Why Gold-Filled Beads and Swarovski Crystals Work Together So Well in Jewelry

Why Gold-Filled Beads and Swarovski Crystals Work Together So Well in Jewelry

Sep 7, 2022 | GOLD FILLED BEADS, JEWELRY MAKING SUPPLIES, Swarovski Crystal Beads

Gold-filled beads and Swarovski crystals are two of the most popular materials used in jewelry making because they both have unique properties that make them stand out. When these two are brought together in jewelry design, they create a look of glamour and luxury that is sure to impress. At Crystal Findings, we not only sell these beads in a wide variety of styles but also carry unique ready-made jewelry pieces created with various combinations of gold-filled and Swarovski crystal beads.

What Are Gold-Filled Beads and How Are They Different from Regular Gold-Plated Beads

Gold-filled beads are made with a layer of real gold that is bonded to a brass core. This makes them much more durable than regular gold-plated beads, which can wear away over time. Gold-filled beads also have a richer and more luxurious look than gold-plated beads, making them a perfect choice for high-end jewelry designs.

Why Are Swarovski Crystals So Popular in Jewelry Making

Swarovski crystals are a popular choice for jewelry making because they have beautiful clarity and sparkle that is unmatched by other crystal brands. They are also known for their durability, which makes them a perfect choice for everyday jewelry designs. Swarovski crystals come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, making it easy to find the perfect crystals for your next jewelry project.

How Do Gold-Filled Beads and Swarovski Crystals Work Together to Create a Beautiful Finished Product?

When gold-filled beads and Swarovski crystals are paired together, they create a beautiful and eye-catching combination. The luxurious look of the gold-filled beads combined with the sparkle and clarity of the Swarovski crystals creates a finished product that is sure to impress. Jewelry makers love to replicate the look of fine jewelry made with gold and diamonds on a budget by using these gold-filled beads and Swarovski crystal beads.

Examples of Jewelry Designs That Use Both Gold-Filled Beads and Swarovski Crystals

There are many different ways to use these two materials together in your jewelry designs. You can mix different shapes and sizes of gold-filled beads with Swarovski crystals in a necklace or bracelet design, or you can use them as accents on a piece of jewelry. No matter how you choose to use them, the results are sure to be stunning.

Here are a few examples of jewelry designs that use both gold-filled beads and Swarovski crystals:

  1. A simple necklace design with alternating Swarovski and gold-filled beads with a single, striking Swarovski crystal pendant. For example, this beautiful 14K Gold Filled Necklace With Swarovski Leaf Pendant.14K Gold Filled Necklace With Swarovski Leaf Pendant
  2. A double bangle bracelet design with gold-filled beads all around and a few Swarovski crystal accents in your chosen color. For example, this 14K Gold filled Bangle Bracelet With Swarovski Crystal14K Gold filled Bangle Bracelet With Swarovski Crystal
  3. A pair of drop earrings featuring round Swarovski crystal beads and gold-filled bead accents. For example, this Swarovski Crystal Earring With Gold Filled Beads                                              Swarovski Crystal Earring With Gold Filled Beads

Where To Buy Gold-Filled Beads and Swarovski Crystals Online

When it comes to finding quality gold-filled beads and Swarovski crystals, there’s no better place to shop than Crystal Findings. We carry a wide variety of both gold-filled beads and Swarovski crystals in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, so you’re sure to find the perfect beads for your next jewelry project.

We also have a wide selection of ready-made jewelry pieces that use both gold-filled beads and Swarovski crystals. Whether you’re looking for a necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings, we have something that will suit your needs.

If you’re looking for quality gold-filled beads and Swarovski crystals, be sure to check out Crystal Findings today.

Prismatic Christmas: DIY Christmas Decoration at home

Prismatic Christmas: DIY Christmas Decoration at home

Aug 21, 2022 | JEWELRY MAKING SUPPLIES, Swarovski Crystal Beads, Swarovski Crystal Pendants

As Christmas draws closer, you may be thinking about how you want to decorate your home for the occasion. You can add some extra glitz to all of your holiday displays with handmade crystal ornaments constructed using our quality beading supplies. Keep reading to find out what you’ll need for this project and how to turn a small pile of beads into a glamorous icicle accent.

