Women and girls the world over love earrings. Gypsy tradition has it that men also wear earrings, but hoops only. So these dangling multi-drop earrings look stunning and feminine at any occasion, and your movement will give them life and vibrancy.

Start your earrings by using an eye pin, and place a lavender 10mm faceted chalcedony ball bead on the base and a 8mm purple glass based pearl bead on top of that. To add a finishing touch to this part place a 2mm silver ball bead on to the top. Now create a loop with your round nosed pliers. Using these and some serrated pliers attach the part you just made to your ear wire. I have used silver coloured ball and spring shepherd hooks for this project. Now use a 7 ringed round chandelier base and attach six wavy metal leaf charms to the loops, using a 5mm jump ring to attach the together. And now all that is to be done is attach the base with the top part of the earring and make your second earring to match. To mix it up a little, as the Gypsy would, you could think outside the square and make one earring different to the other. Try different colours on one.

And there you have it, you are ready for a Gypsy life, full of fun and adventure along the way. Enjoy.

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This necklace is fun to make, looks great, and above all is different. If you have a crocheting hook, use whatever you have, but a hook between 4mm and 6mm works best. Choose a stringing material which can either be a soft cord such as silk or polyester, or fishing line or it can be elastic which is what I have chosen. I used the black colour from our assorted round beading elastic pack. Elastic will stretch and you can easily wrap it around twice if you want a short double strand.

Here is how it is done:

Select you stringing material and your beads. I have used a black glass heart bead as my feature beads and the beautiful deep red dyed sea bamboo ball bead in a 9mm size. Place all your beads on your chosen material. You may need a sowing needle to assist in stringing on the beads if you have chosen a soft cord or elastic which hasn’t got a needle attached already. Our Griffin silk cords come in handy for this one as they have already got a needle attached. Otherwise there is a great beading needled called the Big eye beading needle, if you havn’t already got a sowing needle at home. Once you have your pattern and colour theme worked out, tie a slip knot at the beginning, about 7cm from the cut-off so you can tie the end bits together when you have finished. Start with five chain stitches, then feed in your first bead, and continue with regular intervals of chain stitches so to create the desired pattern. You will find this method very quick, fun to make and the results are great. If you are unfamiliar with slip knots and chain stitches have a look at some youtube clips on it. Experiment with small beads, large beads, short intervals of chain stitch or even irregular intervals.

I look forward to seeing your creations on facebook.

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Whether against a plain top or multi-coloured, this happy number is great anywhere, anytime. Put together on eye-pins, connected with w-crimps, this necklace is great to pack in your suitcase as it is easy to just chuck in. Choose any combination of coloured beads, but make sure you include some bright red, turquoise, yellow and lime colours as they work fantastic together, as it keeps it all fresh.

To create my green and blue tones I have used a 12mm green stone ball bead, a lime green oblong venetian glass bead a turquoise green simulated turquoise bead, and a light blue coloured venetian glass bead. In the reds I have added the deep red 13mm x 15mm dyed sea bamboo bead and a 15mm x 11mm dyed sea bamboo bead. Now to give it the final colour is the vivid yellow ceramic bead. I have used one that has a dainty floral print on it, which give the necklace a sweet look.

After selecting you choice of colourful beads place each bead on an eye pin and create a loop with your round nosed pliers. Create approximately 45 individual pieces like this to achieve the length shown. You can of course make it any length you like. Now all you have to do is connect all your pieces together, using the very handy w-crimps. There is no need for a clasp if you choose to have it this length, but if you wish to make it shorter than have a look at some of our great clasps.

Be creative with this piece, as your options for altering from this design are only limited by your imagination.

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Anyone who has ever looked into the piercing eyes of a big cat knows the mesmerising qualities of these emperors  of the animal kingdom. Named after the chatoyant effect of the tiger’s eye, our strand will fascinate and intrigue the wearer as well as those who lay their eyes upon those hand-polished beads. Stunning, contemporary and intriguing, those are the qualities of the tiger’s eye bead.

To make this necklace take a 95cm length of 0.45mm gold tigertail and crimp one end to any antique gold clasp, I’ve used a toggle clasp but you could use a parrot clasp or screw clasp if you’d prefer.

