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Beads by Mail Online Gallery of Original Jewelry Designs
We Hope This Page Inspires You
Most of these pieces use components that we have for sale on our Bead Shop. If you can't locate a specific item please call us at 781-293-4475 to find out if it's still available.
Some of the jewelry in this gallery is from other designers.
Check out the Vintage department to see more jewelry that's for sale.
We'd love to display your creations on this Gallery page! Send us a file containing the image-- .jpg file.
Doris Duke Was the Wealthiest Woman in the US for a while
Doris Duke's parents purchased the Newport, RI mansion called "Rough Point" from the Rockefellers in early 1900s.
The mansion has 40,000 square feet of floor space and 50 rooms. Doris lived there, and in
New Jersey, all her life. She even kept a pair of camels on the patio in Newport in a specially built tent, and
one of her "girls" (camel) is still alive! She loved interesting and unusual jewelry and
I took a few photos of some of her jewels. I especially loved a double strand of large perfectly matched huge round white opal beads
with faceted rock crystal rondel spacers--the finest opal beads I have seen. Doris Duke seems to have preferred colored stones,
whereas her mother specialized in diamonds. I just love the pink topaz and diamond necklace set. Doris was a platinum
blonde and wore pastels well. She was 5'10" tall and spoke in a soft high breathy voice (remember Jackie) perhaps it was
an affectation among the wealthy. Doris played pretty swinging jazz piano and loved to jam with the musicians
who appeared in the Newport Jazz Festival. Now that's my idea of Heaven: a mansion on the ocean, gorgeous
jewels, a slender figure, and jazz jams through the night!
Jennifer M. Sent us some Photos
Our customer Jennifer sent some photos of her designs with our gaspeite, garnets, peridot, turquoise,
and coral. Quite lovely, we think.
Unbelievable Designer Precious Jewels Seen in London
My jaw dropped when I saw these fabulous jewels in the lobby of the Dorchester Hotel on Park Row. No one seemed to care that I was taking pictures! In the U.S. I probably would have been admonished.
These pigeons-blood ruby beads are well matched, which is so difficult to do, and graduated perfectly, which is
another daunting task. The necklace and bracelet contain over a hundred matched beads.
What might be called a tour de force. The jeweled stations are platinum, completely encrusted with diamonds. These jewels are
truly fit for royalty. Now I can say I have seen the pigeon's blood color. The lower photo is closer to the actual
color of the ruby beads. Do you think these pieces would flatter a blonde, brunette/raven, or redhead better?
What color gown would you wear with them?
Above, this is a triumph of the jeweler's art. The designer who created these pieces is at the absolute pinnacle of artistry. The curved and graceful shapes of these pieces form an exciting challenge in stone setting. The pieces are encrusted with rubies, diamonds, and sapphires, all the hard stones, perfectly color-matched, and I am sure the metal is platinum, which has had a resurgence lately. The earrings were about 2" in diameter! This set is a bit over the top. Seems like a lucky lady wearing it would need an armed guard. There were no prices and the jeweler was closed as it was Boxing Day, otherwise I would have enquired about the price ... just as a matter of research.
This was a less flamboyant example, but still impressive in the crisp modeling and balance of the positive & negative spaces. I think it would be gorgeous in colored stones too. I really admire the combination of different shapes and sizes of stones: it's a very subtle design. Quite a sweet Valentine's Day gift, don't you think? Again, platinum forms the mounting and chain. (The piece is about half the size of the photo.)
Unfortunately the designers' names were not available. But these are museum-quality pieces.
"Pearl" Lasso Necklace
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Click the image to see a larger photo |
| Above, the designer for St. John (those expensive knits) was photographed in Vogue Magazine wearing a lasso like this, only this one is prettier than hers! I would estimate the retail price of her necklace to be at least $120.00. Our costume pearls in cream are 8mm and we added tassels of crystal AB drops and an onyx bead that is inlaid with Swarovski crystals. This style is very easy to make and even easier to wear because it is completely adjustable to your preferred length. To make one like this check out our instructions--they are on the Projects page. "Pearl" lasso necklace kit with everything you need except tigertail, $54.99 (if you purchase everything separately the makings total $58.00). |
From Delia in Sunny California
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| Love that purple 2-strand bracelet with the unusual components she got from us (sorry sold out) |
Hand-Beaded Ornament
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| Above, here is a project that took many hours but was worth it. I embroidered pearls, amethyst beads, seed, delica, and bugle beads onto a piece of flexible non woven fabric (interfacing). Then when it was finished I glued it to a piece of soft leather cut to fit. The neckstrap was easy to add. You could also put a pin on the back. Must have been a long cold winter when I did this! |
Sunflower Necklace and Earrings
Unusual gold tone mounting with a lovely Florentine lustrous finish, beads wired to filigree backing.
