Costume Jewelry

Costume jewelry, which is handmade, has its own charm. Wearing your own designs or gifting them to someone special also adds to the personal touch. Today, one can see branded stores that cater to beaded and handmade jewelry. Handcrafted jewelry has been gaining much importance due to the exquisite designs and the novelty it offers. We can see handcrafted necklaces, earrings, bracelets and anklets available on the market. They can even include semi precious jewels and swarovski crystals. If you browse online, you can even find a websites, which accept orders for custom-made, handcrafted jewelry. Handmade jewelry may not really be complex as it sounds or looks. You can create beaded jewelry within the confines of your own home.

Here are some tips to create some stunning pieces of handmade jewelry.

Handcrafted Beaded Earrings:
What you will need-
Head pins (2- These have a flat head at the bottom)
Ear Wires
Beads (Any kind)
Round nose pliers (These are needed to make loops)
How to make beaded earrings:
Take your head pin and start putting some beads on the head pin. You can experiment with the size of the beads and even the color. Opt for two colors in the beginning. This would help to break the monotony. Now you will need to use the round nose pliers to bend the free edge of the pin. (Bend it at 90°) Now, bend the end of the pin into a loop to seal the free edge. All you need to do is add a wire to the loop and your earring is ready to be worn. Use some variations to create new designs.

Handcrafted Beaded Necklace:
Use these instructions to create a beautiful choker that will give an illusion of floating beads around the neck.

You will need-
Clasp
Wire cutters
Crimping pliers
Tigertail (A thin, nylon coated steel cable which creates the illusion of floating beads).
Crimp Beads (18- These are metal beads that are flattened onto the tigertail. Crimp beads help to keep a bead in place)
4mm beads (8-Any kind)
How to make a beaded necklace:
First you need to cut the accurate length of the tigertail wire. Now slide a crimp bead and a part of the clasp on the tigertail. Next, you have to slide the tigertail back through the crimp bead. Once done, pull it tight. Now, you need to use the pliers to flatten the crimp bead. You should now trim the excess wire.

Once you decide upon the spacing between the beads, string them together and flatten the crimp bead, one at a time. Maintain the correct distance to space out the beads. Once you finish adding the beads, add the other part of the clasp to the second end. Voila! Your beaded necklace is ready!

Handcrafted Beaded Anklet:
You will need-
Flat nose pliers
Wire cutters
Tigertail wire
Clasp
Crimps
Beads (Around 4-6 mm)
How to make beaded anklets:
First hold your tigertail wire between your thumb and the forefinger. Now, slide the crimp bead onto the wire. Next, slide one half of the clasp. Now, using your other hand, take the 2-inch tail and pass it through the crimp bead. Do not push it too far; it should be enough, only to enable you to hold.

Now you should use the pliers to flatten the crimp bead. You will need to utilize the wire cutters to cut off any extra wire that is jutting out.

Now, you can slide your beads onto the wire. Keep the length in mind, as it should match the width of your ankle. Once done, slide another crimp from the other end. The other half of the clasp will go at this end. Push the crimps to the edge of the clasp and use the pliers to flatten the crimp.

Top Designer Jewelry Brand Names:

Harry Winston:
The Harry Winston jewelry brand has a long line of jewelry designs to his credit. Harry Winston rings are extremely popular amongst most fashion savvy youngsters who are about to tie the knot. Huge diamonds like a trademark of Harry Winston jewelry. Although the 1920s and the 1930s saw a demand for small gemstones, it was Harry Winston who dared to go off the beaten track and launch large stones that were set in minute settings. One of the famous gems that belong to this brand is the dark blue Hope diamond. (45.5 carat). This look shot Harry Winston to fame and today; this designer jewelry still ranks high on the must haves of many.

Tiffany Jewelry:
Tiffany is one such brand of designer jewelry that has remained to be one of the most sought after brands amongst others. The Tiffany brand was first known as Tiffany & Young in the year 1837. It was later changed to Tiffany & Co in New York. It is not only the diamond jewelry that drove women wild; it is their entire range of pendants, bracelets, earrings, watches etc. At Tiffany’s, every jewel is a prized and treasured possession. Charles Lewis Tiffany, the founder of Tiffany and Co., designed a lot of lamps, mosaics, stained glass windows and jewelry and it was only later that this company earned loads of prizes and got international status as a brand. The innovative designs were the hallmark of the Tiffany brand.

