Druzy Pendant Necklaces – Tutorial

Druzy Pendant Necklaces are easy to make! With only 5 components needed to complete one, you’ll want to make more!

 

 

What you’ll need:

DruzyNecklace_01

Items used in the two necklace above:

Tutorial

See how easy it is to make these two pair of necklace in this video tutorial

  1. Open 5mm jump ring and slide on both ends of your chain link. (Chain can be to your length. We used a 2 feet link so that it can easily draped over your head.) Close jump ring.
  2. Open 4mm jump ring and slide through one end of the Druzy connector and through jump ring from Step One. Close jump ring.
  3. Open 5mm another jump ring, slide through tassel or charm and through other end of the Druzy connector. Close jump ring.

 




Pantone 2019 Color of the Year: Living Coral

Pantone 2019 Color of the Year has come out and they’ve named Living Coral as their muse! Check out our bead and supply selection to play off this moving color!

 

Living Coral

Living Coral is a social statement that humanizes the consumers. It also mimics the literal meaning of coral reefs and how it gives home to a translucent array of colors, species and size. How would you define Living Coral?pantone-color-of-the-year-2019-living-coral-lee-eiseman-quote

(Image via Pantone site)

 

Product Selection

GoodyBeads Blog: Pantone 2019 Color of the Year Living Coral

Here, we’ve taken the color of Coral and found products that are similar in color to help with your inspired, Color of the Year designs. For gemstones, we chose Cherry Quartz that has a similar hue or Red Avertine like this collar pendant. Another thought I had when first looking at Living Coral, was how it reminded me of Rose Gold. So some Rose Gold Hematite beads would work nicely also. Even check out Swarovski Pearl – Coral, it’s similarity is close also.

Products shown above: Z013685, SB03214, RAVPEN-PT-RC, Z018089, KT00216, KT00269, CHQ10RD-8

 

Living Coral Pearl Earrings

We made a simple pair of earrings using Swarovski Pearl – Coral. And because coral reefs have porous corals, we accented the pearl with porous lava beads!

GoodyBeads Blog- Pantone Living Coral - Swarovski Pearls and Lava Beads

Items used in earrings: A014108Z008489SW00722, Z018414, Z018412LVA8RD, SB00107 (optional)

 

What do you think about Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year?

 




DakotaStones Guru Beads with Tutorial

A trendy fashion statement piece for your wardrobe are Mala necklaces. And a Mala necklace isn’t complete without a Guru bead. Watch this informative video on how to thread on your Guru beads from DakotaStones.

 

Mala necklaces are an easy statement necklace that you can make with your favorite gemstone, wood or lava beads, strung on simple Griffin silk cord with a knot knotted between each bead. Check out our previous blog on Tassel Jewelry, which also tackles the ever-popular Mala necklaces.

Mala is a strand of counting beads used in Hindu or Buddhist practice for praying or reciting a mantra to aid concentration during meditation. Depending on the type of chant, counts of strung beads may vary.there are no knots between beads in a Hindu or Buddhist mala. Often, there is even empty space on the strand, so that the beads can more easily be slipped as they are “counted”. It is said that with each count, people recite a mantra to bless the beads. The strand is also accompanied with a larger bead named the “Guru” bead and a tassel.

 

Here is a video from our friends at DakotaStones on how to thread on a Guru bead with Griffin Silk Cord.

 




DIY Lava Bracelets and Essential Oils

Lava bead jewelry is all the rage, whilst combining them with essential oils. Learn about basic essential oil healing properties and create an easy DIY lava bracelets using lava beads from Dakota Stones.

Essential Oils Healing Properties

The aromatic scent of essential oils add extra healing and therapeutic property to calm your mind and your soul. While essential oils are used in aromatherapy, it’s even trending for medicinal uses.

Here are some healing properties of 5 basic essential oils. 

