Decoupage – jewelry making

Decoupage is an ancient craft that originated from east Siberian tomb art. Today this art is a simple one that is used to customize the look of the things you keep at home. Here I show one simple example of making jewelry box with decoupage.

Supplies:

1. Scissors
2. Craft knife
3. Fine grit sandpaper or emery board
4. Mod Podge
5. Foam paint brush
6. Popsicle stick
7. Plain wooden jewelry box with lid
8. Acrylic craft paint
9. Scrapbook paper
10. Copies of old family photos
11. Magazine clippings
12. Greeting cards
13. Other related ephemera
14. Ribbon, rhinestones, buttons, and other embellishments if desired

Instructions

1. Paint the jewelry color box and allow it dry thoroughly.

2. Get the collage items to fit in your jewelry box and cut it into small corners using craft knife.

3. To stick the pictures in your jewelry box use the foam paintbrush and mod podge. Smooth out the air bubbles with the Popsicle stick and dry it.

4. To give the collage a distressed look sand off the rough edges.

5. Coat with two or three layers of mod podge to close the box.

6. If you desire then add ribbon, rhinestones and other superfluities.

Indian Bridal Jewelry

For an original Indian bride jewelry plays an important role. It is a fact the bridal look is said to be incomplete unless the bride wears all the piece of the jewelry meant for her. Depending on the budget people might go for silver, platinum, white gold or diamond jewelry, but mostly in Indian wedding brides are wearing yellow gold jewelry. People also opt for precious stones such as ruby, jade, garnet, emerald, amethyst and pearl. We can also see the variation in the bridal jewelry depending on the regions of the country where it is taking place. So let see about the jewelry for an Indian bride.

Types of Indian Bridal Jewelry

Shringar Patti

This ornament is a kind of tiara made of gold which adorns the bride’s forehead. It is placed along her hairline. It consists of a circular sign in the middle which hangs in the centre separation of the hair.

Maang Tikka

Maang Tikka can be said to be an abbreviated adaptation of the shringaar patti. It encompasses a string, with a center piece attached to one end and a hook to the other. It is worn by the bride in center separation of the hair.

Necklace & Earrings

The setup of a bride is imperfect without a bridal set, which comprises of a heavy neck set, beside the matching earrings. Keeping the color and style of the bridal dress the bridal set is selected.

Nath (Nose Ring)

Nath forms another important part of the bridal jewelry. It is made up of a studded nose ring, which has a long chain attached to it. The chain is obsessed up in the hair of the bride, above the ear.

Chudi (Bangles)

Bangles are made up of gold as well as glass. In some case like Punjabi the bangles are replaced by ivory ones in red and white color. These ivory bangles are called chuda.

Hathphool (Bracelet with Rings)

Hathphool jewelry is used to adorn the bride’s wrist as well as her fingers. It is made up of bracelet with one or more strings attached to it containing the rings at the other end.

Anguthi (Finger Rings)

anguthi is most important for a bride. Apart from the engagement ring she should wear one or more gold or diamond rings.

Bichhua (Toe Ring)

Bichhua is a toe ring made up of silver and is considered as a sign of married women. It is usually worn in pairs only.

Payal (Anklet)

The payal is worn along with the toe ring which made up of silver. This is used to decorate the ankles of a bride and is decorated with meenakari, kundan or beads.

Mangal Sutra (Necklace with Black Beads)

This is the important ornament in the wedding and is not worn by the women’s before their marriage. It is tied by the husband as symbol of their relationship. It is made up of black beads with gold or diamond locket.

Kamarband (Waist Band)

This is an ancient ornament and now a day it is not much frequently used. It is a heavy piece of jewelry used to support the wedding dress.

Baaju Band (Arm Bands)

This one is also popular in olden days, now a day it is optional. Some wear this in both the hands and some in a single hand.

Ornaments evolution

During the Second World War metal are the precious things in the war field. In that time Americans used ornaments made in sliver, which gave good look and very shiny and they often painted with opaque colored and give transparent coating.

Every now and then strips of glitter were inserting within the ornament to provide some sparkle. Ultimately paper caps and paper inserts were substitute for the classic metal caps, one more requirement to bear American troops.

Hard to believe those during the Second World War many sacrifice were made. We think it is emotional that those sacrifices are represented through the ornaments of this period. Many ornaments were found in those days which are belonging to silver material and it very famous in that time.

Bead - A beautiful decorative object

A bead is a small, decorative object that is pierced for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under a millimeter to over a centimeter or sometimes several centimeters in diameter.

Glass, plastic, and stone are probably the most common materials, but beads are also made from bone, horn, ivory, metal, shell, pearl, coral, gemstones, polymer clay, metal clay, resin, synthetic minerals, wood, ceramic, fiber, paper, and seeds.

A pair of beads made from Nassarius sea snail shells, approximately 100,000 years old, are thought to be the earliest known examples of jewellery.

Beadwork is the art or craft of making things with beads. Beads can be woven together with specialized thread, strung onto thread or soft, flexible wire, or adhered to a surface (e.g. fabric, clay).

There are many types of decorative beads, few of them are:

Bugle beads, Chevron beads, Cloisonné beads, Dichroic beads, Ethnic beads, Faux natural beads, Fire-polished beads, Furnace glass beads, Fused glass beads, Fusible beads, Hair pipe beads, Lampwork beads, Lead crystal beads, Lucite beads, Millefiori beads, Pressed glass beads, Seed beads, Trade beads or Slave beads, Tagua Beads, Vintage Beads .