Markels in front of The Diving Cat
Everyday at work we send out many boxes of jewelry findings all over the world. I get so excited just imagining all the different ways and in all the different spaces we all create jewelry. Imagine sharing that beauty with others who create jewelry and think of how we can inspire each other. Whether your “studio” is a small corner of your living room, a rolling table in front of your t.v., a converted hall closet, or a space outside your home, we’d like you to open your studio to our Virtual Studio Tour.
Real Life Tour of the Diving Cat Studio and Gallery
When Clara and I were recently in Philly at the Beadfest Show we met Markels Roberts, a longtime customer and proprietor of The Diving Cat and she invited to us to spend an evening touring her studio. Markels is an inspiring woman and has enjoyed a long career in jewelry and the arts. She is a glass artist, jewelry designer, sculptor, teacher, and gallery owner. Whew! Her drive as a business owner and artist are impressive.
(psst . . . keep reading for more details).
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A necklace of knotted gemstones and a clasp at the front is a novel way to display treasured gold vermeil charms, like the wise old owl on this necklace. I love the design of this modified S-Clasp. Not only is it elegant and curvy, but versatile as well! I can easily replace the small charm cluster with a large pendant for a bolder look. Speaking of love, the silver granulated small beads above the clasp are another favorite of mine — they have wonderful texture and amazing detail and provide just the right accent to almost any creation.
Knotted necklace with clasp in front puts charms in the spotlight
I used a knotting trick on this necklace that I learned from Clara: string ALL your beads on the thread first, and THEN knot between each bead. Before Clara’s tip, I would pick up the needle, string a bead, put down the needle and knot the thread, then pick up the needle again, string a bead, put down the needle and knot the thread, repeating until done. There was a lot of picking up and putting down of the needle. Clara’s tip saves a lot of time– it’s easy to get into a rhythm of sliding a bead down, tying a knot, sliding the next bead down, tying a knot. No need for so much needlework!
A piece of advice: when knotting, use the longest piece of thread you can comfortably handle! Each knot requires a length of thread, and I ran out with only about 1 inch left to complete my necklace. I had to tie on a new piece of thread to reach the desired length. The effort was worth it: I now have a versatile layering necklace in neutral tones that I wear almost every day!
Do you use your fingers for knotting, or do you have a favorite tool? If so, what is it?
Dragonfly jewelry findings have put in me in a summery mood. Watching dragonflies hover and drift over still water is a quintessential summer pastime of mine and a dragonfly pendant or charm is a nice way to remind myself to appreciate long days while they last and remember them as fall approaches.
Dragonfly Necklace
Dragonflies are busy little creatures that pop up in myths and legends from around the world. In some parts of Europe they were little boogeymen waiting to punish ill-behaving children. They appear in many Native American stories as clever tricksters carrying gifts, as powerful healers dwelling around lakes and mountains, or as the spirits of a lost loved one. In some parts of the US they are even known as Snake-doctors following around snakes and fixing them up when they got hurt.
Today dragonflies mainly inhabit an aesthetic space alongside butterflies and nymphs, but in feudal Japan they were considered masculine symbols of strength and courage since dragonflies, being unable to fly backwards, never back down from a fight. As a result dragonfly ornamental findings can be seen decorating armor and weapons from that period and what we now know as Japan was once “Akitsushima” or “The Dragonfly Islands.” I don’t think I’ll be creating any dragonfly jewelry for the men in my family any time soon, but then again who knows?
After all, Nina Designs’ dragonflies are globally inspired as well. From handcrafted filigree dragonflies that speaks of the skill of Indonesian craftspeople to whimsical sprites gathering flowers it’s not hard to create a story of your own. For this last lazy bit of sunshine, Nina’s Dragonfly Necklace of light silk cords and delicate silver pendants lets me gaze at dragonflies a little longer.
