The Art of Glass Beads
The Losing Art of Magical Glass Beads
So how old are beads? – from the earliest historical account the Egyptian beads made it to the Scandinavia. (more…)
Aromatherapy Diffuser Necklace
Aromatherapy Diffuser Necklace with Essential Oils
Aromatherapy diffuser necklace is called ‘Aromatherapy” as each necklaces usually contains a lava bead inside the locket which can be oiled with your preferred perfumed oils. You can buy multiple lava beads and change the bead inside the locket to enjoy different perfumes and aromas.
The demand for these necklaces is going strong as soon as these hit Australia late last year in 2017 and with new design necklaces added on a daily basis, we are offering a generous 50% off with your choice of the number of lava beads and essential oil pads. With new elegant styles, designs and affordability, one can assume that the demand will stay longer. The feedback we have received and the reviews left by our customers, that these receive more than the usual compliments. Coupled with the fact that you can use a number of different essential oils and perfumes and you are only limited by the number of diffuser pad you order.
So why not order this as a perfect gift – it will fit all occasions and add those special ‘scents’ for your loved ones. This is one of those gifts which is practical, stylish and will leave your loved ones truly in love with their new diffuser necklace. So get a list of your friends and loved ones and choose a necklace which will suit their personality the closest. We have a huge collection of different styles and you’ll definitely be able to match to your list of friends.
Since we are a jewellery design studio busy with creating wonderful jewellery and gift ideas with keeping your budget in mind, we are flexible in catering to your needs. Most retail shops will send the gift wrapped necklace as they receive from their suppliers but we custom fit the necklace to your instructions by adjusting the length. The length can be customised to 5 or 6 different length or any lengths you desire as we keep the chains and can cut it for you at no extra cost. You can order as many lava beads as you like and order extra diffuser pads.
Lava is porous and allows for oils to absorb and diffuse for several hours. Drop one-two drops of oil on the bead or put the oil on your fingers and rub it in the bead. You can reapply oils as often as you prefer and any oil that you like. It is advise able to apply a single type of essential oil on a bead – unless you know the art of mixing essential oils and creating a new perfume.
There are a number of kits which you can buy in the market which comes with a chain, a locket, lava beads in different colours & shapes, and essential oils. Since the aromatherapy diffuser necklaces come in different shapes, you can find matching lava beads or pads for the diffuser oils.
Lava beads as the name indicates are made from the molten rock ( real lava). Lava beads are also becoming very popular and are a perfect match for diffuser necklace due to their porous sponge like quality which is very good in absorbing oils and retaining the fragrance. One of the great qualities of lava beads is that these are very light weight and ideal for use in bulky jewellery and very easy to die them into different colours or cut them into different shapes as these are very soft to work with and a simple kitchen knife will do the trick.
Aromatherapy Diffuser Necklace can come in a number of different styles limited only to the innovation and styles of a designer but below are some of the nice one I could find courtesy of Invogue Design Studio in Melbourne.
The Colourful World of Kashmiri Beads
Kashmiri beads also known as “Lac” , “Bollywood” , “Maruti” beads or “Srinagar” beads are pretty much the most colourful and artistic beads you’ll ever come across. These are old beads and manufactured locally but have burst into the beading scene no more than 5 years ago and taken the beading world by storm. Also, throw into mix very similar beads which I recently came across from Indonesia and I simply call them Indonesian beads. (more…)
The Mysterious World of Seed Beads
Seed beads are wonderful little companion in any beading or jewellery making projects. If you are an amateur or a season jewellery maker, you already have a complete seeds beads collection. Australia beads offer a vast selection of seed beads already packed in small packs at very affordable prices. Seed beads can be categorised into further sub-categories but in essence these are those little beads which can be used in a stunning array of strings or as filler beads to enhance the theme and effect of any jewellery.
You would have heard many names in the trade and I’ll try to explain basically what they are and how to roughly use them but I leave their use to your creative designs, and to your individual flairs.
Rocailes Beads: Also known by its more technical or brand name of Preciosa Ornela. Since these beads are very small they are machine cut and are consistent in its size and are usually associated with high quality. Their origins are from Italty but since 18th century have been mass produced in Bohemia with latest innovation in technology, most are no precision cut achieved with a laser gun giving the consistency often demanded by embroidery makers and jewellery makers alike. These are often confused with Czech seed beads which are similar in some ways but are not quite the same.
Metal Beads Have Been Around For Years
M
etal beads are as old as first metal/iron ore was discovered and carved into objects – before gold and other precious metals were used for making jewellery and jewellery making supplies, plain iron was used to make symbolic, cultural and later fashion jewellery. Most common metal beads in used today are ferrous based, aluminium, brass and copper to just name a few.
Metal beads are an essential when designing jewellery, whether it is metal based, a combo set, mixed with gemstones or other glass beads etc. Latest metal beads, like sterling silver beads or nickle based beads are exquisite and offer a variety of new designs, shapes and ideas. Gone are the days when metal beads used to be dense or bulky and weigh a ton – latest metals beads are lightweight (aluminium beads), can be made hollow and mixed with other light weight metals to make an alloy which can easily be bend and worked with.
In this article I’ll try to go over the different metal beads and what they are, what all the terms like alloy, gold plated, bali beads, hill tribe silver, tibetan, Napalese silver, real silver, gold beads, copper, pewter, aluminium beads mean? How best to choose your metal beads and what tarnish quickly over time and how to take care of your metal beads.