Buccellati:
Owning a Buccellati piece of designer jewelry would be like owning a masterpiece. The founder of this exquisite line of designer jewelry was Mario Buccellati. Every piece of Buccellati designer jewelry has a personal touch that is given by his son and Gianmaria Buccellati. A family affair, innovative ideas for exquisite designs run in the Buccellati family. Today, one can see new designs and sophisticated pieces being churned out by the Buccellati brand.

Graff:
Lawrence Graff, the British billionaire is behind the exquisite designs that belong to this brand. Graff is also known as the new Harry Winston of this era. With his amazing business sense, Graff has seen his business rise phenomenally with a wide range of sophisticated and unique designer jewelry. Large diamonds are the signature mark of the Graff brand.

Chopard:
Designer Jewelry lovers can never go wrong with a Chopard. Chopard first tasted success with the hot new designs in the pocket watches sector. Louis-Ulysse Chopard first began this company in 1860. The company was then bought by Karl Scheufele in 1963. Here, jewelry making was combined with the fine art of watch making. The year 1976 saw the launch of a new line ‘Happy Diamonds’. The Chopard brand ensures its loyal customers that every gem is hand picked and each design is unique and is achieved after a lot of detailing. Be it the watches or the fine jewelry, this is one brand you can watch out for!

De Grisogono:
Black diamonds were used as a distinguishing factor under the De Grisogono label. This trend began when Gruosi incorporated this in the late 1990s. This brand houses some of the top creative designer jewelry that is bound to captivate any woman! Outlandish to some, Grousi finally founded the company, De Grisogono in 1993. Today, with a global appeal, this brand has climbed new height in the designer jewelry segment.

Beautiful jewelry is something one can never have enough; well, I am sure most women would agree with me on this point. If you enjoy wearing jewelry as much as I do, I am sure you must be having enough to start off your own lil’ jewelry shop by now! I love going through boutiques for designer jewelry and scrounging around in flea markets for unique jewelry pieces as well. The flea markets can have loads of designs in store for you and if you lucky enough, with some amount of haggling, you can be the proud owner of some unique jewelry without really spending too much! But there is one area that I have explored and that is wearing unique handmade jewelry. Such handmade jewelry is a great option as it is easy on the pocket and you can create stunning pieces of jewelry by exercising your mind! Wearing unique handmade jewelry gives one the satisfaction of wearing an exclusive piece! This can also make a very stylish and personalized gift as well. You must note that there are three basic techniques when you are dealing with unique handmade jewelry. The first is where you string the beads; the kind of string you use will depend upon what you are planning to design. To keep a distance between the beads, one can make the use of knots or crimps. Wire is also used to make unique kind of jewelry. Here, beads are used in combination to create snazzy designs. Bead weaving is another technique where in, really tiny beads are interwoven and threaded to make small but intricate patterns.

Tips to make your own Unique Handmade Jewelry:

How to make a Y shaped necklace:
What you will need
Beading wire or thread
Beads and fasteners
Wire cutters /heavy-duty scissors
Crimping pliers and/or flat-nosed pliers
Instructions:
First, cut a longer length of the string material. This should be at least twice the length of the drop that you would require. Then thread a small bead to the middle area. Use the two ends of the thread and double thread it with the beads that are required for the central drop because this is a Y shaped necklace. The small bead you have used before will help to keep the other beads in place.

Now, you need to separate the threads into single strands. You also need to thread beads on each side as per your choice. Use a fastener to secure the piece.

How to make a beaded ring:
What you will need
Pliers
Small, flat feature bead (dark blue-1)
Crimps (2)
Nylon bead cord
Size 11 seed beads (light blue-25)
Instructions:
This method of unique handmade jewelry can help you have different colors of rings to match every outfit!

First, you need to slide the first crimp onto the nylon bead cord. Do it gently taking care that it does not squash. Thread all the blue seed beads on this nylon thread. Now, you need to slide the second crimp onto this thread as well. Next, thread the small and flat feature bead. Now, pick one end of the nylon thread (which is on the side of the feature bead) and thread this through the first crimp on the other end. This would result in the crimp having two lots of nylon bead cord passing through it. Now, you need to pull both the ends of the cord. This will help to make the ring tight. Once you have decided upon the accurate width that you require, press both the crimps. This would keep the nylon bead in place. Any excess thread can be simply cut off.

Unique handmade jewelry is a great way to showcase your talent and you can have variations in it as well. If you have a basic sense of design and colors, it can help you create unique and stunning pieces with ease. Selecting the right colors, proportion of the beads you use, the kind of designs you select and even the proportion of the entire piece matters when you create any kind of unique handmade jewelry.