Thread on twenty 4mm antique gold ball spacer beads, 25 tiger’s eye cube beads, eleven antique gold faceted Bali beads and then and other 25 of the tiger’s eye beads. The next section is the centre section so after that just thread on the same beads you have until no but in reverse to make it symmetrical. The centre section consists of another eleven of the antique gold faceted beads. Once you have made it symmetrical crimp the other end onto the other side of your clasp.

The second strand is the same as the first, however you need to add an extra six tiger’s eye beads in, three on either side, to make it a little longer than the first strand. Crimp this to the same rings of the clasp and there you have it.

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Ku-kui seeds come from massive big trees and when polished make for a great look in organic jewellery. Combined with ceramic and pumice stone beads and strung on two silk cords, this necklace complements khaki colours and makes for fun accessories.

Start by unwinding both your silk threads. I have used the griffin no. 16 size silk in brown and olive. Each Griffin silk cord comes with an attached needle. Tie a knot about 10cm from the end with both colours and put one of the needles through a ku-kui seed bead. Then bring both needles together through an antique gold metal ring, through your green coloured pumice stone bead and again through the metal ring. Continue in this way, alternating the ku-kui seeds with your ceramic bead. Once you have completed your pattern of five ceramic beads and six ku-kui seeds, tie a knot above the last metal ring, then decide on a length that suits your requirements, and feed your two silk threads with the needle attached through your first metal ring and come back to re-enforce your silk thread. Create a double twisted look (with four strands by now) by wrapping one set of cords around the original set of cords. Tie another knot to finish off your necklace. Seal the end bit of silk cord with some shellac to stop the ends fraying. You can hang little charms off the end bits to give you necklace individual style. I have used the  ever so sweet metal flower heart pendant on the ends. Although a pendant size, they still work fine with the necklace, and would tie in great for Mother’s Day. But of course there are many other wonderful charms to choose from as well.

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Pearls, shell and crystals strung on silk spell luxury in anyone’s language. Purple coloured beads give stunning contrast when worn with yellow, orange and turquoise colours.

I have used the Griffin silk cord for this project. It is so easy to use, as it comes with an attached needle, making it go through even the very small seed beads used in this piece. Start by unwinding the entire 2m length of amethyst coloured no. 5 Griffin silk thread. In random order, so to keep it interesting, thread on a variety of purple coloured beads in an assortment of materials. I have used 9mm amethyst coloured freshwater pearls beads. There are of course other great colours you can use as well in the freshwater pearl range. Shell beads have gone into the necklace which have a beautiful velvety purple look to them. Gorgeous high quality faceted glass beads in a rich amethyst colour add that something special to the piece. Last but not least, as this necklace would not be complete without them, are the seed beads which I have used in between all the other beads to space them out. I have used amethyst size 12/0 beads. Again you do not have to count the exact same amount each time for spacing them out, keep it random to tie in with the rest of the necklace. Now just tie the thread at the back, there is no need for a clasp. You can either wear it has one very long necklace, or double it over which looks amazing.

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This classic piece is made from exquisite sea bamboo beads , as well as beautifully faceted glass beads and stark white opaque seed beads. A show-stopper on black, it is equally eye-catching against white or red. The black silk thread it is strung on lends a smooth easy to wear finish.

To make this necklace, use Griffin No. 5 silk thread in black. Unwind the entire length of your two meter silk thread and start with a size 6/0 white opaque seed bead, a black 6mm faceted glass ball bead, another white seed bead and then add a clasp of  your choice. I have used a large gold clasp which adds as a feature to the necklace. The gold goes great with the red, black  and white look. After attaching the clasp go back through the three small beads, knotting the silk thread in between each bead. Once you are at the third bead use a little glue to hold the knot in place. Continue threading on your desired pattern. I have used the sequence of one white seed bead, one black faceted glass ball bead, another white seed bead and three sea bamboo beads, all of which I have spaced out with size 8/0 black frosted seed beads in between each one to give the impression of knotting, which always looks impressive. I have continued this sequence thirteen times, finishing off the last three beads again as how I started, by knotting and going through the beads twice with the silk thread. You won’t want to walk out the door without this stunning piece on. “Arikado”

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Nothing stirs the Heart as much as a soft, blue coloured flower. These delicate ceramic flower pendants are based on Japanese Art and are all hand-crafted. Each one is slightly different and unique, just like each person living on the planet. I decided to go for a very plain background so as to bring out the features of the pendant to its best advantage.

