When dressing casually, fashion jewelry is always preferred than real jewelry. This consists of accessories like necklace made of glass beads or bracelets and earrings made of semi-precious stones rather than gold or silver. More affordable jewelry like glass jewelry is being worn by more and more women these days because they get to achieve the same great look but for much, much less.
Anybody can buy glass jewelry and glass beads accessories in all sorts places nowadays. You can adorn clothes with these kinds of jewelry that are also featured in a lot department stores. Even simple clothes can look more elegant and attractive with the right kind of accessories like a nice piece of necklace and a sparkly ring. With a wide variety of glass jewelry to choose from, you will surely get something that can match your outfit anytime, anywhere. Both women and young girls these days not just looking to wear any type of jewelry with their getups, but they tend to like the big and sparkly fashion jewelry, mostly made of glass beads, crystals and semi-precious stones.
One of the most in demand glass jewelry of the century are those made from furnace glass beads and fire polished glass beads. They come in various exquisite colors, sizes and shapes.
Furnace Glass beads are also known as Art Glass beads because they are hand-made by glass artists. They are also sometimes called Cane Glass since the patterns it has are similar to those of candy canes. While the fire polished glass beads are imported from Czech Republic, thus, its other name, Czech glass beads. They usually come in size 6x9mm and come in an array of fantastic colors.
Because these beads are very adorable, you can actually buy them in bulk and create your own fashion jewelry. This way, you not only get to wear the style that is uniquely yours, but you can also share your creations to your friends and loved ones. Or if you like, you can open up a small business selling fashion jewelry made of these glass beads.
Treat yourself and have fun with these colorful glass beads!
Designer Monique Lhuillier shot to stardom in the fashion industry when Britney Spears commissioned her to create her wedding dress. Since then, her gowns have been on the most coveted must haves of A-list celebrities as she is touted to be the next Vera Wang of our generation. What is so special about Monique Lhuillier’s gowns anyway? Why do celebrities keep wanting to wear her dresses?
One of this Filipino Designer’s top secrets is the use of crystals, glass beads, semi-precious stones and bead jewelry when it comes to designing and making her gowns. This delighted Britney Spears when her wedding gown was crafted with such precious materials. Soon enough, this was followed by other stints with other Hollywood celebrities and Monique Lhuillier’s name shone brighter than ever as a fashion designer. It’s really not that surprising since Monique’s family has been in the business of jewelry for a very long time.
Indeed, when materials such as glass beads and precious stones are used, be it in jewelry, in gowns, or in any other object, that object will exude a certain elegance and class that is hard to miss.
Going back to Monique’s gowns, because they are priced at such high costs, ranging from $2000 - $10,000, average people naturally couldn’t afford them. What you can do is have your gowns and dresses embellished with glass beads and precious stones by a regular dressmaker if you want them to exude the same elegance and beauty. Perhaps, you can do it yourself to save more while expressing your artistic ability on the matter of designing dresses.
The best beads to use for gowns would be glass beads, Swarovsky crystals and pearls. If you want your dress to look more expensive, you can use rhinestones and other semi-precious stones if you wish.
For less expensive materials that can exude the same exquisite taste, you may try embroidery, the use of ruffles and laces and combining minimalist themes with avant-garde couture.
Nature has a way of recycling non-biodegradable things. Take glass for instance. Glass bottles that are thrown into the sea, both by accident or on purpose, are eroded and smoothed over time due to the friction caused by crashing waves and sand. They turn into interesting shapes, colors and sizes which are then picked up by beach goers and are usually kept as mementos or as glass beads for jewelry making.
For those of you who love to collect glass beads or would like to start a collection now, here are some ideas and on what you do with the pieces. Remember, not all pieces of glass beads you see along the shore are suitable for making glass jewelry. You have to choose based on size, color and shape to ensure that your glass jewelry is not haphazardly done.
If you happen to pick up glass beads that are of very similar shape and size, you use these pieces in making a pair of beautiful earrings. It’s pretty rare to get glass beads along the shore that look similar. Usually, one needs to buy the commercialized version of these beads to make sure that the earrings he or she makes are perfect.