  1. Lavender
    Healing Properties: calming and relaxing, stress reliever
  2. Peppermint
    Healing Properties: uplifting and invigorating, energy booster
  3. Eucalyptus
    Healing Properties: clarifying, enhance concentration
  4. Tea Tree
    Healing Properties: cleansing and clarifying
  5. Lemon
    Healing Properties: moon enhancer, cleansing, freshening, improves concentration

One way to use essential oils is adding a drop or two to jewelry made with lava beads. Let lava beads absorb the essential oils for a few minutes before wearing your jewelry!

DIY Lava Bracelets

GoodyBeads Blog - Lava Beads Wood Beads

An easy DIY you can make are stretchy bracelets! Pair lava beads with wood beads for a natural look. And we couldn’t resist these dyed lava beads! What we did to make this bracelet was pre-stretching a 9″ piece of elastic. String on your beads and make a surgeon’s knot. (Check out previous Stretch Bracelet blog for surgeon’s knot).

Item used in bracelet: LVA6RD-TQS, WD-BYG6RD, Z002570, A021634

Nov18_LavaBeads_image01

We made this bracelet using wavy disc and the popular gray lava beads. Cut a 9″ soft flex wire. Slide on 9 lava beads. Slide on 10 wavy discs by sliding one bead concave out and slide another concave in so that the two discs cup together. Repeat for the rest. Then slide on 9 more lava beads. You can add more lava beads to either sides to customize your wrist size. Slide on a crimp tube to one end and loop of your clasp. Loop flex wire back through the crimp tube and crimp your tube. Cut flex wire with a 1/4″ tail. Repeat to other end but adding a jump ring.

Items used in bracelet: LVA8RD, Z018418, TC01896 (2), A012353, A011517, Z011537




Gemstone Coin Cuff – Video Tutorial

Who doesn’t love a simple gemstone cuff? We made this Gemstone Coin Cuff using Dakota Stones’ coin-shaped gemstones and Nunn Design Thin Cuffs. Watch this short video and learn how easy it is to wire wrap gemstones onto a cuff.

What you’ll need:

Video Tutorial

Watch Video Here on our Facebook Videos.

  1. Cut a 30″ piece of wire.
  2. Wrap an inch of wire end to the bangle.
  3. String 6 gemstone coins onto the wire.
  4. Coil the wire a couple of times around the other side of the bangle. It is alright if the beads sit loosely on the cuff.
  5. Make sure to center the beads on your bangle.
  6. Coil wire three times around in between each bead, across the bangle. Make sure to adjust the beads so that they sit flushed on top of the bangle.
  7. Coil wire end around bangle to secure the wire. Cut off excess wire.

Item/Components used in video:




Swarovski: New Shimmer Crystals and Pearl

We’ve launched a beautiful selection of new Swarovski from their new Fall/Winter 2019/2020 Innovation: Be Yourself. Our first selection consists of new Crystal Shimmer and Amethyst Shimmer bicone crystals, and Crystal Iridescent Tahitian Look Pearl. Plus, we have two lovely jewelry pieces to compliment the hues of these new Swarovski.

 

Passion Pearl Wrap Bracelet

GoodyBeads Blog | New Swarovski wrap bracelet with knotted Griffin silk cord.

In this three -wrap bracelet, we used Griffin Silk Cord knotted with Tahitian Look Pearls, Amethyst Shimmer bicone crystals and 6mm Labradorite round beads with size 8/0 gold seed beads. Plus, we finished up this piece with gold findings.

Items used in 6.5″ bracelet: SB00107, LBT6RD-8, SW01915 (10), SW01916 (6), SW01908 (6), SW01906 (7), Z008768, A006581, TC02395, A008801

