Bezellling with Khoeps - not the pyramid

As this is a jewellery post, you can probably guess that I went to another workshop at the Bead Shop Nottingham.  I do have ideas of my own for jewellery, pieces half done, patterns I want to try, but my illness/condition just seems to get in the way a lot of the time.  I know I've mentioned it a few times recently, but it is a big part of my life, like it or not (and I don't), and I've stopped being so scared of people finding out that I'm depressed.  Anyway, back to the subject of the post.

The workshop was to create a pendent or brooch using Kheops beads bezelled round a Rivoli.  Did that sound like I was speaking Greek?  I'll break it down.

These are Kheop's beads:

Before you start thinking my photography skills have improved, the photo is stolen from the Bead Shop's website, but I give them so much free advertising, I'm sure they won't mind.

This is a Rivoli:

It's a round crystal made by Swarovski, (photo stolen again).  We used an 18mm diameter rivoli in the class.  It's rounded on the front, but kind of pointy on the back.  This allows you to encase the sides in a beaded casing and it'll stay put.  Oh, here we go, I've stolen a photo of the back:


Bezelling, or creating a bezel, is the way that you encase the sides of the rivoli, holding it in the middle of a piece of beadwork.  What I've done below is made a bezel round the rivoli, then added rows of Kheops and Swarovski bicone crystals.

I just couldn't capture the colour very well.  The Kheops I used are the same ones as the first photo on this page, the sead beads are clear and turquoise, the crystals are turquoise too.  I've added a couple of size 8 beads on the back so that I can add a piece of silver beading wire through and hang it very simply.  You never know, in a few months when I get round to it, I might even post a photo!

More pip beads

Following on from the pip bead class I took, I was inspired to use the 3 rivolis (sparkly bit in the centre, doesn't have a hole) I'd bought for more pip bead jewellery.  I knew I had some blue pip beads at home, so that was where I started.

I have load of blue seed beads so it was pretty easy to match these beautiful pips with some dark blue delicas and seed beads.  This one isn't going to be a brooch.

Instead I added a jump ring to the back so I can make it into a necklace.

I then made these little flowers.  6 of the pip beads fit perfectly together in a circle to form a bloom and I added a little clear seed bead in the centre of each.  I think I'll make a couple more of them and use them to flank the main flower.  

I'm afraid this isn't the last you'll see of pip bead flowers, I used all three rivolis...


I'd also like to say that I've had the most hectic couple of weeks at work, including working into the evening, so I haven't been visiting many blogs and I don't think I've commented on any.  I hope to catch up at some point soon, so don't think I've abandoned you!

Pip beads

Looking for my Grow Your Blog Post?

It's here.

Last Saturday saw the first bead class of the year at The Bead Shop Nottingham where me and my lovely mum took a class in using pip beads to bevel a rivoli.

The rivoli is the sparkling stone in the middle, it's a crystal one from Swarovski and for this project we used 10mm rivolis. The pip beads are the petal shaped beads around the outside.  We made the bezel with delicas, size 15/0s, size 11/0s and size 8/0s so there was a lot of bead choices to make before we could begin.

The ring was created with peyote stitch picking up various beads for each round, the whole tube was the tightened around the rivoli.  That was the hard part, it takes a lot of time, effort and patience to get the rivoli in place before pulling the rows tight!  The petals are deliberately wavy, I could have used size 9/0s in place of the 8/0s to make the petals lie flat, but I like the texture this creates.

I've finished it off with a brooch bar to wear on my cardigans.

I bought some more rivolis and I already had some different colours of pip beads.  I've been beading away already so expect to see some more of these coming up very soon!

I usually like to vary my posts and so wouldn't come back to beading for a couple of weeks, I also usually like to post every two days.  My mental health is not great right now and crafting is taking a back seat, so I'm going to be posting twice a week and expect quite a lot of beading.  Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon.