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Mother-of-pearl, also known as nacre, is a versatile jewelry component that can be used in various ways such as inlays, carvings, beads, and cabochons. It is the iridescent inner lining found in certain mollusc shells and is made up of layers of aragonite platelets and organic matrix. Mother-of-pearl appears iridescent due to the transparent aragonite platelets that mimic wavelengths of visible light. It is commonly used in the production of cultivated pearls and has been used for decorative embellishments in items like buttons, musical instruments, watch faces, and jewelry. Mother-of-pearl can be artificially dyed in different colors and is often used in inlays, carvings, and bezel settings for jewelry. It is also believed to have protective and healing properties and is used in feng shui for attracting wealth and prosperity. Additionally, mother-of-pearl has potential applications in cosmetics and medical research. [Extracted from the article]

Other jaspers are named after the colouration or pattern of the stone, such as autumn jasper or dalmatian jasper. Features The name "jasper" means "spotted stone", and is derived from both the anglo-French word jaspre and the greek word iaspis. Care should be taken when cutting jasper stones due to their banding; many banded jasper stones tend to separate along the layers. [Extracted from the article]

Features the earliest ceramics were pottery objects made from clay, either by itself or mixed with other materials. Some nations regard their ceramic and clay bead heritage so highly that they protect their beads from export, such as Guatemala - which has restricted the export of its mayan ceramic beads. Ceramic beads aren't the only items that can be used in jewellery; cabochons are also quite popular, either to be bezel set into a piece of metalwork or be beaded around to include into a seed bead masterpiece. as ceramic is a flexible and reasonably light material to work with, beads and cabochons can be made in large sizes for use as focal pieces, or many smaller pieces can be combined together. [Extracted from the article]

Translucent or mostly opaque colours of quartz contain crystals that are only visible under high magnification (microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline) while transparent colours of quartz contain crystals that are visible to the naked eye (macrocrystalline). Ice quartz beads Rose quartz Quartz is an affordable addition to jewellery items, and the style is entirely up to you; you could either use brilliant cut or sharply faceted quartz for a fancy design; or rough, organic quartz for a natural, relaxed design Crystal quartz facetted beads Rose quartz beads One of the finest examples of crystal quartz is the 32.385cm diameter, 48.53kg flawless "crystal ball", which can now be found in a collection at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. As naturally occuring quartz is often twinned (when two crystals share some of the same crystal lattice points, resulting in the two crystals intergrowing), much of the quartz on the market is synthetised. [Extracted from the article]

Features PROFILE THE CONCEPT OF FAIR TRADE is based around a trading partnership where equality and respect is of utmost importance. There are also many petitions going around, started by various fair trade organizations directed at your local area, or you can request your local supermarket, bead shop or craft store to start selling fair trade products. Fair Trade Labelling Organisations International (www.fairtrade.net) is an organisation that oversees the production and labelling of fair trade products, and ensures that every item marked as fair trade, truly is fair trade. [Extracted from the article]

Features THE NAME OPAL IS thought to have been derived from the Latin word opalus, or from the Sanskrit word upala which means "stone", or "valuable stone". The colours within the opal are a major factor in the valuation of an opal - if there are red flashes in the opal then all other colours will also be present. The most famous opal mine is Lightning Ridge, where the highly sought after Black Opal is found, but Andamooka can lay claim to one of the largest opals found - the Andamooka Desert Flame Opal, which weighs in at 6,843 kilograms. [Extracted from the article]

Only a small amount of garnets are flawless enough to be cut into gemstones, and the majority of garnet mining is for industrial purposes. Features FEATURE THE NAME GARNET actually refers to a group of chemically and physically similar minerals. Sandpaper was the original application, which included sanding belts, discs and strips but garnets are now being used as an abrasive blasting material and to make abrasive powders which can be used on various metals. [Extracted from the article]

Abalone shells are a lot stronger and have similar colours to Paua shells, although the colours aren't as bright - and like Paua shells, Abalone shell is also popular for using in jewellery or as inlays in musical instruments, sculptures or artworks. Shell beads can also be made by drilling holes through complete shells, and an interesting twist on this is to cut a shell in half or slices, exposing the inner structure. Abalone shells are related to Paua shells, but can be found in many regions such as Australia, Japan, America and South Africa. [Extracted from the article]