  1. Make a knot at the end of the silk cord and cut excess end. Slide over knot with a clamshell bead tip (Check previous blog on examples). Optional, add a small dab of Super New Glue to the knot before sliding the clamshell over.
  2. Slide on a seed bead and make another knot flushed to the seed bead.
  3. Slide on a 6mm Tahitian Pearl and make a knot.
  4. Side on a seed bead and make another knot.
  5. Repeat with alternating with pearl beads or 6mm Labradorite beads until you reach your desired wrist length. This will be your first row.
  6. Next row, alternate a knot between an 8mm Amethyst Shimmer bicone crystal, seed bead, 4mm Amythest Shimmer bicone crystal, seed bead, 8mm Tahitian Pearl and seed bead. Repeat until your desired wrist length.
  7. For your third row, alternate seed beads and Labradorite beads in no particular order to wrist length.
  8. End with a knot, add a small dab of glue and cap off with a clamshell bead tip.
  9. Open jump ring and attach either clamshell bead tip end to a toggle clasp. Repeat to other bead tip end.

 

Passion Flower Necklace

Sep18_NewSwarovski_image2

We used the Griffin Silk cord to complete the bracelet with a necklace with similar beads as in the bracelet with TierraCast Findings.

Items used in necklace: TC02387, A019617, SW01908 (2), Z018414, Z018257, TC02397, A008801Z008768A006581, SW01912 (6), SW01905 (6), SB00107

  1. Open loop of eyepin and slide on TierraCast Mehndi charm. Close loop.
  2. Slide on the following beads onto the eyepin and make a simple loop or wrap loop: 8mm Ameythst Shimmer bicone crystal, wavy disc (concave down), Czech Hibiscus, wavy disc (concave up) and 8mm Amythest Shimmer bicone crystal. (If making a wrapped loop, make sure to slide on TierraCast magnetic clasp end before finishing loop off.)
  3. Make a knot at the end of the silk cord. Slide on a seed bead, 3mm bicone, a seed bead, a pearl, 2 seed bead, 3mm bicone, 2 seed bead, a pearl, 3 seed bead, a 3mm bicone, 3 seed bead and a pearl.
  4. Slide on seed beads to accomodate a length large enough to slide over your head.
  5. End silk cord with pearl, 3 seed bead, 3mm bicone, 3 seed bead, a pearl, 2 seed bead, 3mm bicone, 2 seed bead, pearl, a seed bead, 3mm bicone and seed bead.
  6. Take both ends of your silk cord and make a knot to tied the ends together.
  7. Slide a clamshell bead tip over the knot.
  8. Open jump ring and slide on loop of bead tip and other end of the TierraCast magnetic clasp. Close loop.

 




Knotted Necklace with Video Tutorial

Knotted necklace are fun to make with or for friends. Once you get into a rhythm, you can whip one out in no time. Plus, we have a quick video tutorial on how to use the Easy Knotter Tool to help make knots between beads.

Make sure to check out our previous post on the Easy Knotter and How to Use Silk Cord for information on the tool and Griffin Silk Cord.

Knotted necklaces are super easy to make.  You will need Griffin Silk Cord and an assortment of your favorite beads like gemstones, Chinese crystals, metal beads, seed beads, etc. We love using Griffin Silk Cord because you get about 6 1/2 feet of twisted silk cord with a twisted needle. This will give you a 32″ necklace, give or take. In the examples below, we use size No.8 Griffin Cord.

 

Tutorial Video

 

Hazy Turquoise Necklace

GoodyBeads DIY tutorial Knotted Necklace with Chinese Crystals and Brass Beads

We used glossy rondelle Chinese crystals and triangle brass beads to create this necklace.

Items used: A022196, Z007027, A019209

 

Star-Crossed Gemstone Necklace

GoodyBeads DIY tutorial Knotted Necklace with Dakota Stones Star Cut Carnelian Gemstones

We love the texture of these Star Cut gemstones. We knotted this necklace with antique gold beads in an organic way without a pattern sequence, paired with black silk cord to pop out the Carnelian color.

Items used: CRN6RD-SC, A019202, Z001478

 




Amethyst Geode Earrings – Video Tutorial

From our Trends We Love: February Birthstone Amethyst, learn to make this cute hoop earrings wire-wrapped with Amethyst rondelles and Czech Fire-Polished beads.

