The 1960s gave birth to one unlikely icon, the hippie. You could get a feel for the 1960s by using peace symbols, big flowers, or zodiac symbols. I chose to go with the sun to bring out the feel of the dawning of the age of Aquarius.
Tools and Materials
Flat-nose pliers Round-nose pliers Wire cutters
6 1.5-inch [...]
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Pre-made beaded fringe (short strands of beads sewn into ribbon) makes this project quick and easy. Look for beaded fringe at crafts stores, fabric stores, and specialty sewing stores.
Unless you’re a whiz with a glue gun, I don’t recommend that you use it on this project. It seems like it would be a good idea, [...]
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This technique is an easy way to embellish scuffed and scarred picture frames. Or buy an inexpensive unfinished frame at your local crafts store and give it some personality.
Tools and Materials
Cloth napkin or dishtowel
Small bead scoop (optional)
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Birthday parties, sleepovers, or even any random winter afternoon is a great time to organize a jewelry-making party for kids. Both girls and boys of all ages enjoy making jewelry. Of course, the kind of projects you choose will vary with their ages.
The biggest challenge with kids is to keep it simple. Here are my [...]
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Seldom properly valued by laymen, but an inexhaustible source of wonderful delight to collectors, are the chrysoberyls. Little known, jealously hoarded by the earth and only yielded up in parsimonious numbers, they are assured of a prominent place among the gemstones. Their great rarity, combined with their three varieties, completely different from one another, has [...]
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The interest of its gnarled banding, which unlike most other ornamental stones is not multicolored but patterned throughout in contrasting shades of light to dark green, has earned malachite many admirers. In ancient times it was likened to the innumerable green shades of mallow leaves.
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In the 1930s, the glamour and extravagance of the twenties gave way, particularly in America, to increasing economic hardship and to the Depression. This had a number of different effects on the jewelry trade. On the one hand, people were less able to afford expensive jewelry, and so the costume jewelry market was comparatively thriving, [...]
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The most sophisticated and chic Art Deco jewelry of the period was made in France, using combinations of materials such as coral and jade, and Japanese-inspired black enamel and marcasite. The most outstanding of the French artist-jewelers included Georges Fouquet, Raymond Templier, Gerard Sandoz, Jean Despres and Jean Dunand. There were also a number of [...]
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The world of the twenties was changed dramatically from that of the prewar period. New technologies and materials developed during the war had changed the very nature of the manufacturing industries. The fashion industry in particular took off, and it was catering for women whose role had been changed by the war. No longer were [...]
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Jewelry in Britain at the turn of the century differed from the French because it was more backward-looking and still owed much to the Arts and Crafts. The British decorative motifs featured primeval figures and floral tributes combined with interlace patterns of Celtic origin. These pieces were made in finely crafted silver enriched with polished [...]
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