Do you love to binge watch jewelry making tutorials? Today is going to be a real treat, if so. We have six videos featuring three different jewelry designers. This recap is full of colorful jewelry and artisan techniques. Learn how to make flexible chain with Soft Flex Beading Wire. Wire wrap a cuff bracelet with Soft Flex Craft Wire. And join Nealay on his Colors of India social media beading tour.

Kristen designed some fun jewelry with our Shades of Coral Design Kit and bead mix. Nealay showed off his Colors of India Mystery Kit and designed a bolo necklace and bracelet. James wrapped up the week with a stunning cuff bracelet that looks amazing for a male or female wrist. What a fun week! We hope you designed some fantastic jewelry, too!

Don't miss our latest Soft Flex Craft Wire - square silver, copper, and gold. Square Soft Flex Craft Wire has a unique look and catches light differently than our round and half-round wire. It looks amazing when wire wrapping or creating a bracelet. Add some to your collection!

Soft Flex Craft Wire is a high quality, permanently colored copper wire. It is resistant to scratching, peeling and marring. This is due to the special enameling process used to coat the wire to produce the wide spectrum of colors we offer. After the enamel is applied, the wire is then clear coated to prevent tarnishing. Bare Copper is the only wire in the line that is not treated. If antiques and old findings are your medium, Bare Copper will patina - perfect for making that new project look like an heirloom.

Make A Necklace With The Shades Of Coral Kit And Bead Mix

Kristen filmed this video two weeks ago but with a holiday looming, we did not have a chance to feature it on our recap. But we love the design in this video, so we wanted to revisit it.

In this video, Kristen made a necklace using  Soft Flex Extreme Beading Wire in Champagne color and the Shades of Coral Design Kit. She also mixed and matched beads from our Shades of Coral and Wanderlust Bead Mixes.

The chain technique Kristen used in this video is similar to a  bangle bracelet she designed in a video tutorial a couple of weeks ago. The bangle bracelet was very popular on our Facebook group – VIB. It was fun seeing her use the technique to create another piece of jewelry.

The flexible chain design is wonderful. The finish can be varied with different beads. If you love the technique, make sure you play around with your  bead sizes and colors.

Supplies:
Soft Flex Extreme .019/Medium Beading Wire in Champagne Color (two 20” strands) 
Shades of Coral  Design Kit (sold out)
Shades of Coral Bead Mix
Wanderlust Bead Mix 
Soft Flex 2x2mm Gold Filled Crimp Tubes 
Magical Crimping Pliers
Soft Flex Professional Flush Cutters 
Toggle Clasp (included in the Shades of Coral Bead Mix)

Don't miss Kristen's YouTube jewelry design series - Free Spirit Beading. She films a new episode every Monday at 12:00pm PST. The series takes it's name from her design philosophy. She does not fret about mistakes while creating her art or jewelry but chooses to incorporate the 'errors' into her designs. She believes that mistakes are part of the journey and flaws can be beautiful. Be a free spirit and follow her!

SilverSilk Colors of India Bead Tour with Nealay Patel Project 1

Nealay Patel is a great friend and fellow jewelry designer. He owns an online retail store - SilverSilk and More. The products on his store are lush and wonderful. SilverSilk's decadent Capture Chain and mesh can turn any design into a masterpiece.

Nealay was discussing business with Sara Oehler and Sarah James and they touched on the subject of doing a social media beading tour. The result of this discussion was the Colors of India Mystery Kit. Nealay joined us on the first stop of the tour to create stunning bolo necklace with pearlesque chain.

Supplies:
Colors of India Kit Components at SilverSilk and More
Colors of India Bead Mix
Dark Blue Lapis Soft Flex Beading Wire - .019 Diameter
Nylon Jaw Pliers
Magical Crimping Pliers
Cutters

Nealay loves to sketch out his jewelry before designing. This is a great way to make sure the idea he envisions comes to fruition. If you are a designer that likes to work without a template, it can be fun to watch this thoughtful and more plotted method.

Knitted Jewelry Pattern With Crystals & Pro Econoflex Gold

Kristen designed an elegant bangle bracelet with lots of sparkle and golden shine. So fun and easy. If you have the beading basics in your tool kit: cutters, a pair of crimping pliers, crimps, beads, and wire - you just need a knitting spool to finish some wonderfully knitted jewelry designs.

The knitting style Kristen uses in this video is Knit Style 3. She uses a 3-pin knitting spool.

At Soft Flex Company, we carry three different knitting spools. 3-pin, 4-pin, and 5-pin. The number of pins on the spools create a different look. A 3-pin is great if you want to design with a less wire demanding spool - it will not use as much to create a finished piece of jewelry. The 4-pin and 5-pin spools have a wonderfully dense wire look. It is definitely worth checking each out to determine which one has your favorite finish.

Supplies:
Pro Econoflex Medium .019 Wire in Gold Color
5mm Crystal AB Bicone Beads
2x2mm Gold Filled Crimp Tubes
Hammered Cones in Gold Plated
Makers’ Clasp in Gold Plated
3-Pin Knitting Spool
Magical Crimping Pliers
Cutters

Check out our how-to pages on the three styles of knit we like to work with:

Knit with Beading Wire - Style 1

Knit with Beading Wire - Style 2

Knit with Beading Wire - Style 3

Once you have selected the knitting spool you would like to design jewelry with, it is time to determine which Knit Style speaks to you. The difference between each Knit Style is the way the wire is looped over the pegs and drawn down. Each Knit Style has a unique look if you like changing up your style.

