Beader's Blog

We were fortunate to have Kiki Adiwijaya who came all the way from Surabaya, Indonesia to teach us how to create the Tameng Biru Pendant. This was made possible by jewelry crafter Mastura Whimsicalquirky for inviting Kiki to come over :)

The workshop started at 10.30 am and ended at 6.30 pm. Yes it took nearly the whole day but we did learn loads of technique just for this one pendant, like making twisted wire, Dayak weave, netting and euro stone wrapping.

It was really fun, all participants had a lot to share about themselves, their work and also it was nice to see how they incorporate their own creativity in their pendant.

For the next 2 weekends, the Arts & Crafts Guild of KL & Selangor, will be conducting a charity event, where participants will be able to learn some crafting techniques and on the same time contribute their crafts, which will be given to selected charities for their fund-raising efforts.

Here is a list of craft that will be thought:

Wirework jewellery making

Hardanger embroidery 

Basic crochet

Floral ribbon embroidery

Macrame with beads bracelet

Felt craft

Vintage floral ribbon brooch

Fabric birdie soft toy

Beaded brooch with Swarovski crystal

Up-cycling scrap fabric, lace, buttons, beads into hair accessories.

Ability to identify a real gemstone from a fake or synthetic one is a skill which every individual should learn. Gemstones are expensive and the last thing you want is to pay a great deal of money for a piece of jewelry which is a fake. In order to help you determine whether or not a gemstone is real, we have here a few tips on how to determine whether a gemstone is real or fake.

The difference between real gemstones and fake is very difficult to identify just by looking at one. A real gemstone is natural which means it is subject to flaws because of the wear and tear it experiences in the outdoors. A fake or synthetic gemstone is created in a laboratory and therefore appears to be flawless. Cubic Zirconia and Moissanite – lab-created diamond substitutes – are popular diamond substitutes because its hardness and thermal conductivity are quite similar to diamonds and almost perfectly formed. This is one of the easiest ways to distinguish a real from a synthetic gemstone. Although you would think it would be the other way around, a real gemstone will not look perfect and is likely to have scratches, dents or other flaws. These flaws make each gem unique to one another.

Another way to determine whether a gemstone is real or fake is by the weight of the stone. Synthetic gemstones often weigh more than real ones. Synthetic gems are denser than their counterpart and when held in the hand, you can feel the weight difference between the two types of stones. In rare instances you can tell a real stone from a fake because synthetic gemstones tend to sparkle more than real ones. Real stones have been worn through weather and other forms of nature and for this reason do not sparkle as naturally as their synthetic counterpart.

Perhaps the most notable difference between synthetic and real gemstones is the price. Synthetic stones are moderately priced because they are not as rare as real gemstones. They are made in a laboratory and therefore can be mass produced for very little money. Real gems are rare and for this reason are very expensive because there is a limited amount of natural gemstones available. If the price for a piece of gemstone jewelry seems too good to be true, it might be fake. It is impossible to sell a real gem for a considerably low price, therefore do not be naive into thinking you are getting a deal because you probably aren’t.

It is important to ensure that the gemstone you are buying are genuine and authentic. When spending such a great deal of money you want to make sure you are getting what you pay for. When it comes to gemstones, the higher the price, the higher quality of gemstone you receive.

A gemstone or gem also called a precious or semi-precious stone, a fine gem, or jewel is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments.

However certain rocks such as lapis lazuli, or organic materials that are not minerals such as amber or jet, are also used for jewelry, and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well.

Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a gemstone.

A birthstone is a gemstone, usually in the form of personal jewelry and most often in the form of a ring or pendant. Each stone is traditionally associated with various qualities that symbolize the month of birth in the western calendar, is internationally the most widely accepted and used. The Zodiac Birthstones are birthstones for each of the twelve astrological signs as follow:

What Can You Do….

There are a number of things owners can do to prevent build up of dirt and prevent jewelry from becoming tarnished. Colored dye or smudges can affect the perceived color of a gem.

Historically, some jewelers’ gemstones were mis-graded due to smudges on the girdle, or dye on the culet. Current practice is to thoroughly clean a gem before grading its color as well as clarity.

Cleanliness does not affect the jewelry’s market value, as jewelers routinely clean their jewelry before offering it for sale. However, cleanliness might reflect the jewelry’s sentimental value.

Namely, store jewelry carefully in its original packaging or a jewelry box.

Clean jewelry using warm water, mild soap and a soft bristle toothbrush.

Use a non-abrasive silver cloth or soft lint free cloth to polish jewelry and remove tarnishing.

You can use a variety of different cleaning products but please remember to rinse your jewelry to remove excess cleaning product, it will eliminate any soap build up left on your jewelry.