Aside from earrings, you can turn these pieces of eroded glass into bracelets, pendants, necklaces, and anklets. Let your imagination run wild and don’t be scared to experiment.
Because beach glass is considered natural, they don’t come with holes in them where strings usually pass through for jewelry making. What you can do is to be a little bit more creative with the use of your wire. Using any kind of wire you want, wrap it around the beach glass in many different ways to come up with many different designs.
But basically, what you do is circle the wire to your beach glass several times to secure the loop. Place this loop wherever the top of the pendant should be. Use a hot glue to further secure the ends of the wire to keep your glass bead snug and won’t prick you when wearing the necklace.
From here, there are many other possibilities you can do for your beach glass beads. For bracelets, you can wire the glass beads in a similar fashion but put a loop on both ends so you can slide the glass beads into a chain. A simple lobster chain can then secure the whole bracelet. You can now make an array of beautiful glass jewelry using this simple wiring technique.
There are a lot of ways you can do to be green and eco-friendly in your ways. For beaders like me, you can all the available jewelry supplies and beading supplies you have to create more unique and intricate designs with your bead jewelry. One perfect example is to make glass beads out of used glass bottles you have at home. It sounds difficult, isn’t it? It actually is. So the next best thing would be to either donate or sell your glass bottles to jewelry companies that recycle glass and handcraft them into glass beads and glass jewelry. Pretty awesome, huh?
You can actually purchase handmade jewelry in many places – stores, craft shows, boutiques, department stores, warehouses and online sites that sell very affordable beads for making handmade bead jewelry. You can also recycle aluminum wire as part of your eco-friendly practice.
You can then wear your handmade glass jewelry at any occasion. Because of the many styles you can come up with, you can make one for each special occasion you can think of, or even just for everyday use. Recycled glass is usually in various shades of green and blue but you can also now see others in other colors.
Recycled glass beads take a lot of time to make as well as making handmade bead jewelry. But the time you invest in this activity will be all worth it the moment you see your finished product, especially when you get to wear it or offer it as a gift to someone you care about. Handcrafted glass jewelry conveys passion and deep love, something that many of us forget to feel these days.
When recycling glass and using glass beads in your jewelry making, you not only bring out the artist in you but you help save the planet too. Keep recycling glass and using glass beads in your beading projects. And most of all, spread the love for planet Earth. It’s the only one we’ve got.
You are probably familiar with most types of glass beads now as I have discussed them with you before. But there are still some kinds I’d like to share to give you an idea which ones to get as gifts for people you cherish and for your personal use too.
Artistic Style
These are the handcrafted glass beads which come in a wide array of variety, designs, styles, prints and patterns. They are the most artistic of the bunch because of the colors they produce when light strikes them, the quality of their shimmer as they sparkle under the light. They are sometimes even mistaken for real gemstones. They come in various shapes, sizes and colors.
Fish Shaped
As its name suggests, these glass beads are shaped like a fish. Typically, they are made from high quality soft glass with a small hole in the middle where string can pass. They are available in different kinds of fish designs of various colors.
Alphabet Shaped
These are the letter glass beads that take the shape of the English alphabet. They are best for making any accessory more personalized than any other type of glass beads. They are usually meant for bracelets or as pendants in necklaces. People also sometimes choose to spell the complete first name of the person they are making the accessory for.
Heart Shaped
Ladies who are in love or those who feel a great deal of care for the people they love tend to purchase heart shaped beads to convey their love through the necklace or bracelet they are making. Heart shaped glass beads appeal to people’s emotions and as such, are considered as romantic glass beads. This kind is especially perfect when used as a gift during Valentine’s Day.
Crystal Beads
These are the kinds of beads that are truly elegant and classic in nature. Crystal beads are those made of gemstones like diamonds, sapphires and rubies to name a few.There are still many other glass beads out there but these are the types that typically get sold in the market because of their design and style. You can choose which ones you need depending on the occasion or the purpose of your gift.