Luster of Pearls

Starting from this month, Once in every month I would be posting an article on a gemstone or a Precious metal that is used in jewelry. A bit of its background, the varieties available and most importantly wasy to take care of it. These articles have originally been written by me for the She section of Sulekha (please find links on the right side bar below my ' About me').
The first articles in this series is about the timeless beauty and luster of pearls
Luster of Pearls

Through the ages the pearl has been known as the gem of purity and love. The lustrous glow of the pearl imparts an aura of mystery and romance. Indian history describes how pearls were important everyday jewelry for the royalty and a gift of pearls was the highest honour somebody could get. Famous Pearls in History include the Abernathy Pearl, The Arco Valley Pearl, The Gogibus Pearl, The Big Pink Pearl and the Hope Pearl.

Say variety of pearls and we (common Indian folk) think of fresh water/ salt water pearls, cultured pearls, coated and Hyderbadi pearls (which we consider to be the best in quality) and that is where we precisely get fooled. Yes Hyderabad indeed is known for its quality pearl jewelry but now in its name many fakes are introduced in the market. So beware my friends and take a look at the variety of real pearls available across the globe and method to identify a real pearl from a fake.
There are only three categories of pearls available – Real, Cultured and fake (artificial).Variety of real pearls include Akoya Pearls, South Sea Pearls, Black South Sea Pearl or Tahitian Pearls (naturally black pearls) and Freshwater Pearls.

Then there are Keshi Pearls that are a by-product of pearl culturing and Mabe Pearls (hemispherical shaped pearl that is grown against the inside of the oyster's shell, rather than within its tissue – very rare in nature and hence mostly cultured.
In Cultured pearls a bead is inserted into an oyster or clam which coats the foreigner with nacre, the patina that gives pearls their unique appearance. As nacre thickness increases, so does the quality and durability of the pearl.
Fake pearls have many names such as faux, simulated, plastic, glass, resin and artificial. They can be dyed, sipped, spray coated (painted) in order to achieve any colour or texture. Then there is MOP (Mother-of-pearl shell) and mock MOP which is only acrylic with a pearl finish.
Ways to check if the pearls you are buying are real

•By sight: fake pearls are constructed out of glass or plastic beads so underneath the pearl finish you would see a seam (joint) running. Also the small portion around the hole will be matt while the other areas will be shiny. Real pearls would mostly be knotted on silk threads while cultured pearls would be strung in nylon cords. But this is not always true.
•By rubbing: The best way to test is by ‘lightly’ rubbing the pearls on the upper edge of your upper front teeth. Or you can lightly rub one against the other. If they feel gritty or sandy, they are real pearls. If they feel smooth, they are probably imitations.
Handling & care: Be it real or fake, pearl jewelry involves meticulous handling. They are easily damaged by perfumes, cosmetics and even heavy sweating. Pearl jewelry should be taken off before you are doing exercise, bathing and cooking. They should be worn only after applying perfume and makeup and not before. Cultured pearls, especially those with thin nacre, are not very durable. Therefore, avoid dropping or crushing them. Don't store your pearls with other jewelry, because they can be scratched easily when metal or gemstones rub against them. Knotted and strung pearls should be restrung periodically to keep them in good shape.

Please do not republish without prior permission from me and Sulekha.-Thanks
Article source : http://she.sulekha.com/the-luster-of-pearls_01_2011_postedby_divya-n
Author: Divya N

hope you enjoyed reading it!!
Cheers

For the love of Lac

Lac jewelry/handicrafts refers to the jewelry and decorative items made from Lac which is the purified form of an insect based resin found on some tropical trees. This lac is then used in the industry to produce shellac or lacquer - which are used as protective coating for wood based products.

Coming back to Lac, it finds it use for decorative purposes in India. Traditional handmade Lac jewelry sets, jewel boxes and display pieces made in Rajasthan, India have been popular all over the world since time immemorial. Among the various items in lac jewelry, the bangles need a special mention. Bangles made of Lac are said to bring good omen to those who wear them and hence find prominence as Bridal Wear..

Lac bangles in contemporary style

There are two types of lac artifacts - the ones with a lac core and the ones with Lac filling much cheaper it is used to create decorative pieces like jewels boxes and display plates that dont undergo a lot of wear and tear.The final Plates are expensive no doubt because of the amount of mirror and stone work and not because of the lac- so don't get cheated. (where lac or sometimes even wax is filled in a silver foil/any base and then enameled and embellished). As Lac filling is

A word of caution here -  most of the jewelry sold on net as lac jewelry are not real lac - they are just dough bases that are enamelled with Lac colours.

