Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Slider Beads For your adornments

The best beads to find are the cuff with the loop. Thee beads are great for adding beads and shells I have added a few pics and sites because you can't get them anywhere.

http://www.overstock.com/Bulk-Jewelry-Watches/Silverplated-Pewter-6-mm-Large-Hole-Oasis-Bail-Beads-Pack-of-4/4822249/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=12714622
 $7.99 for a pack of 4




http://www.amazon.com/Plated-Pewter-Legend-Large-Pandora/dp/B002U50M9M
 22 kt Gold plated pewter 6mm hole (great for mos size locs) $1.89


http://www.themysticalgardenpath.com/servlet/the-8445/12-Antique-Silver-Swarovski/Detail I really like these 7mm round with loop $3.99



http://www.beadaholique.com/p-18196-fine-silver-plated-pewter-large-6mm-hole-twist-bail-beads-fit-pandora-2.aspx  6mm hole $1.89 for 2

If you are unable to purchase the cuffs you can always make wire coil cuffs and attach beads and shells. HAVE FUN

Tool to make your adornments

To make your loc/hair jewelry all you need is a basic jewelry making tool kit which will consist of needle nose pliers, wire cutters flat nose pliers and some other pliers with different shaped heads. You can purchase this set any where for aprox $6-$10 depending on where you get it from


You can but the tools separately but it is actually cheaper to just purchase the kit. To make sure that you are making adornments to fit your locs you will want to purchase a crochet needle or needles if you have  different size locs like myself :) I demonstrate how to use it and how to size it according to your loc size in the video. These are veru cheap and can be purchase from Walmart or any crafting supply location.


Once you have these basic things you are good to go PEACE

When making loc jewelry any size wire will do right?

When making your loc jewelry there are different sizes and types of wire that work best for your adornments. Before we go into the types let talk about the sizes or thickness. Wire is measured by the gauge. The higher the gauge number, the thinner the wire. I like to work with wire from gauge 22-20. 20 gauge is not heavy on the hair and it's pliable. 22 gauge is a bit thinner and works well if you want to created a beaded coil.

If you plan on making adornments that are going to stay in your hair for extended periods of time, there a few types of wire that will not change color and last even if left in during washings. The best and least expensive wire is copper wire. Copper wire will not fade or cause damage or discoloration of your hair.
The next best wire is Argentium Silver. Argentium Silver is the most tarnish resistant silver available today – it is available in a wide range of products, is firescale free and whilst perfectly malleable in an annealed state, can easily be made almost twice as hard as annealed traditional sterling silver. It's very lightweight and can be worn in the hair indefinitely. Sterling silver is a bit more expensive so I stick with the Argentium :)



There are other wire types and colors that you can use though i recommend that you take them out because they will fade and loose their color after a while. Color coated copper wire comes in a wide range of colors and are fun to wear. I would recommend taking these out because as I previously stated, they will start to fade after a while especially if you add a lot of oil and other products in your hair.


Gold-filled, or gold overlay, is made by heat and pressure bonding a thin layer of gold to a brass core.I personally don't like gold coated copper wire because it starts to look dull after a short time. Gold filled wire is not that expensive and can be worn for extended periods of time also.


Who knew  wire was that serious lol It really isn;t that serious however I don't use any kind of wire and I make pieces that last. You can purchase copper anywhere from Joanns Fabric to Home Depot or Lowers in the hardware department. Copper is copper and I look for the cheapest lol I order my Argentium online and I have posted the links. Have fun !

How to Make Loc/Hair Ties

How to Make Loc Jewelry Part 3

How to make Loc Jewelry Part 2

How to Make Loc Jewelry Part 1