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The Design Approach To Learning
   

ORIENTATION TO
BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS

The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to a common language and understanding of beads, jewelry findings and tools that they will be working with, from The Design Perspective.

This course acquaints the student with the world of beads, and what kinds of choices the bead artist and jewelry designer need to make.

o How to tell the quality of beads before you buy and use them
o How beads are made, and the differences in quality and
craftsmanship, based on where they are made
o What the differences are among druks, fire polish, seed beads, delicas and the like
o How to understand metals and platings, especially their pros and cons, and what happens as they age
o What the various types, sizes, finishes, shapes and styles of beads are
o Where beads come from, and how they have been used historically
o How to make intelligent choices about which stringing materials to use
o What tools you will need, and how to buy them
o What the pros and cons are of various clasps and other jewelry findings
o Different approaches teachers and author's of how-to books take, when teaching beading and jewelry making, and the implications of any one, for telling you what kinds of choices to make





Visit Land of Odds - Jewelry Design Center for all your beading and jewelry making supplies.

Visit our LearnToBead Blog

 

Land of Odds
ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
RETURN TO: KITS INDEX
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Review all orientation sessions, as posted on YouTube, below,

Or,you may...

PURCHASE THE ENTIRE ORIENTATION SERIES ON DVD
Click HERE!

[This 2-disc DVD set plays on any computer using the Windows Operating System.]
DVD FAQ

This ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS Class is a series of 18 video tutorials with over 5 1/2 hours of introductory materials about all types of beads, metals, clasps and stringing materials for the beader and jewelry maker.

These tutorials are taught from the "Design Perspective."
That is, these tutorials are designed to teach you the kinds of choices Beaders and Jewelry Artists make when creating jewelry.
These tutorials are not only a presentation of facts and information.
They are also an introduction to ideas about design, and
they are a tale of how one begins to learn and to work with beads and make jewelry.


ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 1. Preview
(Duration: 5:03 minutes)

This ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS Class
is a series of 18 video tutorials with over 5 1/2 hours
of introductory materials about all types of
beads, metals, clasps and stringing materials for the beader and jewelry maker.


These tutorials are taught from the "Design Perspective."

That is, these tutorials are designed to teach you
the kinds of choices Beaders and Jewelry Artists make
when creating jewelry. These tutorials are not only a presentation
of facts and information. They are also an introduction to ideas about design,
and they are a tale of how one begins to learn
and to work with beads and make jewelry.

These tutorials are meant to be viewed in the order presented,
because the information and ideas build upon one another.
And while you may not be fully interested in each and every topic,
it is worth your while not to skip any section. Everything inter-relates.

This entire Orientation series is also
available for purchase on DVD.




ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 2. What You Will Learn
(Duration: 11:52 minutes)

Over the years, I have found that people who bead and make jewelry
have not necessarily learned how to make the best chocies, when it comes to decide
what beads, clasps, other findings and stringing materials to include,
and what not to include, in a piece.
People too often do not understand quality issues. Many people are
uninformed about workable materials and strategies to make their pieces
more durable, more drape-able, and better able to move with the person, as the jewelry is worn.

Our program is organized around the "Design Perspective." Teach in this approach
focuses on how best to make chocies about function, movement, beauty and appeal, the mechanics of
construction, implementing techniques, and selecting materials.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 3. Some History
(Duration: 16:28 minutes)

Beads are used all over the world,
but not necessarily in the same ways or for the same reasons.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 4. Glass Beads
(Duration: 19:02 minutes

Glass beads are made in many different countries in many different
styles, sizes and shapes. Not every glass bead, however, is alike in quality and usefulness, when making jewelry.

Making Pressed Czech Glass Beads
Video by Potomac Bead Company

 

Making Pressed Czech Glass Beads - Next Steps
Video by Potomac Bead Company

Fire Polishing Czech Glass Beads
Video by Potomac Bead Company

 

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 5. Lampwork Beads
(Duration: 9:02 minutes)

There are many ways to make glass beads by hand.
One way is called lampworking. If you understand how these are made,
you will understand why some lampwork beads
crack, chip and break easily, and others do not.

 

Making A Lampwork Bead
Video by Susie Engwall

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 6. Crystal Beads
(Duration: 20:56 minutes)

Crystal beads are very, very popular. People value the extraordinary
brightness of crystal beads, so much so,
that they are often blinded to the wide variety of quality of crystal beads sold in the marketplace.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 7. Seed and Delica Beads
(Duration: 21:11 minutes)

Seed beads are little beads that come in all different shapes and colors.
Some work well in jewelry. Others do not. Lower quality seed beads break too easily,
colors may fade or bleed out or rub off; are very irregular;
or have extremely sharp holes. When working with seed beads,
it is important to understand how the quality of the beads you buy
will affect your finished piece.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 8. Metals and Metal Beads
(Duration: 38:43 minutes)

When working with metals and metal beads,
it is important to know what the metal is, and what happens to it over time.
And if it has some kind of finish, what happens to that over time.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 9. An Introduction To Clasps
(Duration: 12:25 minutes)

There are many, many different types of clasps.
They come in all different prices. Each has pros and cons.
Some work better in certain situations than others. This section is a very brief overview.
In Part 16, I go into much more detail about choosing clasps.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 10. Choosing Stringing Materials
(Duration: 42:01 minutes)

