Free Design Ideas - Venetian Bead Shop Blog

Basilica: Necklace, Bracelet and Earrings – Free Murano Glass Jewelry Designs

The Pink Basilica Necklace, Bracelet, and Earrings offer a tribute to Venetian artistry with Murano glass and gold foil. The necklace combines vibrant millefiori patterns with pink white gold rounds, while the bracelet’s lamp work squares exude opulence with 24kt gold foil. The earrings, adorned with millefiori slices, emanate elegance in a soft pink hue.

Make this Pink Basilica Necklace

Imagine a necklace that whispers stories of Venetian charm and artisanal mastery. This 17-inch marvel is a symphony of Murano Glass Squares and discs, each infused with the essence of ancient glassmaking techniques passed down through generations. Picture tiny slices of millefiori mosaics, meticulously arranged like vibrant confetti, captured beneath a translucent surface, shimmering with life, in this Murano Glass Jewelry design.

But the magic doesn’t end there. Set against a backdrop of luxurious 24kt gold foil, these glass treasures gleam with an unparalleled radiance, each piece a testament to the fusion of tradition and innovation. The warm embrace of the gold foil accentuates the intricate details of the millefiori patterns, adding depth and opulence to every glance.

And then, like delicate jewels adorning a royal garment, the necklace is adorned with Pink White Gold Rounds in varying sizes – 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm. Their lustrous sheen and gentle blush harmonize with the kaleidoscopic hues of the Murano Glass, creating a symphony of colors that dance with every movement.

For the Free Instructions and components list: Click Here

Make this stunning Basilica Bracelet

The bracelet features intricate pink and white mosaic Murano lamp work squares that are each a miniature masterpiece in their own right. These squares, meticulously handcrafted by skilled artisans, showcase a mesmerizing blend of hues, creating a harmonious symphony of color that captivates the eye.

Adding a touch of luxury and opulence to the design is the presence of 24kt gold foil delicately infused within the glass. The shimmering gold foil lends a radiant glow to the bracelet, catching the light with every movement and casting a warm, ethereal glow.

To complement the beauty of the Murano glass squares, the bracelet is adorned with gold fill bead caps. These bead caps add a touch of sophistication and refinement to the piece, enhancing its overall allure and ensuring that it stands out as a true statement of style.

For free instructions and list of components: Click Here

To complete the set: Make these beautiful earrings.

These pink Murano glass earrings exude elegance and charm measuring approximately 40mm ( 1 3/4 Inches)

At first glance, they catch the eye with their soft pink hue, reminiscent of blooming cherry blossoms. Each earring is adorned with tiny, intricate slices of millefiori, adding a kaleidoscopic burst of colors like a miniature garden captured within glass.

The millefiori slices are delicately placed over 24kt gold foil, lending a luxurious shimmer and depth to the design. This gold foil backdrop enhances the warmth and richness of the pink hues, creating a captivating play of light and color with every movement.

To complement the exquisite Murano glass focal pieces, the earrings feature gold fill ear wires. These ear wires ensure both durability and elegance, allowing the earrings to dangle gracefully from the ears. At 42mm in length, they strike the perfect balance between subtlety and presence, making them ideal for both casual outings and formal occasions.

For free Instructions for the Earrings Click Here

Murano Millefiori Bead Bracelet, Free Design

This bracelet features thin slices of Millefiori (thousand flowers) in pink and beige embedded into the molten glass are our bead maker creates the bead. The millefiori is placed over 24kt Gold Foil on a black background for a luxurious look.

It is easy to make. Use our instructions to guide you and the parts list for all that you need. It is 6 1/2 Inches, which you can increase by an inch just by duplicating the pattern, adding an additional 14mm bead and surrounding pink crystals. For the free PDF and parts list Click Here

Making Venetian Bead Wedding Wine Charm

Here are some examples of wine charms we used for a family wedding. Actually, once we got started it was hard to stop. We made about 125 pieces. They do take time, but we learned a few things. Obviously, we used some Murano Glass Beads on each charm, but the silver toned charms and colored ones we bought at a crafts store.

Some of the finished Wine Charms – Note the crystals glued on each end

I looked at some premade charms, but decided that the closure on the premade charms wouldn’t be ideal for people to use. It makes them secure, but after a few toasts, might be a real skill test. And the curve/twist would not accommodate the 1mm hole of our Murano Glass Beads. And I definitely wanted to use some Murano Glass Beads. So I cannibalized the premade charms and used the dangles for accent. You might also notice that the charms that came with the premade ones do not dangle with the inscriptions to the front, so I added 5mm jump rings.

To begin with, you need memory wire. Sorry the memory wire we normally stock is 24 gauge and I didn’t feel it was strong enough to use. So at the craft store, I found rolls of 22 gauge memory wire which is stronger. Cut your wire so that you have about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch overlap.

Glue a 4mm or 5mm crystal on one end so that your beads and charms do not fall off as you assemble the charms. We used E6000 but any glue that says it is for glass to metal works. Or you can use Gorilla glue which comes in small tubes easily applied. Apply glue to the end with a toothpick or just insert the end directly into the glue tube.

After the crystal dries, then just slide on your beads and charms. As you can see in our finished charms, we made the somewhat symmetrical, using Murano Glass 6x4mm rondelles which easily slide on. For the other Murano Beads we wire wrapped them so they slide on and dangle. (Yes for this family wedding, I think I made about 300 wire wraps. I think my skill level improved. :>)

The beads you choose are up to you. I wandered through our warehouse choosing some brightly colored beads that would lay flat on the wine stem, a lot of coins, squares, stars and a couple of hearts. Somewhere around #100, the designs became even more random. But as you can see even those are “charming”. Before beginning I sorted items by colors.

