Entries from May 2011
Our Hill Tribe silver products all come from the Karen tribe in northern Thailand. This tribe is among one of the largest main tribes in this region, where they continue the silver smith tradition. Before the Karen people established this successful means of income, most of the community participated in growing opium. This was the largest cash crop from the 1920s until the late 1960s. This method of farming caused damage to the lands and was detrimental to the society. Because of the negative impact, others living in Thailand as well as the Thai government disapproved of this way of life. It was in 1969 that Thai King Bhumibol initiated the “Royal Project.” He visited the Karen tribes and discovered the people’s ability to create silver jewelry. Most people wore silver jewelry as a symbol of wealth, but His Majesty enlisted the help of professional jewelry makers to teach all the people a better means at making a living. This first generation of silver smiths passed down their new knowledge to the next generation and so on, and today the Hill Tribe silver industry is very successful.
Almost all of the work is done by hand, including the holes which are punched out using a sharp tool and a hammer. Silver products are made in an assembly-line form. First, silver bars are melted down with a torch—no furnaces are used. The molten silver is then poured into molds to form thin rods. These rods are rolled into long strips using roller presses mostly operated by hand. The silver is then ready to be shaped and textured.
This silver may be higher in price but it’s worth it. The Karen use silver that is anywhere between 95 and 99% pure, compared to sterling silver which is only 92.5% pure. Basically the only thing that keeps their silver from being completely pure is the solder used to join two parts of silver together in jewelry.
We hope you cherish your Hill Tribe silver because we are proud to carry it. The Karen tribe takes pride in their silver, since it is part of their culture and the hand-made process makes these pieces truly special and unique, and helps ensure the Karen tribe people continue to make a living. Our chief operating officer got the chance to travel to Thailand and was fortunate enough to spend some time with the Karen Hill Tribe in a recent buying trip. He brought back some amazing pictures that we are happy to share with you to show you where your beads come from! It’s a truly eye-opening experience to learn the journey of your bead.
Information Source: Thailand Travel.
-Marissa
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Tags: Beader's Resource · Company News · Just For Fun!
If you have not had a chance to browse the incredible work from Patricia Healey, you’re missing the opportunity to own a piece of true art! Patricia Healey designs jewelry out of copper—creating looks with a natural feel. In fact, Patricia told us that nature is what inspires her the most. She says she likes to go for long walks to soak it all in before creating her next piece. Most of her designs include leaves, flowers, and bugs. The American southwest is another big influence in her art, which could explain the warm copper coloring she decided to work with. Back when we met up with her at the bead show in Tucson, there was a sign placed on her booth to describe how she creates her beads. This explanation gives you a look into her fun personality while at the same time informs you:
Fabricated from sheet metal. First, we cut the shapes out, then put form to metal using the technique of Repousse, (beating the crap out of the metal from the reverse side, giving it form). We use a bronze solder. To get the gorgeous color we use our top secret patination formula, then fire it up with a torch. Finally, the color is sealed in with a metal lacquer.
See the article from our previous blog post from the tucson bead show!
Now that you know a little bit about how these incredible copper beads are made, go check them out! We are very happy to carry Patricia Healey copper products and want to share them with you!
Come back tomorrow for our last DesignerFest feature: Hill Tribe Silver!
-Marissa
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Tags: Beader's Resource · Company News · Jewelry and Craft Ideas
In memory of our beloved veterans, we’ve created the necklace called “A Hero’s Place,” one of our newest ideas from the Learning Center. This respectful design was inspired by the poem In Flanders Fields as well as our heroes. Our designer created lovely poppy flowers and stamped a line from the poem to incorporate into the chain of the necklace, and ours features a family hero in the focal piece. Check it out and make your own today. Below is the story behind the poem.
In Flanders Fields is one of the most popular poems that embodies the emotions felt for those lost during war. The story behind the poem is just as emotionally charged as the words in each line. Some of the bloodiest battles during World War I occurred in northern France and southwest Belgium. This area was known as Flanders and Picadory. Major John McCrae, a Canadian doctor tending to wounded soldiers in this area, was the author. During his 17-day stint here, McCrae witnessed the horrors of war, and wished he could write down on paper everything he saw and felt. It was not until the death of a good friend did the inspiration come. Lt. Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, a good friend and former student of McCrae, was killed May 2, 1915, from a shell burst. McCrae performed the funeral ceremony. It was after this traumatic event, while sitting on the back of a parked ambulance, that he scribbled down the 15 lines of the poem to vent his emotions.