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| After I purchased this set the brooch's pin assembly broke right off. It had been repaired with soft solder,
which rarely holds. Since the backing holding the beads was inserted into the petaled mounting leaving some spaces,
I attached four strands of beads and added a fancy clasp in back. Notice that I
attached the beaded strands toward the top of the centerpiece so it would hang properly when worn.
(the beads are mostly from our glass pages.) Now I like the set even
better. If you look closely you can see some of the wire used to fasten each bead to the openwork backing. This type of design can be attractive, but requires care in order to remain like new. I have never seen such an unusual gold mounting in such good condition. Jewelry made with filigree or open work pieces to which beads are wired and glued started in the 1920s and is still being made today. This set was probably made in the 1950s. The wire technique enables designers to achieve good 3-dimensional texture not possible with gluing and too difficult to manufacture with prongs or bezels. |
"Treasure" Necklace
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| This tassel necklace incorporates some of my favorite glass beads that I have had for years, with carnelian chips (around the back) and goldstone carved beads as well as some Venetian trade beads and Czech pressed glass. The 3 large faceted oval beads are amethyst Austrian machine cut, very old, although the color didn't scan well. The faceted drops at the ends of the tassels are Czech machine cut crystal AB, sold on our Austrian Beads page. The style is very easy to make and even easier to wear. It stays put because of the weight of the tassels, and doesn't slide around on your chest as do some necklaces that are simple loops. I made the necklace part 28" long with a clasp, and the tassels are about 4.5" long each. You can use a top or side drilled drop on the end of the tassels. Just add a crimp before you string the final bead. There is also a crimp above the single bead that gathers the two strands. If you use a clasp and very small beads either side of the clasp, you can adjust the length of the necklace by looping the strands in the back and then fastening the clasp. This is also a wonderful way to show off a special pendant or larger focus piece. |
Cloisonne Fish With Tourmaline & Tassel
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| The cloisonne fish has delicate pink, gold, and off-white colorings with gold edging. Tourmalines look perfect with these colors. I added a 3-strand tassel ending in machine-cut crystal Ab drops. Fish $14.99 each, tourmaline 36" strand $38.00. |
Sample Design with Hexagon Shaped Beads
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Above: we used 3 of the black lacquer beads in the center, combined with silver cylinders, more of the black beads, and 5mm fire polish marea spacers for a bit of sparkle. This combination would look beautiful in a longer version as well as in a bracelet. You could also use one of the green lacquer beads as a centerpiece, or a larger silver bead
Turquoise, Millefiore, & Twisted Chips
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| Just a single strand of these beads looked too simple so I shortened a strand of turquoise chips & wound it around the necklace. This is actually 2 separate necklaces each with its own clasp. The center scarab is ceramic. The turquoise beads are 16mm. The chip strand is about 5" longer than the focus necklace. |
Venetian Millefiore with Czech Glass
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| Here is a design by our customer Delia incorporating our Venetian millefiore beads, our Czech glass amethyst ovals, and a lovely "confetti" centerpiece which she got in Germany. |
Unusual Cloisonne Fu-Dog Pendant
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| I found the cloisonne pendant in an antique shop in a dusty pile of junk jewelry. The necklace is mostly black beads with a few amber colored & gold ones throughout. The necklace is longer than in the photo. |
Moon Charm Necklace
| Wear a man in the moon charm for good luck with crystals and other coordinating beads. The moon charm of lead free pewter is $1.99 each. The faceted beads are on the transparent glass pages. |
Venetian Inlay Squares
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| Lovely way to style these Venetian beads, our best selling style from Murano. |
Designs from Our Customers Showing Our Beads
Delia Ann
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| These beautiful designs show our heart beads, mosaic beads, and our fire polish and crystal beads. |
Here's a pair of cute everyday earrings I made by gluing (use epoxy, not hot glue) a sun charm (18mm, I snipped off the hanging loop) onto an antique reproduction of a Chinese coin (25mm). The coin has 3 holes for attaching charms. Note that the charms are arranged in mirror fashion so the earrings look identical when on your ears. I epoxied a post finding onto the back of the coin. (The coin also has a hole at the top if you prefer to dangle it from an earwire.) The charm shaped like a person is a milagro, a Mexican and South American talisman.
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Email janey@beadsbymail.com . Phone (U.S.)800-572-7920 or (outside U.S.) 719-598-1506. By Mail: 1015 Golden Hills Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80919