Features Thread ribbon through big link chain for an up-to-date fashionable bracelet as seen on the arms of many starlets in Hollywood. Glitter glue can also be used to stiffen wool, fabric, ribbon and lace; whilst adding sparkle at the same time. Pom-poms of different sized and coloured ribbons can make a unique hair accessory, and beads added to ends of ribbon can help a lightweight ribbon stay put. [Extracted from the article]

Gold solder is available to join components of gold jewellery together; however if your piece is to be of hallmarking quality, the gold solder must match the carat weight of the piece. When alloyed with other metals the term karat (carat or "k") is used to indicate the amount of gold present, with 24 carats being the most pure gold and 10 carats being less than half gold. The name "gold" comes from an Old English word geolo which means yellow, and it is represented on the periodic table with the symbol Au which is derived from the Latin word aurum (meaning gold). [Extracted from the article]

There are many types of glass used for lampworking, but the most common are soda-lime glass (soft glass) and borosilicate glass (hard glass). Our ancient glass making ancestors are believed to have used small earthen furnaces shaped like beehives or volcanos to produce glass items and beads. The tools used in lampworking include graphite or steel pads, rods and other shapes used for marvering the glass (rolling the glass to create desired shapes or for cooling the glass). [Extracted from the article]

Karen Hill Tribe silver is between 99.2 per cent and 99.9 per cent pure silver, meaning it has a higher silver content than Sterling Silver. Unfortunately, as with many products these days, Hill Tribe silver is being recreated in factories at lower costs and generally at a lower quality, making it harder for traditional Hill Tribe silversmiths to survive in the marketplace. Karen Hill Tribe silver is between 99.2 per cent and 99.9 per cent pure silver, meaning it has a higher silver content than Sterling Silver. [Extracted from the article]

Features FEATURE CUBIC ZIRCONIA WAS DISCOVERED in its natural state in 1937 by two German mineralogists, von Stackelberg and Chudoba, however they thought so little of their discovery that they did not bother to give it a name. As Cubic Zirconia is a hard stone, it will damage other gemstones quite easily, and as Cubic Zirconia is softer than diamond, the diamond will damage the Cubic Zirconia. To an untrained eye, a Cubic Zirconia looks identical to a good quality diamond; however upon closer inspection it can be seen that the Zirconia has slightly less brilliance (sparkle) than a diamond and more fire (flashes of colour). [Extracted from the article]

A bit of lace mixed in with beads and charms in a charm necklace also looks beautiful and unusual. Lace can add a very feminine touch to jewellery; it can be used to thread beads onto, or to tie into bows between large beads or pearls. Ribbon can be used in many of the same ways that lace can be; you can thread beads onto it and tie it into bows, but because there is such thin ribbon available it makes it much more versatile. [Extracted from the article]

Features ELECTROPLATING IS the process in which a metallic coating is applied to an object, such as a key, kitchen utensils or plated brass stampings. In the 1940s and 1950s a more "user-friendly" method of electroplating was invented and issues surrounding the safe disposal of waste created by plating baths were dealt with, resulting in a far less poisonous electroplating process. Chrome electroplating was the perfect solution - however, as plastic isn't conductive to electricity, a thin layer of conductive metal needs to be applied to the surface of the plastic item before the electroplating process is attempted. [Extracted from the article]

The Ancient Egyptians also used gold chains as jewellery, modifying the single strand chains into chokers and broad collar style necklaces, which were often buried with their proud and often wealthy owners. The first chain-making machine was invented in the mid-1700s, and the process of chain making was mechanised around 100 years ago, eliminating much of the cost involved in purchasing high quality precious metal chains. Features The first chain-making machine was invented in the mid- 1700s, and the process of chain making was mechanised around 100 years ago. [Extracted from the article]

Coloured resin can be made by adding a specially formulated resin dye to the mixing process and, depending on which resin you are using for your base, can create vibrant opaque or bright translucent colours. Resin can also be used to make unique floral jewellery components; by dipping living flowers into some kinds of resin you can preserve the colour and beauty of the flower. There are three main types of synthetic resin used in jewellery: Epoxy resin, polyurethane resin and polyester resin. [Extracted from the article]