Oh little rings of silver or gold, That glimmer in the light, Their simplicity as they shine, A finding of much delight.
They attach our beads to each, Or maybe to a wire, And allow them to swing to and fro, A designer's hears desire.
When I first began to use them, I wondered, How hard can it be, To open and close this precious wire, And attach it to a bead.
I opened up my first Jumpring, And placed on both beaded wires, And tried to close it back again, Using two pair of pliers.
The purveyor of the beaded links, To my beads I did attach, When I picked it up and looked at it, I had not closed it back.
Undeterred by this observation, I opened the ring once more, I thought I'd closed it back again, But my beads feel to the floor.
The frustration from my failure, Began to erode my composure, For no matter how hard I tried, I could not make the closure.
What was once a pristine ring, Had become scarred and mangled, I was determined to conquer this, And give my bling its dangle.
As the day began to falter, And the light was growing dim, I took out another ring to bead, And with hope for success, I'd win.
In my struggle to close it back, I think I yelled some expletive deleted, Oh little ring of rounded wire, I will not be defeated.
The battle went on for hours, But my skills began to grow, And finally, through dedication, I conquered this wiry foe.
My design had finally come to life, With jumpring unmarred and closed, Now I wear my jewelry proudly, And design it to match my clothes.
Do not give up easily when your trying to learn something new. I had a most difficult time trying to learn how to close jumprings. But no matter how frustrated I became I never stopped trying. I was unaware that the Internet offered many opportunities for beginners to learn the basics through on-line tutorials. Most of what I have learned came from trial and error, mostly error.
Go on-line and visit tutorials that give you insight into jewelry making techniques. I just visited one at http://www.etsy.com/, then click on the blog Jamberrysong's creations. She has a great tutorial for making your own headpins. Check out other tutorials at beading suppliers web sites. Most have free tutorials and many have design ideas that are free. I can't stress enough the importance of utilizing the free lessons offered by these companies. I visit them often just to make sure that I am making my designs correctly and making myself aware of the techniques used by the experts. This also will give you the opportunity to browse through their catalogs and provide you the ability to decide what beads or findings are available for your next project. Check out the sales and clearance buys while your there. Buy jewelry making craft books and magazines. What I have learned from books, magazines, & tutorials, I feel is priceless. To give you an example, I love wire wrapping and everything I have learned has come from either a book or an on-line tutorial. I've made pendents, wire wrapped bead earrings, and rings some which are adjustable. These are made with plated wire. However, I believe I have now progressed enough to work on an hand carved 40mm Italian cameo which I intend to wire wrap using sterling silver wire. Believe it or not the cameo only cost $20.00 and she's a real beauty. There isn't a jewelry store anywhere, that I know of, that you could but this cameo for less than several hundred. I'll post her picture when I get her completed. Until next time, I wish you happy beading.
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