Welcome to the Blog for John Bead Corporation: Beads, Crystals, Components and Carnival
Manufacturer, Distributor, Wholesaler. We supply stores, online resellers and designers with your favorite beads and components!
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.
We have many new sizes of pendant frames with matching domes.
All you need to decide is what would you like to feature in the pendant as a design or photo element. For my project, I have images from a painting by Lisa Finch of frenchcanvas on Instagram. I received permission from her to use part of the painting for a piece of jewelry.
I used my plastic dome to decide if my images were going to fit into the open space in the frame. Most people call these components bezels.
Once I was sure the image was the right size, I peeled away the backer paper from my plastic dome. It has adhesive on the reverse side, so I stuck it firmly to my paper image.
It is very easy to cut around the dome. You can apply glue to the back of the new domed paper and set it right into the pendant. Your new pendant is ready to wear!
There are many great options for finishing your projects with leather cording.
A Pewter End Cap is really pretty. You simply flatten the middle of the finding with pliers.
This is also a pewter end cap with four leaves. We recommend a small dab of glue on the end of your leather cord and then carely press the leaves together over the cord.
This is a medium sized leather crimp. You place the cord in the centre and fold the two flaps tight over the cord.
These are stainless steel end caps. End caps are available in many sizes and they will work with the the thinnest to the widest cords. You glue the cord into the cap.
These are called “coil with loop.” You glue the cord into the coil. The loop makes it easy to either add a clasp or jumpring for a closure.
This is a more decorative crimp end. You slide the cord through the backside and flatten the one or all three round coils to keep the cord in place. Our collection of crimps is here.
These pretty crimps come in different sizes, so it is good to know the thickness of the cord you will be working with.
Lets not forget that a simple knot is a classic style for leather cord projects.
This is a “magnetic tube clasp“. You glue your cord into the two components that make the clasp and you have a finished piece in minutes. Tube clasps are available in many sizes, so being aware of your cord thickness is important. You can see all our magnetic tube clasps here.
This is a simpler “Tube clasp” without the magnet. It works the same and as long as you know your cord thickness you can get the right sized tube clasp set to work with. Our collection is here.
If you have time to google or go to YouTube you will see lots and lots of how-tos explaining how to add macrame knots to finish jewelry. We have a square knot step by step right here.
A popular way to create a finished piece with leather cord is by using the “sliding knot.” We have a step by step for that technique here.
Adding a bead to the end of a leather cord is also a great addition. It can also act as a clasp.
Wire wrapping the ends is also a nice finish. Simply leave enough space so that you have an opening which can act as a clasp as well.
This frame was so easy to wrap! The new Artistic Wire wrappers have grooves making wire wrapping a very simple technique. No skills required!
The new wrappers are like mini blank canvases for jewelers. There are endless ways to use them and they can become a wonderful addition to any of your design ideas. These circle wraps are available in several sizes too.
My bead began with a wire wrap pendant that Nancy Donaldson made. I wanted to add something to it. I had sapphire firepolish glass beads in my collection that matched the big bead Nancy had added to her pendant.
I love how this turned out! Just imagine using these wrappers as extra matching charms or for a matching set of earrings.
Wrappers are in stock!
I have to admit. Once you start working with the new Wrappers at John Bead you get a little distracted. Yesterday was all about the wrappers!
This marquee wrapper shape is so interesting! I knew that I finally had something great to use my coral/marble beads with.
I kept looking through my stash to see which of my beads would look great in these wrapper frames.
Once my wrappers were done….I decided I might as well make up the bracelet to showcase them. This seems very Egyptian to me.
Inspiration was only a blog link away. Look at the wrappers used on Fernando Dasilva’s bracelet. (I want to try the horseshoe shaped wrappers next!) Fernando always does something different than expected.
Then I spotted this necklace on Fernando’s site! I recognized the shapes but didn’t know where he got those crystal encrusted beads. Then I read his post. He pressed clay into the wrappers! Brilliant!!!
So, even though I had many many other projects to work on, I just had to pull out my Apoxie Sculpt clay to see what I could come up with.
Working on a non stick surface, I pushed some white clay into place. (I have posted about Apoxie Sculpt many times. You can check those posts for more information.)
I gathered some PRECIOSA M.C.CHATON diamond back crystals, a cameo from my collection and a few Rose peach SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS butterflies.
 Love my new pendants! |
The wrappers are now solid. I could still add a little wire to them.
But I think I will leave them as is. They are very unique and special already.
Next week: wire mesh!!
Is this bead component not a show stopper?
Yesterday John Bead sent an email to its wholesale customers announcing the arrival of a whole group of new Artistic Wire Ltd. items. Where to begin? The wrappers are so unique I thought I would start with them.
This is just one of the shapes available: Silver Hexagon. I also just received these gorgeous SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS luminous green crystals to experiment with…..they seemed to belong together.
The crystals have now been safely “caged” just by simply wrapping wire. You can see how the outer edge grooves make this super easy to accomplish. I tried several different ways to wrap the crystals from many wraps to just two.
I think this wrap, using all the grooves, might be my favorite.
Now, where do you go from here? If you are Fernando Dasilva you create a masterpiece like this! More wrapping tomorrow!
Feathers and end crimps. Two items that John Bead stocks in abundance. It is almost impossible to select just one colour or theme.
Before John Bead launched their new End Crimps, I really didn’t give much thought to my necklace or bracelet ends. I used a traditional wire wrap or end cap to finish off a rat tail or leather cord. Then I was given samples of these decorative end crimps! They are too pretty to hide so they started to become a feature of anything I was working on.
Last week I was in Paris. I saw a lot of feathers being incorporated into jewelery. This piece I photographed through a window, so it is a little blurry, but as you can see the feather was attached with a traditional end cap. That gave me more than one idea.
Yesterday I pulled out some feathers that I really liked. Why crimp one when you can crimp several at once?
After using one 3mm Clover end crimp to attach all three feathers I planned out the necklace. I gathered some rat tail and waxed cotton cord.
The end crimps make it so easy to create a finished edge. It is ready to use immediately.
All I needed was a few jump rings and these lovely new hook and loop pewter clasps.
My clover end cap is now holding the feathers in place between two Ladhaki beads.
I also tried a very simple feather necklace idea. One feather, one crimp end, one jump ring and a plain silver chain.
I think this may be my favorite version!
Decorative crimp ends are now a staple in my studio.
