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As seen in the
December 2009/January 2010 Issue of Beadwork Magazine - Beadwork
Master Class: Design Discovery: Finding inspiration in new materials
and travels (photo courtesy of Beadwork Magazine)
Once again, I was asked to participate in the Beadwork Magazine
Masters Class series. What a nice compliment. When they approached
me about what I would like to teach, I instantly knew that I
wanted to show you the CZs and gemstones that I have been using
in my work. They are so exciting!
With that in
mind, I designed Cascading Links Bracelet for Beadwork and for
you. The bracelet is really fun to make and is lovely to wear.
Peyote stitch bezels hold a series of stones that are set into
fine metal settings. The beaded bezels are then embellished with
Magatamas and linked together with beaded jump-rings. One of
the bezel set stones gets embellished with Magatamas all around
the outer edge and a bead loop added to make a button.
To assist Beadwork
readers in finding supplies, I put a resource list in the article.
We will not be offering kits for this design at this time, but
I have posted the stones and settings here on our site for you
to purchase (see below). We are excited about this new addition
to our site and plan on adding more stone sizes and settings
along with some basic supplies. Please sign up for our email
list
so we can notify you of these additions or please check back
often to see what is happening. Thank you again for your support
and your business.
Supplies: If you want to make
your Cascading Links Bracelet exactly like the one in Beadwork
Magazine, here are the stock numbers for the beads and the names
of the stones. In order to make this design, if you are not already
a subscriber, you will need to buy a copy of the December 2009/January
2010 issue of Beadwork Magazine. (Bold items in Supply
list below are available here on our web site. Just click on
the link.)
Cascading Link Bracelet Supply List:
BEADING TIPS
As always
it is hard to put every detail into an article, so I would like
to add a couple of little tips for setting the stones.
- Setting stones:
The instructions
will tell you when it is time to set your stones so please don’t
preset them. Presetting the stones makes it difficult to attach
the beadwork around the outside edge. When it is time to set a stone, place
the stone face down (point up) onto a piece of paper. With a
pair of jewelry grade chain-nose pliers, grab hold of the setting
(prongs down), position the setting over the back of the stone
then with a wooden
needle
case or
piece of doweling, press on the back of the setting until you
hear the stone snap into place. Now, pick up the stone and check
to see if it is tight within the setting. If it is tight, proceed
with the instructions. But if it is not tight, use your pliers
to roll the top edges of the prongs down onto the stone. The
easiest way to tighten the setting is to support one inside edge
of the plier over a prong, and the other inside edge of the plier
along the bottom edge of the setting then gently squeeze to tighten.
Repeat around the setting for all 6 prongs.
- Attention
to detail:
Take
a look at the pictures of Cascading Links Bracelet. Now, zero
in on the stones and settings. Did you notice that all of the
prongs are aligned to match up to Magatamas and to the bead loops?
If you want this look then pay close attention when embellishing
and adding the bead loops. It is just a little thing, but it
is those little things that make for great work!
Have a great
time making Cascading Links Bracelet! It has been my pleasure.
Regards,
Cynthia
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