Beading Ready For Xmas, Opal Beads, Fair Report & Mr & Mrs Bead’s Holidays
8th October 2023
See us next Saturday 14th Oct at London Luton Bead Fair – then Sun 15th Oct at Oxfordshire Bead Fair. Both 11am to 4pm with free entry & refreshments!
For other shows click Bead Fairs 2023.
MrBead Shop: https://mrbeadshop.com
Content:
Getting Beads Ready for Christmas Jewellery
Cambridge Bead Fair Report
Mr & Mrs Bead’s Holidays
Opal For October
Autumn Bead Fairs
Join Newsletter
We’re getting popular on Instagram! Tweet a link to all your followers – just click here. Join our 15,000 fans and follow us on Twitter at MrBead@UKMrBead and Nigel at Nigel@NigelMckay
15% Off All From MrBead
Enjoy 15% off anything with no minimum order. Shipping is free too on UK orders over £35. International shipping from £7.
Can only be used at the NEW shop & not with any other coupon. To get the discount Key LUTON at checkout now, as offer ends Friday 13th October 2023. Use at https://mrbeadshop.com.
Getting Beads Ready for Christmas Jewellery
Amazingly, it’s less than 3-months to Christmas! The best season to craft your own jewellery – both to sell and to add a personal touch to gifts.
Semi-precious beads are best for creating stunning, one-of-a-kind Christmas designs. Whether you’re a seasoned maker or a beginner, here’s a guide on how to get semi-precious beads ready for making beautiful Christmas jewellery.
1. Gather Your Supplies
Check you have all the necessary supplies. You’ll need semi-precious beads of your choice, findings (clasps, jump rings, and earwires), wire, needle-nose pliers, round-nose pliers, wire cutters, and a bead mat or tray to keep your beads organized.
2. Select Your Semi-Precious Beads
Semi-precious beads come in a wide variety of colours, shapes, and sizes. Consider the theme and colour scheme you want. Popular choices for Christmas-themes include red jasper, green aventurine, snowflake obsidian, and clear quartz. You can also opt for beads with holiday motifs like snowflakes, reindeer, or Christmas trees.
3. Clean and Sort Your Beads
Clean your beads before using them. Wipe with a soft, damp cloth, then sort your beads by colour, size, and type. This makes it easier to plan and find the right beads.
4. Plan Your Designs
Before you start stringing beads, take time to plan your designs. Sketch out your ideas to help you visualize your finished pieces. Consider the type of jewellery you want to make: necklaces, bracelets, earrings, or a combination of these.
5. Stringing Beads
String the beads onto your wire. Follow your design and create patterns that suit your Christmas theme. Use your pliers to create loops, secure beads in place, and attach findings like clasps and earwires.
6. Experiment and Be Creative
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different bead combinations and patterns. Mixing semi-precious beads with other materials like glass or metal beads can add depth and character to your Christmas jewellery.
In conclusion, making Christmas jewellery with semi-precious beads is delightful and fulfilling. With careful planning and attention to detail, you can create stunning pieces that reflect the joy and spirit of the season. Unleash your creativity, and let your inner designer shine this Christmas. Jewellery makes great presents!
Cambridge Bead Fair report
As usual at Cambridge, this was a very busy show. Good attendance, and good takings for MrBead, Southampton Bead Shop and other exhibitors. Great location too – easy free parking, close to J11 M11 and Cambridge City.
We’ll be back in the spring!
Mr & Mrs Bead’s Holidays
Often we work over 14-days nonstop, during weekend bead fairs. Sometimes 12-hour days. So we need some down time.
In between shows we had a few days free in Scotland, and again between the Cornish and New Forest Show. Plus a short time in Santorini and Athens earlier in the summer, and 3-nights in Majorca after the Cambridge Show. We notice once we leave the UK, everything tastes good – and we love seafood!
Our next trip will be bead buying in China. As the cost of import has increased and we haven’t been buying for a while, we plan to get a full tonne (1,000 kgms) of beads. So expect a huge selection of semi precious from us in the New Year.
Pictures from top-to-bottom: Majorca, Santorini in Greece, and Inveraray in Scotland.
OPAL FOR OCTOBER
What Is Opal?
All of natures fury can be seen in fine opal. Like a Rembrandt: fire, lightning, all the colours of the rainbow and the shine of far seas.
