While I ponder my creation, And see it in my mind, I wonder what kind of beads, To implement in my design.
The possibilities are endless, A palette of a color fair, A blank canvas for the beads, That I may choose to wear.
Should they be made of wood, Or glass or bone or shell, Maybe I'll use some gemstones, And some acrylic beads as well.
Perhaps I'll use only metal, And mix the different colors, I adore the look they have, Nestled next to one another.
Maybe I should string some pearls, And scatter in a few crystals, Even add some shell or bone, And some gemstones shaped like lentils.
Oh my imagination is soring, My mind is working fast, I must decide which beads to use, To fulfill my creative task.
I have now, at last, decided, I will implement them all, A creation of a multi-strand, Just as my minds eye saw.
I hope you enjoyed the poem. I do enjoy writing them.
I believe that I am a very unorthodox beader. I have to be in a creative mood in order to make an exceptional piece of jewelry that I can design from beginning to end. I see the design in my head and try to bring it to life using my hands and the wire, beads, and clasp. I measure nothing, I draw nothing. What I see in my mind is precisely what I try to create and I do it by eyeing it. The exciting part, for me, is that I know precisely how to make the piece simply from my imagination. That always astounds me. Fortunately I have been able to do this from the first day I began to make jewelry. The techniques I use to actually make the pieces, I have learned from tutorials and books. But the designs are usually totally mine. Although I will admit that I often look at jewelry in stores and if I see something I want to make I will keep the over all look in mind but will tweak it to make it my own. I don't do that very often unless the piece is something exceptional and one I really would like to have. I'm uncomfortable doing that because, I feel, it isn't truly my design. But nonetheless, I have done it from time to time.
The selection of beads available to make your designs can be truly overwhelming. I personally have no problem mixing glass, acrylic, bone, gemstone, metal, or wood together in one piece. I believe that mixing the different textures gives the jewelry more depth and interest. However, I will admit that the texture of the beads chosen should be predicated on the way in which you are going to wear the piece or pieces. If you are designing something for formal wear you would probably want to choose beads with consistency of texture and style. While pieces made for daily or casual wear can be extremely unpredictable and fun.
If you are just beginning to try your hand at beading and are unsure of what types of beads you would like to use. Go on-line and visit some of the jewelry supply stores and buy assortments. You can get assortments in many materials from gemstone to acrylic. I buy these often because they usually contain samplings of different sizes or colors. I hope you have enjoyed this post and have gleaned a little insight into jewelry making. Until my next post, "Happy Beading".
