Jewelry Designer Blog

February 17, 2012

Popular Leather Cord Jewelry

Filed under: Inspiration,Tips and Techniques — Tags: , , , — @ 10:39 am

Our line of deer hide leather cord continues to grow in popularity. We now offer leather cords in three widths – wide (2 cm), original (3 mm), and thin (2 mm), and in many beautiful colors. Jewelry designers love it for its bold look and soft feel. In any thickness, the leather cord is supple and easy to work with. You can sew beads and charms onto it, and punch holes in it to attach clasps, lengths of wire wrapped beads, or beads on Soft Flex. Choosing your favorite color is probably the biggest challenge using leather cord presents. From soothing neutrals to bold primaries, using leather cord is a fun way to get color into your jewelry designs.

If you run out of ways to finish leather cords, or want to learn the basics of sewing onto leather, stop by our classroom for FREE lessons. We try to add more weekly. Oh, and another exciting event – we now offer leather cords in 50 ft. spools. This is a great option for both bead stores and designers that find themselves running out of leather too frequently!

Make fun leather jewelry!

Learn new ways to finish leather in our Classroom

December 6, 2011

Easy Techniques for Finishing Wide Leather Cords with Silver Clasps

Filed under: Jewelry Design Ideas,Tips and Techniques — Tags: , , , — @ 5:35 pm

Learn easy techniques for finishing wide leather cords with silver clasps in our FREE classroom and jewelry how-to’s. Making leather jewelry has never been easier with step-by-step instructions and photos by Marcy Kentz. Marcy works here at Nina Designs as a customer service rep you have most likely talked to on the phone. What you may not know about her is that she makes extraordinary leather jewelry. As you can imagine, we were thrilled when she offered to share her inventive techniques in our FREE online classroom.

Currently she is rolling out a lesson a week for finishing wide leather cord. You’d be surprised how easy they are, and you might kick yourself for not thinking of them yourself. I did. And, you don’t need to buy specialized tools for working with leather. As you’ll see, besides the jewelry supplies, in many of the techniques Marcy just uses a hammer, thumbtacks, scissors and glue! The lessons on finishing leather cords will start out easy and become more sophisticated as we go. After offering all the ways she can think of for finishing wide leather cord, Marcy plans to offer new design ideas for the front of wide leather necklaces and bracelets, so stay tuned.

Currently in our classroom, find lessons for finishing leather cords with a toggle bar, an S-clasp, and a silver box clasp. You can also find a three strand pearl and leather necklace and an imaginative steampunk leather bracelet. Enjoy!

Beautiful Leather Cord Necklace by Marcy

Finishing Leather Cord with Box Clasps

Finishing Leather Cord with Toggle Bars

August 23, 2011

Chains to Match the Bronze Charms

Filed under: New Products,Tips and Techniques — @ 12:38 pm

Since we introduced our line of bronze charms and pendants, we’ve received several inquiries regarding matching jewelry findings, like chains and jump rings. We are working on it, and will have something for you soon. We want to be sure that any new bronze or brass products we offer are the same quality you have come to expect from Nina Designs. Thanks for your patience!

In the meantime, we’d like to suggest pairing our bronze charms with gold fill chain and gold fill jewelry findings. As you can see from the photos, they look great together. The color of the bronze that we offer looks a lot like 14K gold. It has a warm golden hue and is less brown in color than much of the bronze finishes on the market. However, just like all bronze, over time our bronze will form a warm brown patina when exposed to air and the elements. We are currently testing this process and will report specific results soon. We understand that using gold filled chain is not the low cost alternative you may be looking for. We plan to offer affordable chain alternatives to match our bronze line soon.

In terms of earring findings, we will soon offer some of our popular Bali silver earrings in bronze. For handmade styles, the bronze alloy of copper and tin has to be modified to be a bit softer so it can be hand forged. We are working diligently on getting the best formula that has a lovely color and is the correct hardness. It is a fine balance. We will start to offer Bali style earrings and jewelry links in the upcoming months.

Another quick recommendation is mixing metals. I designed the earrings below to show how terrific our Bali silver earring tops look with the bronze bee charm. I think the result is fantastic. And, I used gold fill wire throughout all these designs with excellent results. We are happy to have our bronze line so well received and will soon offer all the supporting cast needed for a complete collection!

