Beadalon Blog

Sometimes we get so excited about a new product, we start talking about it before it's available. While that can be frustrating, it does make it even more exiting when it does come into stock! The Artistic Wire  Flat Pattern Wire is one such product. We debuted it back at the Tucson shows in January, and we finally have some of the SKUs in stock! This Flat Pattern Wire is currently available in 6 patterns in Tarnish Resistant Silver and 2 patterns in Tarnish Resistant Brass in 6 inch lengths. It's about a 21 gauge wire, and the process that it goes through to stamp the design into it means it has a nice, stiff feel to it that holds its shape really well once bent. Some of the tools that I find indispensable for working with this wire are the Triangle Needle File  (for smoothing out the ends),  Bracelet Bending Pliers  (for bending the flat piece into a bangle shape), the Round and Oval Sizing Drums  (for shaping) and the AW Wire Shears  (they cut through it li

Knotting between beads is my technique of choice when I'm stringing up pearls and other gemstones. There are many different tools that you can use to make knots between beads which is great because different techniques appeal to different people! At Beadalon, we've found that people who have been struggling with knotting between beads and pearls trying other techniques love the Knot-a-Bead Tool. I always say that it takes knotting up at least 4 full necklaces before you really "get it". The first necklace will be loose in lots of places, with a couple of missed and double knots, but you'll get the hang of the technique. The second necklace will be loads better, but you'll still have some loose places, and maybe one or two double or skipped knots. The third necklace will be almost perfect, but you'll probably have one or two loose beads. And when you make the fourth necklace, you've probably got it! Remember, slow and steady gets the best knot.

This week's Facebook Live Video focused on the  Artistic Wire Really Big Jig - a great tool to use to make really big Wire designs. Originally designed by the Wire Wizard, Corinne Gurry, the Really Big Jig Jig has a design area of 11.25" x 11.25" so you can make multiple designs at the same time, as well as large scale sculptural jewelry and decorative objects. Looking for ways to expand the versatility of your jig? A great resource to use for patterns are connect the dots pages! You can find tons of pages to tweak your creativity on-line. I've started a Pinterest Board with a number of different patterns to get you started. Be sure to follow us on Pinterest for all kinds of great inspiration! The key to a good connect the dots template is to make sure that the dots are the majority of the design. CTDs that have too much extra drawing won't work as well. You could also come up with your own CTD design to use!  Once you've found your connect-the-