Tutorials

One of my favourite design houses is the House of Chanel started by Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, more well known as Coco Chanel. She is often credited with liberating women from the constraints of the "corseted silhouette" and popularizing a sporty, casual chic as the feminine standard of style. She is well known for the little black dress, tweed suits, distinctive costume jewellery and the 2.55 bag. Her use of beautiful tweed and always the pearls makes her fashion exudes style, sophistication, class and timelessness.

The Gabrielle Cuff is my homage to Coco Chanel who is very often my personal muse when it comes to beading. Her love of pearls is evident in a bold cuff that is studded with luscious pearls in a grid pattern. The grid is further embellished to resemble the look and texture of the tweed she so loves. Gabrielle may be worn 2 ways – one with a clasp and for those of you who would like to touch of whimsy - a ribbon can be used as closure.

Note :
Ribbon Not Included
Additional clasp available from here 

Born Arjumand Banu Begum, Mumtaz Mahal was the Empress consort of the Mughal Empire’s emperor, Shah Jahan. Poets extolled her beauty, gracefulness and compassion. The emperor even conferred upon her the title of Mumtaz Mahal meaning Exalted One of the Palace. Mumtaz Mahal had a very deep and loving marriage with Shah Jahan and travelled with him throughout the Empire.

She died giving birth to the couple’s 14^th child. In the immediate aftermath of his bereavement, the emperor was inconsolable, and he went into secluded mourning for a year. When he appeared again, his hair had turned white, his back was bent, and his face worn. He began planning the design and construction of a suitable mausoleum and funerary garden in Agra for his wife. A task that would take more than 22 years to complete and Taj Mahal, a monument to love was the result.

Mumtaz Mahal takes its inspiration from the Empress consort herself. An elaborate bezelled crystal pendant is hung from symmetrical spiralling ropes. More ropes hang below the pendant giving the impression of endless spiralling loops.

Sabine is a series of Double Cubic Right Angle Weave (DCRAW) and Cubic Right Angle Weave (CRAW) units to form a firm self-supporting structure. It can be either a circular or tear drop pendant. The bail is a right angle weave (RAW) strip connected to DCRAW units. A series of CRAW units interspersed with DCRAW units for a pliable, textural rope. Sabine can be worn long or short. A hidden magnetic clasp is used to close the necklace when worn short.

Instructions for both round and tear drop pendant as well as the hidden clasp closure are included. 

A big thank you to Sabine Lippert of trytobead for her Double Cubic Right Angle Weave stitch.

Cubic right angle weave geometric pendants are strung on an embellished chain.

Beautiful sparkling backlit tear drops are interspersed between bezelled chatons around the chain.

The Tudor period was one the most exciting in British history. This era gave us the infamous Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. They ruled for 118 years and it also gave England two of the strongest monarchs to ever sit on the English throne – Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth.

The classic and opulent style of the Tudor dynasty has influenced jewellery for generations. They personify the axiom that More is More. Tudor jewellery is not for the faint of heart. It is meant to make a statement -dramatic, elegant, bold, sensual and romantic. Each piece is opulent, embellished and luxurious with luscious gems and precious metals.

The Tudor Cuff exemplifies this era of jewellery. Czech shaped beads are woven and embellished with sparkling firepolished and seed beads. The cuff is made even more luxurious with the addition of dangling tassels. Definitely a piece of jewellery meant to be noticed.

Cuff blank available here

IMPORTANT
This cuff will fit wrist size up to 19cm (7.5"). The cuff blank is NOT adjustable.
The instructions are written specifically for the cuff blank shown.

Simple, sophisticated and elegant.

La Collier d'Élégance showcases the beauty of a magnificent gleaming cubic zirconia clasp.

Strips of cubic right angle weave units are embellished and connected to form a pliable band that sits seductively on the nape. Long loops of cubic right angle weave form the front of the collar. The elegant cubic zirconia clasp acts both as a clasp and as a beautiful focal at the front of the collar. Definitely an elegant addition that is meant to be noticed.

Accompaniment Cuff is available here.

Cubic Zirconia Clasp is available here.

Simple, sophisticated and elegant.

La Manchette d'Élégance showcases the beauty of a magnificent gleaming cubic zirconia clasp. Strips of cubic right angle weave units are embellished and connected to form a simple pliable strap to hold the clasp as a focal. Supremely comfortable to wear, the cuff stays firmly on your wrist. Definitely an elegant addition to any wardrobe.

Accompaniment Collar is available here.

Cubic Zirconia Clasp is available here.

A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Ribbons are used for innumerable useful, ornamental, and symbolic purposes. Cultures around the world use ribbon in their hair, around the body, and as ornamentation on non-human; animals, buildings, and packaging.

Cloth ribbons are typically made of natural materials such as silk, velvet, cotton, and jute. They can also be made from a variety of synthetic materials, such as polyester, nylon, and polypropylene.

The Ribbon is a sparkling, pliable band of tiny seed beads forming a ribbon-like band. The band is then embellished with hundreds of tiny sparkling firepolished beads. The Ribbon can be made with or without the “bow”. The Ribbon is further accentuated with decorated tassels ending in delightful tear drop shaped beads.

Filigree available from here

Tide pools, or rock pools, are rocky pools on the sea shore which are filled with seawater. Many of these pools exist as separate pools only at low tide.

The herringbone bezelled crystal rivolis sparkle like pools of light - just like an ocean tide pool. Luckily for us though, our Tide Pools do not disappear when the tide comes in. They continue to reflect light and glimmer on our wrist.

Maria Theresa was an Austrian archduchess, the only female ruler of the Hapsburg dominions and also the last of the House of Hapsburg. Sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress. She was also the mother of the infamous Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI of France.

Maria Theresa promulgated financial and educational reforms, promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. A ruler very much ahead of her time.

The Maria Theresa Collar is in honour of this modern woman who shattered glass ceilings way before the notion of glass ceilings. Shaped prismatic right angle weave embrace a glowing Swarovski crystal pearl to form sweet components. They are placed on a fun necklace of embellished swirling balls made from Czech crescent beads. Learn to make swirling balls that swirl in opposition directions for perfect symmetry. An elegant collar fit for a Holy Roman Empress.

A lanyard is a cord or strap worn around the neck, shoulder, or wrist to carry such items as keys or identification cards.

The Lanyard is a flat spiral strap that is supple and lush flat. Hundreds of glittering firepolished beads form the spine of the strap. A huge sparkly lobster claw at the end of the Lanyard is used to hang a twinkling jewel encrusted Swarovski crystal pendant. The pendant is removable and the Lanyard may be used to hang various items from keys to name tags and mobile phones.

The Horned Necklace is a 3-dimensional self-supporting pendant suspended from herringbone rope sections.

Beautiful backlit glass cabochons are bezelled with tiny seed beads. Gradual increases in bead count create “horns” that rise from the mid-section of the pendant. It is then topped by another bezelled cabochon to make it fully reversible.

Sections of herringbone rope are linked with double sided connectors that twinkle in the light to form a pliable, elegant rope.