Mix your metals: bronze charm with sterling earring findings

Bronze charm with gold fill chain

Bronze charm with gold fill wire and chain

August 6, 2011

Stamping on Silver Charms and Spangles

Filed under: Tips and Techniques — Tags: , , — @ 11:56 am

We often receive questions about which sterling silver charms and spangles are best for stamping. We strongly recommend using our thicker sterling silver charms because the thickness of the metal absorbs the impression of each stamp for a nice clean finish. However, we also offer thinner silver spangle charms that can be used for stamping as well.

When stamping on our the thinner spangle charms, the results will be a bit more rustic and handmade looking, as shown below. Because they are thinner they became a bit warped after being stamped, but you can flatten them out again. The stamped designs also showed through on the back of the disk. And, the silver became a bit depressed around the letters, making them a bit more indistinct.

While we recommend using our thicker silver charms for stamping, you can achieve a rather charming and rustic finish by using our sterling silver spangles. To learn how to stamp on your sterling silver charms, read more in our classroom.

Achieve a Rustic FInish by Stamping on Silver Spangle Charms


Back Side of Spangle Charms after Stamping

July 20, 2011

How to Make Leather Jewelry with Silver Findings and Pearls, by Marcy Kentz

Filed under: Jewelry Design Ideas,Tips and Techniques — Tags: , , — @ 3:48 pm

Learning how to make jewelry with leather cord, silver findings, and pearls is a lot easier than you think. I began making leather jewelry many years ago when a generous leather hand bag designer offered me his leather scraps. Because I had a fairly unlimited supply I felt free to experiment, to hit bumps in the road, and to keep trying. Through years of trial and error I have come up with some unique leather jewelry techniques that I can’t wait to share with you.

You may not know it but here at Nina Designs we offer FREE jewelry design ideas and FREE how-to lessons. This is where I will be sharing my leather jewelry how to’s. The first lesson is available now and teaches you how to punch, cut, and glue leather, as well as how to seamlessly attach 3 strands of pearls to wide leather cord. By the end of the lesson you will have created a beautiful three strand leather necklace with pearls. I hope my classroom lessons will inspire you and open new doors in the world of jewelry making.

Leather jewelry is a hot trend right now and it’s a lot of fun to make. The look of leather jewelry is at once feminine and edgy, and appeals to a wide audience. Stop by Nina Designs where you’ll find new wide leather cord that is a dream to work with. Have you been working with leather cords in your jewelry? Do you have any questions I can address in upcoming leather jewelry how-to’s?

Leather Necklace How To #1, by Marcy Kentz

Find Jewelry How To's at Nina Designs

January 17, 2011

How to Clean Silver Pendants and Charms

Filed under: Jewelry Care,Tips and Techniques — Tags: , — @ 11:33 am

We receive many calls from customers asking how to clean silver pendants, charms, and earring findings without harming them. With silver becoming more and more precious with every day, taking good care of it is very important. All sterling silver will tarnish when exposed to air. The process is called oxidation and it will cause sterling silver to blacken over time. Leah wrote a great blog, Preventing Tarnish on Sterling Silver, that’s packed full of helpful tips & tricks to prevent tarnishing in the first place.

Be gentle when cleaning. You don't want to remove all the oxidation!


Now assuming it’s too late and your sterling silver has tarnished and needs to be cleaned, start here:

1. Before you start cleaning jewelry always do a quick visual check to see if there are any loose or damaged gemstones; cracked or broken metal; bent or warped prongs/tips; discolored or pitting metal. If this is the case, we recommend having it professionally cleaned and repaired. You wouldn’t want to cause any further damage.

2. Always remove jewelry before showering or cleaning. A film can form if the soap is not washed off completely. This film will become a magnet for dirt, dust and other contaminants.

3. Use a silver polishing cloth to remove oxidation from silver. Tissues and paper towels can cause scratches. We recommend using a Sunshine Cloth. Be sure to use fresh cloths since the dirt and grit left on the cloth from a previous use can leave scrapes and pits. Use light pressure and allow the cloth to do the work for you. If your arm starts to ache, you’re probably pressing too hard.

4. Commercial cleaners can be purchased at jewelry stores. Always remember to read the instructions on the commercial cleaners first before you attempt cleaning. Most commercial cleaners are very strong and will remove all oxidation! Many of our designs are purposely oxidized then polished, so that crevices are darkened to bring out the depth and beauty of a piece. Take care not to remove this design element. Do not go overboard!

