Stop! Bead Show Ahead!

Ok, so your schedule didn’t work out so that you could go to Tucson….next best thing, your local bead shows. Spring is coming on and with it comes the slew of local bead shows; national and international vendors bring direct to you their beads, findings, pendants, wire, tools, and even finished products. So ask yourself what to do, how to be a smart shopper and avoid the ‘impulse buys’ by getting prepared.

1) So when will bead shows be in your area? Check the sites of your favorite venders they often list what shows they attend through-out the year. Also, check with any of these sites Rings & Things, The Whole Bead Show, International Gem Show and The Bead Market, just to name a few places to start.
2) Set a budget as to what you will spend; this may be determined by stock you are out of and some left over for purchases of specialty items.
3) Bring a couple of checks, plenty of cash and your credit cards just in case you run into someone who doesn’t take one or the other.
4) Be sure to bring a copy of your Tax ID certificate and business cards. Some shows are known as wholesale only and will require these items for entrance. If it is a public show, don’t be afraid to ask the vendors for a wholesale discount and provide both these items to them to get a discount.
5) Make a list of items you are out of; these will be the first things to look for at the show. If I know that I’ll be buying from previous vendors, I’ll group those items together on the list for ease.
6) I also make a list of items I am looking for and want; it could be stones or pendants I’ve seen online or a combination of colors in another design. This helps to keep the ‘impulse’ buying down by knowing what you are looking for and can afford.
7) Wear comfortable shoes and bring a bag to load all your goodies into.
8) Include in your shopping bag several sizes of zip lock bags; as you find things that go together, put them in the little baggies, this makes it easy to determine why you purchased these little gems when you get home.
9) Paper and pen; I bring paper and pen to mark bead names if they are not already marked. This makes identifying much easier than guessing or having to go through the process to indentify each unknown stone or pendant.
10) If you are looking to match a pendant, beads or color combination you already have; bring a few of these on a string or in a baggie to matchup at the bead show. This takes the guess work out of ‘thinking’ something matched and finding out later it wasn’t even close.
11) Bring baby wipes for easy cleanup; looking through tons of strands of beads and boxes of findings can get a little messy and dusty.
12) Look for suppliers whose ads you’ve seen for products you’re interested in. Bring the ad if possible and look for those products; this is the perfect place to handle these items before purchasing to determine if this is what you really wanted.
13) Take brakes and rest, get something to eat, drink and take time to review your shopping list and bag; typically it takes an entire day to attend a bead show.
14) Last but not least; this takes willpower but walk the entire show first to see what is available, check out pricing and watch what others are buying. Many vendors have the same products and offer different discounts; look for the best quality and prices available. Make note as to vendors you want to return to for purchases of those goodies after you have finished walking the whole show.
15) Above all --- be a smart shopper and have fun!

Now start your shopping list, get going and Good Luck!!!

Another New Design

Fresh from the design studio, this one again mixes Picture Jasper and Turquoise together in a

more choker style necklace. Turquoise in a puffy teardrop mixed among Picture Jasper and copper spacers; dangle hoop earrings complete the look.

Visit Timeless Designs for more gemstone jewelry.

Jasper and Ivoryite

One of our new designs from the finds of Tucson! Jasper, Wild Horse Jasper coming out of the mines of California with rich colors in red, burgandy and a slight cream; the cut of the bead is unusual with a minor twist to it. Here it’s been mixed between sterling silver open beads and rare Invoryite gemstones.

Jaspers: Protection, nurturing, joy, awareness; balancing of physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual energies.

See this and many other gemstones finds on our website!

Color Designs & Emotions

Jewelry is an express and extension of the person. We’ve discussed in other posts that what we wear reflects who we are or want to be; rather it is professional and classy, sassy and casual or even flirty and wild. Designing jewelry is like being on the cutting edge of a ‘finished look’ to someone’s outfit. But it is more than that, it also an expansion of the designer and artist that created the jewelry; created from their imagination relaying on skill and experience to shape gemstones, wire, chain, silver, gold, copper, glass and crystals and anything else that they can get their hands on into something unique – an expansion of the artist or designer personality connecting with their clients and customers.

