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If you’re looking for a fun, educational and entertaining hobby to start your children out on, try making beaded jewelry. Stringing glass or stone beads for necklaces may sound simple, but kids love it, and it will build a life-time hobby for them.

My own daughter (five) was sitting around the house the other day, completely bored. Her toys were all played with, she’d watched her share of TV for the day, and she’d run out of things to do as only a child can.

“I’m bored!” she tells me, sighing heavily and blowing her hair from her face.

That was the moment that things changed between us, because that was the moment I pulled out my bead box.

I’ve been making bead jewelry for years, so my stockpile of beads has grown pretty big. I got into it about seven years ago when I needed a hobby (I guess you could say I got bored too!), and wanted to find a way to make a little extra money. I started out making necklaces, earrings and bracelets out of semi-precious stone beads, like green malachite or lapis lazuli.

But in the past couple of years I’ve found that I sell more jewelry (and make more) by using glass beads instead, particularly Chinese or India glass. So my supply of that type was huge (we’re talking bags of it)!

Needless to say Tracy’s eyes twinkled when gazing over the glittering, glistening mounds of glass. She immediately fell in love with the different bright colors of the India glass and the sparkling facets from the cut Chinese crystal beads.

Learning how to make button jewelry will not only bring history into you work, but will allow you to give your designs an eclectic feeling. Handcrafted vintage button jewelry combines all of the components of quality, romance and mystery.

When handcraft button jewelry you are creating a truly unique, work of art. This one of a kind button jewelry designs are meant for those who are truly passionate about fashion and who are ready to make a statement.

Jewelry Design Tips

Before you start to design and fabricate button jewelry, start finding the special treasures you want to incorporate into your work. Visit antique shops, flea markets and even search in your own closet for those unique buttons. There are many website selling only vintage and antique buttons. You may also want to find unique buttons created today. There are many wonderful ceramic artist creating buttons that will work well for jewelry.

Once you found the special treasures you want to incorporate into your jewelry, you can bezel set them into a silver pendant. If you prefer a more simple approach, you can glue your buttons into a piece of copper using a strong “two in one” epoxy. You can find the tools and materials to create beautiful button jewelry.

In buying any jewelry, one should look at more than the quality marking. Sometimes what you want to look for depends on the type of jewelry. Here are buying jewelry quality marking general guidelines:

Be satisfied that the metal is what it is supposed to be.
Inspect the claps and settings, if gems are involved.
Check any and all links carefully, regardless of the type of jewelry. Any chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and any jewelry is only as strong as its weakest link. The links may be an integral part of the jewelry or they may be used to connect the jewelry to the clasp or catch. The links should be well made, with no separation where the link is joined to form a circle. A link that is bent or is slightly apart may give way under wear, letting the rest of the jewelry or part of it slip through.

Keep in mind the intrinsic qualities of the metals, too. Platinum and silver are harder than gold, which is relatively soft in is purest forms. The purest the gold, the softer it will be and the more apt it is to wear thin or lose its shape with wear.

1) Rings.

Regardless of the kind of setting, check the stone and make sure it is held firmly in the setting, whether the setting is open or closed.
In an open setting such as high or Tiffany setting and the low or belcher setting, examine the prongs. They should grip the gem at the girdle, closing firmly just above it. The prongs should be smooth. Remember, the higher the setting, the more stone will be visible, with a greater tendency for prongs to catch on gloves or clothing. You want to be sure the prongs are made in such a way that there are no rough edges that could catch or that could lead to the prongs being bent or broken an d the loss of a stone.

In a closed setting, examine the rim or bezel that holds the gem. Some gems or coins may be set just below the rim and may have prongs at the back holding them against the rim. In this case, make sure the prongs are tight and well made to hold the coin or other material in place. As far as gold coins go, make sure the coins are mint perfect, not bent or scratched or damaged by the setting.

Cabochons are usually set in a closed setting, with the dome higher than the setting. Again, the setting should be made in such a way that the gem cannot fall out. This is particularly true if the gem has a tendency to contract or expand. A gem may feel very slightly loose, but by trying to move it you should be able to feel the firmness of the setting.

The fit of the ring is as important as a well-made setting. A too loose ring may fall of your finger, while a snug on may be difficult to get on and off. Making sure the ring fits in a store is not enough. You want to take into account whether your fingers have a tendency to swell in warm weather or not. If they do swell, you may want to consider a slightly large ring on which you can have a ring guard put.

A ring guard can be preferable, especially for rings with narrow backs. A wide ring is more difficult to fit with a guard, but it is also less apt to slip off or slip around your finger. If you do decide to have a ring made smaller, remember you are losing precious metal. At the same time, more precious metal will be needed to make the ring larger.

Celebrities love silver jewelry. Since most celebrities have creative personalities, they tend to express themselves in many ways. This even extends to creativeness in clothes and jewelry. They are very visual individuals who want to be noticed on the red carpet of premieres. Fans imitate the looks worn by famous celebrities.

Celebrity Bracelets

Sterling silver jewelry, particularly bracelets, is a staple of fashionable women everywhere. This type of jewelry is durable yet so beautiful. The versatility is outstanding; it goes with every outfit whether with jeans or with a designer gown.  For instance, movie star Sandra Bullock wore a silver cuff bracelet to the 2009 MTV Movie Awards in May 2009. A silver cuff bracelet makes an audacious statement, yet it is lightweight and is flexible so that it can fit a variety of wrist sizes. Another popular type of bracelets is the silver charm bracelet. There are many shapes and designs for the charms that are attached to the bracelet.

Celebrity Rings

Celebrities enjoy the flexibility and wide variety of styles in silver jewelry. Many stars wear very distinctive rings. These are rings that are easily identifiable with the celebrity whose wears that ring. For example, Grammy Award-winning singer Mariah Carey loves butterflies. A stunning sterling silver ring showcasing a butterfly encrusted in diamonds is her signature style. Actress Angelina Jolie is fond of sterling silver snake rings. Jennifer Lopez received a stunning deep pink diamond engagement ring with a silver band.

Celebrity Earrings

Sterling silver jewelry is sometimes given to celebrities by designers. They know that they will receive a lot of free publicity because of a celebrity’s high visibility. A popular current trend in earrings has been seen on many celebrities. Oversized statement earrings demand and receive attention. Chandelier earrings have been worn by many including singers Mary J. Blige and LeeAnn Rimes. The length varies but some actually touch the shoulders. Other actresses such as Kate Winslet and Penelope Cruz favor more subdued styles such as drop earrings. A classic such as hoop earrings are always fashionable.

You’ve pored through prom magazines, hit all the hot shops and finally selected the perfect prom dress. Your shoes are gorgeous. Your date is too. You know how you’ll wear your hair and makeup, and you’ve booked your limo and decided which after-party to attend. But have you thought about your prom jewelry? If you’re like many girls, the answer is probably no.

Why is prom jewelry an afterthought for so many? Even prom checklists published in major magazines rarely include jewelry in their ‘To Do’ timelines. Strange, because jewelry can make or break your look. Think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s: Holly Golightly would have looked decidedly naked without her beautiful multi-strand pearl necklace!

When choosing the perfect prom jewelry, which, ideally, you should do weeks before your big night, there are a few things to consider. First, what style is your dress? Second, how will you wear your hair? And third, what’s your personal style? Finally, you’ll need to work within a budget that makes sense (unless you’ve been saving your babysitting money since you were 11).

Your Prom Dress

This year’s prom dresses are all about vibrant colors–bold silvery metallics and jewel tones are everywhere, and designers have shown them off dramatically on two key dress styles: the strapless and the plunging neckline. Your jewelry choice is clear here: Bold pieces are the only way to carry bold dresses. Think chandelier earrings, oversize cocktail rings, and wide cuff bracelets. One exception: Delicate pendants are hot right now, and they can work with a bold style if you pair them with dramatic earrings or a big bracelet in a similar style. For example, a lavender pearl pendant set with white gold will look stunning with a lavender or white gold cuff.

Keep things simple and keep in mind that you should choose pieces that will complement your look. For example, if you’re wearing a simple strapless sheath in a bold color, you want to accessorize with a bold piece of jewelry. But don’t overwhelm your look with jewelry in the same color as your dress–that’s too much of a good thing. Pick one or two standout pieces–both diamond jewelry and pearl jewelry will look stunning against jewel tones or metallics–such as chandelier earrings and a cocktail ring, or earrings and a cuff. Don’t do a bold necklace and chandelier earrings, however; that’s too much bling too close together.

In the 1870’s mourning jewellery was replaced by the Arts and Crafts movement. It was a reaction to the mass production of the industrial revolution and was led by William Morris and John Ruskin who promoted simple designs based on floral, primitive or Celtic forms worked as wallpapers, furniture and jewellery.

The polished stones used in Arts and Crafts jewellery gave jewellery a simpler, hand made look and feel to items. Major players in this movement were Liberty of London and Rene Mackintosh of Glasgow both of whose designs remain famous today…

By 1900, Arts and Crafts was replaced by Art Nouveau, a more ostentatious version started in France.

Art Nouveau jewellery follows curving organic lines of romantic and imaginary dreaminess. The Frenchman René Lalique was the master goldsmith of the era of Art Nouveau producing exquisite one off pieces which are still highly valued today.

In the 1900’s pearls were fashionable again, but still very expensive. This led to the first production of “cultured” pearls. Real pearls made by placing a small bead into an oyster shell. The bead coated itself with nacre (mother of pearl), creating a pearl. This process was led by Kokichi Mikimoto of Japan.

The next big trend was costume jewellery. In the 1930’s Designers Coco Chanel (1883-1971) and Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) encouraged clients to use costume jewellery and to mix it with genuine gem pieces they already owned. Both designers offered imagination and fun and both often sported fabulous fakes.

By the 1940s and 1950s American culture dominated Europe. Hollywood set the fashion. People wanted to look like their screen idols. With metals rationed throughout the 1940’s fine jewellery production ground to a halt, and the costume jewellery which was flourishing in America, became seen as a real alternative to fine jewellery.