Materials

For this craft, you’ll need

You can get these beading tools and supplies shipped right to your door from our online store. Be sure to order bicones, briolettes, polygons, and at least one pendant.

Making the Ornament

  1. Start by cutting a four-foot piece of beading thread from the spool and threading it into your beading needle. This might seem like too much, but trust us – you’ll need it!
  2. Use a bead stopper on the open end to keep your beads from falling off, then begin threading the first beads onto the line. Begin with one 8mm briolette bead, then add two 3mm bicones. Continue with an 8mm polygon, then two more bicones. Then add another 8mm briolette and two more bicones.
  3. Once you’ve gotten this far, it’s time to start using some bigger beads. Add a 12mm briolette to the string followed by a bicone, a polygon, another bicone, and one more 12mm briolette.
  4. At this point, you will have reached the very bottom of the ornament. String six bicones together, then add the centerpiece of the whole design: a shimmering crystal pendant. Drop pendants work well for creating a dripping icicle-like effect, but you can use any shape you like. Try one of our Swarovski crystal heart pendants to evoke the warmth and togetherness of the holidays.
  5. After attaching the pendant, thread six more bicones onto the string to complete the small loop that will hold it in place. Then thread the needle back up through the entire line of beads.
  6. The final step involves creating the loop that holds the finished ornament up. To do this, thread 18 bicones together, then pull the thread toward the base of the longer string. Tie several knots at the base of the loop to keep all of the beads in place, then trim away any thread that is still showing.

When you’re done, you will have created a stunning statement piece perfect for decorating your home for the holidays. Hang it on your tree, add it to a window display, or string a few over your mantle – however you choose to show off your glittering creation, it’s sure to make an impression on everyone who visits you during this year’s festivities.

Deck the Halls… with Beads!

This ornament is just one of the many gorgeous crafts you can make with the beads and supplies we stock here at Crystal Findings. Our massive selection of crystal and stone beads, wires, beading threads, and other custom jewelry making supplies includes everything you need to tackle projects both large and small. Browse our listings today and see what else you can find to make your home sparkle this holiday season.

Stone Beaded Bracelets With Soft Flex Wire

Stone Beaded Bracelets With Soft Flex Wire

Aug 7, 2022 | JEWELRY MAKING SUPPLIES, Stone Beads

Stone-beaded bracelets are simple yet elegant accessories that can add a touch of class to any outfit. There are plenty available at various retailers, but why settle for something premade? It’s easy to make your own custom stone beaded bracelets with some basic materials and crafting supplies. Whether you want to make the bracelet you’ve always dreamed of, create a one-of-a-kind gift for a friend, or start your own jewelry-making business, you’ll have no trouble making an item that’s better than any you’ll find on store shelves.

Materials

Before you sit down to start assembling your bracelet, you’ll need to gather the following:

You can get these supplies from most craft stores or online – and of course, our store has all the beads you could possibly want.

Spend some time browsing our selection before you make your final decision. Think about whether you want to go with a full row of just one kind of bead or incorporate a pattern into your design. Either approach can yield beautiful results, but patterns are typically more eye-catching and unique.

The Crafting Process

Once you’ve decided on a design and acquired the materials you need to make it, it’s time to start shaping the wire into a bracelet.

Start by attaching the hook clasp to the end of your wire. To do this, you’ll need to create a small loop with the end of round nose pliers. Take the wire in your hands and start bending it about one inch before the end. Keep bending it until your loop is almost complete, then slip the hook clasp into the loop. Finish attaching the clasp by twisting the remaining bit of wire around the base of the loop. There should be at least two twists here to keep the clasp firmly in place. Remember to tuck the sharp end away so the wearer won’t cut themselves on it.

Now that you have one end of the bracelet complete, you can begin beading. Simply string the beads onto the wire in whatever pattern you choose. Keep in mind that the center of a typical 7-inch bracelet will fall around the 3-inch mark and not the 3.5-inch mark you would expect. This is because the clasp and surrounding wire twists will take up some of the space. Plan your designs accordingly to make sure they have the impact you intended.

