Past Techniques:
We maintain a techniques web page that provides links to
the discussion of techniques in our prior newsletters. You can visit
this web page
here.
Follow the links on that page to the discussion of the
technique in that
newsletter.
Jewelry Technique:
  This
week's jewelry making technique is a discussion on how to make a bead
dangle. First let's define what we mean when we say "bead dangle".
A bead dangle is a combination of one or more beads on a head pin or similar
wire component in a manner that allows the bead or beads to hang from a
jewelry component like an earring body. In short, a bead dangle is a
way to use one or more beads to decorate a jewelry item. Being able to
make a bead dangle is probably the one skill that defines a jewelry crafter
as an advanced beginner rather than just a beginner.
A bead dangle comes in one of two styles. You can have an open loop
bead dangle as shown above-left or you can have a wrapped loop bead dangle
as shown above-right. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.
The open loop bead dangle is easier to make and for this reason may be more
suitable for beginners, it is also easier to use because you can add it to a
jewelry item at any time. Unfortunately, an open loop bead dangle is
not as strong as a wrapped loop bead dangle and for this reason may only be
suitable for use in earrings where there isn't as much need for strength.
The wrapped loop bead dangle is obviously stronger, but is also more
difficult to use because it must be positioned prior to wrapping the loop
closed, and then while in position must be wrapped closed. This can be
difficult to accomplish in jewelry items with limited space. Many
people also find that the wrapped loop bead dangle is more aesthetically
pleasing -- it just looks slightly better.
Our technique for making the bead dangle requires a flush cutter, round nose
pliers and bent chain nose pliers. When you are making the wrapped
bead dangle, we recommend using two pair of chain nose pliers. The
supplies required to make a bead dangle are generally just a head pin and
one or more beads.
To view our
complete instructions for how to make a bead dangle, please select either picture above, or select here.
 Nostalgia Corner:
 This
week's featured design in our Nostalgia Corner is the design for our low
wall bezel earrings shown here left and right. We really
like this design because it is a way to use a larger gemstone in earrings,
but isn't something that everyone has or even sees every day. These
earrings are also very, very easy to make. Anyone who can use a pair
of chain nose pliers and can also pick up a toothpick, can make these
earrings in less than 10 minutes. We have the findings to make these
earrings in 10mm and 8mm sizes. Because the low wall bezel finding
hides some of the gemstone, the size of the gemstone is minimized.
Phrased another way, an 8mm gemstone set in this setting will appear to be
7mm in size. For this reason, we do not carry 6mm findings. We
do sell these earrings in a kit for $13.99 in
8mm gold filled or for the same price in
8mm sterling silver. We really believe that this is a great way to
get started making "More Bling for Less Cha-Ching" jewelry and is especially
appropriate for people who sell jewelry.
We have
a video on You Tube showning how to make these earrings that you can view by
selecting here.
Please select here, or select
the picture at right to view our free instructions for making our low wall
bezel earrings.
Warning! Joke Follows.
This is only a joke. We tell jokes because we are in favor of smiling,
laughing and being happy. This does not mean that we are opposed to anyone
or anything.
If you have ever in your entire life been
offended by any joke -- please skip the below paragraphs. It is not
our intention to offend anyone! We don't write these jokes, we only re-tell
jokes that we have heard on the public radio, television or over the
Internet.
Boomer Humor:
Editorial
Note: In our prior two newsletters we introduced both Amish Jokes and
Taliban Jokes. We thought that because both communities had chosen to
isolate themselves from technology that we would not receive complaints
about those jokes. We were very surprised to receive a highly
vitriolic (meaning very rude) e-mail complaining about the Taliban jokes.
It seems that the Taliban have some supporters in Oregon. It also
seems that either the Amish have a better sense of humor than the Taliban,
or that the Amish have done a better job of isolating themselves from the
Internet. No one complained about the Amish jokes. With all of
that said, here is Boomer's joke for this week. It was contributed by
Julie Castle, one of our newsletter subscribers.
A man had just settled into his seat next to the window on the plane
when another man sat down in the aisle seat and put his black Labrador
Retriever in the middle seat next to the man.
