Ceramic, Sculpture and Pottery Class in the Philippines

This is awesome! UPCFA is having another round of their ceramic class perfect for jewelry artists, handmade hobbyists and just about anyone with a creative streak. I would love to learn ceramic basics and watch a kiln bake my work. And maybe even create my own beads from ceramic or clay materials - nothing like working with your hands! If I make extra dough by then I'll sign up for it :)

Basic Intermediate Ceramic Class for Teens and Adults
Use the pinch, coil and slab techniques to create cups and mugs, fish sculptures, fruit bowls, or candle lanterns!

UPCFA Ceramic Studio
Instructor: Kathy Sta. Ana
Course fee: Php 4,500
Duration: January 9 to February 20, 2011
Please call 981-8732 or 981-8500 local 3977

Christmas Jewelry: Jolly Yuletide Presents

I make it a point to do a pre-holiday check on Etsy.com for the latest jewelry finds for the season. And again, Etsy delivers!

You may check out a great selection of handmade Christmas Jewelry from these Etsy artists.


The Santa Baby Bracelet by FanceeThat
These polymer clay swirls bring on a new twist on Christmas candy canes


Christmas Necklace by burcutansug
A parade of Christmas charms right on your neck.


Silver Calla Lily Necklace by Piperblue
Elegant and simple like a floral Christmas bell.


Snow Kissed Branch Necklace by Piperblue
I'm loving the frosted look on these silver-plated branches with snowy pearls.


A merry assortment of Christmas-themed earrings by AZbeadgirl

The Engagement Ring of the Century: Kate Middleton's Sapphire Blue Ring

Typically, a bride-to-be would abhor the idea of an engagement ring that belongs to a dead woman whose marriage ended in a much publicized divorce. But this is no ordinary engagment, its the catch of the century for any single lady- marrying the Prince of Wales!

The lovely bride-to-be Kate Middleton with the dashing rescue helicopter pilot Prince William of Wales.

I just hope this pretty commoner doesn't suffer the same fate as Princess Diana, may the wonderful Prince William protect her so (from her grand in-law) hah!

"The 18-carat oval sapphire surrounded by diamonds" engagement ring

So wanna feel like Kate? You can be a princess with your own knockoff of this royal blue stunner for only $39.95 offered at the QVC.com site. The designer cashing in on the royal gem quips:

"I've always felt that any girl could become a princess. It's my pleasure to offer a ring that has become a royal sensation. Having a long relationship with the British Royal Family, I wish the couple a long and happy marriage." —Kenneth Jay Lane

The Princess knockoff ring: Make yer BFFs jealous!

Oh yeah even from the grave, Princess Di can ressurect 80s jewelry trends.

The Allure of Celebrity Engagement Rings

Celebrity engagement rings don't go below the $90,000 range by hollywood standards. Anything below that worth is tugging on the B-list line, but some celebs can play it safe with vintage heirlooms which sadly can be fugly on any modern bride's ring finger. Heirlooms often have huge tacky cut rocks plated with crassy gold instead of posh platinum.

The tabloids and paps have made it a game spotting newly popped rocks on celebs. This year alone has been a circus of quickie marriage proposals clinched by huge and pricey wedding bands.

For starters, Chad OchoCinco is all about the Bling! and he knows how to rock his woman's world by giving them the heavies, such as this10-carat engagement ring!

The bride Eva Lozada- may you have 85 years of bliss with Chad!

Now onto husband number #2, Jessica Simpson's suddenly spurned engagement was just in time to trump her ex-husband's Nick Lachey's own engagement plans. Oh get over it you two!

Rumor has it, the distressed Jess paid for her own fat Ruby and Gold engagement sparkler to the tune of more than $100,000

Jessica Simpson and NFL footballer Eric Johnson

The Filipino-Italian beauty Vanessa Minnillo flaunts the ring that haunts Jessica Simpson to this day.

 This $125,000 engagement deal-sealer is a 4- carat platinum Asscher-cut diamond with smaller  trapezoid cut diamonds all from Nick Lachey's pockets. 

The engagement ring that equals a $3 Million Dollar head- must be well worth it for Hockey player Mike Comrie.

The blissful bride caught on her knees by the Paps

Katy Perry and Russell Brand are so out there, a celeb couple so out-of-whacked its almost cliche! You can't expect anything ordinary for these two - so the grand Indian theme wedding was as exotic as blueberry jam on chappati roti.


This 3-carat Cartier blingamajig  is worth $120,000 with a rare diamond called the Golconda Diamond from the diamond mines of India.

Pretty Wooden Bangles by Baubles Bangles & Beads

Wandering through multiply.com can unearth the best local finds, so while on the lookout for all things handmade, I stumbled on a very popular multiply shop called Baubles Bangles & Beads- http://baublesbanglesnbeads.multiply.com


Go wild with these animal print bangles.. Rawr!


These damask-style wooden bangles are to die for!

These ornate hand-painted bangles are one-of-a-kind creations by Venny Santos, Pao Yiu and Joyce Tan. They cost P350 per piece plus shipping costs.



