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| Auntie's Beads Home > SmartCollections™ > Shop Beads by Color |
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Our exclusive SmartCollections™ by Color brings together our beads and pendants by color. Shop to find the color you desire - whether it be green or red or turquoise - you desire all in one convenient place. Sort these color coordianted bead collections any way you like: by newest, by price, by most reviews, and more.
What's a SmartCollection™? Exclusively from Auntie's Beads, these are product listings that make sense for bead shoppers and jewelry designers, helping you to zero in on what you need without having to spend hours on warehouse-style bead sites. We make bead shopping fun again, while giving you more time for beading!
Brought to you by Auntie's Beads, the exclusive home of SmartBeadShopping™, a better way to shop for beads.
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Working with Color in Jewelry Design
Let's say you have learned the basics of beading. You know how to string a bracelet or a necklace. You know how to wire wrap. You know how to create earrings and maybe even wire wrapped rings. You can even do a few stitches. Technique is not all that makes a good designer great; design is part skill and know-how, but mostly involves just having "an eye". Knowing what colors to put together when and how, knowing when to go out on a limb and add a splash of lime, and knowing when to pull in the reins a bit and develop a "less is more" attitude... These are things that every creative person struggles with at one point or another. Our designers have a few tips to help you know how to work with color in ways you never thought possible.
- Invest in a color wheel. If you have ever taken an art class, you know that there are colors that harmonize and colors that contrast, there are triads and dyads. Bottom line: there are multiple ways to put color together and sometimes the answers aren't always obvious (or the choices aren't always ones you would make). A color wheel helps you understand these things a bit better. It also helps you branch out when you feel like you are stuck in a color rut.
- Find inspiration. This can be as simple as walking out into your garden or taking a walk in the park. It can involve flipping through a magazine or watching TV. Color inspiration can be found in nature or in a photograph. Karla recommends keeping a cork board or some other type of display board near your beading area; you can use this to post photos or magazine ads that inspire you to create new color palettes.
- Follow trends. Seasons change, trends change, tastes change. Even if you are not a person given to following what's hot at any given moment, being aware of current trends in jewelry design is a big part of any designer's job - especially if you are creating jewelry that you want to sell. Knowing what colors are in season or are popular this year can really enhance your designs - and, hopefully, force you to branch out and use colors you never thought you would use.
- Start simple. Start with a piece that is going to be the main component of your design. Let's say, for example, that you bought a great turquoise pendant. It is a vibrant blue and has a brown matrix in it. What does that inspire you to work with? Would you pair it with copper or brass to echo the matrix and offer a complementary look? Or do you want to go a less obvious route and find a contrasting color to really make the turquoise "pop"? Once you have figured that out, you can grab your color wheel and see what else might work with the palette you have chosen. You will find that if you just start simple, the answers can become clear quite quickly.
- Don't be afraid to try new things. Recently, Shanna wanted to learn the Cellini Spiral. Because she knew it would be a time-consuming project and that she would probably only just create one, she wanted to make sure she got the colors just right. If you are familiar with Shanna's design work at all, you know she is into antique finishes and muted tones with subtle pops of color. She knew she wanted to balance bright and bold with muted. Not an easy feat - but, by mixing opaque and matte finishes and putting contrasting colors next to more harmonious colors, the effect was just what she wanted.
When working with color, it is important that you know what works well together. Whether you are using 2 colors or 6, it is important to find just the right balance. Doing this can be tricky - and not everyone becomes a color expert - but it can be done. Just remember: learning to work with color is much like learning a new technique. It takes practice, tools and sometimes a little help from unexpected sources.
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| Projects, Videos and Color Ideas |
We don't just provide the products and information related to the products, we show you how to use them! Check out these free inspirational projects, videos and categories demonstrating how to use color in new and interesting ways.
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