Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Making matching jewellery for your holiday

I was very impressed when Alison Chisholm told me she had made a matching necklace, bracelets and ring (and ear-rings for pierced ears) to go with her holiday outfit. She advised me that you simply need beads in the colour you want, see-through elastic thread, and glue to seal the knots.

She chose four colours of beads, pearly ones and blending colours. To make the ring, you have large beads for the part on top of you finger, smaller ones underneath. You can buy the thread in various sizes, depending on the size of the holes in your beads. Smaller beads with smaller holes means you need finer thread.

After threading your beads, you tie a knot and seal it. Failing all else you can use clear nail varnish. You need to tie a knot which won't come apart. Any knot website or boy scout website will tell you.

You could use ordinary glue such as UHU. But jeweller's glue is easier to handle. You move the knot inside a bead to hide it.

Where to buy beads? In a craft shop. For example, in Fishguard, Wales, Jane's Craft shop offers a chance to browse in a craft shop and stop for tea.

Another way to buy beads economically is to look for seasonal offers in shops which are usually inexpensive, such as Primark, which could be offering sets of three bracelets made of beads which you can detach and re-assemble into jewellery, for less than what it would cost you to buy the beads individually.

If your bracelets and rings and necklaces are on stretchy thread you may be able to dispense with clasps.

Branches of the Hobbycraft stores are all over the country. The one in Watford is bigger than many supermarkets. Staff are usually very free with advice. You can sometimes find free leaflets or paid for classes for children and adults.

If you don't have pierced ears, you can buy adapters to which you can attach other items. The word to use in your search on the webs is findings, which means part for making jewellery, such as clasps. I looked at sets of jewellery making kits including pliers and an instruction book.

Why do you need pliers, not just tweezers? The pliers are for twisting wires if you thread jewels on wires or make metal jewellery. The two sizes of pliers are so you have a bigger stronger pair for thicker wires.

janes-fishguard.co.uk
hobbycraft.co.uk
www.primark.com

Angela Lansbury  

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