New Jewelry by DreamSteam - Brass Portrait Necklace, Copper Spiral Earrings & Upgraded Filigree Earrings

Beaded Brass and Skeleton Key Filigree Diamond Earrings

I felt up to doing a little jewelry today, and so made two new jewelry items and reworked another. To the earrings in the above picture, I added the miniature skeleton keys; they simply needed "something" more, and the keys add something!

Watch Gears and Verdigris Copper Spiral Steampunk Earrings

This is a brand new pair of my spiral earrings, as the others already sold. For this pair, I decided to add another chain and gear to each to see how that looked, and I am happy with the results. These also have a lot more verdigris (green) finish than previous copper pieces I have "aged" (apparently white wine vinegar and salt react more quickly and thoroughly with copper than any other types I have used). I found myself looking for other copper things to patina with it!

Tulip and Butterfly Brass Portrait Pendant on Brass Chain Necklace

This necklace is a work in progress... maybe! The cute brass pendant was ornate enough in itself that I just chose to put it on a simple yet structured figure-eight brass chain and add the single matching pear-shaped bead (with accompanying tiny brass nut for good steampunk measure!) I also aged the portrait in the center with some ink to give it a less new appearance. If I find the right pieces to add on, I may do so. (I did try several things but none really "fit".)

Of course, these pieces are all for sale in my ArtFire studio. If interested, do click on the links below the photos to go directly to the items.

Indian summer at the door!

It's already autumn outside... the grass is getting yellow... the leaves turn to red, brown and yellow... Some people can say, the nature is dying, I say it's falling asleep, and it makes us enjoy with its fantastic, cheerful and festive colors - Indian summer at the door!


When the sun rises, autumn colors flash out showing fall beauty, and water drops after night rain sparkle like diamonds! I like this season, and once I've already created the Autumn Splendor Necklace. This year the spring was pretty long and cold - but the fall is warm and beautiful, that's why I returned to the autumn theme.


Remembering my Tropical Blossom Necklace, I decided to use Swarovski pendants again, and that brought me to Artbeads.com. My husband said, "Good choice!" I have no idea what he meant, whether Artbeads.com or beautiful pendants they sell. In general, it doesn't matter, I found out what I was looking for.


I received red magma, olivine, light topaz, and copper Swarovski crystal pendants, and bought silk ribbons of bright autumn colors at the closest craft shop. Appropriate Czech glass teardrop and leaf accent beads, and TOHO 15/0 yellow and green seed beads should have been good much to my staff.


I wrapped up memory wire blank necklace and used it as the base of my piece, and embellished it with Czech beads; then I wound it with bead strings and made fringes with crystal pendants. The last touch was the brass leaf closure. The necklace could be named Autumn Wreath, but I call it Indian Summer, because Indian summer is outside!

Disclosure. Being a reviewer of Artbeads.com products and a participant of its blogging program I received Swarovski crystal pendants free of charge. This post reflects my honest opinion; and Artbeads.com is not compensating me for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

Go green with Mzuribeads!

Got tired of traditional glass beads? If you're looking for new and unusual materials, you can find them on Mzuribeads.com. Mzuribeads is one of the many inspirational projects moving away from charitable aid, and onto the concept of business enterprise for sustainable income and development.


Mzuribeads paper beaders live in the village of Ndejje, Uganda, where they roll paper beads from strips of recycled magazines and posters. Prior to the founding of Mzuribeads, four of the women had been trained and were working to sell products through a defunct organization. These four women left then this organization with knowledge of the paper bead, but little idea of how this skill could support their lives.


Mzuribeads aim to generate a sustainable income by endeavoring to offer our customers ethical beads and the most fashionable and latest fashion accessory trends. This involves a large focus on quality control, design, and seasonable colors.


Mzuribeads makes beads not only from recycled paper, but also from cow horn, barkcloth, banana leaves, recycled glass; so you can GO GREEN with Mzuribeads!


Designing my Ethnic Fest Necklace, I used a memory wire blank necklace wrapped up with fabric resembling autumn leaves. Different Mzuribeads and seed beads, free-form as technique, and I'm done! It doesn't seem to be difficult, give it a try, and I wish you good luck!

Disclosure. Being a reviewer of Mzuribeads.com products and a participant of its blogging program I received Ugandan handmade beads free of charge. This post reflects my honest opinion; and Mzuribeads.com is not compensating me for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

Decorating Nemo: Nautilus Squid Necklace Cabinet by 19 Moons

Atlantean Squid Necklace Cabinet by 19 Moons of the Etsy Steam Team

As usual, another great work of steampunk jewelry and art has come from a member of the Etsy Steam Team, this time, for a museum steampunk exhibit!