Lac beads

Recently I happened to attend a day workshop on Traditional Lac making, conducted by Dakshin Chitra (a center for South Indian arts & Crafts). Mesmerized by the beauty of Lac products that I have seen in the market, I decided to try my hand at it.Needless to say, I was exhausted. In order to make Lac core jewelry, one needs to prepare the colours first.this is done by heating, mixing, kneading, and hammer pounding the purified lac and stone colours till a dough like mass is formed. Then this is coated on heated pure lac and then rolled or shaped to make jewelry components. Once the pieces are shaped then mirrors or pieces or stone/wire are heat fixed and the components are joined to make a pieces of jewelry.

Extremely hard to do, each bead, each component is a work of art. So here are what I made during the workshop. They are not grand but I guess that it is not so bad for the first attempt.

My chosen colour was copper but then It turned out to be a rust red. That's the beauty of Lac colours - you can never really predict the outcome. I chose my detail colour to be black because I was inspired by the " red- black mirror work costumes of Rajasthani Tribal women" and hence wanted to mimic that

So what did I do?

I rolled a bangle and placed some mirrors on it.

Made a pair of shiny earrings

Made 4 beads while my mentor quickly shaped a tear drop pendant....[I am not very fond of it :(]

That's all I was allowed to do in the stipulated time

So this is the final outcome. I strung the beads with some faceted beads and spaces to make a tribal styled necklace and I put a couple of hot jump rings behind the flat beads to make earrings.
 So much for a one day class !!








I hope you found lac interesting
Cheers

Summer 11 jewelry trends

It is indeed very difficult to imagine an Indian woman’s wardrobe without any jewelry. Come rain or shine we are a nation known for our resplendent silks and shiny baubles. But the Indian summers and the sweltering heat make it especially difficult to wear out usual chunky pieces. Being so immersed in the jewelry-making world, I'm always looking out for what’s in, what's out, what's coming up. So here are a few jewelry trends I think will gain importance worldwide with the focus being economical, simple and easy to wear stuff.

 

Metals

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India’s love for gold is legendary but in the last few years, it has taken the backseat due to its ever growing price. So this summer will see less- precious metals like copper, gun metal and sterling silver in the form sheet metal, chain mail and filigree jewelry. These when combined with beads, stone and findings will take artificial jewelry to a new level. Wearing Filigree in rings, earrings and bracelets, Hand beaten metal pendants with stones and twisted wire jewelry will help you make an impact this summer.

Flowers

Spring /summer means bloom so a lot of florals are always in vogue in summers. Because what’s not to like about flowers? Its pleasing to the eye lifts your spirit and looks pretty. Besides, it is an easy motif to replicate with beadwork, and floral colors inspire even the most sophisticated designers. This universal symbol of beauty seems to always be in style, but I think other related motifs like birds and nature related symbols will also share the limelight. Wear fabric Rosettes as brooches, clips and bracelet focal. Floral motifs in glass and metal (esp. gold & silver) will continue to be a big hit this year.

Minimalism

The trend for jewelry shapes is going minimal. There will be large, bold, streamlined designs without too much fussing. It will be clean and simple. Daily jewelry will be designed to go with western wear and corporate attire as job takes the focus these days. Add strings of pearls, simple stone studded rings, hoops and drop pendants, or a structured watch bracelet to oomph up your minimal look.

Vintage

Due to soaring prices, old antique and vintage pieces belonging to our grandmothers and ancestors would be much treasured. Wearing ones grandmother’s jewelry at her wedding is the in thing for a Bride now. It is traditional, looks solid, brings nostalgic memories and is easy on the pocket. Again pearls of different colours, floral motifs with stones, and dull gold and polished copper will be in the forefront.

I hope with all this trend info you would coordinate your outfits with your jewelry better and sport them with much élan. 

Please do not republish without prior permission from me and Sulekha.-Thanks

Article source : http://she.sulekha.com/jewelry-trends-for-summer-2011_04_2011_postedby_divya-n

Author: Divya N

hope you enjoyed reading it!!

Cheers

Floral Design experiments using leather

This march, I took a break from beading and crafting to work on creating floral concepts in leather for a Leather Company. Though I had worked on leather before (Leather design was my elective in college), developing flower techniques in leather was something I had no idea about. With hardly any reference points, I turned to the hoards of paper and fabric flowers I had made before to create some realistic looking flowers from leather. These are hand crafted - handcut and hand moulded without the usuage of any dies or cutters.

