Tips & Tricks

I have made these colorful bracelets for many years, and I called them “Don’t worry, be happy”, because I truly believe that jewelry can make us happy, especially when it’s invites you to “play” with it. for this reason one important “factor” in making this type of...

I was originally planning to turn this into a printed tutorial, but it was so difficult to explain how to move the mandrel in order to heat the earring the right way. Therefore I decided to just offer this for free as a Youtube video. Hope it will inspire you....

One comment: pay attention to the "change of hands".....sometimes you hold the glass in your right hand, sometimes in your left...it definitely helps to do that! BEFORE YOU START: you might want to read my little blurb on HOLDING TOOLS1. Heat the tip of a rod of glass...

I think every bead maker has his or her own way of creating beads - sometimes you "play as you go" - and sometimes you plan. I do both, but often I work on a bead in my head, just before I fall asleep, or on a plane, or sitting at the Tire-store to wait for my flat...

I'm not sure "silver lined dots" is the official name for this technique...but I think it sounds good. This is not "my invention" - but a little "trick" cooked up by the fantastic British beadmaker Diana East. "What on earth is she doing, giving away someone else's...

There are lots of situations in beadmaking when you find yourself wanting for a third hand: pulling off scum from a clear rod, pulling off the tip of a balled up stringer, pulling a striped cane to a point, stuff like that. I have seen lots of people "circumvent" the...

Please make sure to read the TEXT first, and not just scroll down to the pictures! The text is an essential part of the tutorial. When talking about stringer, there are two basic aspects: learning how to "deal" with stringer - and then learning (or figuring out) WHAT...

You might have seen this pattern on one of the frogs I listed today. Some of you might immediately see how this "dot ladder" is created, others might scratch their head. It's fairly simple to do, but it does require some preparation: a "clear core cane" (or murrini)No...

Making a "Starburst" Murrini is one thing - APPLYING it is the next big "secret", so, here we go again: 1. Cut the cane into small pieces. I always try to get a variety of LENGTH, since this will alter the appearance of the finished piece just as much as the diameter...

Here is a quick look into mixing colors, in case you have never tried this before: The color I am showing you to mix is going to be a dark lavender/purple color, as a result of the combination of black and periwinkle. The directions are the same for any color of...

This shelf was designed by my friend Geno, and of course, because he is a nice guy, he doesn't mind if other people copy his idea. Depening on how much glass you insert into the tubes, the shelf can get pretty heavy - it CAN be hung on the wall, as long as you find...