Stay tuned as I’ll go over each type of metal bead, its composition, metal make up, its characteristic etc.
A Beginner’s Guide to Making Jewellery Tools
Jewellery projects may seem a bit daunting and intimidating or time consuming and may put off many people from getting into creating & designing their own jewellery. There are a number of advantages in creating your own jewellery as oppose to buying them off – first and foremost is the satisfaction you get by designing and completing a jewellery piece and satisfy your artistic inclinations. You get to custom design and chop & change what feels right or suit your personality, dress or occasion. You have the added satisfaction of using the choice findings & components to suit your taste and budget. Who knows you may hit the piece that other people would like to own and ask you to design a similar one for them.
The alternative is you by pass the designing stage and sourcing of the jewellery making components, tools and findings and buy something which looks appealing and catches your attention straight away. However, the purpose of this article is to invest in the necessary tools and findings to be able to create your own jewellery for a long time to come.
So lets dig in straight to the nitty & gritty of jewellery and see what’s a must to start your own project.The obvious immediate requirement & a necessity staring you in your face is “Tools” – a must have before you can even spell jewellery.
There are many tools specialised and generic tools that depending on your budget you can invest in but let’s keep this thread for the beginner to intermediate level and introduce more advance tools later on. You’ll hear many terms in the article but don’t let it intimidate you – what’s more important is that you know what each tools does which will be explained later on.
Ok here it goes you’ll need:
- Bent Nose Pliers
- A Crimping Pliers
- A Flat Nose Pliers
- A Long Nose Pliers
- A Round Nose Pliers
- A Side Wire Cutter Pliers
- A Split Ring Opener Pliers
Bent Nose Pliers
Crimping Pliers
Flat Nose Pliers
Long Nose Pliers
A great source of Sterling Silver beads & findings
A
ustralia Beads has got one of the most extensive collection of sterling silver beads in Australia – this collection is not just limited to beads but also includes sterling silver findings, parts, jewellery making items and those hard to find little bits & pieces. All the sterling silver items have been imported from Indonesia and are famously knows as Bali silver beads. What is amazing about these beads is that they truly represent the most intricate artwork, reflecting the skills of the artisans who take hours to create these elegant and most exquisite beads. Carving these sterling silver beads and findings is an arduous and tedious process and once you see the detail in these beads, you come to appreciate the skills and the craftmanship of these artists.
Unfortunately the prices of sterling silver has sky rocketed in the last couple of years – I think it has tripled in last year alone. Our older stuff which we got at cheap prices is still being sold at prices from 2010 but all the new stuff bought in the last few months and all future sterling silver products will be a bit more expensive – very unfortunate but hopefully the price of silver will drop in the near future.
New 2016 Accessories
Beading supplies & jewellery making tools are an essential for every serious project. We have gone to all lengths to collect all the possible jewellery making supplies and tools in one place for oyur shopping convenience.
To start you off we have an amazing collection of EYE PINS | HEADPINS | BALLPINS and will discuss later the different sizes and uses that each one of them have but have a browse through & see if there is anything to your liking.
If you are after some top quality 0.925 Serling silver beads & sterling silver findings then we have a vast collection imported mostly from Bali and you will be pleasingly surprised by the intricate collection in our inventory.
Only the best beading findings & beads
Australia beads is built its reputation over the last 20 plus years on great service, the best fashion beads, beading tools and jewellery making findings in Australia – coupled with the cheapest prices as well as top class service. Everyone claims about their cheapest prices bu we actually challenge bead buyers to search the web and shop around before comparing the bes prices on the web to our prices. Take the challenge and shop around, we are confident you’ll buy beads from us.
Now what is is that Australia beads has which differentiates us from other online or physical beading stores in Australia? Well according to a survey done on our behalf whihc involved our customers of last 20 years, it was definitley the price!!! No brainer there but some of the othjer top answers were quality, speedy service and the vast selection of beads, findings and tools. We have not lowered our standards after being in the beading business for 20 years nor have we dropped the ball on competetiveness or our determination to be the one stop shop for beading enthusiasts and jewellery making professionals.
Meeting the Talent Behind Sashiko Southwest and Lodi’s Beads
The Joys of Teaching! Meeting the Talent Behind Sashiko Southwest and Lodi’s Beads
Rrecently I was in New Mexico teaching workshops hosted by The Northern New Mexico Quilters Guild in Santa Fe and The Bead Society of New Mexico in Albuquerque. I taught my Crazy Beading class to The Bead Society of New Mexico, most who had no previous bead embroidery experience. They were a focused group of learners and enjoyed themselves not wanting to stop at our 5pm end time!
That day I learned about two great business which I highly recommend, both whose talented founders were students in this workshop.
Joyce Martin Perz has designed new innovative sashiko patterns, but not of traditional Japanese patterns. She has created original sashiko patterns printed on fabric with a southwestern theme! Can you imagine Prickly Pear Cactus and pottery designs worked in bugle beads or thread stitches? Oh and other patterns such as a rabbit and fish which are not southwest specific caught my eye too. Upon further reading I learned Joyce has done her homework and the rabbit and fish are based on designs of ancient people. Joyce is in the on the left in the front row of the group photo.