Sterling and Bamboo Necklace for Men

I am always looking for interesting beads to use with my Really Cool Jewelry for Men line. I recently came across some little hollow bamboo rods that are about an inch long and one-eighth inch in diameter. The ends are charred black. Interesting little beads, indeed! I decided I wanted to make a simple necklace with them.

While most mens beaded necklaces are assembled using relatively large beads, at least 6mm in diameter, this necklace uses just 3mm beads and the bamboo rods. I made this necklace with size 8 Czech glass beads, the bamboo stick beads and some 3mm sterling rounds to give the necklace some sparkle. This skinny necklace can be worn alone, with another necklace, or one can slip on a pendant. You can find this necklace for purchase in my ArtFire store. Click here Bamboo Necklace.

Native American Brick Stiched Earrings

Picking colors for bead work can be somewhat challenging. I decided to look at colorful song birds and use their color palette in picking the color of beads. At the left is two pair of brick stitched earrings that use the colors of song birds. I made this set of earrings in the familiar wing design. The red pair at the left is the familiar Red Cardinal while the pair below is from a less known song bird. Both of these pairs are available in my ArtFire Shop.

Native American Tapestry Beaded Earrings

Native American Tapestry Earrings

I mentioned in my last post that I had moved my studio work shop to Northern Minnesota. You can find photos of the new work shop on my ArtFire Bio page. Just click this link:

My ArtFire Bio

I am still working primarily with beading. I made these tapestry style earrings using a brick stitch. The earrings are available at my etsy store. Just click this link: Tapestry

Brown and Gold Beaded Earrings

Well, here I am again trying to get started posting to this blog on a regular basis. I have moved my leather and silver work studio to a new location in Northern Minnesota. In the mean time I have stepped away from my silver smithing work for awhile to do some bead weaving with seed beads. What I like about bead work is that it is portable. One can do bead work just about anywhere. All one needs is a beading needle, bead thread and several vial of beads. Leather work, silver work and even bead stringing requires a place set up for working.

I have been working largely with the brick stitch and peyote stitch, two very common stitching techniques. The earrings shown are brick stitched and can be found in my artfire store. Just click this link

Sterling and Turquoise Dangle Earrings

I know I haven’t posted anything for quite a long time. Due to a destructive fire, I have not been able to craft any new jewelry or take the time to post to this blog. But, a couple of weeks ago I did take the time to hammer out one pair of earrings. There were a few short pieces of sterling flat bar stock left over from making bangles so I thought to make some earrings out of them. After annealing the silver pieces to soften them I hammered them into the shape I wanted. A little filing completed the shape. Next, I drilled a little hole in the end of each dangle, added a wire and a turquoise bead and connected them to ear wires. I textured the dangles surfaces with a peen hammer and then put on a high polish. The picture at the left was taken before the final polish. The earrings are available in my Icraft store.

Native American Single Loop Earrings

The single loop earring is a common Native American style of earring and is found through out most tribes. The loops were frequently made using porcupine quills and seed beads or bird bones and seed beads. Sometimes the loops were made with just beads alone. Here are three examples. The first is constructed with porcupine quills and the second with spiny oyster shell. The third is a contemporary version made with 3mm turquoise heishi beads and sterling noodle tubes.

A selection of single loop earrings can be found in my etsy store and in my artfire store artfire store

Handmade Sterling Silver Beads

I have been experimenting with making sterling silver beads, sometimes called bench beads. The first two beads I made are saucer shaped beads. They are also called lentil beads. The process is fairly straightforward. First, texture a piece of silver sheet with a stamp or rolling mill. I used a rolling mill and sand paper for the texture. Next punch out the disc, mark the edge holes, and dome with a doming block. Finally, sand the edges and solder together, file the holes and polish. It is fairly easy but a bit time consuming. I made this pair of earrings with the lentil beads. The two small stone nuggets are good quality American turquoise from the Kingman Mine. They have a nice soft blue color and a light brown matrix.

I also made two rolled tube beads. Again the process is straightforward. Texture a piece of sterling sheet with a stamp or a rolling mill. I used a stamp. Cut out a triangle and solder the base end to a length of sterling tubing. Roll it up and solder the center tab to keep it from snagging or unrolling. Polish! It is easy, but a long process. I made a necklace with two of the rolled tube beads. I used a Lewis and Clark feather bead for a focal and flanked it with the tube beads.

Both of these items can be purchased at my Etsy store. Just click on the picture and you will be taken to the store.