SPRING IS HERE YAY!!!

2:33 PM pada mama

Although it does not feel like SPRING yet in San Diego (due to cold wind and rain)...I am REALLY ready for it to be here! It's time to make some fun Spring inspired jewelry. My first stop for supplies is Blackriver Beads and Pottery...I just ordered these yummy sets of lucious hand-made Italian Moretti glass beads and I plan to make some pretty Spring bracelets with them. Check out these beauties! The above beads are probably my favorite style of all the beads that glass artist James Tinker makes...they are called "Lentil" beads and they are shaped like a large lentils about the size of a nickel. These raspberry pink ones have pretty white flowers encased inside the glass - the flowers look so realistic and the intricate detail is amazing!!! I can't get enough of them! This bead style is perfect for necklaces and bracelets because they lay flat on the neck/wrist - very comfy! They also make beautiful drop earrings. Here's a few more photos of the lentil sets I have just purchased:

I also like to mix these up with other shapes of beads such as: rounds, bumpies, swirls, and others that have raised designs on the exterior of the glass. They're all gorgeous and it's very hard to decide! Look how beautiful these raised flowers are on the fuschia glass. Such attention to detail. I have ordered sets of glass beads from Ebay, Etsy, Austin Hamilton and other websites to name a few, but I always come back to my two favorite artists: James Tinker and Mary Nielander Combs. WHY? Because they make the best quality beads that are extremely creative and very sellable! I also love the dichroic glass beads - the ones with melted gold or silver foil encased inside. None of these beads are mass-produced...each one is hand made on a torch and then fired in a kiln for superior quality and strength. They normally don't break - and believe me, I have dropped a few on my hard tile floor. I'm always surprised when they don't chip.

Dichroic Glass Beads by Blackriver Beads

And last but certainly not least...you've gotta have some black & white glass beads to add that punch or pop of modern to your designs! I love to randomly add a solitary black & white bead to a bracelet or necklace - just to grab someone's attention!

I used to keep my bead sources TOP SECRET but now I am sharing their talent with all jewelry lovers and artisans. I will be posting my finished designs soon at http://www.starcandydesigns.com/

until then...HAPPY SPRING!

http://www.blackriverbeads.com/