Tag: Shell

Shell Flower Pendant

I have seen quite a few flowers made of shells in various magazines.  They look very pretty on a necklace.

John Bead has strands of natural shell chips.

I tried wire wrapping the chips into a floral shape..…but I wasn’t that happy with how it looked.

That is when I got my idea.  Why use wire when I can use clay?  I made a small ball of white Aves Apoxie Sculpt.

Then I built my flower,  I added some pointed back crystals and cut away some of the excess clay.  Apoxie Sculpt dries rock solid without a kiln.  All I had to do was leave my piece on a non-stick surface for a day.  I even inserted a wire so it could be easily strung later.

Now I have a great pendant to use with my next shell beading project!

The full strand of chips will allow me to make dozens of flowers if I want to!

Abalone Diamond Bracelet

For me, summer and shells go hand and hand.  I think that is why so many of us bring back shells from a Florida vacation.  We all try to keep summer a little longer.  This bracelet is a super way to showcase some of the shells in the John Bead catalog.

I used an ABALONE SHELL ASSORTED DIAMOND PENDANT STRAND.

The shells are all diamond shaped, they are pre-drilled and are in various sizes on the strand.

To make life even easier, I used a Dazzle-It Chain Link bracelet.

A simple wire wrap attached my shells.

28 ga Artwire Non Tarnish works perfectly with the shells.  The wire is soft and easy to wrap without tools.  The best part about the shells is they look pretty from either side.

Hemp, Shells and Kumihimo!

 

It did not occur to me until a few days ago that shells might look fabulous with a kumihimo cord.  This strand of shells is such a gorgeous shade of purple and I didn’t have anything in my collection that would work with them.

For my kumihimo cord I used both rattail and hemp.  I have worked with the Dazzle-It Rattail since it arrived at John Bead.  The colour and size options are superb and I can virtually match any item I am working with.  (You can see that my purple shells inspired this colour grouping.)   I think the addition of hemp made my cord look even more interesting.

The John Bead kumihimo program continues to grow!  There are new tools which include pre-strung rattail on reusable bobbins.  That sure makes it easy to create wearable cords!

I used some hemp and a simple overhand knot to join my shells.

The purple shell beads come on an eight inch strand.

I used my kumihimo findings set for my closure.  I attached these to my kumihimo cord and then to my shells and my necklace was compete!

Hope you like it!

Sea Shell and Jewelry Resin

This Metal Complex bezel looks spectacular!  It looks like I spent a long time creating it.

This may be the simplest resin project ever!  John Bead sells these very special sheets of Decorative Sea Shell.  This natural ocean shell laminate is acid free and peel and stick!  All I did was cut a piece to fit my bezel and then I covered it with Jewelry Resin.

John Bead has Jewelry Resin in stock.  Jewelry Resin was created for the jewelry making industry.

Professional results are easy to achieve with EnviroTex® Jewelry Resin!  This product adds depth and crystal clear clarity like no other.  It visually enhances the surface on which it is applied, resulting in brighter, deeper and more intense colors.
EnviroTex® Jewelry Resin has amazing bubble release.
It is easy and fun to use and has a pleasing citrus scent!
(just during the mixing stage)
Formulated for high resistance to light exposure and UV rays from the sun.
When cured, the resin coating is extremely durable, waterproof, heat & chemical resistant.  EnviroTex® Jewelry Resin cures to a soft cure in 12 hours, medium cure in 24 hours and hard cure in 48 hours.

Crystal Clear
Heirloom Quality
Professional Jeweler’s Grade
Enough product to fill 20 large deep bezels
One thick coat equals 50 coats of varnish!

Resin Crafts blog has daily posts giving you ideas and tips to use this amazing resin.