Jewelry Making Resources | Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Ask the Experts Memory Wire Q&A

Q: What does one use memory wire for? I bought some thinking that it would stay the way I bent it, and found that it was impossible. Now what do I use it for?

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Ask the Experts Polishing Jewelry Q&A

Q: What are the pros and cons of using a jewelry tumbler for polishing jewelry as opposed to a hand held rotary tool?

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Ask the Experts Selling Jewelry Q&A

Q: I'm a new jewelry designer and I was wondering about different ways to promote and sell my one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces, do you have any suggestions?

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Ask the Experts Measuring Q&A

Q: How do you measure beads?

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Ask the Experts Jumprings Q&A

Q: How do I determine the OD of a jumpring when all I have is the ID and the gauge?

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Ask the Experts Organizers Q&A

Q: What do you recommend for a work table surface for beading?

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Ask the Experts Resin Q&A

Q: How can I preserve flowers to be used in resin pendants?

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Ask the Experts Cleaning Pewter Beads Q&A

Q: How do you clean pewter beads?

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Ask the Experts Earcuffs Q&A

Q: I am trying to imitate ear cuffs I have previously purchased. One end of the ear cuff is sealed by a bead glued to it. The other end of the ear cut is left raw. How do I soften the cut raw end of the ear cuff so that it doesn't scratch the ear cartilage?

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Ask the Experts Selling Finished Jewelry Q&A

Q: I'd like to know if it would be practical to promote/sell pieces on more than one website--I suppose I'd also have to split the pieces between sites instead of showing them all on all sites--yes?

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Ask the Experts Metal Finish Q&A

Q: What does oxidated and anodized mean?

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Ask the Experts Fringe Q&A

Q: I want to make a seed bead fringe necklace, how does the seed bead stay on the bottom of the fringe, and how do I attach the seed bead onto the chain, and what type of wire or thread do I use to create the fringe. Fringe hangs 10" long by 7 1/2" wide. How is the bottom seed of the fringe secured? Thank you.

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Ask the Experts Freeform Seed Beads Q&A

Q: What is free form beading?

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Ask the Experts Right-Angle Weave Q&A

Q: I am new to the right-angle weave. I have watched the video several times. My thread is showing really bad and is loose in some spots. I am using round beads on FireLine thread. What am I doing wrong and also how do I finish it off? Thanks.

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Ask the Experts Finishing Q&A

Q: When finishing a piece, I don't have a problem with crimping or threading the wire back through the finished beads but I have to pull on it a little too tight for comfort to make sure that the piece doesn't have too much slack in it...and be ruined. Some pieces cannot abide a crimp cover and the crimp will be hidden well but still, is there a secret to achieving the aforementioned task without using a winch?

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Ask the Experts Right-Angle Weave Q&A

Q: What is the "correct" way of doing 2-needle right-angle weave? Do I keep changing from one needle to the other, or should I try to be a rightie and a leftie at the same time, i.e. keep one needle in each hand?

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Quick And Easy Earrings For Holiday Bazaars!

Generate extra income this holiday season with these straightforward Christmas projects crafted for selling at holiday bazaars.

Video Length 11:00

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Ask the Experts Metal Patinas Q&A

Q: From what I have read, liver of sulfur turns copper dark or black. I want to take hardened copper and give it the blue-green look it might have developed after being out to sea. Is there a product you can recommend?

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Ask the Experts Stringing Q&A

Q: What is the best way to thread soft materials like bugtail, cotton, etc. through snug holes? When I thread a woven cotton through a hole that is the exact size of my material I can't use a needle. I end up cutting off a lot of material to get to a new point that's stiff enough to pass through the bead. Is there a hollow needle or wire wrapping technique that will guide the cord end through beads with a similar hole size?

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Bracelet

Icy blue coated glass and crystal clear fire-polished beads coil around the wrist alongside two styles of silver-plated beads. This quick-and-easy winter bracelet design ends with an intricate snowflake charm for seasonal style.

Design Idea PF4B

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Ask the Experts Brads Q&A

Q: I purchased brads and want to use them to connect a piece of filigree to leather. The brad pulls through the leather. What can I do to fix this problem?

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Earrings

Like classic ornaments, these beautiful earrings feature Christmas reds and greens framed in fashionable copper beads and elegantly woven copper wire.

Design Idea PH2M

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Ask the Experts Gemstone Drilling Q&A

Q: How do I drill a hole in a gemstone already polished.

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Ask the Experts Mica Powder Q&A

Q: What is mica powder and what is it used for?

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