Materials

  1. 26-Gauge Wire – WR00035
  2. 8mm Amethyst Rondelles – DTA8RL-F-8
  3. 4mm Amethyst Czech Fire-Polish – A003359
  4. 50mm Hoop Earrings – A014110

Video

 

Tutorial Steps

  1. Cut a 4 feet piece of 26-Gauge wire.
  2. Wrap the end of the wire to the hoop. Use pliers to make a tighter wrap. Push wrapped coils together.
  3. Pick up an Amethyst rondelle, loop wire towards middle of hoop and wrap two times. Make sure to push the wrapped coils together.
  4. Pick up a Czech bead and repeat.
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4, going around the hoop earrings.
  6. Make your coils at the end and cut off excess wire. Use pliers to make tighter coil wraps.
  7. Repeat all steps for other earring.

 




Dakota Stones: White African Opal with Video

We supply a large selection of gemstone beads from Dakota Stones.  One of the most popular stone to add to your bead collection is the White African Opal. Learn what kind of gemstone it is and its meditating properties.

 

Dakota Stones is a company based in Minnesota that provides a huge selection of semi-precious gemstones in a variety of cuts, sizes and finishes. Jeff Elvin, Dakota Stones President, travels all over the world to mine stones and specially cuts them into beads, pendants, cabochons and more!

 

One of our favorites is the White African Opal. According to their wholesale website, “White African Opal is a white to cream to light tan stone with veining of black or gray. Like all Opals, it is a form of hydrated amorphous silica, however it does not exhibit the play of color seen in precious Opal. Common Opals such as White African Opal are believed to provide gentle, nurturing emotional support.”

 

We love the creamy neutral in White African Opal, which makes it easy to pair with all kinds of gemstones. Here are some of our suggestions: Blue Crazy Lace, African Turquoise, Apple Jasper, Aqua (Dyed) Impression Jasper, Labradorite or Smoky Quartz.

 




2018 Bead & Button Show: Seaside Flora Leather Bracelet

We were able to sponsor this make & take class along with Dakota Stones during the 2018 Bead & Button Show with Candie Cooper. See how easy it is to create this Seaside Flora Leather Bracelet.

Perfect for a beachside getaway and catching some rays, this bracelet is made with black gold Amazonite and White African Opal gemstones from Dakota Stones, 1mm leather cord and silver beads.

 

Items used for bracelet:

A022071, WAF10RDLH-8, BGA8RDLH-8, Z009385 (12)

 

Bracelet Tutorial

  1. Cut leather in half or about 24″ each.
  2. Slide both strands of leather through large gemstone bead (WAF10RDLH-8) and make an overhand knot with all 4 strands.
  3. Separate and fan out the four strands.
  4. With the middle two strands, slide on a small black gold Amazonite gemstone. Next, with the bottom two strands, slide on a metal bead. And with the top two strands, slide on a metal bead.
    seaside flora leather bracelet tutorial
  5. Repeat Step 4 sequence, five more times. End with a small gemstone to the middle two strands.
  6. Evenly space out the beads to fit your wrist size. Make and overhand knot with all four strands. Make another knot about 3/4″ from previous knot.
    seaside flora leather bracelet tutorial
  7. Cut excess leather ends.

 

Download PDF file HERE.

 




2018 Bead & Button Show: Lasso Drop Earrings

One of our favorite Make & Take project we offered during the 2018 Bead & Button Show was the Lasso Drop Earrings. Check out how easy it is to make these pair of leather and gemstone earrings!

It features soft deerskin leather lace and matte black gold Amazonite gemstones. Inspired by the trend of leather and adventurous western style, here’s an easy earring tutorial!

 

Items used in earrings:

BGA8RLLH-M-8, BGA8DC-M-8, TC01395 (2), TCZ0078, Z010962, SB00106, A019685

 

Lasso Drop Earrings Tutorial

Download PDF tutorial HERE.

