Saturday, January 17, 2009

Self-crafted Costume Jewelry States Your Style!

By Ned Dagostino

It's a human trait, to dress oneself up. Dressing up includes decoration and adornment. The articles used for adornment, excluding vestments and suchlike, are collectively known as jewelry. Rings, necklaces, earrings, and brooches comprise jewelry. It is no surprise then that our ancestors from ages past used jewelry to adorn themselves. This jewelry was of a necessity very simple, and natural. The earliest form of jewelry was beadwork, made by hand, using vines or thin leather strips to string stone beads together.

Ancient cultures and civilizations used jewelry for religious and royal ceremonies. The public relied on less pretentious forms of jewelry, such as beaded jewelry for daily wear. The earliest examples of beads used as jewelry date back 70,000 years (source: National Geographic Society)!

Costume jewelry is so-called because it really does not put much emphasis or importance on the intrinsic value of the materials used, focusing instead on the appearance, the look of the jewelry. It is a style or fashion accessory, not a symbol of wealth or status. Hence costume jewelry has come to mean cheap jewelry, and vice versa. Trinkets, baubles, and bric-a-brac are common synonyms for costume jewelry. It is interesting to note that Columbus offered trinkets to the natives of the lands he visited as peace offerings, which were readily accepted, showing the power of attraction inherent in jewelry.

The craft of making beaded jewelry is easily picked up in a matter of hours. It is an excellent way of bringing out your latent creativity. You'll get the hang of the basic methodology in a couple of hours, and then it's just you and your ideas, and of course, the beads! This craft is truly freeform, and you can give free run to your imagination to create signature pieces that spell 'YOU'!

You can source the materials required for this craft from the virtual world that is the Internet. Or, you can visit the local brick-and-mortar and get your supplies there.

The Internet is crammed full of resources. There are umpteen user groups, bulletin boards, and chat rooms used by craftspeople. This social networking is very helpful for newbies.

Encouraging children to express their artistic qualities is an educational paradigm and what better way to do that than by introducing them to the art of bead craft. Get your children a bead craft kit and see them enjoy themselves in a creative way.

Handmade costume jewelry is all the rage nowadays, especially if it is self-made! This is one of the reasons why costume jewelry making is rising in popularity. Since you make everything and then wear it yourself, you get total satisfaction with the process of making the jewelry, and with using it.

Though the craft is totally handwork, the beads themselves are produced by factories. Modern beads come in a variety of shades and styles. These new fashioned beads have brought a new glitter to this jewelry sector.

Stitch the costume jewelry directly onto your outfit or make wearables like pendants and brooches. Browse your wardrobe for any item which is a little subdued. Design a piece of costume jewelry especially for that item. You'll be surprised at how the make-over changes a dowdy dress to a stylish eye-catcher! Or you may be one of the many who first design and craft the costume jewelry, and then go shopping for matching clothes!

You can get everything you require at the many art and craft stores all over the place. If that does not suffice, you should try going online and getting what you want from the online stores. - 15995

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