Don’t expose jewelry to harsh chemicals or perfumes as this could cause damage and discoloration.

Don’t wear jewelry when using household cleansers.

Also try to avoid sweating while wearing jewelry as this will result in a grimy buildup.

Try to avoid wearing jewelry while applying beauty products such as hair spray, cosmetics or lotions as this can tarnish or discolor the jewelry.

Bangles, earrings (hollow tubing) and chains should be worn with care in order to avoid surface damage, and should be removed before going to bed.

Which Jewelry Pliers Should I Use?

With the myriad of jewelry making pliers and tools on the market today, many new beaders  or jewelry makers have trouble figuring out just which ones they needs.

Each tool serves a general and/or a particular purpose.

What the jewelry maker has to discover is which tools will best serve their particular needs within their budget.

Below we’ve listed some of the more common pliers and tools available, and what they can be used for, along with some suggestions on which ones might best serve your needs.

Must Haves:

1. Round Nose Pliers – The nose of the pliers are wide at the base and taper to small round ends. Used to make loops and filigree, hold small components, open and close jump rings, for wiring wrapping or making chain. They have a tendency to dent soft wire if use for gripping.

2. Flat Nose Pliers – The jaws are flat on the ends and are perfect for bending wire at angles and opening and closing jump rings. The flat smooth jaws hold round beads without nicking or scratching them. Can also be used to straighten wire or to hold a wire in place while wrapping.

3. Wire Cutters - Are used for cutting wire or cord. Several varieties are available depending on the individuals needs.

a. Side Cutters – An expensive plier for cutting wire. These cutters will leave a pointy, rough edge that will need to be filed smooth. Best used with flexible beading wire and tigertail.

There are people among us, beaders, who love to create everything from scratch. Creating your own earring hooks, is easy and it doesn’t need a lot of effort. As it is handmade, it feels more exclusive than the the ready made one which you can buy at a very reasonable price.

You will need a spool of 18 gauge gold-plated wire, a sharpie marker, a round-nose plier, a flat-nose plier, a diagonal flush cutter and a ruler.

1. Use the ruler, measure 2” of the wire and cut 2 pieces of the same measurement using the diagonal flush cutter (image a).

2. Bend both wire using the sharpie marker (image b), ensure one end is longer than the other (image c).

3. Use the round-nose plier to twist inward the long end of the wire into a loop then do the other (image d, e).

4. Take both short end of the wires, bend them out it a bit using the flat-nose plier (image f) and you will get the same length of bend to both ends (image g).

For those who like to have their jewellery parts uniform in terms of the colours, creating your own jewellery parts works in your favour. You can create endless amount of jewellery parts, you name it, eye pins, earring hooks or even generally a hook. In this tutorial, we will start with the very basic, jump rings! Here we go…

The following are the steps to create a jump ring according to the image above:

Prepare the require tools and items such as a spool of copper wire, a sharpie marker, a round-nose plier, a flat-nose plier and a diagonal flush cutter (image a).

Use the sharpie marker to mark the round-nose plier which indicate the size of the loop (image b).

Lock the end of the wire in between the marked plier, grip the plier well and move outward to make a loop (image c).

Make a few more loops, ensure that the plier is held tightly so that the same size could be maintained (image e).

Use the diagonal flush cutter to cut thru the loops but first, align the cutter with the first line of the loop vertically (image f).

Once cut thru, you will get a jump ring, repeat until all loops are cut.

Use the flat-nose and round-nose pliers to adjust the jump ring (image h).

1. Classroom of potential customers

Do a class for handmade jewelry. Your students are your potential customers. Show them some of your work-in-progress and the processes or steps in creating your finished jewelry. Show your students on how-to-do-it, it would give them a sense of achievement and greater appreciation on creating these handmade jewelries. Your students become your customers when they too find it easy and creative challenge in making beautiful jewelry.

  2. Corporate gifts

When attending an event, social function or having a stall at a bazaar  hosted by someone else, you could offer the host or hostess your store corporate gifts which may include your handmade jewelry as a door or thank you gift. You could also offer them special discount on their purchases. Promote sales by giving them a percentage of sale made by others as an appreciation to the host or hostess own purchases.

  3. Co-operation and Coordination

A few weeks ago, a website I build from scratch suddenly appear blank! What a tragedy! Having been educated in IT and worked as web developer, I still find it challenging to maintain a website. I find it difficult to focus on taking care of the website, while on the same time I have to cope with orders handling, deliveries, inventory, planning for promotions and learning new tools to help enhance the business performance and believe the list doesn’t stop there.

So I decide to host my online retail with Shopify. They have a wide range of great looking themes and are they easy to use. I’m happy that I decided for this change as now I only have to tackle cosmetic point of the website and no more of the technical.