Land of Odds ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS RETURN TO: KITS INDEX RETURN TO: LAND OF ODDS

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.