I always find doing jewellery repairs an interesting challenge - you can learn so much about jewellery construction by studying the way the piece has been put together. Many of the costume jewellery pieces I've repaired over the years are constructed using different methods to those we regularly use as jewellery makers today and I find I learn valuable techniques to add to my repertoire by studying the way a piece has been constructed. The baroque pearl earrings on my desk today are a really good example so I want to share with you the step-by-step reconstruction of them. My customer received them as a gift from her mother so they have sentimental value to her but after years of wear, the fine gauge wire that they're constructed with has become kinked, making the earrings unattractive. So a remake is in order - my brief is to try to recreate the original design if possible. The earrings have an unusual construction method: one continuous length of wire runs through the pearl a......

Have you ever removed the end of a wire spool and had it go BOING on you? Don't you hate it when that happens! Well, Beadalon have come up with a clever little accessory called a Spool Tamer that will put an end to your unravelling spools. It's simple to use and works really well! This little gadget will make your springing spool struggles a thing of the past, not only with your wire spools, but also beading elastic, beading thread and beading wire. A couple of the clever features of Spool Tamers are that they are elasticized for easy placement around the spool and they are also adjustable so they can be resized to fit most size spools. Let's take a look at one in action. Begin by removing the plastic cuff from the spool, or unhook the end of your stringing material from the notch - take care that the spool doesn't completely unravel, especially if it is wire. Thread the stringing material through the hole in the adjustable plastic buckle, from the inside. Stretch the ......

Q. When is a crimp tube more than just a crimp tube? A. When it's a Beadalon Groovy Tube ! So, what's a Beadalon Groovy Tube, I hear you ask? Well, it's a crimp tube with grooves in the side that slightly spiral around the tube at an angle. The grooves catch the light and create more sparkle than regular crimp tubes! Beadalon recently gave me some to play with, along with some .024" wire so I'm going to share with you the Beadalon method of crimping. I've blogged about how to crimp previously but this method might make it easier for you if you are struggling with it. Crimping is usually a 2-step process, but the Beadalon method is a 3-step process, with an additional step at the beginning. It's this first step that just might make your crimping nightmares go away! Before we begin, take a look at the profile of your crimping tool. Notice the oval shaped hole at the tip? This oval shaped slot is actually used in the first step of the crimping process. It sha......

Have you seen the new Slide Connector Clasp Sets from Beadalon?  These barrel-shaped connectors are a huge timesaver when it comes to finishing stitched beadwork and loom designs because there is no stitching required to secure the design to the clasp. Sound intriguing? Then read on to learn more about them! Slide Connectors come ready to use with a clasp and extension chain already attached. They're available in gold and silver and come in three sizes: 13mm, 20mm and 26mm. I'm working with a 13mm set which will fit a beaded bracelet that I started two years ago - this was just the push I needed to finish it! So let's see how it works.   Looking closely at the fitting you'll notice a slit that runs the entire length of the barrels. At each end is a round disk which acts as a stopper. One end is already closed and the other is ready for you to feed your work into. To use the fitting, insert the last row (or the last two rows for smaller beads) into the slit and begi......

Earlier this year I saw Beadalon's cool new Knot-A-Bead Tool in action at CHA. It made quick work of knotting strands of beads and the demonstrator made it look SO EASY. But if you've ever watched a product demo at a craft show, you'll know that it looked much easier when the demonstrator did it than when you tried to do it at home. But I'm happy to say that this is NOT one of those occasions.... this tool is every bit as easy to use as it looks and I'm pretty impressed with how well it works. It's definitely a tool worth adding to my collection! So let's take a look at the knotting process. You'll need: Beadalon Knot-a-Bead tool Silk thread Clam shell bead tips (aka calottes) G-S Hypo Cement Needle Tool Beads or pearls of your choice I'm working with silk thread which comes with a needle already attached. It even has a knotted end (so it won't fray) so I've just threaded on a calotte (from the inside of the hole). Next, string your beading ......