Category Archives: Jewelry Design

Jewelry Design Key Issue in New Competition

I recently stumbled across an interesting contest, sponsored by JCK, that illustrates the issues all jewelry designers, including pearl and bead stringers, must wrestle with every day. Those issues are design and whether your tools are adequate for executing the … Continue reading →

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Nitpicking for the Fun of It

Pearl and bead stringers and those of us who love jewelry history may be in for a treat. Last week, the Hollywood Reporter announced that Tiffany & Co. has signed a deal with Warner Bros. and the producers of the … Continue reading →

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Bad Times Spark Creative Ferment in Jewelry Industry

Instead of pulling back during hard economic times, the jewelry industry is engaged in a creative ferment that might influence the way we look at jewelry for many years. Here is a review of some major trends.

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New Surge of Creativity in Jewelry Design and Materials

I maintain a separate g-mail account where I receive jewelry newsletters, press releases, gemstone and business news and other jewelry industry updates, including bead stringing news. Work commitments pulled me away from a daily review of this account for about … Continue reading →

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Jewelry Artists Use Technique to Communicate Message

Some artists use jewelry as a means of expressing a political or philosophical point of view. Two such artists who manage to do this successfully are Joyce Scott, sometimes called the “Queen of Beading” and Andrea Williams who recently placed … Continue reading →

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Vintage and Antique Jewelry into the Scrap Heap

The consequences of record high prices for gold go beyond the diminishing ability of pearl and bead stringers to use gold in their work. As of this writing, gold is north of $1,600 per ounce and at least one expert … Continue reading →

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Galatea: Rising Star in Gemstone and Bead Design

As professional bead stringers, we are often asked about specific designers and trends in design. While it’s impossible–at least for me–to know the work of every prominent designer, we do have the obligation to be alert to designers whose work … Continue reading →

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Transforming Technique into Art

Bead and pearl stringing refers to the techniques we use to assemble jewelry. But good design is what transforms technique into art and this is true whatever medium you work in. In the years I ran a craft gallery which … Continue reading →

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Jewelry Design: Sharing versus Stealing

Recently, independent jewelry designer Stevie Koerner ignited a controversy when she accused Urban Outfitters of stealing her line of “United/World of Love” necklaces. Koerner sells a line of necklaces on etsy in which a heart is stamped through metal sawed … Continue reading →

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