Pendants and Domes

We have a great collection of pendant frames and domes in our catalog.

They are so easy to work with.  If you want to share a photo or image you just need to make sure you size it according to the shape and pendant size you have.

You can use your dome to determine the area you will be featuring.

Once you have, you just press the clear dome onto the paper and trim it.  The dome already has adhesive on the back side.

The image you cut now can be glued into the bezel.

I have a quick video right here showing you the technique.

2mm Semi-Precious Beads

We have a spotlight on 2mm semi-precious beads right now.  They may be small but don’t underestimate their ability to create a stunning bracelet with the addition of a few findings.  2mm faceted semi-precious beads are difficult to manufacture.  You can imagine how easy it would be to break a small bead during the sanding process.

Simply draped you can see right away that these are not your average beads.  These 16 inch strands are in stock in limited quantities.

This grouping includes tourmaline, labradorite, lapis lazuli, pyrite and rhodonite.

I loved the rhodonite and pyrite and used them for the bracelets.  I chose to unstring them all and place them in a storage jar.  I don’t want to lose one single bead.

They have great holes and I strung them quickly using bead stringing wire.  I opted to use gold findings, so for one bracelet I used Ez-Crimps to close my stringing ends.  If you have not used them, I can tell you they create professional ends in the quickest time.  For the second bracelet I used a traditional wire guardian and crimp.

Products used in two bracelets shown

2mm Rhodonite strand

2mm Pyrite strand

Beadalon 19 Strand stringing wire BRIGHT

Small Gold Tattoo Om symbol charm by TierraCast

2nd TierraCast Om Charm in gold currently out of stock but we have it in silver.

Ez-Crimps from Beadalon

Wire Guardians in gold

Gold Crimp Tubes

Gold Lobster Clasp

Gold Magnetic Clasp

Gold Jump rings for clasps and charms

John Bead’s Donation to Contemporary Geometric Beadwork

 

John Bead was established in 1954 by Fritz John, whose desire was to introduce the quality and timeless elegance of Czech crystal culture into the world of western DIY crafts and design.

Our 65th anniversary was last year, and we wanted to do something special to commemorate this milestone.  We also made our 65th year the one in which we made our biggest investment in our website and our company spent most of the year focused on an entirely new platform, new inventory system, new warehouse management system and more.  We had to set aside anniversary planning.

But, the search for a special project did not end.  As a company primarily focused on beads we have the opportunity to watch and support many companies and designers creating wonderful products and events focused on beads, beadwork and bead education.  One group kept appearing in our social media coverage and we had to take a closer look.

Contemporary Geometric Beadwork (CGB) is an open source architectural beadwork project from Kate McKinnon and a worldwide team of innovators.

Interweave online magazine said it best when they wrote “CGB is A Social Revolution in Beads.”

When speaking about Kate McKinnon and her desire to understand bead stitches they said “Geometric pioneers who had come before her had done beautiful demonstrations of vessels, ropes, and polygons. But what Kate had not seen yet were two important things: easy starts for large open pieces such as bangles, and leaping, soaring, self-supported architecture. Kate formed a collaborative team, and the work on Contemporary Geometric Beadwork, Volume I began.

The ideas were edgy, and the project was open-source; it was clearly an unusual endeavor. Kate blogged about new ideas as soon as they occurred to the Contemporary Geometric Beadwork (CGB) team, and beady geniuses around the world grasped the information and executed demonstrations,which they published; thus new iterations were born. The technical sections of Contemporary Geometric Beadwork Volume I and Volume II were free to all before the books were published, and they remain free on the team site today.”

This is a truly remarkable endeavor.  Kate and her team have been working around the clock and around the constraints of the pandemic on the release of Volume III of their groundbreaking book.

They also have several amazing events on the horizon, one of which is the opportunity to exhibit at the Singapore ArtScience Museum which will focus strongly on indigenous and First People beaders.  Their goal for that exhibit requires a worldwide effort of beading talent and many, many beads.

2020 is a huge year for this one of a kind, open source and education based non-profit.  Their new book release will fund scholarships, stipends and opportunities for many beaders hit hard by the realities of 2020.  It has been a ten-year plan to make this year their biggest year and our company is proud to play a small role in supporting their work.

So, without any strings, plans for logo placement, contracts or deadlines of any kind we have shipped to CGB a pallet of beads today.  It is the single biggest donation of beads we have ever made.  We send it knowing that the beads will be shared around the world and with good luck, we will see the beads in an exhibit in the not too distant future.

We need to thank a few people.  Our warehouse team gathered and packed the donation during a time our company really should have been working on packing orders.  It was a huge request and we are grateful they made the time even though our full team is not working.    To Mike and Daniel John our company leadership,  thank you for taking this proposal and more than doubling the planned donation.

When we look back, we will always be reminded about what happened around the world in the spring of 2020.  For John Bead, we will have this good deed to remember.  Happy belated Anniversary John Bead.

Carmi Cimicata
John Bead Marketing and Prototypes Manager

Contemporary Geometric Beadwork Website

The full article about CGB by Interweave

You can also read more in the current June/July issue of Beadwork Magazine.

Swarovski Crystals Around the World – Ireland Inspired Project Step by Steps

Hello from Ireland!

As you follow the rolling hills from the Causeway Coast to the Sunny South East, your heart will be one with Ireland. Filled with centuries of ancient stories, rich culture and rugged, romantic landscapes, the “Emerald Isle,” is sure to put a sparkle in your eye. The wild unruly countryside and awe-inspiring sights lead to countless photographs in the hopes of capturing nature in its most majestic state.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but these pieces capture all the heritage and beauty that is Ireland.  We are honored to be able to share the project step by steps in a free downloadable PDF from Swarovski.

Ireland Earrings and Bracelet projects PDF 

All Swarovski Crystals Around the World projects are here.

Crystal Lane Wire Worked Statement Necklace

This wonderful necklace by Lena Gillespie clearly showcases the delectable assortment of opaque and clear crystals in our new double strand Crystal Lane collection.

Here are the strands in shades of pink and purple that Lena used.

Crystal Lane Transparent Pink – 8x10mm, 6x8mm, 4x6mm, 3x4mm

Crystal Lane Opaque  Dark Purple – 8 x10mm

Crystal Lane Opaque Light Purple – 6x8mm, 4x6mm, 3x4mm

Crystal Lane Opaque Pink – 3x4mm

Crystal Lane Rose Green Luster – 4x6mm, 3x4mm

The Swarovski Secret Garden Cushion Project Step by Step

The Swarovski Create Your Style team has a wonderful Secret Garden Cushion Project PDF for you.  Try combining the Secret Garden Cushion with others that have different patterns. It will look great alongside
florals, animal prints and stripes on a sofa or a bed.