Then and Now Beads

HOW TO'S:  Jeweller Nicole Hanna shares her beautiful wire wrapping technique I love Hanna's beautifully intricate designs and am so grateful that she shares her skills with budding jewellery makers like me through free videos and easily affordable PDF tutorials. Here is one of my (many!) favourites: Thank you for reading. To browse my jewellery, please visit the  Gallery . I hope you enjoy it!

INSPIRATION: Awe-inspiring potter demonstrates the crazy Raku firing process I was lucky enough to meet Denis Di Luca during a local art and crafts fair. I immediately fell in love with his work and bought a beautiful ornament for our bedroom. A self-confessed lover of fire play, DiLuca prefers Raku and experiments with Obvara Firing, Terre Sigillate, Saggar Firing, Naked and Raku techniques. I find his work so inspiring, from the bold combination of monochrome and colour to the nail-biting interplay of skill and chance. In this video we get a glimpse of the genius in action! Thank you for reading. To browse my jewellery, please visit the  Gallery . I hope you enjoy it!

MUSINGS:  Seaside areas and arts and craft culture, what’s that all about? I’m very interested in location in relation to art and culture. One thing that I’d always taken for granted until recently was the amount of coastal regions that have a thriving arts and crafts scene. A few examples of places I have been lucky enough to spend time include: Whitsable, with its funky little independent shops, cafes and art galleries Margate, with its famous Turner gallery and independent art exhibitions Cornwall, with its own Turner gallery and beautiful Barbara Hepworth studio  Also, during annual South East Open Studios I couldn't help noticing that many artists were based along the coast, from Hastings and Hythe to Deal and Chatham Docks. Are artistic people drawn to our beautiful seaside towns or do Britain's coastal areas bring out the inner artist in us?  What is the magic of the seaside?  Is it the sea air, the natural beauty, the calmer pace of life? If yo...

INTERVIEW: Native American bead artist shares his story Then and Now Beads favourite Elias Jade talks about how he came to create his own style of wearable art, jewellery and rugs inspired by his tribe's designs. Click here to read full interview. Thank you for reading. To browse my jewellery, please visit the  Gallery . I hope you enjoy it!

NEWS:  Then and Now Beads pieces flew off the shelves! Building on the success of the previous two years, my third year appearance at Hachette's Carmelite House charity craft fair was the best yet in both sales on the day and commissions thereafter. This year's event was in aid of the National Literacy Trust and that wasn't the only change. A few months before, I invested in a SumUp machine, which meant that card and mobile phone payments could be taken on the spot.  Also new was a limited edition range of pendant necklaces featuring gorgeous, unique pottery discs sourced from a local charity shop,  donated by a local potter. Whilst all ranges sold well, the necklaces made from these discs were the undisputed stars of the show.  Following previous years' craft fairs, I'd been fortunate enough to have a small but healthy number of commissions. This year the amount and ambition of commissions was even bigger, involving a lot more co-creation with customers, wh...

MY JEWELLERY: I hope you like it! Offers for current collection items welcome, including alterations. Commissions based on current or previous designs or your own ideas also welcome. Please contact me at: thenandnowbeads@gmail.com . Please note, my creative materials are limited to those sourced sustainably. Current collection Previous designs These have been sold or gifted. Similar designs may be available on request.   Thank you for looking!