(psst . . . click on the link below to read more cleaning tips).
(more…)

November 15, 2010

Sterling Silver Pendant Bails Demystified

Filed under: Tips and Techniques — Tags: , , — @ 8:30 am

Sterling silver pendant bails offer jewelry designers an elegant way to hang pendants from a silver chain or a necklace. You can find over 40 different gold vermeil and silver pendant bails for sale at Nina Designs. In addition to your traditional pendant bails, we’ve designed a number of pinch pendant bails, tube pendant bails, and removable pendant bails. Traditional pendant bails and tube pendant bails are made to slide over your chain, silk cord, leather cord, or wire wrapped gemstones while you are composing your necklace. Once they are placed where you want it, there it stays.

Removable pendant bails offer maximum versatility. If you have a favorite pendant you like to wear often, this is a good choice for you. On a day you’re wearing your favorite jeans and a t-shirt, you can hang your pendant from chain. That evening on your way to the opera, you can easily remove your pendant from the chain and hang it on black silk ribbon worn as a choker. We offer a good variety of removable pendant bails, some quite fancy & embellished with marcasite, others understated & minimal.

One we get a lot of questions about is the simple s-shaped removable pendant bail pictured below. It causes some confusion and took some explaining for me to get it too. It is designed to use with front-drilled pendants, like front-drilled gemstones and artisan pendants made of resin, clay, glass, or shell. But as you can see from our design, you can use it in many ways. The thing to remember is that it’s made for use with any pendants whose holes or rings are front facing.

For comparison purposes, I’d like to introduce a unique silver charm holder that looks almost like this removable pendant bail. The main difference is that it’s made for use with silver charms whose ring faces to the side. They both offer designers a minimal looks that doesn’t interfere with your overall design, but is effective, simple, and secure. Try them today and see for yourself.

Removable Pendant featuring pendant with front-facing hole.

Same Pendant, simply switched to a more dramatic cord.

Removable Pendant Bail - for pendants with sideways facing holes.

September 22, 2010

How to Stamp Unique Designs on Sterling Silver Jewelry Charms

Filed under: Tips and Techniques — Tags: , , — @ 9:50 am

Stamping words and messages on our sterling silver jewelry charms has become a huge trend. I wanted to explore stamping more and see what else I could do with this fun technique. I searched out stamping tools to use along with my alphabet letter set and found an endless supply of different designs to choose from. Then it hit me: I could stamp a little scene onto blank Sterling Silver Jewelry Charms for an adorable custom design!

For my first attempt, I wanted to create a picture of a field of wild flowers. With my adorable flower stamp, I used the capital letter “I” from my alphabet letter set to create the grassy field. I also tried creating a treasure map scene on a heart charm. Now that I’ve created these unique designs on my Sterling Silver Jewelry Charms, my mind is full of possibilities…

gold plate jewelry charm

A field of flowers...


sterling silver jewelry charms

Treasure Map charm!

August 27, 2010

Gold Vermeil Charm Graces Knotted Necklace

Filed under: Tips and Techniques — Tags: — @ 8:00 am

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?

June 25, 2010

How to Use the Tulip Crimp Clasps

Filed under: Tips and Techniques — Tags: , — @ 8:05 am

Silver and gold vermeil tulip crimp clasps available in three sizes


Deer hide lace and silk cords & ribbons can be turned into necklaces and bracelets in just a few easy steps using Tulip Crimp Clasps. They’re available in sterling silver and gold vermeil and come in three different sizes: small, medium, and large. Pick your clasp according to how thick your cord(s) are. The thickest silk cord will fit into our biggest tulip crimp clasp with some coaxing. If you’re working with multiple strands, tie a knot into your cord(s) for added security.

Next, stuff the knot into the bell of the clasp. If you need to do a little extra coaxing, try using the end of a paper clip or the tip of your round nose pliers to push the knot in there. These crimp clasps are designed with four petals, each with a little burr that prevents the cord from moving once pinched shut.

This next part is the most critical. You want to close these petals in phases. Using your round nose pliers, pinch the two petals that face each other closer together, but NOT all the way. Next pinch the other two facing petals closer together until they meet the first two petals. NOTE: if you were to close the first two petals all the way down, there would be no room for the next two to pinch down. After the first round of pinching, you’ll most likely want to adjust the petals a bit closer and tighter together. I like to make sure they’re as evenly spaced as possible. And, that’s it. Voila, you’re done!

Coaxing Thin Silk Cords into Smallest Crimp Clasp


Slowly close facing petals toward each other in phases


Wow, that was easy & what a clean finish!

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