One thing that I really wanted to try doing was to make some jewelry sets. The sets could either consist of earrings and a necklace, - earrings, a necklace and a bracelet, or earrings and a bracelet. So far I have mostly ended up making earrings and not too much else. Last night, however, I decided to use some of the glass pendants I have bought, attach clasps and a chain to them and then make matching earrings. I have purchased the pendants in several colors, so I set out to make matching sets of all the differnt colors I have. I managed to do so for 4 of the 5 colors, and I am pretty pleased with the result:-)

 Every set is made with a bevel-edged drop with a silver plated clasp and on a silver plated chain measuring 40cm (16 inches). Each pair of earrings is made with swarovski 8mm rondelle beads, white swarovski rugby beads, swarovski butterflies (6mm), crystal clear rondelle swarowski beads 4mm and bicone swarovski beads 4mm. (This goes for all the sets except the one in brown/copper tones which is made with swarovski 6mm instead of 8mm and a swarovski helix instead of a bicone.)

 Here they are:

Blue

Green

Amethyst

Brown/coppertones

As I was making these sets I wanted to make another necklace using some glasshearts that I really like and at the same time incorporate some millefiori glass hearts that I had left. My experience is that the bigger glasshearts weigh quite a bit and in my taste they are not too comfortable as earrings, so I decided to use millefiori glass hearts for the earrings.

 

Blue  glassheart mix necklace

I have these bigger hearts (about 2cm wide) in several colors as well, and I have made a few other sets and items with them in the past, some I have shown here before some I have not:

Green with brown stripes

White with matching red and crystal earrings.

A different green with two sets of earrings.

White with green stripes and matching earrings.

Brown

As I said, I find these hearts a bit on the heavy (about 6grams) side for my ears, but luckily every earlobe is different:-)

Today I have gotten quite a few comments on my blog from co-workers. This spurs me on to blog some more and it makes me want to make more jewelry as well:-) So - I have decided to upload some more pictures to my blog, basically of older stuff that I made when I experiented.

When I first started out I needed to shop some essentials and I quickly found out that if I was to buy everything at hobbystores in town, I wouldn't afford to do this. So I searched the internet a little and found a couple of internet stores that I could buy from in the beginning. One of these stores was perlehobby.no.  A shope based in Andebu here in Norway. I bought things like hooks, stoppers/crimps, giftbags, my first chains, glassbeads, my first murano glass and even a thong there.
One item I fell in love with were these really cute plastic hearts they had there, and even though they vere plastic I thought they would make really good looking earrings, bracelets and necklace pendents. Here are a few examples:

 I have since destroyed most of these, as I quickly found that I needed to make items of better quality than plastic. I have saved one set that I made, however, a set consisting of earrings, a bracelet and a necklace. I find it to be quite cute and it is an example of what I started with:-)

Lately though, as I have received beads and other jewelry making equipment, I have become a lot more aware of the materials that I use. I am not saying that I use expencive things, (which I think my prices will reflect) but I try to only use nickelfree and silver-plated things like hooks and chains, as I am bothered with a feisty nickel allergy myself. I am also aiming to get a hold of more silver as I go along.

Last night I sat down to make some more earrings. I decided to experiment a little making my own hoops as I don't really feel I am any good at it. The copperthread is somehow too soft and I can never get my hoops as round as I like. Yesterday I decided to try ans find something round to shape them around, and I felt that it went a little bit better than before. I still struggle with ending the hoop though and it seems like that will always be my demise! I wish I could find a better technique!
Then afterwards when I wanted to take pictures of everything I had made, I struggled with that as well. I suspected that it had to do with poor lighting and decided to try again during the day today. Luckily it went a lot better today. So today I haven't really made anything new, I have just shot photos of the stuff I made last night as well as previously made jewelry.

Here is the result of last nights jewelry making session:-)

 Hoops made with blue swarovski teardrops (11mm), 

 crystal clear swarovski rondelle beads (4mm), dark blue swarovski square cubes (4x4mm) 

and crystal clear swarowski bicone beads (4mm)

 

Hoops made with blue swarovski teardrops (11mm), 

 crystal swarovski bicone beads (4mm), aquamarine swarovski stars (8mm) 

and crystal swarowski rondelle beads (4mm)

 Hoops made with violet swarowski butterflies (6mm), 

white swarovski rugby beads, crystal swarovski dbl vertibra (3mm), 

matt silverplated stoppers, AB purple swarovski rondelle beads (6mm) 

and crystal swarovski rondelle beads (4mm)

 Hoops made with crystal AB swarovski rondelle beads (6mm)

faux silver stoppers (4mm), aquamarine swarowski rondelle beads (6mm) 

and crystal clear swarovski rondelle beads (4mm)

 Hoops made with amethyst swarovski rondelle beads (8, 6, 4mm) 

and crystal clear bicone (4mm)

 Hoops on hooks with amethyst swarovski beads (8, 6, 4mm) 

and faux silver stoppers (4mm)

Small hoops made with tibetan silver spacer (4x7mm), 

jet black swarovski beads (8 and 4mm) 

and crystal clear swarovski rondelle beads (4mm)

Hoops with crystal clear swarovski tear drops (11mm), 

jet black swarovski rondelle beads (4mm) 

and soot swarovski rondelle beads (6mm)

 I also made some other earrings:

 Studs with violet swarovski butterflies (6mm), 

crystal clear swarovski beads (6mm) and violet swarovski bicone beads (4mm)