Australia supplies about 95% of the worlds opal from the outback. Aborigines believe their creator came down to Earth on a rainbow to bring the message of peace – at the spot where his foot touched the ground, opal was born!
The name Opal came from many places. In Greek Opallios translates as colour change, and to the ancient Romans Opalus was a stone from several elements. Pliny, a Roman author, wrote opal combines the sparkle of Almandine, the shining purple of Amethyst, the golden yellow of Topaz, and the deep blue of Sapphire.
Types of Opal
Fine opals shine and sparkle in a continually changing play of colours called Opalising. Depending on the location they have names like Harlequin, Peacock, and Fire Opal. Most opal has this play of colours except Common Opal, a name give to all others, like Pink Opal.
As demand outstrips supply, fine opalizing opal is very expensive – sometimes costing hundreds of pounds each bead. Therefore, the most popular for jewellery is non-opalizing opal – usually pink opal from Peru.
Opals play of colour is caused by small spheres of silica creating interference and refraction. The spheres, which are arranged in compact structures, dissect light through the gemstone, turning it into the rainbow effect, always new and different.
Peruvian Opal
Peruvian Opal comes in faint pink, light blue and light mint-green tones. From the Andes Mountains near San Patricio, Peru.
Although native South Americans have been using the stone for thousands of years, it only became widely available recently. It’s usually translucent to opaque with no play of colour and often has lots of black and tan dendrites.
Most Peruvian Opal beads are semi-opaque to opaque. Peruvian opals metaphysical properties are similar to other opals. Helping to intensify your traits and characteristics. Peruvian Opal can activate the heart charka and assist during spiritual journeys.
How to Value Opal
Price of fine opal depends on its play of colour, the colours, their pattern and location. If red appears when looking through the stone, so will all the other colours.
Black Opal or a dark grey has the most play of colour. Especially from Lightning Ridge or Mexican Fire Opal. Crystal opal is the next best, being more transparent with a deep play of colour. White or milky opals with diffuse colour and are the cheapest.
To bring out the play of colour in a fine opal, the stones are cut and polished to round or oval cabochons. Only the best qualities of Fire Opal is faceted.
How does Opal Effect You?
Opal is thought to remove depression and to help find true love. Opals are thought to enhance the positive characteristics for those born under the sign of Cancer. With Black Opal recommended to Scorpios and Boulder Opal for Aries.
Looking after Opal
Due to around 5% water, opals easily become brittle. If stored too dry or exposed to heat, the play of colour will fade. Therefore, Opal jewellery should be worn as often as possible, giving gemstone the humidity from the air and skin of its wearer.
See our Peruvian Opal Nugget Beads: Opal Beads
Luton & Oxfordshire Bead Fairs
Our own bead shows are getting increasingly busy. If you live in the Home Counties or North London, come to visit us at Luton (just off M1 J10) or Hornton (near M40, Banbury). Both shows are from 11am to 4pm, and free entry & refreshments!
London Luton Bead Fair – Next Saturday, 14th October
Only 1/2-hour up the M1 from North London – exit J10, the venue is close to the motorway and Luton Town Centre. So easy by train too. We’ve even had customers fly to us from Ireland (cheap tickets to Luton Airport)! For full details click Luton Bead Fair.
Oxfordshire Bead Fair – Next Sunday, 15th October
A beautiful village only 8-miles from the M40. Many semi precious beads by MrBead and seed beads by Southampton Bead Shop, and other traders. For full details click Oxfordshire Bead Fair.
Next Bead Fairs
Sat 14th October: Luton Bead Fair
Sun 15th Oct: Oxfordshire Bead Fair
Sun 22nd Oct: Norwich Bead Fair
Weekend 28th-29th Oct: Newton Abbott Gem n Bead Fair
Weekend 11th-12th Nov: London Gem n Bead Fair
Weekend 18th-19th Nov: Brighton Gem n Bead Fair
For the full list so far click: 2023 Bead Fairs.
15% Off All From MrBead
Enjoy 15% off anything with no minimum order. Shipping is free too on UK orders over £35. International shipping from £7.
Can only be used at the NEW shop & not with any other coupon. To get the discount Key LUTON at checkout now, as offer ends Friday 13th October 2023. Use at https://mrbeadshop.com.
MrBead Newsletter: