New style...well sort of

I've been concentrating on making jewelry with African trade beads and combining them with other ethnic bead styles.  I  had made a number of pieces before using a few African items, but decided I wanted to use a lot more in one piece.  So I bought more.  And then friends from Ghana brought back samples for selling. My husband surprised me with a birthday present of Ghana Krobo beads and lots of very interesting brass pendants, which he had asked them to get for me while they were in Ghana.

In the meantime I spent a good bit of time looking at African trade beads online and..yes...pinning a lot of them, especially the ones with interesting info attached.  You can see my Pinterest boards for African beads and Deerwoman Designs at:

http://www.pinterest.com/deerwoman1/african-trade-beads-and-more/
http://www.pinterest.com/deerwoman1/deerwoman-designs/

Here are some early pieces, some of the treasure trove he gave me, and new items:

Many are available on my online shops, or contact me here or at deerwomandesigns@gmail.com if you are interesting in buying any.

Ancient Glass Jewelry

Items I have made from ancient glass for sale in my Etsy shop include:

Target Practice

I'm still making bullet jewelry.  For some reason the shapes combined with all sorts of different beads, in different styles appeals to me.  Here are three new items.  The first two include African trade beads.  These add a very different look to this type of jewelry. Here are some bone batik beads from Kenya and powdered glass beads from Ghana.

I found some silver colored casings, which I'd been wanting, to combine with my gunmetal chain.  Adding some target shaped beads gave me just the look I wanted.

They are for sale in my Etsy shop.

EXTRA ETXRA!!

This weekend....The Grayslake Antique Market is on Saturday and Sunday. May 11th and 12th.  I will be there showing my jewelry.  I have a lot of new pieces at wonderful prices.  Have been working on  them for several months.  Lots of different styles and colors.  ALSO a special for Mother's Day, buy one item and get the second of equal or lesser value at 1/2 off.

Exciting news. My jewelry will be displayed at Gurnee Antique Center beginning Dec. 17, 2012

Maggie Farley who has a booth at Gurnee Antique Center saw my jewelry and liked it so much she is putting in a case of my jewelry.  It can be seen beginning on Monday Dec 17th.

Gurnee Antique Center
5742 North Ridge Drive
Gurnee IL 60031

http://www.gurneeantiquecenter.com/


NOTE:    presentation has been delayed.  Will post when I have a new date.

Some samples:  There is more

December's inspirations.

As with most of you during the holiday season, sparkly things grab my attention.  So I have been making lots, with materials and prices that fit anybody's budget.  I posted a new series on Google+ and here is a link to my newest Picasa Album.   New in Dec 2012.  In the past I have always used gemstones, pearls and precious metals in my jewelry.

Various happenings caused me to look closer at more affordable material and I began to see how I could still create beautiful jewelry that is well made.  The use of silver and gold plate need not necessarily mean the piece will deteriorate and become unwearable.  Simply take care to avoid rubbing, moisture and dirt on the piece, Clean with a soft cloth after wearing.  Keep it stored in ziplock bags to protect from the moisture that is the main culprit. If properly taken care of it will last a long time. I have also taken care in making the items in a way to keep them from breaking or falling apart.

Also a comment on my new line: bullet jewelry.  I can see beauty in the bullet casings I have been using and like the idea of recycling materials into beautiful things.  It all began when I went to an outdoor shooting range with friends and saw all those 22 caliber bullet casings just lying there looking like ....BEADS.  So, I picked them up and began a new jewelry journey.  Since then I have been able to acquire lots of different shapes and sizes.  As you can see I've made lots of different styles and the end is not in sight.

We can look at the world from many different perspectives.  I can look at these bullet casings and not identify with war,violence and ugly things.  Just because I use them doesn't mean that I do.  And they certainly are good conversation starters.

Some of the new items are up in my Etsy and Bonanza shops.  More will be added.  But I also have them in some local shows.  Look for Bead It of Lake Bluff workshops where I will have my newest items, plus.

I will also post shortly some locations in Portage Park where you may see my work.

I've been adding photos of my upscale jewelry in the album on Picasa Web

Recently I have been using a much wider range of materials, much of them more easily affordable.  They present opportunities for great design, but it's always good to have a choice of items using the traditional precious metals and gemstones.

Many of these have been in my gallery Deerwoman Designs at Artisans Market.  That site is temporarily down for reconstruction but you will find many there when it is back up.  In the meantime check my other shops (links here on the blog) where I will be slowly adding some of these for the holidays.

You get what you pay for

I wa at Abdullah's North Shore Bead Store in Lake Bluff, IL  the other day.  For many years now I have acquired from him and his brothers beautiful hand crafted ethnic bead from Afghanistan and nearby areas.  One of the most appealing things about these is their handmade look and cultural significance.  Nowadays they are not cheap, especially older items.


We've all gotten used to "Made in China" for just about everything these days.  Well, look what Abdullah showed me.  First a photo of an Afghan bead alongside two Chinese ones.   And then a series of more examples.

He is always getting the comment "Well, I can buy them at such and such for much less."  Not the same thing at all.

Here's another example.  He showed me a gold tone Chinese bangle bracelet and then squeezed it in his hand.  See the following pictures.  It doesn't even look like it' made from metal.  Don't know what it is.

You get what you pay for.