BEAD SWAP !

 BEAD SWAP.

I have decided to start an International bead swap this week here on my blog and also on Facebook, if you are interested in joining us please leave a comment on this post, here is the link to a little form to fill in and email to me.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZPGCC2X. 

You can send any beads including gem stones, glass, crystal, polymer, ceramic, just about anything. But no chipped or broken beads and only things you would be happy to use yourself that really goes without saying and no plastic or acrylic, you can send SS findings or good quality plated if you wish but do chat with your partner and find out what they like, It is nice to be stretched a bit so you may have to think out of your comfort zone. I was once sent a circle of wood for a focal it was probably the most tricky thing I had worked with at the time, not at all my usual style but I did design a necklace using it and I actually enjoyed doing it.

Here are a few pictures of things I have made in other bead swaps.

My wood circle necklace.

Other things I made.

These are just a few of the items I have made from the bead swaps I have enjoyed, I do hope you will join me in making this swap really enjoyable and fun.

~Jackie~

 

The Ganoksin Exhibition

The Ganoksin Exhibition Beauty Is In The Eye of the Beholder, went online this month it is curated by Beth Wicker. The exhibition showcases 247 images chosen from entries from over 55 artists representing North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Central America, Africa and Eurasia.

 

The drive to adorn the human body is surely as old as human kind. From pre-historic times this drive has led humans to use the materials at hand, combined with the technologies and tools available, to create objects to adorn the human body. The oldest jewelry found to date goes back to at least 75,000 years ago in Africa.

Early jewelry was made of bones, shells, sticks, and whatever other materials the people could find and shape. Over time the ability to mine and shape metal developed, and jewelry was made from bronze, silver, gold, platinum and other metals. Gold has long been thought of as a "precious" metal, and today it is joined by silver and platinum as the three main materials modern jewelry is made from.  While much jewelry today is made from these three main metals, a large body of jewelry world-wide is still made from a much wider range of materials. This exhibition, "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder", focuses on jewelry made primarily of materials other than gold, platinum and silver.

Jewelers today are still using found objects such as shell and bone; they are using "green" materials - upcycled and recycled objects and materials; they are using cutting edge plastics and newly developed technology; and they are using older metals such as copper, brass and bronze.

Some of the more unusual materials include vinyl LP's, velvet, VCR components, rattlesnake vertebrae, corian, canvas, paper, crab claws, magnets, synthetic rubber electrical insulation tubing, and aluminum grounding wire.

More traditional materials used include copper, bronze, brass, glass, various types of wood, gemstones, pearls and seeds.

Techniques range from traditional metalsmithing, through a range of beading techniques, textile techniques, photography techniques and cutting edge industrial fabrication.

Participants range from professional jewelers with international reputations to students just learning their craft.

Hosted on the Ganoksin website, the world's largest internet site devoted to jewelry- related topics, the exhibition is a snapshot of what jewelers around the world are exploring, and an inspiration to all. The exhibition was conceived Beth Wicker, an artist from South Carolina, in the USA, and curated by Beth and Hanuman Aspler, founder of the Ganoksin Project.

Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholderhttp://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/beb

I had three necklaces accepted Lily Pads, Princess and Plum Blossom; they are below if you would like to see them.