Swarovski has released a PDF of this year’s holiday project ideas! Download and print their “Twinkling Yuletide” inspiration guide as a PDF, or view the projects on Fire Mountain Gems and Beads’ Web site . My favorite projects are the ornaments: angels, wreaths, and Christmas trees, all aglow in sparkling...

Though there’s been buzz about this for awhile, the official press release arrived this week about the new Crystallized – Swarovski Elements Xilion bead. Called an enhancement of the popular bicone shape (5301), the Xilion (5328) has more facets and a hole with rounded edges to “amplify sparkle” and...

I recently got an email from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads highlighting their special Beads & Brides section of their Web site. Here I found a great guide to classic wedding jewelry materials, like pearls and precious metals, but that’s not all. On the right-hand side of the page, there are all kinds...

A few weeks ago, I blogged about a group of kids in England and a man in Abu Dhabi who are breaking world records with beads . Not long after, my Art Jewelry colleague Addie Kidd forwarded me a link to another world record about to be shattered by beads – and lots and lots of tulle. Romanian designer...

The more I read about weddings, the more I find unusual uses for jewelry! If you missed my blog on wedding cake jewelry , that’s where my sojourn into bizarre bridal jewelry began. Then last week , for something a little less saccharin, I wrote about exboyfriendjewelry.com , the premier site for selling...

While beginning the wedding-planning process, I came across a concept that stopped me in my tracks: cake jewelry. As an editor at BeadStyle , I of course love jewelry, and as an amateur cake decorator , I am enamored of cake. So naturally, I had to research this trend. Cake-jewelry.com offers silver...

Those of you who have your March 2009 issue of BeadStyle have probably seen the ad on pages 66 and 67 for the CRYSTALLIZED - Swarovski Elements Creativity Cruise. The ad lists a phone number to call to make reservations and pay for the classes once you've booked your trip with Carnival Cruise Lines...