How to Make an Aquamarine Bead Necklace

You can make a stylish frieze necklace using plain aquamarine beads. Frieze necklaces are a trendy and stylish accessory that goes well with party or formal wear. Aquamarine beads are available in many different shapes, colors and sizes. They may be round, tumbles, asymmetrical, striated, engraved, drum shaped, tube shaped and drop shaped among many others. What we will use however is plain aquamarine beads in different sizes to make our frieze necklace. So read here frieze necklace made with aquamarine plain beads.

Cameron Diaz in Gemstone Beads Jewelry

Cameron Diaz, the leggy blond beauty sported simple but appealing gemstone bead jewelry, a double strand of turquoise beads, at her latest film, Bad Teacher’s global premier at Cancun, Mexico. In keeping with her casual and cute style the immensely talented and even more stylish star chose a belted A.L.C jumpsuit, Current/Elliot denim jacket and neutral wedges and added a lovely bright splash of color with gemstone bead jewelry in the form of a double strand of bright blue turquoise beads.

Cameron Diaz

In fact gemstone bead jewelry can be a perfect accessory for any of your outfits and at any occasion be it formal or casual outing with friends. Cameron is wearing turquoise tubes of a bright blue hue. Turquoise is available in several shades of blue that range from a brilliant robin’s egg blue to a lazy mysterious blue-green color. Black or sometimes white veins of rock run through true turquoise stones. Beads may be round, round with flat tops (called roundelles), cube shaped, elongated tube shaped (called simply ‘tubes) or carved. Turquoise is not the only stone you can use to make your very own gemstone beads jewelry. There are several other gems that are drilled through with holes and sold as beads over the internet or at brick and mortar stores across the world. Sapphire, tourmaline, lapis, quartz, ruby, emerald and even diamond beads are available for the discerning connoisseur or creator of gemstone bead jewelry. Readymade gemstone bead jewelry is also readily available, but what could be more exciting than creating your own jewelry using a color palette you yourself have chosen to go with your outfits, or sometimes, simply because you liked the color, shape or texture of a string of gemstone beads?

Here are some ideas to create simple yet stunning gemstone bead jewelry.

Items
You can create necklaces, bracelets, earrings (danglers as well as simple drop earrings), anklets and just about anything you put your mind to with gemstone beads (except maybe rings). Necklaces could be chokers, elegant collar necklaces with a single strand of graduated beads, longer princess length, opera length or lariat necklaces. Cameron is probably wearing an opera length necklace draped twice around her neck for a casual look that is quite chic. Lariats can be worn, or rather draped, in a multitude of ways making them a fun accessory that is never quite the same when worn differently with different outfits. Simple earrings holding a row of beads or even fringe earrings popularized by Natalie Portman at the 2010 Oscars can be easily crafted using simple techniques and a few tools. Bracelets – single strand or multiple strand ones could be made to attain the bohemian chic look. For the more kitschy, anklets- delicate or chunky – take your pick can add the oomph factor to a sarong at the beach or jeans at a rave party.

Colors
Gemstone beads jewelry can be created in every color imaginable since gemstone beads themselves are available in every color of the rainbow and then some. Blue stones include blue sapphire, lapis lazuli, blue chalcedony turquoise (a la Cameron), blue topaz, iolite, aquamarine and tanzanite. Yellow stone beads may be mad out of yellow topaz, citrine, yellow sapphire, or even yellow diamonds. Green beads abound in jade, emerald, quartz, peridot, green sapphire and tourmaline. Reds and pinks will be made of ruby, tourmaline, spinel and rose quartz. Apart from these gemstones are available in black (spinel, black diamond and onyx), colorless (diamonds and quartz) and many other interesting colors or shades thereof. A most interesting stone bi-color tourmaline- also known as watermelon tourmaline is an intriguing shade of green with a red centre- very much like a watermelon. Color changing stones like sapphire and alexandrite are also available though these may be rare and not available in bead material.

