Elena Adams Designs – News

I have been working crazily the last few weeks getting ready to release a whole new collection in time for fall. I’m finding the slightly industrial look, combined with smokey grays and blacks really inspiring, and using fall favorite colors like deep purple and endive to brighten them up. Here’s a little peak at one [...]

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If you’ve been keeping up with my chain maille videos, you will have seen the double helix chain instructions. It’s one of my favorites, and when you wind two strands together they form a thick rope. When I was teaching classes at The Bead Shop one of my popular sessions was hand-making small amounts of [...]

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It’s time for a more challenging weave! Full Persian is a really tricky one to start – a higher aspect ratio leaves lots of room at first, making it harder to tell how to hold it and where to connect your rings. It’s a good idea to develop a collection of “starter sets” – keep [...]

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I find the easiest way to learn anything new is to figure out how it relates to something you already know and then learn the differences. It applies to a lot of things, but especially so to chain making. If you’ve had a chance to look at my Byzantine tutorial, you’re going to find Queen’s [...]

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The design for these earrings came like a lightning bolt. I’ve had lots of requests lately for shorter earrings, and I’ve been trying to work out how to incorporate my style with less room to work. I love the herringbone setting; it creates the perfect bail for stones, adding delicate detail while letting light shine [...]

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When I first learned how to make full Persian chain maille, I could not get over how flexible it was. The chain can easily make tight coils, and it feel spectacularly fluid. Of course my first response to learning a new weave is seeing how tiny or delicate I can get away with designing in, [...]

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Here’s another easy chain weave for you: Byzantine. This weave is so delicate, is very forgiving with your choices of jump rings, and is perfect for making completed bracelets and necklaces. In this version we’ll use the segments between beads or other components to make a pretty, beaded bracelet. To get started you’ll need to [...]

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I hope you’ve enjoyed the first four videos in my series on how to make chainmail. I’m a visual learner. I can’t always follow when someone just tells me the steps in a process, and I have a bad tendency to skim when I’m reading instructions. However, if I see it done once, I can [...]

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The Jewelry Making and Beading blog loved my new how-to videos. Have you seen the first four videos yet? Get the basic techniques under your belt, because more tutorials are on the way

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It’s time to learn another essential skill: how to wire wrap beads. Practice this one lots because we’re going to use it to embellish our chain projects in the near future. See the video and get the ingredient list. See the free video archives.

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The Jewelry Making blog by Tammy Powley at About.com has featured me! She loved my free tutorial videos and thinks her readers will too. I’m so flattered to be shown on such a great blog. Thanks Tammy! See the post here and don’t forget to leave your comments.

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I have a brand new video for you. Learn how to make the beautiful spiral chain maille, which makes a gorgeous accessory for any jewelry lover. Once you get the trick of this weave, it’s simple and fast to make, and can be modified and added to lots of different jewelry designs. Get the ingredients [...]

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Choosing a custom jewelry designer can be a lot of work, but ultimately a rewarding quest that will leave you with a piece of jewelry you’ll treasure for years. The Handmade Artist’s Forum blog has featured my article, which you can read here.

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Every designer hits a creative road block from time to time. It’s common to look back and realize you’ve created four pairs of earrings with essentially the same design in mind, and looking for new ideas seems almost impossible. I love making jewelry, but I’m no different. Here are some things I do to get [...]

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Believe it or not, this necklace started life as a bracelet. I’d been playing with a new chain maille bracelet design a while back, but I was unsatisfied with how open the 4-1 European weave turned out. After working on the charity necklace, which used a more densely packed 6-1 version, I thought I’d just [...]

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I fell in love with a strand of these gigantic serpentine pieces about two years ago. One of my very discerning jeweler friends rolled her eyes at me, but I was addicted to oversized rocks at the time and happily ignored her. I knew they’d make great pendants on chain maille and might even have [...]

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I don’t use a lot of jade in my designs, but when I saw these beautiful carved flowers, I had to have them. Made by hand, no two are the same and they make perfect centerpieces for jewelry. I’ve been trying to come up with some new slave bracelets and these flowers are just perfect. [...]

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I admit it; I’ve been in a rut lately. I mentioned this a few weeks ago, and said that I’d found a way to get back on track. Certainly, working has not been the issue; I’ve been on top of my bookkeeping and writing furiously, but I’ve had no inspiration when it comes to jewelry. [...]

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I think I’m done! I’m going to start photographing and spend some time looking at it. It’s one of those projects that’s gone on long enough that I’m never entirely sure it’s done. I’ve made quite a few changes to what I had initially thought I would. I’ve stripped it down a lot, which I [...]

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I’ve been hard at work cutting and filing the silver sheet, and finishing up the length of the chain. The necklace is starting to feel more “real” somehow, now that all the pieces are fully assembled. Here is the silver, part way through the cut. You can see a corner where I punched holes to [...]

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