My favorite silver charms are all inspired by nature. I am drawn to organic shapes. They make me feel good. I especially like to capture a sense of movement in our charm designs. Recreating an animal or a plant in a solid form like silver poses a challenge. How do you represent the intangible qualities that breathe life into a bird or a leaf? There are so many subtle details, it is impossible to capture them all. When we design, we try to hone in on the most distinctive elements of our subject in an effort to capture the essence of the form. In some cases, we make several versions, to explore different facets of the same object. In the case of feathers, we spent years trying to decide how to capture both their light airy quality and the amazing detail and texture of their silky strands. In the end, we settled on one silver pendant to highlight texture and one that is light and airy. What natural design elements do you find hardest to translate into jewelry?
Floating Feather
Textured With Detail
Light & Airy
You can find many of these charms in the Globe Trotter Collection
Here at Nina Designs we create silver charms and pendants that we hope inspire you to create beautiful jewelry. But really that’s just half the story. We also work hard to make sure you can easily find and order those silver charms you are looking for. Because Nina Designs is filled with thousands of jewelry components, sometimes that can be tricky.
That’s why we created the NEW Themed Collections page. There you can find all kinds of silver charms, earrings, pendants, and clasps that cluster around particular themes. If you like to design jewelry that tells a story, you’ll this feature. Suppose you’re a hopeless romantic who loves exploring beaches. Then you’ll want to go straight to the Hearts, Love Letters, and Ocean Collections to find just the thing for that necklace you have in mind. Or suppose you want to tell a story of a young entomologist who wants to travel the world searching for cool insects. Then we’d suggest perusing the Globe Trotter and Insect Collections. Whatever story you’d like to tell, the Themed Collections will help you find the words.
To date, we have 20 Themed Collections planned, everything from Aviary to Yoga Spirit, and Ocean to Woodlands. We sincerely hope you enjoy shopping every one. And, if there is any additional themed category you’d like to see or any other type of shopping improvement you’d suggest, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment.
Trade Shows are Fun!
I have spent the last couple of weeks getting all of our jewelry supplies packed and ready for our fall trade shows. If you haven’t ever seen us at a show, I really recommend you stop by. Trade shows are the perfect opportunity to see our silver and vermeil style gold plate beads, charms, and findings in person without having to pay for shipping or meet any minimum purchase requirements. Plus, nothing beats seeing our charms, pendants, and clasps in person.
This fall is going to be a busy one. We have added two new shows that we are really excited about: Bead Fest in Arlington Texas and The Whole Bead Show in Rhode Island. I can’t wait to meet some great new customers and show off our wonderful silver and gold designs.
Mark your calendars, come by the booth to see our Best Sellers and Latest Styles, or just stop by to grab a piece of candy and say hi.
FALL 2010 Trade Show Schedule
* Aug. 20-22. Bead Fest Philadelphia, PA Retail/Wholesale with credentials. Click here for a Free Admission Pass.
* Sept. 10-12. Intergem San Mateo, CA. Wholesale Only.
* Sept. 16-19. Intergem Denver, CO. Wholesale Only.
* Sept. 24-26. Intergem Santa Monica, CA. Wholesale Only
* Oct. 1-3. Bead Fest Arlington, TX. Retail/Wholesale with credentials. Visit Beadfest online for a Free Admission Pass.
* Oct. 8-10. Whole Bead Show Providence, RI. Retail/Wholesale with credentials
* Oct 15-17. Whole Bead Show New York, NY. Retail/Wholesale with credentials.
* Nov. 13-14. BABE! Oakland, CA. Retail/Wholesale with credentials. Click here for a coupon for discounted admission.
* Nov. 26-28. Intergem San Mateo, CA. Wholesale Only
* Dec. 3-5. Intergem Santa Monica, CA. Wholesale Only.
For more details see our Trade Show Schedule.
Last night we enjoyed a Nina Designs Bead Night, when we all stay after work, experiment with new silver jewelry parts and create together! I look forward to these evenings when we share ideas, inspiration and beading techniques with each other while socializing with fellow employees who are fortunately also friends. This was the perfect time to see if I could make a version of a sinuous leather bracelet design that I’ve admired for several months.
