Out of the Lab and onto the Jewelry Designer's Bench

 Those new to Jewelry design usually begin with simple components - Czech glass and plated metal beads, stringing wire, crimp beads and a clasp.  But as they soon discover, beading includes a wide array of options that often surprise and inspire the designer to attempt new techniques and materials.  Often, they are surprised to learn the background of some of the materials commonly used.  For instance, iKandies often uses boro glass in its designs.  Boro glass teardrops were used in our Copper Leaf and Glass Autumn Necklace and boro glass cubes were used in our Raspberry Seed Bead and Boro Glass Necklace.  What is boro glass?  


Boro glass is borosilicate glass, a type of glass that consists of about 10% boric oxide. The boric oxide makes the glass resistant to extreme temperatures, and also improves its resistance to chemical corrosion. This glass is very popular in the manufacture of scientific instruments and in the scientific lab. This glass is also used for reflecting telescope glass mirror components because the optical surfaces change very little with temperature fluctuations, resulting in very precise measurements.


Borosilicate glass is thought to have been created by a German glassmaker in the 19th century. In 1915 a famous line of borosilicate kitchen products was released under the Pyrex label.  Borosilicate glass is usually without color, but colored borosilicate was introduced into the market in 1986 and is used by jewelry design artists today.

Esty Lush - Another Opportunity to Get the Word Out

I recently stumbled upon a third-party marketing website that is advertised on Etsy - Etsy Lush.  Although not affiliated with Etsy, Etsy Lush provides another location on the internet to showcase an artist's handmade items with a link to the item in the artist's Etsy store.  EtsyLush describes their site as a place where the "best of handmade and vintage" items are presented.  The items submitted to the site are carefully checked to see that they qualify to meet the standards of high quality and originality being promoted by Etsy Lush.   Once an item has been accepted, it appears on the site for 2 months.  For a small fee, approved submissions may be added to the Etsy Lush "Gift Guide" for a period of 1 to 3 months.
    Here's iKandies Unique Custom Jewelry's first submission:

Viking Knit Bracelet

Fireline is Not Just for Fishing

In the description for the most recent necklace I posted to our Etsy site, I included the product "Fireline" in connection with the spiral stitch used to create the necklace.  If you are a fisherman, you might wonder why in the world we would use Fireline?  If you're not a fisherman, here's a little info on this wonderful product that is a plus to have in your beadbox, especially if you like to do something more elaborate than bead stringing.

Berkley Fireline is part of their "superline" family of polyethylene microfibered fishing line.  Its known for it strength and the fact that there is little stretch.  Colors such as "Crystal" and "Smoke" make the line nearly invisible not only to fish but also when woven into beaded designs.

I discovered the product several years ago when it was suggested in a project I decided to try and I haven't used anything else for my weaving and stitching projects since.  It's thin enough to thread on a needle and can be tied off and hidden anywhere in your project.  It won't break and beads won't wear it down or cause it to fray.  

Some bead supply houses have been stocking it in recent years, but you can also find it a sports shops such as Cabela's or a local bait and tackle shop. (When the girl behind the counter asked me if I knew how to use Fireline the first time I purchased a spool at my local bait shop, was she surprised when I explained I wasn't fishing but beading!)

Give it a try on you next project; you won't be disappointed!  

About Our Designers... Featuring Debi's Designs

Debi, my sister and one of ikandies designers, was the first to join me in using jewelry design to express our creativity.

Debi is shown here working on her acrylic  "Fall Garden" necklace.

She started creating her own necklaces as accessories for special occasions. Friends commented on her jewelry and so she began beading for others. Many of her necklaces feature gemstones combined with seed beeds or Swarovski crystals. She favors the "chunky" necklace look and says that she's more inspired if she's beading while at the beach, one of her favorite vacation spots!

Her husband created this wonderful tray that transforms her workshop into a portable one.

She has used her love of Swarovski crystals and Vintaj Brass to create several vintage styled necklaces.  Here's one of her favorites:





Debi has attended classes at the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee for the past several years to learn new skills in metal smithing, chain maille and lampworking.

About Our Designers... Jill's Designs

Crochet Hook + Seed Beads = Bead Crochet?


Watermelon Seed Necklace

Crochet with beads?   That's right!  And Jill, one of ikandies' designers and my sister-in-law, has become an expert at it.  She picked up the technique for her "Watermelon Seed Necklace" by watching Karla Shafer of Auntie's Beads demonstrate how to add beads to wire and crochet a simple necklace.  Jill strung Swarovski crystals in greens and pinks on green artistic wire and joined several crocheted stands together to create this piece.

She also learned how to crochet seed beads into a rope-like necklace that gently spirals the length of the rope. Jill used turquoise, black and cream colored seed beads to fashion her "Twisted Turquoise" necklace, shown below:

Twisted Turquoise



Green Wave Bracelet

Jill has found "Karla Cams" on the Auntie's Beads website very helpful in learning other techniques, such as the two-row flat spiral stitch.  She used that to creative this beautiful bracelet in seed beads and crystals:

Jill looks for beads at local stores and various Internet sites but prefers to purchase her beads from Auntie's Beads or Fusion Beads.

Jill has attended the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee and taken classes in metal working and lampworking.  Here's Jill in her "workshop" dreaming of another project...

Fall Flower Garden

I just posted my latest creation on our Etsy site, "Fall Flower Garden Necklace".  Debi, my sister and one of the ikandies designers, and I saw a similar necklace in a recent issue of Bead and Button Magazine. We hadn't worked much with Lucite, and the flower and leaf combination inspired us.  So we began our search for the perfect Lucite flowers.  The best selections were found on Etsy sites, where we purchased some beautiful hand dyed flowers from Groovy Chick Supplies and leaves from Silk Studio.  We made two necklaces, mine in fall colors and Debi's in purples and blues.  Mom saw Debi's necklace and fell in love with it, so Debi decided to make her a one. We made our purchases from Bellas Beads and More and JJBugs Beads.  Although Bellas Beads and More do not advertise discounts or free items, they added about 10 "free" flowers and leaves to my order.  Groovy Chick Supplies states in the Policy section of their Etsy site that they'll include a few extras in orders over 30 items and they offer to sell larger quantities at a discount.  Be sure to check all these sites if you're looking for high quality Lucite flowers and leaves in translucent and matte finishes!

iKandies' Beads On the Block Posts its First Entry!

Welcome to ikandies' first blog post on Beads on the Block!  Who is ikandies' and why was Beads on the Block created?  ikandies is a website showcasing custom designed jewelry for the discriminating customer looking for truly unique accessories.  Using jewelry components such as Swarovski crystals, pearls, Czech glass, sterling silver, copper, gunmetal, gemstones and more, we have created jewelry that is "not only visually appealing, but also unique."  Our designs include simple bead stringing, bead stitching and weaving, metal working, and wire wrapping.  We have also incorporated unique objects into some of our designs including electro plated "real" leaves, copper washers, sheet metal and watch parts. You can visit our website at ikandies or our Etsy site ikandies Etsy Shop.   We can be reached by email at kkrizzy@hotmail.com

We created this blog for two reasons:

• To help you learn more about us, projects we're working on, classes we're taking to learn new skills, new jewelry components we're experimenting with, and much more. 
• To share with you all the wonderful bead stores we've visited, where to find good bargins when buying beads and supplies, who is selling unique components, and the bead shows you don't want to miss.

Please be patient as we get the ball (or should I say "bead") rolling on this blog!