To add beads or not to add beads? That is the question. You can create stunning and varied looks with just the color of the wire you are knitting with. You can also go further down the rabbit hole and start adding beads. You can create a knitted design and add beads down the 'tube' of the design before you finish the piece. You can add beads to the wire itself while you knit. Or, you can just add a large bead on top of the design as a sliding or set focal bead, this bead would need to have a large beading hole - lampwork is a great suggestion if you love glass!

Make sure you check out our draw plates if you work with Soft Flex Craft Wire on your knitting spool. A draw plate is great if want to create smaller or uniform designs and you are using a rigid wire like Craft Wire. Draw plates have holes that you pull your design through. As the wire goes through the hole, it gets smashed down to a smaller size. Draw plates are great if you demand that all of your designs fit a certain size requirement. Perfect if you are selling a design to a customer base that wants more petite jewelry.

Look at how different each bracelet can look with new colors and beads. Knitting spools lend themselves to a spectrum of fun designs. Perfect for a gold plated and elegant wire or fun for the beach with a splashy and vibrant color. With the right beads, these designs look great for any age or gender.

SilverSilk Colors of India Bead Tour with Nealay Patel Project 2

Nealay filmed his second project with his Colors of India Mystery Kit. This kit was far more popular than he expected and sold out in three days. We hope there are more SilverSilk kits in this future.

Nealay followed up the bolo necklace he created on his last video with a lovely bracelet. The two designs would look fantastic as a matching set. What a fun kit! So much vibrant color.

Supplies:
Colors of India Kit Components at SilverSilk and More
Colors of India Bead Mix
Dark Blue Lapis Soft Flex Beading Wire - .019 Diameter
Nylon Jaw Pliers
Magical Crimping Pliers
Cutters

Nealay is going to be filming his final video of the tour next week. He is going to be on Jesse James Facebook page and designing a third project. We cannot wait to see what he comes up with!

Did you pick up a Colors of India Mystery Kit? Let Nealay know what you created. He would love to see your designs. If you are a fan of SilverSilk and More, make sure you follow his Facebook group and become a SilverSilk Silkie!

Live Jewelry Demonstration With The Shades Of Coral Bead Mix

Kristen filmed a video featuring our lovely Shades of Coral  Bead Mix. This bead mix was part of our Shades of Coral Design Kit. Our design kits are mystery kits full of beads, wire, and components - enough to create lots of unique jewelry - all you need are basic beading tools.

Shades of Coral is a celebration of  Pantone's Color of the Year for 2019 - Living Coral.

Pantone is honoring Living Coral color as the color of the year. This warm color evokes so much. There is life and optimistic hope. Coral is playful and bouncy. It is inviting. Inspired by the colors under the sea, this palette will give you those beachy vibes - perfect for summer style jewelry designs! 

Make sure you grab our  design kits and bead mixes when they hit our site. They are very limited in our inventory and once they are gone, they are gone for good. Don't miss our latest design kit - the Tucson Sunset Design Kit.

The Tucson Sunset Design Kit is an homage to the mystery of the American Southwest. The Southwest is radiant with color. Tucson is the epicenter of this intense spectrum. The setting sun fills the clouds with banded purples, rich reds, and luscious copper. The glory of the dying light is serenaded by the nocturnal animals in their howls and song. Design with the ghosts of the Southwest. Design with the Tucson Sunset!

Supplies:
Shades of Coral Bead Mix
Soft Flex Beading Wire - .019 Diameter
Soft Flex 2x2mm Crimp Tubes
Magical Crimping Pliers
Ear Wires
Bead Stoppers

The Shades of Coral  Bead Mix is stunning. This versatile bead mix is perfect for earrings, necklaces, lanyards, and more. Show everybody how much you love the diversity and living color of the ocean. Take a little bit of the beach to the office with you. A glowing set of coral earrings is sure to turn heads.

How To Make A Cuff With Square Soft Flex Craft Wire

James filmed his latest episode of Conversations in Wire on Thursday. James is a jewelry designer that loves to work with  Soft Flex Craft Wire. This series showcases Craft Wire and how to create unique designs and jewelry.

This time, James was eager to work with our latest wire -  Square Soft Flex Craft Wire. Square Craft Wire has a unique and stunning look. James kicked the video off showing a stone and a focal bead that he wrapped with square wire. He then showed a cuff bracelet that he created with Square Craft Wire and SilverSilk. This is the bracelet style he was going to demonstrate. 

You can follow along and design your own cuff bracelet. SilverSilk Capture Chain and  Square Soft Flex Craft Wire are all you need if you have pliers and cutters. This cuff bracelet is amazing. It is elegant and masculine. Perfect for every wrist.

Don't miss James' series. He uploads a new video every other Thursday. He does not film live, but can easily be reached on our  Facebook group – VIB or by email. If you have any questions or need design help with our Soft Flex Craft Wire, he would love to answer them.

Supplies:
Soft Flex Craft Wire - Square
Soft Flex Craft Wire - Half Round
SilverSilk Capture Chain
Cutters (Bead Nipper)
Nylon Jaw Pliers
Bent Nose Pliers
Round Nose Pliers

Join our Facebook group – VIB. Stay in the know. Stay up to date. From our bead shows to our video shows and sales, you can stay in touch with us. The community is full of artistic and helpful beaders and crafty people. Inspire and be inspired. Share your pictures and get the beading bug from others!

Visit the Soft Flex Company YouTube Channel!

Blog contributor Thomas Soles loves Jazz Age writers and crunchy french fries. His favorite gemstones are Lapis and Pietersite. His favorite hobby is day dreaming. And his favorite mustache is Freddie Mercury's. As you can see, he has a healthy (or possibly unhealthy) sense of humor. You can write to him at Thomas@SoftFlexCompany.com