Charms and Accessories
Your gemstone bead jewelry need not be all stones and nothing else. You can add charms, metal beads, mix and match different beads and use different pendants or centerpieces to make your gemstone bead jewelry more interesting, personalized and stand out from the rest. Findings- things like clasps, spacer beads and such can be found at most jewelry wholesale shops or online.  Any tools, equipment and beading wire too can easily be found online for the beading enthusiast.

Estate Jewelry – Learn More about New Fashion Era

Estate jewelry is a new era of fashion. Add new thing in your jewelry collection. Estate jewelry is simply jewelry that was previously owned by someone else. It may or may not be 'vintage'.  Shopping of fine estate jewelry is best investment and gives a rich look your personality. Most of people search the perfect piece of estate jewelry.

Estate jewelry comes with rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, lady’s rings, pendants, neck chains, brooch etc…

Estate Jewelry

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Pave Beads and Charms

Pave beads are metal beads covered with gemstones in a special setting called 'pave'. In this setting, groups of tiny diamonds or gemstones are set together with small grains of precious (or non-precious) metal raised slightly above the gems. Let us learn more about these versatile jewelry components.

Pave beads and charms coming with different patterns with various materials as following…

Pave Diamond Beads

10 x 12mm Pave Diamond Roundelle Shaped Beads in Silver

10 mm Pave Diamond Sphere (Ball) Shaped Beads in 18kt White Gold

Pave Silver Beads

11 x 6.40mm Pave Diamond Fancy Drum Shaped Beads in Silver

12mm Pave Diamond Fancy Sphere Shaped Beads in Silver

Pave Black Diamond Beads

12mm Pave Black Diamond Sphere (Ball) Shaped Beads in Silver

11mm Pave Black Diamond Coin Shaped Beads in Silver

Pave Pink Sapphire Beads

12mm Pave Pink Sapphire Sphere (Ball) Shaped Beads in Silver

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Red-Carpet Inspired Chopard Bracelet

The statement making three string emerald bracelet by Chopard adorned Indian beauty Sonam Kapoor on day two of the Cannes film Festival. The bracelet was made of emerald and diamond beads. You can get the same look by making your own Chopard piece with emerald and rock crystal beads. Here’s how:

You will need:
Oval emerald beads or tubes (as per the required length of the bracelet), rock crystal spacer beads, and nine graduated emerald drops. Silver beading wire, 4 silver clam shells (crimp covers), silver crimp beads, two silver jump rings, a silver lobster clasp, chain-nose pliers, wire cutters and crimping pliers.

1.    Since this is a three strand bracelet, arrange alternate emerald and rock crystal beads on three rows on a beading board. It will make it easier when it’s time to string. Each row will be slightly longer than the other.

2.    Cutting two strands of beading wire start with one string on the crimp cover. After this put the crimp bead on and crimp it (with crimping pliers) into place. Cut any extra wire and slide the crimp cover back over the crimp bead, close it, but let the arm remain open (not folded down).

3.    String on all the beads from the first row (the shortest one). Once done, end the strand the way you began it: slide on a crimp cover and then a crimp bead. Make sure the crimp bead goes all the way into the mouth of the crimp cover. Once crimp bead has been crimped, close the cover, but leave the arm of the crimp cover open. String on the second row of beads and follow the same process as with the first row.

4.    Repeat the process for the last row but after the first two emerald and rock crystal beads keep adding the graduated drops starting with the smallest working your way to the largest in the center then petering out to the smallest.

5.    Once you’re done stringing both rows of beads, take a jump ring and slide it through the lobster clasp. Take the two open arms of the crimp covers and connect them to the same jump ring.

Follow this same process on the other end of the bracelet; only add a jump ring instead of the lobster clasp. The lobster clasp will hook beautifully onto the jump ring.

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Beads for the Red Carpet

Vanessa Hudgens recently sported a beaded necklace on the cover on Instyle magazine’s March issue (more of this later). The look is in keeping with the current trend of V-necks- Emma Stone attended the Louis Vuitton fall 2011 runway show at the Fashion Week in a printed wrap dress and Angelina Jolie graced the red carpet at Cannes in an elegant V-necked Salvatore Ferragamo number.

Coming back to the beaded necklace Hudgens wore- although this was made up of resin beads there can be many variations to the look, feel and color of the same piece of jewelry. Blue tones can be subtly matched by a necklace made from sapphire roundel beads. Roundel beads are slightly flattened at the pierced ends and could be faceted or smooth.

To pull off a sophisticated evening look choose ruby bead jewelry either in the form of a necklace made of ruby strands or tassel earrings made from tiny ruby beads. Tassel earrings like the ones Natalie Portman wore to the Oscars are all the rage this season. The famous wine-colored pair featured rubellite tourmaline and rose-cut diamonds, but you can get the same look by opting for ruby beads. Ruby cabs or cabochons to be more precise are often set in rings and such rings are a simple way to spice up any outfit. A case in example the 6.29 ct. Burma ruby that sold for $1.32 million at Doyle New York’s Important Estate Jewelry auction on April 13. The ruby ring by Cartier sold for more than $200,000 per carat, making it one of the highest prices per carat ever achieved for a ruby at auction. The ring was the center-piece of Alice Appleton Hay’s jewelry collection, which was offered in a special section of the auction. Cabochon or beads bi g and small- here's your chance to create your own red carpet moment with these beauties.

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Vintage, Estate And Antique Jewelry Explained

You may have heard the words antique, vintage and estate jewelry used many times, however what do these words actually mean remains a source of confusion for many jewelry lovers. What is the difference between each of these categories?  Does this kind of jewelry really merit an extra price and which are the best places to buy this jewelry from?

Vintage
To begin with we must know what the meaning of the word vintage is. The dictionary meaning of vintage is "of old, recognized and enduring interest, importance or quality." Originally the word was used to describe a year's wine harvest, in time, it has come to be used to describe almost everything that is old-fashioned including clothes, jewelry, cars or even comics. Vintage jewelry is generally recognized to be that which was manufactured between the years 1920 to 1930. Jewelry manufactured later (between 1930 and 1965) is known as retro jewelry. That which is manufactured earlier may be termed as antique.

18kt Yellow Gold and Diamond Estate Earrings

Estate
Estate jewelry is simply jewelry that was previously owned by someone else. It may or may not be 'vintage'.

14kt Yellow Gold and Colored Stone Ladys Side Bracelet Watch

Collectible
Collectibles are antiques of tomorrow. These are items that are made around a specific theme, or in limited editions. For example; rings that have been designed around a centenary celebration.

Estate Yellow Gold Colored Stone And Diamond Snake Pin Pendant Estate Jewelry

Antique
An antique is an old item, desirable because of its age, beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, or some other unique features. These definitions allow people to make a distinction between genuine antique pieces, vintage items, and collectible objects. As a rule of thumb an item must be at least 75 years old to be considered an antique.

So what is the difference between antique, estate and vintage jewelry? Now that we know the correct definitions of the three words it is easy to gauge that any previously owned item may be called estate jewelry. If it belongs to a comparatively recent era (1920 to 30s) it is vintage and if more than 75 or 100 years, an antique.

The terms antique and vintage are often used interchangeably in the trade. There are no clearly demarcated lines in time that differentiate antiques from vintage or vice versa. Within these periods jewelry belongs to many eras such as Georgian, early Victorian (romantic jewelry), mid-Victorian (grand jewelry), late Victorian (aesthetic jewelry), Art Nouveau, Edwardian and Art Deco jewelry.

These different eras incorporated different designs and used different materials for jewelry fabrication. Recognizing vintage jewelry is a matter of experience.

Pawn shops, antique dealers, auction houses and specialist vintage or estate jewelry dealers are places where one can buy this jewelry from. Nowadays a lot of jewelry manufacturers make jewelry that is specially put through processes to make it look old. There is nothing wrong with buying from these jewelers. As far as pawn shops or antique dealers are concerned, their reputation is the only indication of the trustworthiness of their merchandise. Remember that it is very difficult to get provenance (or proof) of the items authenticity. The best bet is to go with your judgment, check the finish and quality of the piece thoroughly and if you like it- goes for it.

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