Finally, you’ll need to shape the end of the bracelet into a loop that can fit into the clasp. To do this, use the round nose pliers to carefully twist the wire just above the point where your beadwork ends. Check to see if your loop fits into your clasp and creates a bracelet of the intended size. If anything isn’t right, bend the wire back and rework the bracelet as needed.

When you’re happy with the size and fit, use the flat nose pliers to twist the wire around the base of the loop, leaving a little extra room for the beads to move around. Cut the wire, and just like that, you have a finished bracelet.

Get All the Bracelet Materials You Need at the Touch of a Button

With quality online bead retailers like Crystal Findings, it’s never been easier to get the materials you need to make your own showstopping custom pieces. Our store has dozens of different stone beads available in every shape and color you can think of, as well as other beads that they can be paired with like alphabet beads, shamballa beads, and everyone’s favorite, Swarovski beads. Browse our selection of beads to get inspiration for your next project – and when you’re ready to order, just enter your address to get your beads, wire, pliers, and other necessary items shipped right to your door.

These Exquisite Pendants from Swarovski will Make Any Necklace Shine! Part 2

These Exquisite Pendants from Swarovski will Make Any Necklace Shine! Part 2

Jul 21, 2022 | JEWELRY MAKING SUPPLIES

Welcome to Part II of our two-part series looking at four of the very best pendants available at our Swarovski crystal beads online store. In the previous article, we talked about the frequently trending Tear Drop and Baroque pendants, and now we’ll discuss the final two of our four best-selling, ever-popular Swarovski pendants:

Four Exquisite Pendants From Swarvoski That Will Make Your Necklace & Neckline Shine

Part II

 

Moon Pendants

The moon is a significantly important celestial body that cultures of every age, from every corner of the globe, have created stories of as well as pieces of art in reflection of. For many of these ancient civilizations, the moon often was associated with some female deity. The half moon in particular was often seen as a sign of fertility and hence, even more associated with the feminine aspect.

When people thus refer to moon pendants, they are most often thinking of those crystal pendants that are designed in the shape of a crescent moon. These are certainly one of the top-selling Swarvoski crystal pendants we sell at our online store. We have them in three different sizes and several gorgeous colors, including jet black and a topaz color reminiscent of the harvest moon.

Heart Pendant

How could we create any list of the most popular pendants and not include the forever favorite heart shape? Hearts are another symbol used the world over, with examples reaching as far back as the Indus Valley civilization over 4000 years ago. Archeologists studying that culture have found pendants embossed with heart-shaped fig leaves and believe this is another symbol often used in connection with fidelity and fertility.

Today, we connect it likewise with fidelity as well as with love of all types. You might give a heart pendant to a friend, sibling, parent, child, or someone whom you care deeply about. Whatever the reason, we can’t help but showcase our beautiful Swarovski heart pendants. We have this one available in two unique sizes.

The first style is this Swarovski Crystal Heart Pendant that is larger, featuring greater depth. This style is a fantastic choice for longer chain lengths and for when you want a statement piece that will really reflect the light. The other style of heart-shaped pendants we have available with our beading supplies online is this flatter Swarovski Crystal Heart Pendant. You’ll find that this pendant works exceptionally well with shorter chains, such as if you are trying to find a piece for a choker-styled necklace, thanks to its lying a bit flatter.

Visit Our Online Store for Even More Fantastic Pieces

Of course, to use any of the four Swarovski pendants we showcase across these two articles, you will first need other beading supplies and tools, like chains and clasps. Visit our online store of Crystal Findings today to view these and other fantastic pieces!

These Exquisite Pendants from Swarovski will Make Any Necklace Shine! Part 1

These Exquisite Pendants from Swarovski will Make Any Necklace Shine! Part 1

Jul 7, 2022 | JEWELRY MAKING SUPPLIES

The neckline and nape of the neck are incredibly alluring parts of the body. It’s hard to pin down what makes this part of the body so special; some say it’s the vulnerability of being just above your heart and others due to the way it naturally draws the eye. But for whatever reason, one thing is clear, necklaces with large, beautiful pendants are a fantastic way of really accentuating this alluring part of the body.

Our team at Crystal Findings thus prefers not the question of whether or not you should wear a pendant (because that answer is always yes!), but rather which pendant is right for you. The following is a two-part series and look at four of our favorite, best-selling pendants to help you create that perfect necklace for your body and style.