The first man looked very quizzically at the dog and asked why the dog
was allowed on the plane. The second man explained that he was a DEA
agent and that the dog was a 'sniffing dog'. "His name is Sniffer and
he's the best there is. I'll show you once we get airborne, when I put
him to work."
The plane took off, and once it has leveled out, the agent said, "Watch
this."
He told Sniffer to "search". Sniffer jumped down, walked along the
aisle, and finally sat very purposefully next to a woman for several
seconds. Sniffer then returned to his seat and put one paw on the
agent's arm. The agent said, "Good boy", and he turned to the man and
said, "That woman is in possession of marijuana, so I'm making a note of
her seat number and the authorities will apprehend her when we land.
"Say, that's pretty neat," replied the first man.
Once again, the agent sent Sniffer to search the aisles. The Lab sniffed
about, sat down beside a man for a few seconds, returned to its seat,
and this time he placed two paws on the agent's arm. The agent said,
"That man is carrying cocaine, so again, I'm making a note of his seat
number for the police."
"Wow!" said his seat mate.
The agent then told Sniffer to "search" again. Sniffer walked up and
down the aisles for a little while, sat down for a moment, and then came
racing back to the agent, jumped into the middle seat and proceeded to
crap all over the place.
The first man was really grossed out by this behavior and couldn't
figure out how or why a well-trained dog would behave like that, so he
asked the agent "What's going on?"
The agent nervously replied, "He just found a bomb."
We are
continuing to improve our newsletter, so please feel free to provide
feedback at
custsrv@wigjig.com.
Announcements:
Online Books.
If you are looking for new and interesting jewelry projects -- try one of our Online
Books. Our most detailed instructions are for sale online.
Please select
here to view our selection of online books.
These books are delivered over the Internet and there are no shipping costs
on an order with just online books.
Shipping
Policy. We waive the shipping charge on orders over $60 shipped within the US
(as long as these orders remain over $60).
For International orders we ship via Global Priority Mail and charge $5 over
the US Mail charge for this shipping service. Please select
here to view our entire shipping policy.
WigJig University.
We provide over 2,700 web pages of free information, tips, techniques and
free
jewelry making designs
in WigJig University. We encourage everyone to view this information
as a source for new ideas, projects, or a way to learn new techniques.
We now have a page in WigJig University that shows our designs sorted by
the
WigJig tool used to make them. Please select
here
to view that information.
International Vendors. We do have vendors who sell our WigJig
products outside the US. We encourage customers to contact these
vendors in their home country. Please select
here
to view our list of overseas vendors. We are also happy to sell our
WigJig tools to stores. Please
send us an
e-mail if you are interested in selling our WigJig tools.
Classes.
We have a listing of various jewelry making classes using our WigJig tools
that are offered by bead stores throughout the country. If
you are interested in classes, please select
here. If
you know someone who has classes in using our WigJig tools, please ask
them to send us an e-mail at
custsrv@wigjig.com so that we can include them in these pages.
SHIPPING WAIVED ON ORDERS OVER $60.00 SHIPPED
TO USA - Customer
Care - WigJig, PO Box 5124, Gaithersburg, MD 20882; (800) 579-WIRE (phone),
(240) 597-2262 (fax),
custsrv@wigjig.com
(email). Privacy Policy.
All content on this web site including
jewelry and wire designs are copyrighted©
by WigJig. WigJig®
is a registered trademark. Last modified: 05/13/2008
|
California
High School After School Program: At WigJig we like to support
charities and other organizations that make jewelry out of wire and beads.
This week we came across an after school program in the Country High School
of Vacaville, CA that is teaching 10
High
School girls with troubled backgrounds how to make jewelry. The goal
of this program is to teach the students how to use their creativity to make
and sell jewelry as a way to improve their self-esteem. We were able
to contribute some samples and used tools and a few of our WigJig tools that had
been returned to us opened. Shelley Dally reports that the group is
happy to accept donations of serviceable wire, beads and or used tools.
For anyone who would like to contribute to this program, please contact
Shelley at 