Many had observed that red poppies grew on the graves of dead soldiers in the fields of northern Europe. The poppy seeds will live underground for years and bloom once the ground is plowed. In the spring of 1915, red poppies flourished in the fields covering the newly-dug graves. This sight is the inspiration behind McCrae’s detailed imagery in the poem, which was later published by the London newspaper Punch on December 8, 1915.
We honor all of those who dedicated their lives to protecting our country with this necklace, and encourage all of our readers to find their own inspiration to commemorate our heroes.
-Marissa
Sources: teacher vision and alingtoncemetery.net
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Tags: Beader's Resource · Jewelry and Craft Ideas
Resin is a fun material to work with because it is versatile and durable. Although most resin products seem to lean towards casual looks, Taina Hartman has discovered a way to make resin more fashionable. Her products are generally pendants filled with resin, set in sterling silver findings. All of her work in the end though has its own unique flair. The story of how Taina Hartman came to be known for her famous resin designs begins in Alaska. Taina was born in Alaska and grew up in the Oregon countryside. This may be where she developed an appreciation for durable products. She went on to study art at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, receiving her BFA in painting in 1997.
Her love of nature is what inspires her new creations. She says she loves to embrace the elegant and colorful beauty of nature, finding inspiration for her designs. Along with jewelry designing, Taina is also a painter and a sculptor. All of her designs are produced in her studio in White Salmon, WA. Currently Taina is promoting her business, Enchant Jewelry. We appreciate all of the work that she does, and love to share it with you! Find her pendants on our site in different shapes and sizes and share with Taina your love of the wonders of nature.
Source: tainahartmanstudio.com.
Don’t forget to check the blog tomorrow when we feature Patricia Healey copper!
-Marissa
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Tags: Beader's Resource · Jewelry and Craft Ideas · Just For Fun! · Top Rated Products
There are many beautiful and thoughtful entries in the Make it for Mom Challenge that we wanted to add a few more awards. Here are the runner up designs voted by you! We’re sending each of them a special gift bag. Congratulations ladies!
Bea
This is an inspired design by my mother.This necklace evokes the ethereal sky.- very richly Feminine design -By reflects colors: blue- freedom, neatness- white, red- passion.
Read more about Bea’s entry here.
Albina
My mom had an old necklace made with Czech fire polished beads, but unfortunately that necklace was broken. I know that mom loves pearls and crystals. So, I used the crystal beads from my mom’s favorite necklace and added fresh water pearls to make this “Yes Mom Necklace.”
Read more about Albina’s entry here.
Mandi
This is a necklace, made for my Mother-in-Law. It features the names of her son & daughter and their spouses, along with the Swarovski birthstone to commemorate each or our birth months. (My husband and I share December birthdays, so only 1 December stone was used.) This is a fun, delicate & dainty way to showcase her most prized “possessions” — her children!
Read more about Mandi’s entry here.
Monalisa
My mom stays in India. I miss her and I will miss her specially in Mother’s day. I made this nice jewelry set and I sent it to her. She was very happy and emotional to see this and it is very special to her. She loves this design.
I have seen my mom make jewelry and different craft work when I was little. She used to make varieties of clay beads and crafted different design on them. Sometimes she use to use glass edge,bowl edge, small piece of wire to make disign. She did not have specific tools to make such kind of things. She is very expert at it. My mom likes crystal jewelry and she likes jhumka too. So I just join these two concepts together.
Read more about Monalisa’s entry here.
Dawn
This design is inspired by someone that is like a mom to me. The courage that she exhibited through her personal battle against cancer and through her routine follow-ups is remarkable. The name of this piece is called Hope Eternal – because until there is a cure, we all hold on to HOPE!
Read more about Dawn’s entry here.
Don’t forget to see Irina Wilson, the grand prize winner, entry in the Learning Center. Check out the rest of the entries on the Make it for Mom Challenge entries page!
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Tags: Company News · Just For Fun!
Paula Radke knew since she was in 4th grade that she wanted to be an artist. Growing up and still residing in Morro Bay, CA, she took art classes for every year of school, from kindergarten all the way through high school. But it was when she was in her 4th grade art class that she realized this was her passion. Paula experimented with printmaking, silver casting and even pottery, but always enjoyed glasswork the most. The dichroic process intrigued her too because of the wonderful products that resulted. We at Artbeads love sharing with you the incredible dichroic beads she designs!
It’s always fun to learn where your beads come from, so here’s the process in which Paula Radke’s beads go from bare glass to beads in your hand!
With dichroic beads, the color changes when viewed from different angles, like iridescent coloring. However, the glass itself does not produce the colors. The dielectric coating of the micro-thin layers of metal oxides and quartz applied to the surface of the glass are what create the changing glows. Paula’s beads are created by a highly-technical vacuum deposition process where multiple micro-thin layers of metal oxide quartz crystals and other materials are vaporized with an electron beam gun mounted atop the vacuum.