From 19 Moons' Facebook page:

"I am excited to be making this Ex-squidsite Nautical necklace cabinet for the upcoming Steampunk Exhibition with Jules Verne theme- here is an article featuring my piece."

The gallery will feature items that could have been on the Nautilus, Captain Nemo's wondrous submarine from the classic Jules Verne novel, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.  The novel has been heralded as one of the very first steampunk novels of all time, and certainly one of the most famous.  At the opening gala, there will also be an hour-long interactive, group video game in which participants will have to solve puzzles and complete tasks.

Though the process started in June of this year, there is still time to mark your calendars and see the "Nemos' Steampunk Art & Invention Gallery."  According to Steampuffin.com:

"WHERE: Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Interactive Entertainment Experience (located in Patriot Place’s North Lifestyle Center, Foxboro MA, adjacent to Gillette Stadium)

WHEN: Saturday, February 5, 2011 from 5:00PM to 12:00 Midnight

COST: FREE if you are wearing any Steampunk costume (prize for best ‘Nautilus or Nemo themed’ costume)"

They say that the art exhibit will be available for viewing online in November.   The pieces featured in the exhibit will be for sale for $1000 - 5000 and up, and all will be photographed and made into a book Steampunk Design and Innovations, which will be available for purchase in 2012.

And last but not least, if you would like to exhibit and sell your work at Nemo’s Steampunk Art and Invention Gallery, you may call Bruce Rosenbaum at 781-784-0250 or email bruce@modvic.com for details.

Congrats to 19 Moons on creating a beautiful steampunk work of art, and on getting some well-deserved accolades.

You Hold the Key -- Victorian Lock and Key Copper Steampunk Necklace by DreamSteam

You Hold the Key... steampunk necklace for sale

 I love this piece.  In this steampunk inspired necklace, an antiqued Victorian style copper key dangles from a draped copper chain, ready to unlock the mysteries guarded by the exquisitely detailed miniature copper lock plate above.

The total chain length is an elegant 24" long. It has a matching copper toggle and ring clasp.

There are a pair of copper beads and some iridescent red glass beads along the chain as accents.

Inspiration / Story behind this Product:

Simple yet elegant. I was inspired by a necklace recently worn by the character Claudia on "Warehoue 13." The show is no stranger to steampunk, as among other touches the keyboard in their office was created by the master computer steampunker Jake von Slatt.

It is listed for sale on both Etsy and ArtFire.  Be on the lookout for a brass version of this necklace to be posted for sale soon!

Polished by fire

You never know where you are with new materials! Glass beads are the main media to design beaded jewelry, and the technology for glass beadmaking is among the oldest human arts, dating back 3,000 years. Glass beads have been dated back to at least Roman times. Perhaps the earliest glass-like beads were Egyptian faience beads, a form of clay bead with a self-forming vitreous coating.


Fire polished beads from the Czech Republic are a faceted glass bead. Czech fire polish beads are made in an area called Jablonec nad Nisou. Production of glass beads in the area dates back to the 14th century and this area is well known for the manufacture of high quality glass beads. Czech fire polished beads have become so popular in recent years, primarily because they are the highest quality manufactured faceted bead available. This has helped make them one of the most favored glass beads by jewelry makers and beadworkers alike.


Thinking of summer themes, I decided that I need a light, bright, and not expensive necklace because this season is funny for outdoor activities, summer vacations, and nature scenes; summer is just the lovely season itself; and glass faceted beads seemed to be a good choice. Looking for beads, I stopped by Artbeads.com, that has... mmmmmm... unbelievably rich inventory! Using right angle weave technique, stringing and looping, Czech glass beads and Toho seed beads 11/0, I designed the necklace I like. It took me just a few hours! The only problem is how to photograph the necklace because of sparkling beads. It's not named yet, could you help me please with that?

Disclosure. Being a reviewer of Artbeads.com products and a participant of its blogging program I received Czech firepolished beads free of charge. This post reflects my honest opinion; and Artbeads.com is not compensating me for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.

Ippolita Wonderland Quartz Teardrop Necklace

Not that it has to do with the latest accepted cine Alice in Wonderland, but this Ippolita Wonderland Quartz Bead Chaplet is abiding to accompany absurd breeding to your entirety. Whether with accidental or academic wear, cutting this chaplet is abiding to lift your look.

That actuality said, it artlessly tells that you’d absolutely accomplish of a aces advance with this Ippolita Wonderland Quartz Bead Necklace. Actually, it doesn’t amount abundant and retails for alone $375 at Nordstrom, so I don’t see any acumen why you wouldn’t appetite to buy it.

