story!

Featured totally obscure item: necklace extenders

March 22, 2010

There are so many kinds of jewelry findings, we figured we should feature some just to let you know they exist — like necklace extenders!

Necklace-extender findings are a big help to anyone who owns jewelry.

There's adjustable ones of them

There’s adjustable ones of them

Add just one of these to your jewelry box, and double the number of necklaces at your disposal.

How can that be?

There's sterling ones of them

There’s sterling ones of them

A necklace extender lengthens your necklace chain. Pair it up with a lobster clasp (or with a spring ring), letting your necklace adapt to whatever style you’re wearing today!

There's toggle ones of them

There’s toggle ones of them

Do you have a favorite obscure jewelry component? Now’s your chance to share it with others…

And there's other great uses for them!

Skulls sell

March 10, 2010

Not an op-ed piece. A tip from actual jewelry sellers!

Skulls sell!

Antonio's gemstone skull necklace

The magic words: “Can I buy that from you?”

Skull beads, that is.

I work with Antonio. We were at R&T’s bead show the other day, and Antonio pointed out a strand of big gemstone skulls.

“I made a necklace with those, and people were walking up to me in Seattle asking to buy it off my neck.

So Antonio bought another strand at the bead show! 🙂

Skull beads are a “thing” right now. If you dig ’em, or your customers do, then you’ve got to check out lampwork glass sugar skulls (etc.) —

!Calaveras!

!Calaveras!

–and new Viva Mexicana skull charms.

Also available in silver tone

Also available in silver tone

There’s time to order these and make fun styles before Cinco de Mayo. Wrap your cranium around that 🙂

Alice in Jewelryland

March 5, 2010

With “that” movie coming out today, we’ve seen quite a lot of craft activity on an Alice in Wonderland theme. Here’s a visual suggestion…

alice_in_wonderland

We put together a quick list of R&T items that fit an Alice in Wonderland theme. Pictured above:

And that’s just for starters. Search in our online store for “rabbit”, “watch”, “teapot”, “key”, “playing card” and more, for endless design inspirations! (Extra bonus — the cup & saucer charm might help you sell to the tea-party folks.)

What’s your Alice jewelry inspiration? Let us know in a comment below!