There are many different kinds of stringing materials, in all different qualities.
Each year they come out with new ones. The correct choice of stringing material
will be critical to the success of your piece. There are advantages and disadvantages
associated with each type of stringing material. These materials include beading thread,
beading cord, cable wires, cable threads, elastic string, memory wire and hard wire.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 11. Tools
(Duration: 17:47 minutes)

Different beading and jewelry making tasks require the use of different sets of tools.
We cover the full range of tools, from beading needles to chain nose and other types of pliers
to cutters, and specialized tools like crimping pliers, loopers and looms.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 12. Adhesives
(Duration: 13:26 minutes)

We cover such topics as What glues work best when,
and Why super glue and hot glue have very limited uses in jewelry making.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 13. Types of Beading and Jewelry Making
(Duration: 14:41 minutes)

Beading and jewelry making, as hobbies, avocations or careers,
are very creative, very challenging, very rewarding,
and can be very relaxing, as well.
There are many different types or methods of beading and jewelry making.
We cover bead stringing, bead weaving, wire working, among other types.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 14. Three Philosophical Approaches To Teaching Beading and Jewelry Making
(Duration: 17:31 minutes)


There are 3 very different approaches for teaching beading and jewelry making. These are, the Craft Approach, the Art Tradition, or the Art and Design Perspective. It matters less which approach
you learn under or prefer to work within. It matters more that you attune your ear, so to speak, to what approach the teacher or how-to-book author is coming from, because, based on the approach, they give you very different advice about what things you should be doing.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 15. Managing Support Systems and Areas of Weakness
(Duration: 15:02 minutes)

It is important to understand the architectural basis of each
and any technique you might employ. That means, you understand how that technique enhances things
like movement, drape, flow and durability. And that means,
you understand how that technique might diminish these kinds of things.
Such understanding begins with a discussion of support systems
and how to manage potential areas of weakness.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 16. Choosing Clasps
(Duration: 33:36 minutes)

The two most important choices the jewelry designer needs to make first,
or at least concurrently with the design process,
are the choice of stringing material and the choice of clasp. This detailed discussion focuses on clasps.
We go clasp-type by clasp-type, how they are used, and the pros and cons for using them.

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Part 17. Other Jewelry Findings

PART A: Preparers
(Duration: 36:09 minutes)

PART B: Controllers, Adapters
(Duration: 20:21 minutes)

There are lots of other little pieces beaders and jewelry makers use
in the construction of their pieces. These are called Jewelry Findings.
They are called Jewelry Findings because up until the late 1990’s,
most of the pieces didn’t exist. Jewelry makers had to find things and make them work.
We have already discussed clasps. Here we discuss all the other types of findings,
like end bars, separator bars, cones, crimp ends, clamps, bails, rings, connectors and the like.

 

PURCHASE THE ENTIRE ORIENTATION SERIES ON DVD
Click HERE!

[This 2-disc DVD set plays on any computer using the Windows Operating System.]
DVD FAQ

This ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS Class is a series of 18 video tutorials with over 5 1/2 hours of introductory materials about all types of beads, metals, clasps and stringing materials for the beader and jewelry maker.

These tutorials are taught from the "Design Perspective."
That is, these tutorials are designed to teach you the kinds of choices Beaders and Jewelry Artists make when creating jewelry.
These tutorials are not only a presentation of facts and information.
They are also an introduction to ideas about design, and
they are a tale of how one begins to learn and to work with beads and make jewelry.

 

 

 

See all available Instructions and Kits


 

Learning Goals for
ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS

CRITICAL SKILLS TO LEARN:

- Understanding that beading and jewelry making involve choices about materials and construction

- Understanding that choices the bead artist and jewelry designer make have significant implications about appeal, durability, moveability, drape, function and social-psychological context

 

 


 

SUPPLIES AND TOOLS
To KEEP ON HAND

Some good, thorough introductory books on Bead Stringing, Bead Weaving and Wire Working

A good assortment of beads and jewelry findings
Some stringing materials
Some clasps

Chainnose pliers (with smooth insides on jaws)
Round nose pliers
Side Cutters
Crimping Pliers

Bead Board
Work surface
Bracelet and Necklace Sizing Cones
Scissors
Ruler (marked in inches and in millimeters)
Paper and Pencils
Calculator


Our LEARN TO BEAD program
is based on
The Design Approach
:

- Focused on teaching how to make smart choices
- Developmentally-based, where you learn skills in an orderly way, and understand how skills build upon each other
- Easy to follow


You may purchase:
o Written instructions for each lesson
o Kits of Supplies
o Recommended Books


Visit our LearnToBead Blog
See all available Instructions and Kits

 

 


THE JEWELRY DESIGN DISCUSSION GROUP
Please join our group on facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/jewelrydesign/

 
 











Visit
Land of Odds - Jewelry Design Center for all your beading and jewelry making supplies.

Visit our LearnToBead Blog

 

The Design Approach....

Teaches you how to make choices
about function and appeal,
movement and context,
when you construct a piece of jewelry.

 

JEWELRY DESIGN CAMP 
October 2013 (Enrollment Closed)
2015 (TBA)

 

Immerse yourself into a week-long study of jewelry design theories, and their applications and manipulations with various materials, techniques and strategies.

 

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Copyright 2013 Warren Feld.
All rights reserved. LearnToBead.Net

Phone: 615/292-0610
Website: www.learntobead.net

Email: classes@learntobead.net