This Ippolita Wonderland Quartz Bead Chaplet appearance faceted quartz that is set on a bead of black mother-of-pearl. This abiding is a sparkling accent one could anytime have, and its azure blush artlessly sets a actual alluring appeal. This again dangles on a ablaze 16-inch continued alternation with lobster brooch closure.

Wear this Ippolita Wonderland Quartz Bead Chaplet with annihilation for a adumbration of always glamour.

Chan Luu Agate Necklace

Chan Luu’s latest adornment designs assume to focus added on mild themed pieces. Most of it looks ample in dimension, which is a abundant affair to because abnormally for the appearance of bounce and summer. Having such is abiding to abduction the absorption of abounding added fashionistas and accumulate you in-style throughout.

This actual affecting Chan Luu’s Agate Necklace appearance annihilation but ample faceted chunks of agate, absolute with accustomed red streaks that attending as if it comes as blood. These chunks are of ample capricious sizes, which are abiding to allure a lot, so the rather pearlized blush actuality absolute with arresting red blush artlessly brings added allure to it. This again measures 18 inches long, abundant to absolutely be noticed on your neck.

You can accept this Chan Luu Agate Necklace via Nordstrom for $158.

Femme Glamour with Crushed Stone Bib Necklace

Sparkling Sage emphasis designs accept consistently been actual feminine but not to the point that it would already attending broken-down like the others. Take for archetype the Sparkling Sage Ashamed Stone Bib Necklace, which is assuredly addition feminine allotment that shows annihilation but absolute glamour.

This Sparkling Sage Ashamed Stone Bib Chaplet acutely comes as a bib appearance of necklace, area the bib allotment shows ashamed semiprecious stones and ablaze Swarovski crystals that are abiding to about-face a lot of heads. These again brandish from a award of slubbed silk, which can be attached on the ancillary with a angle cease and a award accent. This chaplet measures about 18 inches continued and it has 4½ inches of bead to accomplish it added noticeable.

Available in Crystal/Pewter/Silver, Demortierite/ Pewter/Silver, Green/Melon/Silver and Sunstone/Pink/Gold, this Sparkling Sage Ashamed Stone Bib Chaplet can be castigation for $158 through Nordstrom.

Pearly Knitted Open-Ended Necklace

So we apperceive that chaplet accompany a luxe account to every lady, appropriately it has become a basic to every woman’s adornment collection. Now if you appetite some chaplet that don’t accompany a too archetypal appeal, again this DAY Birger et Mikkelsen Pearly Knitted Open-Ended Chaplet should be the absolute allotment for you.

This chaplet seems like a avant-garde arrangement of archetypal fair jewelries. It appearance faux fair embellishments, area beyond ones are placed at the ends while abate ones are broadcast throughout. These chaplet are again placed on chrism alloyed affection fabric, which is continued at about 60 inches. This DAY Birger et Mikkelsen Pearly Knitted Chaplet is absolutely an advancing blazon of necklace, and with that length, you can consistently abrasion this in any way you appetite it to attending like.

You can blanket it about your close already and accomplish it attending continued but you can additionally band it about your close a lot of times to accomplish it attending short. This DAY Birger et Mikkelsen Pearly Knitted Open-Ended Chaplet can be castigation for about $92 via Net-A-Porter.

CZ means Cubic Zirconia

It sounds like you claim to keep silence, "CCCCCCCC..." This sound reminds you of a bee buzz, "ZZZZZZZZZ..." If you put this letters together, it will be something strange, "CZ". Let's open Wikipedia for "CZ", and the first result returns you "Cubic Zirconia". We read, "Cubic Zirconia (or CZ) is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide. The synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. It should not be confused with zircon, which is a zirconium silicate. Because of its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, synthetic cubic zirconia has remained the most gemologically and economically important competitor for diamonds since 1976."

To tell the truth, I knew about Cubic Zirconia, but haven't tried those "diamondy" beauties until I received Cubic Zirconia Beads from Artbeads.com. They have a beautiful choice of CZs of any kind: beads, pendants, teardrops and so on. I decided to use faceted teardrops in my design.


According my idea, the necklace should have been pretty light and elegant, to wear for any occasion, and I added Amethyst, Garnet, Peridot, Olivine and Yellow CZ Faceted Teardrop Pendants to the main chain made using amethyst faceted round beads, seed beads and peridot chips. I wish I have wider CZ pendants color range, but for now it's fine. Ahhhha... Next time I'll try to combine those teardrops with Russian leaves...

The first picture displays my finished necklace, which I haven't named yet, and the second one - its close-up. What about name? Any idea?

Disclosure. Being a reviewer of Artbeads.com products and a participant of its blogging program I received all CZ Faceted Teardrops free of charge. This post reflects my honest opinion; and Artbeads.com is not compensating me for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received and reviewed.