Four Exquisite Pendants From Swarvoski That Will Make Your Necklace & Neckline Shine

Part I

Baroque Pendants

6091 - 38mm Swarovski Flat Baroque Pendant - Crystal CopperThe term Baroque refers to a style of art and architecture that flourished in Europe from the early 1600s to the mid-1700s. The Baroque style utilizes a number of artistic tactics with the aim to inspire a great sense of awe and appreciation. The first of this style began with massive cathedrals built to be open with elaborate detail, deep colors, and an overall architecture that inspired a sense of grandeur. Later, other forms of art used similar colors, details, and forms that would accentuate movement to similarly attract the eye and inspire admiration.

Our Swarovski Baroque Pendants were designed and created with exactly this aim. As you’ll see, these are chunky pendants with many faces cut throughout. These faces nicely catch and reflect the light, resulting in quite a beautiful dazzle of shades. You can choose your Baroque pendant in a variety of colors; all of which will certainly draw attention as they add a touch of art to your neckline.

Tear Drop Pendant

6000 - 15x7.5mm Swarovski Crystal Drop Pendants - TopazTeardrop pendants are of a style that constantly comes back. The first known tear drop pendants were made in 1457 by famed Belgian jeweler Lodewyn van Bercken. Since then, they have been worn all over the world, growing especially popular in the United States during the 1920s. The shape is said to symbolize tears of joy and happiness, which has led to smaller renditions of it being quite popular for use in engagement rings.

Of course, why keep it small when you can opt for a larger pendant for your necklace? Teardrop pendants are a particularly great look on longer chains, ones that drop to or just below the bustline. These are also available at our online store in a variety of colors, including amethyst, emerald, and stunning jet black.

Subscribe for Part II!

That’s all we have space for in this article. Stay tuned to part two of premier pendant jewelry!

3 Essential Tools For Beginners in Jewelry Making

3 Essential Tools For Beginners in Jewelry Making

Jun 21, 2022 | GOLD FILLED BEADS, JEWELRY MAKING SUPPLIES

Jewelry making is a fantastic hobby, one that can easily be called its own art form due to the maker’s ability to create whatever special designs call to them. What unique designs and jewelry styles call you? Whichever they are and for whomever your future pieces are for, you will need to the right jewelry making supplies and tools before you get started. The following is a quick look at the most essential tools for beginner jewelers that you will want to get before you start buying beading supplies online.

3 Essential Tools for Beginners in Jewelry Making

  • Wire Cutters. Wire cutters should be the very first thing you purchase as it will be close to impossible to cleanly cut and create most necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more without them. Wire cutters cleanly cut the stringing wire and pieces like eye pins that you’ll thread your gold filled beads and findings on. Some people think that they can get by with scissors or with old wire cutters that are being repurposed. Don’t. Scissors and old cutters will cause fraying on the wire, which will lead to imperfect ends that are hard and frustrating to work with.
  • Round nose pliers. Pliers are so important to jewelry making that the specific style of round nose pliers was designed specifically with jewelers in mind. Round nose pliers have a jaw that tapers to a point and enables the user to perfectly position the wire for a desired looping size. Round nose pliers also help with side tasks like holding clasps open when stringing on sterling silver beads.
  • Crimping tool. If you want to keep costs low when you’re first starting out, you can use a chain nose or flat nose plier for this task but it really isn’t recommended. That’s because flat nose pliers work more by smashing the wire down, a process that often creates sharp edges that are unsightly and can scratch the skin, causing discomfort or pain. Instead, consider investing in special crimping pliers or a specific crimping tool. Tools labeled as crimping tools feature special notches within their jaws that will round out and flatten the crimping bead as it secures onto the wire. This creates a clean finish that looks good (think professionally good) and doesn’t have uneven edging.

Got These Tools in Hand? Now it’s Time to Start Making Your Own Beautiful Pieces!

Truly, once you have the above three essential tools for jewelry making, you will be able to hit the ground running! These tools will really help streamline the jewelry-making process and help you finish with more beautiful, professionally-looking pieces. Of course, first, you will need to order your jewelry supplies, like beads and findings. Visit our online store at Crystal Findings today to do just that so you can get started with making your beautiful signature pieces in short order!