Let's think pink! Pink is truly a sublime color. It is fiery passion. It is warmth and sensuality. It is luminous and elegant. So lovely! Pink is a wonderful choice for bead stringing wire if you want a luscious complementary accent to your beads and gemstones. Today, Margie discusses pink. She discusses the strengths and weaknesses of her favorite tone - mage…
Want to add a little magic to your handmade jewelry this holiday season? Today, we are going to look at textures and color. We all have an idea of how traditional holiday jewelry should look - when we think of color. But a lot of us may overlook the textures when we are stringing beads. Color is great. But when we add interesting textures, we create a feast…
How does the Pantone Color Institute forecast seasonal and trending colors? You might think they just gauge fashion. But that is only a part of it. Color forecasters explore everything. They follow graphic design. They track popular culture. They even monitor the health of society. To intimately know how colors may trend, forecasters watch elections, protests, and topical events that range fr…
Lark Books has a delicious collection called the 500 series. These splendid gallery books are loaded with professional photos of jewelry and other art mediums. Margie Deeb had the opportunity to interview senior editor and juror of Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry, Ray Hemachandra. Ray discussed his thoughts on being a juror, the evolution of the beading community, and the importanc…
Color queens Margie Deeb and Beverly Ash Gilbert answer a single question about bead color. Asked how they work with a bead that does not match the color palette of the jewelry they intend to make, both ladies offer different and insightful answers. Working outside your comfort zone can put you into a unique creative phase. What seems like an artistic limitation can end up streng…
Margie Deeb revisits a jewelry making trap. Dark metallic iris beads are pretty amazing. They are full of highlights and colors. They are little rainbow planets with hot spots, oil slicked surfaces, and a base color. But if they are overused, they can be drab and lifeless. They can even seem reptilian and alien. Margie sees them used as a crutch quite often. Beaders will sometimes settle for th…