A silver button is the clasp on this deer hide lace bracelet.
After stringing one of our new silver buttons onto our deer hide lace, I tied my yellow thread to the leather and began stringing. Over an hour later, I had a bracelet about a half an inch long! I had a fit of giggles when I compared my progress to the rest of the group. Emily had oxidized her components, and wire wrapped gorgeous pearls to complete a stunning necklace. Marcy had stitched two strands of olive green beads to leather and only needed to add her vintage button clasp. Marisa’s necklace was crimped off and complete, and Carly had a great design going incorporating old keys and our new Gear Charms.
Fortunately, Juanita saved me by recalling a conversation she had at Tucson with one of our customers about exactly how to make this style of bracelet. It turns out the best technique is to use two needles, one on either end of a long piece of thread. The two needles are used to go through the same bead from either end. It also helps to anchor the leather cords so there is tension when they’re pulled forward. After starting over and adjusting my technique, I got into a rhythm (it felt similar to making a snake braid). I finished the bracelet in two hours. Now that I have my technique, I’m looking forward to making additional bracelets with different color combinations and perhaps with silk cord instead of leather.
What new beading skills have you recently acquired? Do you have any time saving tips to share?
Peacock feathers swaying in the summer breeze
So many of Nina Designs’ jewelry components are inspired by nature. In fact, our Botanical Collection is completely derived from nature. When I first saw our new sterling silver Peacock Feather Pendant, I knew right away that I wanted to make some earrings. They’re so beautiful on their own, but I wanted to add something special and unique. I decided to match it up with a real peacock feather to compliment the translation from nature to design. With some gemstones and sterling vermeil dangles, I’m ready for a night out on the town!
Where do you find your inspiration for jewelry design?
Silver Jewelry Findings formed the foundation of Nina Designs, but over the past 25 years we have expanded into jewelry making supplies from silk cord to vermeil style beads and charms. Along the way, we have been careful to practice Fair Trade and to give back through Philanthropy. In our newest venture, we have partnered with NOVICA to fund Microloans for women artisans in developing countries.
Meet Asunta Pelaez from Peru. “I create many kinds of beautiful mirrors, coasters, boxes and trays.” Palaez plans to use her loan to purchase a compressor, tools and materials.
Asunta Plaez, Peru
“I follow a meticulous process, carefully shaping the wood to give it a pleasing form. Later, for my mirrors, I cut the glass and outline my intended design on the surface with India ink. Next, I fill the outline with beautiful Cajamarca patterns using paints and gilt. To finish, I glue the glass to the wood and apply a rich golden paint to the borders of the frame. This whole process demands incredible patience and attention to detail.
“My designs are inspired by nature, and by typical scenes from my town and region. I feel very proud of the works that I create, and I look forward to sharing them with more and more people around the world.”
“I feel as if an angel descended on our workshop. We Peruvian artisans are humble people and we give our utmost to get ahead. Our hearts go in every piece we craft with our hands.”
Time Machine
I love steam punk jewelry that brings together old, mechanical parts,
unexpected jewelry links, and brilliant gemstones. It’s very distinctive and inspiring and I’ve noticed the increasing popularity of the Steampunk aesthetic in fashion magazines, blogs and online stores. Intrigued, I did a little research and learned that Steampunk is born out of futuristic and science-fiction ideas based in the Victorian era, and gets it name from the idea of life in a world that operates mainly by steam power (typically the 1800’s). Think H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, who wrote about futuristic technology: air, space, and underwater travel.
In my Steampunk inspiration I created a bib-style necklace with layers of oxidized chain draping above the antique-style gear. Below the gear silver charm I created a fringe of dark and sparkling garnets around a plump gray pearl and added our watch face charm. This creates a mixture of mechanical imagery and modern materials while playing into my favorite element of Steampunk: time travel.
Have you begun to delve into Steampunk style yet?
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