Jewelry Creation on a Shoestring

One of my greatest pleasures growing up was making things from beads.  I used to do simple flower patterns with crystalized plastic beads and seed beads.  We had Tandy Leather Goods in those days, and we could find pony beads clay beads, glass beads, you name it.  From Europe, we brought home worry beads and other jewelry.  I was only 9, but the jewel bug bit me hard.  Maybe it's because biting mosquitos are female? I don't know, but I've always had an affinity for bugs and jewelry, and jewelry made to look like bugs and spiders.  We even have a gold mosquito charm my dad bought my mom on a trip, and we had scarabs, too.

When I was around 11, you could buy beads from major dept. stores.  Younkers had trays of wooden beads with compartments.  These contained the most amazing trade beads, Czech glass, crystal, etc.  Trips to Wyoming meant buying bits of jade agate granite, ruby cutlets and petrified wood and quartz from the rock shops along the highways.  We also found turquoise, sometimes bits on the ground, fetishes, charms and more. The ocean and beach meant shells and driftwood, a few shark's teeth from ocean side gift stores.

All these went into jewelry projects. I never stopped making beads or jewelry, and found it was often more economical to make a necklace I wanted than to buy something more expensive.

I still gather beads and small novelties.  At rock shows, I get real rubies, amethyst and emeralds as well as fossils and other rocks.  These, too, can become jewelry.

The necklaces below are made from bits and pieces I bought all over.  Some of the ethic pieces are from a local fair trade store called SIS.  Others come from antique stores, thrift stores, and yard sales.  All cost less than ten dollars, while a few cost only pennies.  There are some very nice beads and Netsuke here, but many also came from a bead store that was going out of business.   The elastic bead thread they are strung on is from the $ Tree Store, as are the grey pony beads I use as spacers.

I hope they inspire you.  I will wear all of them.  Now is the season to look for  thrifty deals online and for coupons at Hallmark, Zullily, Kohl's, Dollar Tree, and elsewhere.  I am also seeing Brighton and Pandora Beads being reduced.  Let your imagination guide you; even the hardware store can be an inspiration for tiny pipes, crew, moldings, paint, and fishing line, all for jewelry making.

Soapstone elephant from SIS; green glass beads are from India.  Silver spacers and various other ceramic, wooden
and plastic beads in harmonious colors make up the necklace.

A Calavera Katrina necklace for El Dia de Muertos.Beads are glass
wood, and plastic.  Some are painted glass. Worry doll with skull head and
hand woven dress is from SIS.

"Netsuke" necklace with frog fetish, carved fruit pit with an Asian face which could be very old.  I have another
reputed to be 200 years old.  Ceramic beads are hand glazed, also glass beads in amber, and wooden and plastic spacers

Clos up of Asian head with pink ceramic bead glazed in gold.

Close up of Peruvian animal bead

Frog Netsuke