With the outdoor venue and flowers, all our charms were perfect. We put a wine charm on each champagne flute which had been engraved with the couple’s name and the guests were invited to take the flute and the wine charms home to remember the day.

Guest Tables with Champagne Flutes and Wine Charms

Seems I am not out of the wine charms business as there is a follow up party in the bride’s hometown. I think I have another 150 to make.

Make an Adjustable Charm Bangle with Beadalon Bracelet Jig

Make This Bracelet – So Popular This Year

We love this Beadalon Bracelet Jig to make an adjustable charm bangle. It was voted “Hot” Product of CHA in 2015 (CHA is the Craft Hobby Association).

It is simple and so very popular this year thanks to Alex and Ani. You’ll want to make dozens. Wear them in stacks.

You don’t have to have this jig to make the bracelet. Use a drink can or other bottle to wrap the wire to give it a nice round shape. You can spread the overlap apart if you need it larger or squeeze it a bit further for a smaller size.

The key here is that you want to put the charm which fits inside the overlapping wire before you close the loops. The charms that float you can add at the end. You need only a pair of side cutters to cut the wire and 2 long nose pliers to open and close the endings as well as the charms you add. Watch Wyatt White, Product Manager, from Beadalon as he shows you how to make this bracelet.

Wyatt recommends 18 gauge half hard wire so it maintains it’s shape better. In our bracelet, we used Beadalon 18 gauge Silver Plated Wire. We also have pre-made bracelets in Sterling Silver and in Vermeil (Gold Plate over Sterling).

Sterling Silver Adjustable Bangle Bracelet

Making a Boro Tube Necklace

These are very popular in Venice, and combining both traditional Murano Glass beads for the center piece and Borosilicate Glass, commonly called “boro” for the curved tubes. The tubes are curved working in the flame.

Here are some suggestions for center beads. You will need a bead that is at least 20mm to command the center, or you could add a pendant which is suspended between the two symmetrical tubes. Click here or on the picture for the Free Design page and list of components needed.

Choose the Focal Bead You Like – at least 20mm

Make no mistake, each and every piece is slightly different. Our blowers are the best in the business, but like all artists, they create each piece one by one. In fact, I had to beg to get the blower to make the symmetrical. He said “mi non piassi” – Venetian dialect for I do not LIKE them!

With these necklaces it is best to begin with the center beads and work out. The wire will follow the curvature of the boro tube and will easily come out the hole, but you may need to give it a couple of tries. Larger wire is better because you want to be sure you can secure the necklace.

We use inverted bead caps to fit like a socket into the holes of the tubes which gives it flexibility. Again, each hole will be slightly different, but the inverted beadcap will its seat against the hole, whatever the size or shape of the hole. (The holes are made while the glass is glowing red hot by inserting a metal mandrel into the hot glass, so the holes will never be perfectly round. This is not a defect, just how it’s made.)

Our organic shapes like pebbles and nocce are naturals for the enter pieces and matting the beads is a great contrast. We’d love to see what you do with these exquisite boro tubes.

About Boro:

Boro is a type of glass with silica and boron trioxide as the main glass-forming constituents. Borosilicate glass is known for having very low coefficients of thermal expansion (~3 × 10⁻⁶ /°C at 20 °C), making them resistant to thermal shock, more so than any other common glass. Boro was invented by the German Otto Schott, and is similar in composition to the US was patented by Corning under the name of Pyrex, yes like the Pyrex you use in the oven (only it is much thicker than our jewelry beads).

Lampworkers enjoy working with boro as it is more forgiving, easier to work more complicated pieces, like ornate wine glasses or sculptural designs and can be reheated so you have a chance to “re do” any mistakes, something we can not do with Murano Glass.

Halloween Bracelet – Skulls & Charms

For some people Halloween is the best holiday of the year. Count us in, we love dressing the kids up and strolling through the neighborhood. We have even taken Halloween costumes to the kids in Murano – now thanks to the same manufacturers who flood our markets with costumes, Venetians can find them locally.

While it’s still a mainly US holiday, the Venetian children do enjoy the treats (much like they get on San Martin Day, 11 November when the kids go to all the stores and receive treats).

We incorporated our authentic Murano Glass Skulls in a varying colors and our TierraCast Antiqued Silver Plated Pewter Charms. To make it even easier, we started our with our Sterling Silver Rolo Charm Bracelet. We attached the charms with jump rings, so you only need to wire wrap our our Venetian Beads.Feel free to change the design. If you want to do this in a gold tone, we have the same charms in gold/or Bronze and use Gold Fill or Gold plated chain.

It is a super Mother-Daughter project, or in my case Grandmother/Marcella/Sydney project. We have a simplified version for the younger set.

Click on this link for the components and a printable PDF of directions – or click on the picture.

Happy Trick or Treating! from all of us at VenetianBeadShop.com

I Love Montana Bracelet Design

Make this Swarovski designed bracelet in just a few minutes. The abundance of Swarovski Crystals makes a statement. For the free design instructions which you can download and print as well as a list of supplies, click on the picture or Click Here

It features the new Swarovski Blends of Crystal/Montana strung on memory wire.

The only tools you’ll need are cutters and a round nose plier to curl the end of the memory wire. We recommend using the stronger memory wire cutters when you work with memory wire and save your side cutters for the more delicate cuts.

Make it you own by working with a different set of colors. Add some charms from our fabulous TierraCast collection.

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