So add a touch of whimsy to your wardrobe, this multiply store is worth a visit. http://baublesbanglesnbeads.multiply.com

A Brief History of Beads

Beads are jewelry components made from clay, wood, stone, tooth and glass. A hole is bored or cut through to allow a piece of string such as twine, fiber or thread to pass through. The beads are then grouped together to form a cohesive piece of jewelry - bracelets, necklaces, anklets.


Ancient beads privately collected and owned by http://www.oldbeads.com

Ancient beads have allowed archaeologists, a glimpse of early human societies and their cultures. Beads denoted social status as a symbol of wealth and power. They were used as currency, in barter and trading. Beads that are made into ornate jewelry have a profound effect on mating rituals and weddings.

The First Glass Beads
The first objects crafted entirely of glass were beads from Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt dating from about 2500 BC.


Ancient Millefiori beads made of glass from http://www.uniqueafricanarts.com

The Millefiori beads we know today were first created by the Phoenicians. Millefiori beads are colored molten glass stretched into thin canes.


Modern Millefiori beads made of plastic

Artisans from Venice and Murano Italy are known for their exquisite Venetian beads. They develop pioneering techniques in creating beads that are still used even today such a lampworking or coating a mandrel with molten glass and wounding it around a metal rod.


An interesting catalog of ancient Murano glass beads by an Italian Murano glass company called
Ercole Moretti

Another process of making Venetian beads starts with a large glass bubble. As it is blown by one operator, another pulls it to form a tube that may be as long as 100 feet.The bubble has become the hollow center of the beads that may now be cut from the tube. The sharp glass edges of the beads are rounded by being tumbled and heated along with a mixture of ashes and sand that prevents the beads from fusing.

In the middle ages, we have the rural town of Bohemia to thank for the thriving industry of Fire Polished beads. Czech glassmakers had a steady supply of firewood due to its forest terrain.



This allowed Czech artisans to experiment with glassmaking techniques for centuries. They developed pressed-glass beads. They created molds where they could pour the molten glass and stamp the glass beads. Though the Czech glassmaking industry suffered through World War I and WWII, it was able to regain its throne as one of the world's best bead manufacturers. Today, quality glass beads are often associated with Czech glass beads particularly for their glass seed beads.

The principal consideration in beadmaking is consistency of color and size.

Glass stems to be machine cut into glass beads by bead supplier Tianjin Ruiying Glass Artifical Factory

Modern materials and mass production facilities ensure uniformity with the use of commercial plastics and machine cut crystals. But the brilliance and art that comes with handmade glass beads remained unmatched in value.

Jewelry Measurement Tools: Planning Board, Sizers and Gauges

As a jewelry designer, do you measure down to the exact millimeter or do you go by gut and do a visual estimate?

If I'm doing it for a client I go for the exact measurements, there's nothing far worse than a necklace than turns out to be quite a choker. However, as hobbyists our enthusiasm gets the best of us and we just want to create and do away with the math.

Luckily, there's a great array of jewelry and beading design tools that focus on Measurements and Sizes:

Necklace Planning Board
The Necklace Planning Board is the best guide for designing necklaces. It helps you plan your design, the placement of your beads as a whole. You can foresee what your necklace will look like without the string or chain. As you are creating, you would soon realize what textures and colors would go together seamlessly.


Photo and Product sold online by Beadfx.com

Some jewelry shops refer to them as Bead Design Boards. Some have a bead counter which provides a visual placement for round beads. Measurements also go by inches. Some boards have 3 rows (Beadalon brand) enough for you to envision multi-strand necklaces. Like in making movies, the Necklace Planning Board is the cutting room floor for necklaces. Best of all, they serve as a bead tray to keep all your beads from rolling away.

Bracelet Sizer
The Bracelet Sizer is used to get the right size of the wrist before you can start on your bracelet. This is a good peg especially if you are receiving orders online and you can't personally measure your client's forearm.


This Bracelet Sizer can be found at Beadfx.com

In any bracelet, the thread or chain will curve around the wrist, the bracelet sizer helps you allot the right amount of space or allowance between the skin and the beads. Please consider that not all beads are round- some are stone flat, irregularly shaped or bulky. If you are creating a bracelet of mixed beads and stones, you need to compensate for the length of the thread.

Bracelet Gauge
They look like metal bracelets and like handcuffs, they provide an opportunity for you to do a fitting on your client. The client can now gauge how tight or loose she may want her bangle, cuff or bracelet to be.


Check out this Bracelet Gauge at Beadfx.com

Ring Sizer
This is the most popular among the jewelry measurement tools- this is how they get the right fit for engagement rings. Imagine, buying something that pricey then it doesn't fit. As for jewelry making, Ring Sizers are there to gauge finger diameter.

I usually use my ring sizer as a dummy finger for freeform peyote stitch projects (aka glass bead rings). In Manila, I bought mine at Wellmansons in Quiapo for P150, I got the aluminum kind though I would have preferred the wooden one (P400-P500).

Here are some online shops that sell Jewelry Measurement tools:

• Beadfx.com
• Beadalon