Reg the arrangements : They are roses in red and purple (concept was cubes - hence the flowers are arranged in a cube shape). Both vases are wooden with hand painted motifs. All the flowers and most of the leaves are leather and the embellishments are sprigs and twigs. The purple one has about 85 roses.

So Waiting to hear feedback from all the floral decor experts out there

Cheers

Crochet flower Ring

If you are someone like me, who admires crochet jewelry from a distance either because you cant read crochet patterns or dont know what to do with little crochet odds and ends that you have made - then this tutorial is just right for you. If you know what a basic chain and treble is along with basic wire jewelry skills then you can make this flower ring in minutes.

Materials: For the ring

- 1 four petal crochet flower

- one center bead

-Wire (I used 20g brass wire) 6-8" depending on your ring size

- ring mandrel

- Nose pliers

Materials: For the flower

- Crochet hook

- yarn or embroidery floss

- scissors

Procedure: Making the flower

 I started making this flower as a butterfly before I realised that I want to do a flower that will then become a ring so my pattern is subject to experimentation. Also my chain are loose and not very tight.

Ch 5. Sl st into first ch to form a ring.(ch 5 if you want a mid sized bead like me in the center or Ch 4)

Ch 4. 3tr (treble stitch) into ring. Ch 3, sl st into ring. Repeat thrice to get 4 petals.

This pattern will give you a mid sized flower. If you think that it is too big then make 3 chains instead of 4 in the second round. You can also do a five petal flower or use a ready made crochet flower that you already have

Procedure: Making the ring

1) Cut a piece of wire and straighten it.thread it through one of the center chains of the flowers from one end (in between 2 petal), add a bead in center and bring it out through the other side.

- Make sure this arrangement stays in the center of your wire throughout the process.

2) place it on the ring mandrel at the designated size - go a mark lower (because of the center bead and the wrapping the ring will become slightly smaller)

3)Turn the flower over to the other side (the one with the dent) so that the bead will rest smoothly on it

4) start wrapping with the wire.

5) cross over at front (either behind the flower as in instructions -see right) or pass it through the hole in the bead (if it is big enough) or just go over the bead in the front like I did

6) sliding the wire carefully of the ring(hold the 2 layers tight) and wrap the remaining wire to hold it in place.

PS: Sorry about the shaky one handed photos :(

7)Do the same for the opposite side

8) Hold the flower with one hand for a better grip while coiling. You can slip it back in place after the coiling is complete

9) once the coiling is complete press the wires together slightly yo make sure that they are straight and together. File and smooth all edges

Its done !! Fluff up the flower and celebrate Spring with this multi coloured crochet flower ring :)

Looking for feedback from both Crochet experts (tell me how I can improve it) and newbies (was it easy enough?)

I hope that you like it

Cheers

Crocheted zipper Brooch - tutorial

Continuing from Last week post on Crocheted treasures, Here is a brooch that even Crochet newbies can make easily.This one is a trick piece. Only the edging is crochet (I know, I am a lazy bum -I am not the one for intricate work) but I'll tell you how I made it.

 Materials:

- Embroidery floss ( 2 colours)

- Satin tape (1/2" width to cover the stryrofoam base)

- Cardboard or styrofoam base

- Mystery object 1/2 of a 8" concealed zipper

- 8 pearls

- Leather or suede for backing

- Glue

- Crochet hook, hand needle

1) I crocheted ( straight crochet) the edge with 2 embroidered threads of different colour, joined them to make a ring and added pearls (by stitching) as embellishment.

Here is how to crochet the straight lines - make 30 chains for the first line. Then do 2 ch up and then double crochet for all 30 .Join to make the ring

2) I cut a piece of Leather and stuck the crochet circle to it - good side facing the back.

3) I wrapped a piece of satin tape around the Styrofoam base(cut it to fit with the crochet circle) and secured it with glue

4) Remove the puller from a 8" concealed zipper (the one used in skirts and dress). You can use a regular zipper too and separate the sides. Singe the edges to stop fraying. We will need only one side for this brooch.

5) Start rolling from one end, gluing/hand stitching as you go, until it looks as in the pic

6) you can use this as is or turn it around as I did for a softer look.

For more zipper jewelry ideas look for my post on zipper jewelry

7) Glue the satin round to the leather and finally the inverted zipper rose in between

8)Wait until dry and added a brooch pin to the back

Its done. An easy wear to wear crochet, even when you are Crochet newbie

Hope you find this interesting

Cheers