 

 




Gift Ideas for Dad

Celebrate fathers everywhere with gifts he can proudly wear and still be fashionable! Check out these easy DIY gift ideas to prepare for Father’s Day.

 

Leather Keychain

FatherDayIdea_Images4

Keychains are a smart gift to give Dad! Make it a memorable accessory that he can hang his keys from! From our Facebook Live show, we showed how easy it is to make braided leather keychains. And from a previous Father’s Day post, we did a tutorial on riveting flat leather for a simplistic keychain with a stamped dogtag charm.

 

Components from left picture to right:

  1. CH00474 & Z010962, CH00156Z010962, CH00475 & A022075
  2. MCKR0002Z009650A001530CH00185TC01679,  TC01812,  TL00191

 

Leather Bracelets

MotherDayIdea_Images3

Create a modern leather bracelet with round and Regaliz® leather. From our Men’s Bracelet trend, these leather bracelets will never go out of style. Leather bracelets with a touch of silver makes accessorizing with men’s fashion easily from casual denim to a neat blazer.

 

Bracelet components from left to right:

  1. A015313A019014
  2. CH00475 & Z001235
  3. CH00126, Z003438, Z002073, A014254
  4. CH00125, Y002136Z003438
  5. CH00157, A003853, A022061

 

Gemstone Stretch Bracelets

FatherDayIdea_Images1

From rock stars to movie stars, you see more men wearing stretch bracelets everywhere. We especially love a bracelet of all Gemstones like these dark Sardonyx or mix it up some gemstones with silver spacers or beads. Check our Easy Elastic Bracelet Tutorial to learn how to make a stretch bracelet with a surgeon’s knot. Or use the Elastic Cord Needle and watch how Beadalon® finishes off their stretch bracelet in this Vendor Video Post.

 

Bracelet bead components from left to right:

  1. SDW10RD-8
  2. TGE8RDLH-F-8 , BCL8RD-8 , (2) TC00340, (6) TC00032

 




How to Make a Leather and Memory Wire Bracelet – Video Tutorial

Learn how make our popular leather and memory wire bracelets in our video tutorial and watch as we teach you how to finish your memory wire bracelet with the nifty Memory Wire Finishing Pliers.

Leather and Memory Wire Components

Here are items you need in order to make your leather and memory wire bracelet.

Round Leather

Round Leather is the star of your bracelet. We carry 5mm and 6mm round leather cord, which will need to have a hollow core or hole inside the leather. The hollow core helps the memory wire go through the leather. Make sure when selecting your leather cord to read the descriptions, as not all round leather cords have a hollow core or hole. All leather cord is sold in inches, so order according to the amount of inches you will need for your project.

Another type of cord you can use are Regaliz® Licorice Leather with Hole as seen in our Leather & Swarovski Trend. They are thicker in size with flatten sides.

You can also use Hollow Rubber Cord. These are 3mm in diameter and sold in foot increments. Make sure they say “hollow” in the description for memory wire.

Memory Wire

Memory Wire is the skeleton of your bracelet. Make sure the wire you are selecting is round as we also carry flat memory wire and that “Memory Wire” in the description and/or name.

End Caps

End caps will be used to cap the ends of your leather cord. They make your leather ends look cleaner and finished. When looking for end caps, you can find them in Findings: Clasps & End Caps, TierraCast Findings, or search “End Caps.” PLUS, read the descriptions to determine their inside diameter/opening. This will help to accommodate the round leather size you choose to order.

Beads

Lastly, add these beads to your bracelet: glass beads, Swarovski crystals, gemstones, wood and any type of beads that will slide easily through the memory wire. Don’t forget some accent beads like bead caps, metal beads and seed beads.

Some beads we would not recommend are large-hole beads like interchangeable large-holes or large-hole gemstones because their holes are large and may wiggle around on the memory wire. Some tubes will not work because their shape will not curve along with the memory wire. Pearl beads can be tricky because some will have holes to small for the memory wire.