Create this piece by using tigertail. Start by threading on a 3mm silver metal spacer ball, followed by 30 dark aqua 6mm coloured chalcedony ball beads. Now place the tigertail through a blue porcelain flower pendant and add another 30 chalcedony ball beads, followed by another 3mm spacer ball. Attach both ends of your necklace to a bolt ring clasp, using a crimp and some flat nosed pliers. Now repeat this process to create the second row of the necklace. This one will require more beads as it is going to sit on the outside. You will need to thread on 34 beads instead of 30, making sure you thread through the pendant again when you are at the middle. Finish the necklace as before, using crimps. Now add a 5mm silver crimp cover to both sides. This will neaten up your work and give it that professional touch, hiding any unsightly crimps.

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Our original Menoni tubular mesh conceals the pearls that lie inside and only reveal the hidden treasures at second glance. The choice of colour is spot on with current fashion colours and will add intrigue, sophistication and beauty to your new wardrobe.

To make this necklace, cut three lengths of Menoni tubular mesh of olive, black and copper.  Cut your copper one to approximately 50cm, the black to 46cm and the olive colour to 44cm. Choose freshwater pearl beads in three different colours, matching to your Menoni tubular mesh. Place these pearls inside the tubular mesh. You can make a knot at the ends of them so the pearls don’t shift, or just leave them as is. You can also choose beads with a larger hole that could go on the outside of the tubular mesh… the possibilities with the Menoni tubular mesh are really endless. Using an antique gold ribbon clamp place all three ends of the Menoni mesh into it and close over. Your copper coloured mesh should be at the bottom, then the black and the olive at the top. You will need two clamps to finish off both ends of the necklace. To finish off your necklace use two lengths of the antique gold extension chain, attaching it to the ribbon clamps, creating the back of the necklace. There is no need for a clasp as it will fit over the head. To add a final sweet touch you can add five antique gold metal bow charms to the copper coloured mesh on the outside, using antique gold jump rings. Now just let the comments come in as your friends admire your work.

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The African continent is a land of many diverse cultures and customs. But one theme all these peoples have in common is the love of beauty, beads and tradition. This necklace is dedicated to all the women and children in need of education, clean water and a reliable food supply.

Rather than tigertail, all the beads of this necklace will be threaded onto 0.7mm x 50mm antique gold eye pins and linked together. Thread an antique gold faceted Bali bead onto an eye pin, cut the end of the pin off around 5mm from the bead with your side cutters, bend it at a right angle to your bead with your flat nosed pliers as close to the bead as you can and then use your round nosed pliers to turn a loop so you have two rings on either side of the bead. Do this another thirteen times and link seven of these into a chain. To link the pins together use flat nosed pliers and bend the end of the eye to the side rather than unfurling it with round nosed pliers, this helps the eye keep a nice shape. Link the other seven into another chain so you have two chains of beads and then link one of the end loops of each of the chains onto either side of a 9mm screw clasp.

For the feature part of this necklace take another pin and thread a 6mm x 3mm light amber faceted glass rondelle onto it, followed by a 16mm x 12mm black faceted glass rondelle and then another light amber one. Cut the excess pin off and turn a loop at the end again, as before. Do this another seven times. Link one of these to one of the ends of your chain of antique gold beads and link a faceted oval agate bead on an eye pin to your rondelles. Link another lot of rondelles onto the faceted oval agate and then thread a printed agate bead onto a pin and attach it to the rondelles. Attach another faceted oval agate bead on and then a printed agate bead with rondelles in between. This is your centre bead. From there just attach another two faceted agate beads with a printed agate bead in the middle and rondelles in between all of them and once you’ve linked the last lot of rondelles to your chain of antique gold beads you’re done.

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