Creative Aging: Beautifully Made Jewelry with Sharon Zeisel

Contemporary Beaded Jewelry Making with Sharon Zeisel

Learn how to create custom, on-trend beaded jewelry!

In each class we will learn a new beading technique and leave with a beautiful piece of handmade jewelry plus the know-how to continue creating. Necklaces, bracelets, pendants, and earrings- we will do it all! These lessons are perfect for those who have never made jewelry before and each technique will be presented with clear steps and patient guidance. Not only will we be making beautiful things, beading can be a wonderful exercise in mindfulness. Like yoga for the hands and head, it allows us to become completely enveloped with the task at hand. Join us in a fabulous journey of jewelry making and create an entire accessories wardrobe out of beads, cord, wire, and more.

Registration Required. Zoom link will be sent by 10am the morning of the program. 

Contemporary Beading Projects/Supplies

Instructor will be using 4mm Czech Glass Beads and/or 3mm-8mm pearls (glass pearls are fine!) for all projects except for Knotting (project 4). Any/All colors are appropriate, this is student’s choice! Feel welcome to use any beads that you have for each project.

TOOLS: Bead Design Board, Bead Stopper, Awl, Flush Wire Cutter, Chain Nose Plier, Round Nose Plier, Ring Mandrel (or household cylindrical form like the neck of a wine bottle), plastic drinking straw/coffee stirrer, Four ear hooks (gold or silver)

MATERIALS: Large lot of 4mm-8mm glass beads, 7” of large hole wooden or pearl beads, One 16” One 30FT Spool of 49 Strand Soft-Flex Beading Wire, Two spools of craft wire (20G and 24G- gold or silver), 50 2x2 crimp tubes (gold or silver), Six 5mm Lobster Clasps and Ten 5mm Jump Rings (gold or silver), Ten 3” 24G headpins (gold or silver), Two bead tips (gold or silver), a few feet of 3mm round leather cord

Session One: Elastic Bracelet Stacks, straight stringing beads, learning how to use Bead Board, elements of design, tie off securely and professionally.

Tools: Bead Design Board, Flush Wire Cutter, Awl

Materials: .5mm Stretch Magic jewelry elastic, at least 21” of beads (this will make 3 bracelets)

Session Two: “Floating” Necklace, crimping technique

Tools: Bead Design Board, Flush Wire Cutter, Chain Nose Plier, plastic straw/coffee stirrer

Materials: 10-40 4mm Glass Beads, 49 Strand Soft-Flex Beading Wire, Thirty 2x2mm Crimp tubes (in either gold or silver), One 5mm Lobster Clasp and One 5mm Jump Ring

Session Three: Beaded Drop Earrings, wire wrapping technique-linking beads

Tools: Flush Wire Cutter, Round Nose Plier, Chain Nose Plier

Materials: 4-8 4mm Glass Beads, One spool of 24 Gauge(G) craft wire (gold or silver color), Ten 3” 24G headpins (gold or silver; we need 2 per earring pair, but extra is suggested for practice and for more earrings!), One pair of earhooks (gold or silver) (this can be a pendant project if you don’t wear earrings)

Session Four: Wire Wrapped Hoops, wire wrapping technique- creating hoops and wrapping beads on

Tools: Flush Wire Cutter, Round Nose Plier, Chain Nose Plier, Ring Mandrel (or another cylindric form like the neck to a wine bottle etc.)

Materials: 40-50 4mm Glass Beads, One spool of 20G and One spool of 24G craft wires (gold or silver), One pair of earhooks (gold or silver), Three 3mm Jump Rings (gold or silver: two for earrings, one for pendant)

Session Five: Leather Knotted Bead Bracelet, hand knotting technique with large holed beads

Tools: Bead Design Board, Awl (pin tool), Flush cutter or small cuticle scissor

Materials: 7” of 6-8mm large hole wooden or pearl beads, 2FT of 3mm round leather cord

Session Six: Solitary Bead Wire Ring, using two different gauges (sizes) of wire to create solitary finger rings

Tools: Ring Mandrel, Flush Wire Cutter, 20G and 24G craft wire, a few beads (one per ring)

Materials: 20G and 24G craft wire, a few beads (one per ring)