Uncover Some Beading Trends

As the weather turns back into the familiar icy chill of autumn and winter, we are sometimes forced to layer on more clothes than we’d like to, so it’s only fair to keep your accessories as visible as they deserve to be. Sarah Ezzy-Dickson uncovers some beading trends to inspire you to warm up your fingers and get to work.

- Sarah Ezzy-dickson

The cooler weather generally brings darker colours – black, brown and navy – however there are variations on your typical winter theme that are worth giving consideration to, such as bold red, peacock blue, fern green and antique sage. Semiprecious stones are popular, and the colder seasons aren’t any exception. Carnelian will add a dash of bright colour, from red to orange, while turquoise looks stunning against a black outfit when teamed with either gold or silver. Emerald and jade will satisfy any lust for green, and either Lapis Lazuli or sodalite will fit the bill for the perfect winter blues that won’t make you frown. Large semi-precious nuggets used individually can make outstanding feature beads, or smaller nuggets linked together with thin coiled wire looks quite dainty. The irregularly shaped semi-precious nuggets give an earthy feel to a piece of jewellery, while finely faceted ones tend to look more feminine and refined.

While resin jewellery has been popular for a few years now, with thanks to the likes of Dinosaur Designs, it is enjoying resurgence in the spotlight with many jewellery designers creating their own style of resin jewellery. Chunky pendants made up of layers of bold opaque colours glazed with glitter, shaped into ice cream cones and flowers are being seen around the necks of young and old. Resin jewellery isn’t limited to designers with studios and specialised equipment at their disposal … ice-cube trays make excellent moulds for resin pendants (just ensure the tray isn’t liable to melt when you pour the resin into it). Experiment with different sized round take-away containers placed inside each other, with resin poured in the well left between the containers for bangles of varying width and height. With a bit of sanding, the edges will be smooth enough to wear.