Which leads me to an interesting article I found online at the Sessions Online School of Design; I’m reprinting excerpts because of the value of the information and the use of yet another tool for everyone to use.

Using Colors to Connect with Your Audience

“Color creates audience responses by stimulating emotions and communicating on levels other than reason and intellect. It can excite, impress, entertain and persuade, but color can also create instant negative associations. It’s a good idea to be aware of how the majority of people respond to color and use this information in your choice of colors. Use the guidelines in the chart below to help you choose the colors that are most appropriate for the message you want to get across in work.

Color Chart (suggested meanings) The chart below represents several meaning for color. Each color may represent another emotion to you. Use your best judgment when dealing with color and make sure to get feedback on the colors you use.

Red
Aggressive, strong & heavy
Blue
Comfort, loyalty & security
Yellow
Caution, Spring & brightness
Green
Money, health, food & nature
Brown
Nature, aged, & eccentric
Orange
Warmth, excitement, & energy
Pink
Soft, healthy, childlike & feminine
Purple
Royalty, sophistication & religion
Black
Dramatic, classy & serious
Gray
Business, cold & distinctive
White
Clean, pure & simple

Most colors go well together with members of the same "family". Warm colors for instant, such as red, brown, orange and yellow look better together in combination warm colors; cool colors like blue, green, gray and white with cool colored families. Using color families generally makes for a more appealing presentation and makes the presentation come across as ‘complete’ rather than ‘mixed’.

Contrast is fun and can be used effectively to accent and draw attention to such things as pendants or focal beads. In general, keep the contrast low. Too much contrast makes your work look obscure and uneven, avoid the extremes.”

All good advice when designing at any level or anything, not just jewelry. Try mixing some of the colors together to get an eye for what ‘emotions’ your jewelry pieces might be saying. This is just another tool one can use in order to reach out to their audience, clients and customers.

Excerpts from Sessions Online School of Design

Design Color Inspiration

What inspires someone to create in certain colors? Where did they come up with the color combinations? Did they see them on TV inspired by a personality or movie star? Or maybe they see something in a magazine or just in nature or on adventurous exploration trips. As an artist or designer color combinations can be quite the challenge because of the wide ranges to choose from.

Where ever a designer or artists gets their inspiration, it is their own and is really reflected in the art they create. I recently read a great article in the new Beading 101 & Beyond by Bead Style; “How to Mix Colors”. “Color choices are very subjective. Three great places to start when combining colors and building your color confidence; the color wheel, fashion trends and color forecasts, and ‘snapshots’ from your everyday life.”

Color wheels can be found anywhere on the Internet and are an easy way to show complimentary color combinations; you can choose from primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors. It helps to create a broader look at several colors rather than just a few.

Fashion trends and color forecasts are predicted months in advance of the seasons by the expert fashion industry. To find out the latest in ‘hot or in’ colors, browse thru your local mall or favorite mail-order clothes catalog. I also will browse thru the weekly Sunday paper sales ads and some of the women’s magazines just to see what people are wearing. I keep color charts that are published from year to year; this gives me an idea of what comes and goes and what stays as a ‘staple’….my advice, never throw out anything!

Snapshots of nature, sunsets, and those vacations can bring a lot of inspiration to your designing world. There is no better palette to draw from than that of nature itself.

Sometimes you may see a very striking jewelry piece that really accents the individual; often what we wear is a reflection of who we are; our personality or what we want to become. Jewelry can be a staple for most or an accent to finish off the best dressed or it can predict the personality of the individual. For a moment, wonder through your own jewelry collection and see what you might have…..do you wear a lot of sterling silver, gold, maybe a combination of the two or do you wear a lot of copper or maybe a little bit of everything.

One of my favorite quotes is by Thomas Merton "The imagination should be allowed a certain amount of time to browse around." The more you keep things ‘fresh’ and browse around letting your imagination create, will lead to some of the best creations of our talents. Don’t be afraid to walk on the wild side and try things you have never done before; you just never know what might work and what won’t until you try!