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.
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.
Women are unique beings in this world. No two women are the same in any aspect including physical appearance and preference. Even twins have a slight difference in their personalities and physical look. Therefore, every woman also deserves something exceptional and elegant as she is. What more can you give to a woman than a bead jewelry worth her uniqueness and grace.Beads are like women. They come in the same general look and purpose but every detail is not exactly alike. Not a single bead is exactly the same as the other hence, the more elegant and valuable they are. For such a unique person is also a unique gift to give. Give a girlfriend, mother, wife, sister, friend or even some girl special like a bead jewelry to make her feel special. It can either have a single bead pendant or a fully covered beaded bracelet.
Glass beads jewelries are one of the most popular gifts to give a woman. These are crystals of many beautiful colors worthy of anyone’s praise. It is one-of-a-kind a
nd has a priceless beauty. If you give a special woman in your life glass bead jewelry, she will feel like the most special person in the world to deserve such lovely gift.There are many types of glass bead jewelry and many kinds of glass beads to use. If you are a bead maker yourself, try producing matchless designs only for a special woman. If not, there are many glass beads jewelry available in jewelry stores to choose from. You can even ask a bead maker friend to create a beautiful glass bead jewelry just for that special woman.
Make any woman be reminded of how special they are in this world through glass bead jewelry.
You might already know that beading is one of the top hobbies of many people today. It is so popular in fact that a lot of magazines are being published solely featuring everything about beading. Beading is not just a hobby and form of relaxation, but it can turn out to be a wonderful business as well.
There are many kinds of beading, two of which are seed beading and tapestry beading. With the latter, you can include many kinds of beads including glass beads to give your finished products various effects, shimmer, styles and designs. Glass beads can be bought in many bead and craft shops both online and offline. You will find that there are many options to choose from which will help you make the most unique and beautiful beaded creations you can think of.
When beading is incorporated in textile looms, a wide array of techniques is used to produce cloth. A bead loom equipment is used to make beautiful bead work, which is the most common equipment used by bead workers so they can easily make great masterpieces.
If you are interested in using bead looms, choose the rectangular one that has raised grooves and hooks. There are a lot of these things in the market and all you have to do is choose the best one. The wooden ones are more expensive than the other kinds but they are the ones that will last for a long time. Treat is as an investment an you will surely enjoy your bead work with the bead loom for a long, long time.
For beginners, start with an easy task. Use glass beads that are fairly bigger than most, like those in size 6 or 7. They’re easy to handle and you can still make wonderful designs. Just make sure that you get a needle that is smaller than the hole of your glass beads. This way, the needle can pass through each bead without a glitch.
Start practicing and don’t be afraid to experiment with different designs. You will find out that creating glass beads designs is fairly easier to do when you have a bead loom to assist you. The more you get used to the idea of a bead loom, the better you will be at producing wonderful styles. You can then incorporate these designs with your glass beads jewelry and eventually set up your own shop where you can showcase and sell your masterpieces. Start now!
The usual concern most beaders have when it comes to making bead jewelry is what kind of beads to use. While there are a variety of beads to choose from, it is important to know what your goals is. What is it that you plan to achieve with the bead jewelry you’re making? Would you want to create an elegant necklace to match a cocktail dress? Are you into casual bracelets good for everyday wear? Would you like to make some pairs of earrings that will highlight your face? Knowing what your end goal is will help you choose which beads to buy for your project.
In terms of getting the best of both worlds, glass beads are usually favored by beaders when making both formal and casual designs. Because of the way they spark, glass beads are beautiful enough to pass as real gemstones and are therefore nice to wear when wearing dresses and other more formal attires. Moreover, glass beads are affordable enough to be worn every day to match any of your casual getups. With the many colors and kinds glass beads have, you can create as many simple and casual designs as you like to match every daily outfit you have.
The following are the kinds of glass beads perfect for both formal and casual wear. Try them and see what kinds of designs you can come up with:
Fiberoptic Cats Eye Beads
This type has fantastic shapes and striking sheen and luster. Depending on how light passes through each of the fiberoptic cats eye beads, a beautiful shimmer is made when the shade changes from dark to light and back. This type of beads is not just perfect for bead jewelry but can also be used for other artsy projects like scrapbooking.
Furnace Glass Beads
This kind of beads is pretty special because it is hand-made by glass artists. It is also called cane glass because its usual patterns are same with candy canes. Furnace glass beads have exciting shapes, colors and sizes. You will definitely have fun using them for your bead jewelry project.
Mixed Glass Beads
For The Love of Beads has a variety of glass beads. From Indian Fancy beads, to Chinese Opaque beads, to the popular Czech Glass beads. They also have light-flickering foil lined beads plus two-tone "AB" beads, matte flower beads as well as painted pieces. They will surely make all your bead jewelry creations look like they’re done by professionals. With the use of mixed glass beads, you can even start a small business and sell your wonderful creations.
With these varieties to choose from, you will continuously be inspired to make as many designs as you can think of. Thanks to the popularity of glass beads, you will never run out of options to use. Enjoy your bead jewelry project and keep on beading!