 Studs with copper swarovski butterflies (6mm), white swarovski rugby beads, 

tibetan silver spacer beads (4x7mm) 

and brown swarowski rondelle beads (6mm)

 Hooks with dark blue swarovski rondelle beads (8mm), 

crystal clear swarovski rondelle beads (8mm), light blue swarovski rondelle beads (6mm) 

and faux silver stoppers (4mm)

Hooks with crystal clear swarovski rondelle beads (8mm), 

dark and light blue swarovski rondelle beads (6mm) 

and faux silver stoppers(4mm)

 My favorites of the evening:-) 

Studs with jet black swarovski butterflies (6mm), 

jet black swarovski beads (8mm) and crystal clear swarovski bicone beads (4mm)

 Last but not least I also made a bracelet to go with the millefiori earrings I had made earlier:

A European Charm Bracelet made with silver plated murano lampwork charms 

and. tibetan spacer beads

All in all it turned out to be a productive and good evening:-)

The beginning.

It all started before Christmas of 2011, when we decided to have jewelry making as a station at our "Christmas-item making" day at school. I work at a 1-7th grade school in Norway. Since I am responsible for shopping what we need for these special days, I ordered the bare essentials for basic jewelry making; thongs, copperwire, earring hooks and some pearls etc. Other than shopping for the jewelry making, I was not involved in the jewelry station at all. I was at a different station and didn't even have time to glance over at the kids making jewelry. But most of them loved it! I got a go at making a pair of earrings after it all was over and I got hooked right away!
Since then I have bought a bunch of stuff and I have ordered even more. My collection of beads and other equipment for making earrings, bracelets and necklaces is quickly growing, and I am still waiting for more things to be sent to me from sellers around the world. I am like a child receiving a gift every time a small package dumps into my mailbox, and the people at my local postoffice must wonder what the heck I am up to receiving all these mysterieous packages all the time!


So far I have made quite a few earrings and a few neclaces, but I think I am ready to start making sets with earrings, bracelets and necklaces now. That is at least what I want to do.

Here are some examples of my work so far:

 Nekclace and earring set made with

glasshearts,

swarovski beads (4, 6, and 8mm),

and faux silver stoppers.

 Earrings made with glasshearts,

swarovski beads (4 and 6mm)

and faux silver stoppers.

 Silver plated earringhoops made with

mother-of-pearl birds,

swarovski beads (4 and 8mm) and faux silver stoppers.

 Necklace and earring set (golden chain and hooks) 

made with

a glass heart and swarovski beads (4 and 8mm).

 Necklace and earring set (golden chain and hooks)

made with

black glass beads (6mm) and swarovski beads (4 and 8mm).

Necklace and earring set (golden chain and hooks)

made with a transparent plastic heart,

purple metallic beads and golden stoppers.

Silver plated earring hoops with

rondelle swarovski beads 8mm

and faux silver stoppers.

Necklace and earring set 

made with a glass heart,

swarowski beads (4 and 6mm)

and faux silver stoppers.

Earrings made with swarovski beads (6 and 8mm)

and faux silver stoppers.

Silver plated earring hoops made with 

rondelle swarovski beads 8mm

and faux silver stoppers.

Silver plated earring hoops made with

rondelle swarovski beads 8mm

and faux silver stoppers.

Then the other day I received 50 millefiori hearts I had ordered, and I totally fell in love with them! I sat down and made several earrings in different colors, and afterwards I went online to order some more!

Here are some examples of the earrings I have made with millefiori glass hearts:

Earrings on hooks

with dark blue millefiori hearts

and dark blue (8mm)

and crystal (6mm) swarovski beads.

Earrings on studs

with light blue millefiori hearts

and rondelle crystal (4mm)

and bicone turquois (4mm) swarovski beads.

Earrings on hooks

with green millefiori hearts,

 rondelle crystal (4mm),

bicone emerald green (4mm)

and emerald green rondelle (6mm) swarovski beads.

Earrings on hooks

with green millefiori hearts,

 rondelle crystal (4mm),

bicone light green (4mm)

and light green rondelle (6mm) swarovski beads.

Earrings on hooks

with red millefiori hearts,

 rondelle crystal (4mm),

and red rondelle (6mm) swarovski beads.

 Earrings on hooks

with transparent millefiori hearts,

matt red glass beads

 rondelle crystal (4mm),

and red rondelle (4mm) swarovski beads.

 Earrings on hooks

with brown millefiori hearts,

bicone orange (4mm) and

 rondelle crystal (4mm) swarovski beads.

 Earrings on hooks

with orange millefiori hearts,

 rondelle crystal (6mm),

and orange bicone (4mm) swarovski beads.

 Earrings on hooks

with yellow millefiori hearts,

matt yellow glass beads (6mm)  

and rondelle crystal (4mm) swarovski beads. 

Earring hoops with brown millefiori hearts,

orange bicone (4mm),

rondelle crystal (4mm) swarowski beads 

and matt brown glass beads (6mm).

Small earing hoops with transparent millefiori hearts, 

bicone turquois (4mm) 

and rondelle crystal (4mm) swarovski beads.

I have invested quite a lot of money in this jewelry making project of mine, so I will continue making different items and them hopefully I can get other people intrested in what I am making so that I wont end up stuck with everything! 

What started out as just a fun thing, has quickly turned into an obsession!