Beads, Baubles & Jewels: Making Art Accessible

Welcome to the highlights of Beads, Baubles & Jewels for the last episode of this season “The art of Jewelry.” Our final feature bead is made from cast metal.

Cast metal is a traditional technique that is used in some capacity in almost every area of jewelry making. It generally involves pouring or injecting liquefied metal into a mold.

The bronze medallion is from Green Girl Studios. I love the idea of choosing a meaningful talisman for yourself or a friend. The bronze picks up the darker tones in the relief and is shiny on the high spots. It looks great with copper chain.

Both pairs of earrings, the tree charm on the choker, and the blue sodalite necklace use pewter components from TierraCast. Pewter is so wonderfully malleable when molten that it’s possible to make a myriad of designs and patterns.

The rock salt casted ring was made by Erica Stice, the studio coordinator at Halstead. She poured molten sterling silver casting grain into a bed of rock salt. The salt acted as the “mold” and created organic nooks and crannies as the silver cooled. Aren’t these each intriguing in their own right?

Jackie Truty brings another unique art form to us and shares a technique great for your home. Candie Cooper brings us a geometric bohemian necklace to round out the episode.

Thanks so much for joining us again on this season of Beads, Baubles & Jewels where we featured the Art of Jewelry. Whether your inspiration comes from the masters or from the world around you — we are all artists and our jewelry is a form of art, worthy of a museum! Don’t under estimate yourself! You might be the source of inspiration for another artist!

And, that’s a wrap for another inspiring season of Beads, Baubles & Jewels. Everyone involved with the show is privileged to bring you guests, techniques, projects, supplies and tools to spark your imagination. Thank you very much for watching, sharing it with your friends, and going on this creative journey with us.

Katie Hacker
Host, Beads, Baubles & Jewels and Content Strategist for Halstead

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