Bead Blob, er… Blog

We’ve just received a lovely range of resin replica cameos. Now if that’s not a pretty feature for my latest blog, I don’t know what is!

First, a quick definition. Strictly speaking, a cameo is a small scene or figure carved on stone or shell and used as adornment.

The image is most commonly carved in relief, that is chiseled so that the image stands out from the base.

Less often it is carved intaglio, that is cut so that the image is recessed into the stone below the original surface level.

Of course these glorious jewels and the antiquity they infer are beyond the reach of most of us, unless Nonna has one she could lend. But thankfully there are lovely replicas in resin and acrylic these days.

They are charming in multi-strand pearl or simple ribbon chokers – very olde worlde. And they make lovely bracelets, necklaces, rings, brooches and earrings.

I’d like one in my treasure chest.

Until my next Blob,

Carmen

Carmen’s colourful counting book for children Where are Grandma’s Beads? is out now.

Created by artisans past and present, these small objects arouse my imagination.

A tiny hidden realm.

A secret portal.

All I need do is uncover it and …

I’m in!

Roaming an exquisite domed garden

Gliding through a glassy rock pool

Or chancing upon a glittering treasure trove.

Lampworking is a method of glasswork that uses a propane or natural gas fueled torch to melt coloured or clear  glass rods and tubes. These are then maipulated using a combination of tools, gravity and blown air.

Lampworking has been around since ancient times and became widely practiced in Italy in the 14th century particularly off the coast of Venice on the Isle of Murano. Lampworkers, who were afforded a high social status, used the flame of an oil lamp to create the beads, hence the name.

Modern lampworking is more appropriately called flameworking, or torchworking. Not to be confused with glassblowing, where the artisan uses a blowpipe to inflate a glass blob known as a gob or gather, thereby inflating it by blowing air into the blowpipe.

Lampwork beads – a magical blend of artful imagination and ancient technique.

Until my next Blob,

Carmen

Carmen’s colourful counting book for children Where are Grandma’s Beads? is out now.

No, not the popular 90’s television series about a lad and his friends who slide through multiple parallel universes in an effort to get back home, but a specialized type of multi-holed bead that allows multiple parallel threads to slide through it.

Also known as slides, they are always very popular for jewellery designs and are most commonly used for watches and multi-strand bracelets.

Sliders are made from all the usual suspects -  cast metal, sterling, glass. They can be plain, intricately caved, or lavishly embedded with sparkly rhinestones.

Now that’s what I call bling. I think I’ll just go slide some on my wrist! Why don’t you?

Until my next Blob,

Carmen

Carmen’s colourful counting book for children Where are Grandma’s Beads? is out now.

Heigh ho, heigh ho. It’s back to work we go.

Happy New Year! and welcome to my first Blob for 2010.

Does the first line sound familiar? It’s from Disney’s Classic animation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. You may have noticed I’ve taken a tiny liberty with the lyrics, the original phrase actually goes: Heigh ho, heigh ho. It’s off to work we go.

Remember the scene where the dwarfs took to the glittering walls of a mine with picks and shovels filling their barrows with precious gems? I really loved that bit when I was a kid – it’s a delightful depiction of the way natural gems are garnered from source rock.

But I have long since learned that most gemstone beads (make that possibly most gemstones!) aren’t natural, that is they don’t originate from natural sources. They are mostly either synthetic or imitation.

So what’s the difference between synthetic and imitation gemstones? They’re both copies of the natural gem … Or are they?

Synthetic gemstones, also called created or manmade gemstones, are in fact genuine gemstones, having essentially the same physical, chemical and visual properties as natural gems, yet the rough form of the stone is produced in a lab in its mineral or crystal state. They are not as rare as naturally mined gems, which makes them less expensive, and being produced in the contained environment of a laboratory, they don’t have the imperfections.

On the other hand, just about all natural gems have flaws, albeit minuscule, such as cracks and foreign bodies trapped inside the gem (called inclusions). These are caused by the uncontrollable conditions in which the gem mineral or crystals develop, for example variations in time, humidity, pressure, light, water etc.

Increasingly, as natural precious gems become rarer and more costly, conventional jewellery is being made using synthetic gemstones; they are cut and polished using the very same techniques. And who wouldn’t want a flawless gem?

Imitation gemstones, also called simulants, may look like genuine gems at first glance but that is where the difference ends. They can be produced from any substance such as glass, plastic or less costly stones and are (usually) easy to detect upon closer examination.

So it seems there’s not so much difference between synthetic and natural gemstones, but quite a lot between synthetic and imitation: synthetic is the real deal, imitation is, well, the copy. And it just wouldn’t do to confuse them.

Natural, synthetic or imitation. Can you tell the difference?

Until my next Blob,

Carmen

Carmen’s colourful counting book for children Where are Grandma’s Beads? is out now.

For my last blob of the year it seems appropriate, galloping as we are toward Christmas and the year’s end, to feature jewellery items which are symbolic of Christianity.

One very recognizable emblem of Christianity is the object on which Jesus died -  the cross, which has been widely used in decorative arts through the the ages.

The cross token became openly used in around the 3rd century A.D., when the emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Before then early Christians met in secret, often underground, because they were persecuted for their faith. So although the cross has always been the most important symbol of Christianity, if any religious jewellery was worn it probably took other, less identifiably Christian forms.

One is the Ichthys, a symbol of Christ as “the fisher of men” made up of two intersecting arcs resembling the shape of a fish. Another is the Anchor, or mariners cross, which represents hope based on faith in Christ.

We often see the cross (a symbol of faith), the anchor (hope), and the heart (love) together on bracelets and necklaces given as gifts for baptisms. The dove (peace) is another significant Christian symbol.

A little creativity, a few beautiful beads, some glue or wire could turn this simple silver dove into a jewel.

We have quite a large range of  crosses from Swarovski designs to tiny enameled charms, to acrylic pendants. And many metal styles including a huge silver plated cross ideal for wire wrapping and embellishing with beads from your bead room to make a unique pendant.

Until next year, merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2010,

Carmen

Carmen’s colourful counting book for children Where are Grandma’s Beads? is out now.