Question:
I asked about bead mills and got total silence! Does no one make their own
stone beads?
So let me rephrase the question: How do you make stone (non-faceted)
beads?
Answer:
-A few days ago, I dropped a short answer onto rec.crafts.jewelry, and I
think Carol Bova did too, so those answers should be propagating to you
before long. It's the drilling that discourages most would-be makers of
stone beads. You can make some really creative beads with a trim saw,
grinding wheel and tumbler. But then you have to drill them, and that's
about when the fun stops. However, if you want to make beads that hang as
centerpieces for a necklace, you do it much like a cabochon, so you just
have a short distance to drill, and you might need only one hole. If you
are using agate, I would suggest this as a start for making stone beads.
Shape them on your cab unit and finsh them in the tumbler; then drill them
with a small diamond drill in a flex shaft machine or a dremel. Then
combine them with commercially made beads for the rest of the strand. I
could scan some samples onto the bulletin board page of our web site if
you are interested. (On the site are a strand of hand-made roundel beads
from the old Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper, and they represent a lot of work.)
If I remember right, you are really good at doing inlay, so you might
think about making assembled beads -- inlay style, and when you do that,
you can leave a hole when you build the bead, and you won't have to do any
drilling. Plus, it will give you extremely original and creative designs.
Gee. Sounds like fun! Stone beads with no drilling! As Ray would say,
"Imagine that!"
The bead mill would give you spherical beads, which are fine, but if you
are going to do something hand made, why bother to make something that
does not have that extra creative edge to it?
-I asked about bead mills and got total silence! Does no one make their own
stone beads?
So let me rephrase the question: How do you make stone (non-faceted)
beads?
-I think "stone" is throwing everyone off.
Many years ago, my husband made me a malichite (sp?) necklace. He did
not have a sphere maker, so he cut different size cubes, drilled holes
through them, then slowly he ground them into round beads. It took him
a very long time to make these beads, and I cherish them. A sphere
maker would have done the job faster, but they would not mean as much to
me.
My husband and I used to go rock hunting, he would cut and polish
stones, and make them in to jewelry, designing and working the silver or
gold himself. This was his hobby, and he would give his creations as
gifts. I have beaded on and off for many years. Would you believe,
neither of us wear jewelry. He wears a watch, but even though I have
watches for every occasion, Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, dress and
casual, I don't even wear a watch, I just like to collect watches and
clocks.