It’s a very fun and meticulous way to make beautiful beads! You can feel safe shopping our site knowing we strive to provide you with the best high-quality beads from truly talented designers!
Source: paularadke.com.
-Marissa
Be sure to check the blog tomorrow when we feature designer Taina Hartman and her lovely resin pendants!
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Tags: Beader's Resource · Jewelry and Craft Ideas · Just For Fun!
Lillypilly Designs offer unique hand-crafted products with a fun twist. Because of her love of natural elements, creator Heidi Viau decided to make her own etched designs. In 2003, Heidi created Lillypilly Designs, a concept that sprouted from her small art studio in Colorado. All of her products today still come from that studio, too! Her technique is to engrave natural materials like shell or wood with fun and intricate designs using a CO2 laser. Heidi’s partner Jodi Patsiner joined the team in 2007. The industry has since come to produce some of the most detailed etched shell and wood pendants out there, and we are happy to supply you with her incredible shell pendants. Check out all of our LillyPilly designs including rounds, ovals, teardrops, and hearts in a variety of sizes.
Source: Lillypilly Designs.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s featured artist—Paula Radke!
-Marissa
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Tags: Beader's Resource · Company News
Congratulations to Irina W., the winner of our Make it for Mom Challenge! Her lovely Caramel Buttons necklace caught the eye of our voters and melted their hearts! The sweet buttons she used appear to sit in a warm coat of caramel, inspiring the name for her creation that consists of TOHO™ seed beads, red jasper beads and other gold and components. Thank you to all of our entries for sharing your incredible creations with us! We know your mom appreciates all the hard work you went through to make something to show her how much you care, and we appreciate it too! Look for Irina’s design coming soon to the Learning Center, and keep an eye on the blog when we showcase more of our favorite entries!
Here’s our winning jewelry design!
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Tags: Customer Gallery of Designs · Jewelry and Craft Ideas · Just For Fun!
Our Artbeads facility is near a lot of great Northwest artists, so we are fortunate enough to find great influential people everywhere. One of the artists we carry comes from a local vendor, as well. Fire Designs is based in Poulsbo, WA, and offers hundreds of different hand-blown glass beads that we carry here on our site. Fire Designs has been in business for over a decade and continues to come up with more amazing displays of colorful glass that you can only get from talented artists. Designer Libbey from Fire Designs told us when we met up with her at the Tucson bead show back in February that fashion trends, color and her customers are what inspire her.
Fire Designs makes 2-inch long beads, which they specifically created to decorate designer bead pens. You can explore our entire collection of Fire Designs glass beads and discover the ones that will inspire your next fun creation! Feel safe knowing you’re using only quality hand-made products.
Check back tomorrow to learn about Lilly Pilly Designs on day three of DesignerFest!
-Marissa
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Tags: Beader's Resource · Company News
Lampworking is a centuries-old process by which glass is heated by hot flames and shaped around a metal rod. The result is a truly unique bead full of life and color. Grace Ma who founded Grace Lampwork beads has mastered this process for the modern artisan to create incredible works of art. Grace is originally from Beijing, China, where she worked on computers for a living. When her husband found a new job in the United States in 2001, they moved to San Jose, CA—and Grace first discovered lampwork beads. While visiting her sister in September 2002, Grace went to a bead show and fell in love with the gorgeous glass lampwork beads on display. From then on she knew she wanted to make lampwork beads. Knowing nothing about the process, she taught herself how to make them. She purchased books, videos, and took classes from Kim Osibin. Grace started to make beads in October 2002, and began selling her products on EBay three months later. She did her first bead show in July 2004 and was a hit. She realized she needed to train her employees how to make her beads to keep up with demand!
Photo Source: gracebeads.com.
What makes Grace Ma’s lampwork beads special is the dedicated time she puts into them. Each bead is annealed overnight—the process of cooling glass to relieve internal stress after it was formed. She does this because if the glass is not annealed, it will retain many of the thermal stresses and decrease the strength of the glass. Each one of her beads takes 5 to 10 minutes to make, just to ensure her customers get the best quality products. We are proud to carry Grace Ma lampwork beads here, and encourage you to check them out and make them part of your collection!
Visit her website, or read the full interview conducted by Alison Schmidt from The Ruby
Check back tomorrow for day two of DesignerFest when we discuss Fire Designs furnace glass beads!
-Marissa
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Tags: Beader's Resource · Just For Fun! · Top Rated Products