Tools

The best tool to cut your memory wire is the Memory Wire Cutter (TL00206). This cutter is meant to cut through heavy-duty wire like memory wire or thicker gauge wires.

One of your best friends in making your bracelet is the Memory Wire Finishing Pliers (TLZ0207). It’s a sturdy round plier used to loop your wires. It has two mandrel sides to create a consistent 2mm or 4mm loop. This tool will make it easier for your hands to making a loop compared to your round-nose pliers.

Video Tutorial

Watch our facebook live spin-off video below to learn how to add leather cord and end caps to memory wire and how to loop with the Memory Wire Finishing Pliers.

Items used: WR00121, CH00924 (3″), TC01854, SW00171, SW00180, SW00182, A022201, A022205

Memory Wire Bracelet Examples

You don’t have to only use leather cords. Here are some fun examples we used with leather and/or beads.

MemoryWire_1

(Leather & Swarovski Wrap Bracelets, Cork Cord and Wood Beads, Round Leather and Wire Bracelets)

MemoryWire_2

(Flamingo and Palm Tree Blog, Summer Wrap Bracelets, Memory Wire Leather Wrap Blog)

MemoryWire_3

(Fall Gemstone Trend, Turquoise Czech Glass Beads)

MemoryWire_4

(February Birthstone, March Birthstone, Naturally Coastal)




Bib Connectors with Candie Cooper

We’re in love with bib connectors at GoodyBeads. So is Candie Cooper! Watch our product video where Tory and Candie will show you bib connectors available at GoodyBeads and how easy it is to add beads, charms, tassels and more for a fun and easy necklace.

 

Our bib connectors are lightweight with detailed designs. They have holes to easily add charms or tassels to with a jump ring. Watch the video below where Candie and Tory will show you the many kinds of bib connectors you can find on GoodyBeads, sample necklaces using bib connectors and they demonstrate how easy it is to add embellishments to them.

bib_Connectors

Bib Connector Video

 

Other Examples

Here are other examples using bib connectors.

bib_samples02

(1. December Birthstone Trend 2. Jesse James Trend 3. Boho-Inspired Bib)

bib_samples01

(1. Tribal-Inspired Bib 2. Deerskin Leather Trend)

 




Tory’s TierraCast and Gemstone Leather Necklace

Tory’s Make and Take class was a HIT at the Twin Cities Bead Bazaar! It consists of Dakota Stones® faceted large-hole gemstones and TierraCast® new collection: Vida Más Dulce. We are happy to share with you this necklace and a tutorial you can make!

 

ToryNecklace_Image

Items Used:

 

Tools:

Tutorial

  1. Start by cutting the leather for your tassel. For a long tassel cut 4 pcs of leather at 5”, 4.5”, 4” and 3.5”. For a short Tassel start with 3.5” and cut the others at 3.25”, 3 and 2.75”.
  2. Put the 4 ends of your cut leather into the cord end and crimp the cord end on both sides with a non-serrated or nylon Pliers. Make sure to squeeze both sides or you may loose a piece of leather on either end.
  3. Add a spacer bead, gemstone and spacer bead to each piece of leather cord in your tassel and tie a overhand knot at the end. Pull tight so they do not come undone. Make any adjusts you need to the tassel length at this time.
  4. Measure how long you want your necklace to be around your neck. Take this length and double it and cut. Then cut a second piece the same length.
  5. String your leather thru the top holes of the TierraCast connector piece. Then trim the ends of your leather to a point, to make it easier to slide on your beads. On each side string both pieces of leather thru the spacer bead, gemstone bead and another spacer bead.
  6. Pick one side to add your button to and put one piece of leather cord from that side thru each of your button holes and do an overhand knot with both cords. Then do a second over hand knot under the button and pull it up so it is flush with the button.
  7. On the other side do an overhand knot at the top and then about a half an inch down, add a second overhand knot and this will become your button hole to act as a clasp for your necklace.
  8. Open your jump ring and add your tassel and the bottom hole of the TierraCast Connector. Close your jump ring.