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A lot of people making jewelry at home are now gearing up for the big holiday and craft season by making as much holiday related jewelry as they can, but in order to really make some money at those craft shows you sometimes have to tweak your pieces to fit into the fashion and jewelry trends of the moment.

Here are some of the 2008/2009 Winter jewelry trends that a lot of people are talking about:

Dark and Warm Gemstone and Jewelry Colors: There are lots of different predictors of color pallette trends for the winter, but all you really need to know is dark and warm. This means that dark reds, oranges and even some darker yellow colors are all very popular. I’ve seen a lot of people wearing dark red gems and stones a lot, usually with a darker color or patina coated metal as well. Don’t forget colors like brown, black and even muddied greys can be dark and warm

Big and Bold Stones: The trend of big jewelry is still a big trend! Costume and over-the-top fashion jewelry is still popular, with less of it being worn at one time than in the past. If you’re making your own jewelry, go for larger pendants, larger beads and chunky and eye-catching pieces. While a few years ago you might see women wearing four or five smaller bracelets, the trend this winter will be towards wearing one larger bracelet that is adorned with gems or semi-precious stones. Anything unique and big is still popular with almost every age, from 23 to 93!

Natural Materials on the Glitzy Side: For the past several seasons natural beads made out of wood and stone have been popular, but now they are moving more towards natural materials that allow more light play. Gems and crystals of all sorts, especially dark crystals, are proving to be very popular. If you visit a jewelry supply store or your local bead shop you’ll still find a lot of the traditional jades and stone beads and pendants, but you may also find more glass and crystal beads on the dark and warmer end of the color spectrum. There are also some amazing resin beads and jewelry accessories now that can easily fool the eye into thinking they are much heavier than they really are.

Formal Wear is Still Formal: The winter holidays bring a number of dances and parties and gatherings of all sorts, some formal and some informal. For formal events diamonds never go out of style, but instead of being draped in many different jewelry pieces and accessories expect to see people wearing one or two unique and large pieces. If you are making jewelry for formal events you may want to consider making an eye-catching pendant, cocktail ring and earring combination all using over-sized semi-precious stones or gems. As always, pearls and diamonds are always great for formal events, but fake pearls and large costume jewelry pieces can be popular and add sparkle just like anything else!

Gold and Silver Battle It Out: Silver is always popular in the winter months simply because it goes so well with the formal white and black themes that are inevitably seen at formal events. But this year you may see more gold than usual, especially given the popularity of the dark warmer colors and larger stones. Gold, especially deep yellow gold, is a warmer color than silver and gold tends compliment colors in ways that silver just can’t cut it.

Asia influence is out, India influence is In: While the Asian influence has been seen in a lot of things from jewelry fashion to home furnishings for the past several years, the tides are changing more Eastward. Indian influence is now appearing in a lot of fashion jewelry pieces, which makes sense considering the popularity of those darker colors again.

Men’s Jewelry is Hot… Or It’s Not: A lot of jewelry trend sites are pushing men’s jewelry, saying it’s hot, but the people I talk to have not seen any appreciable increase in sales to men who want to wear their own jewelry. Maybe men are going for high end pieces and not the handmade and handcrafted jewelry that me and my friends make. I do see many men liking the more non-traditional jewelry (like jewelry made from bicycle parts) and other materials that aren’t typically associated with jewelry making.

There you have what I’m seeing for this upcoming fashion season, both from people who make jewelry and people who sell jewelry! As always, fashion is fun to watch and always subjective, so feel free to wear whatever you’re comfortable with, but also be willing to give something new a try. What better time to try to make or wear some new types of handmade jewelry than in this 2008 winter season?

Technorati Tags: fashion, trends, jewelry, women, holiday

I love making and finding jewelry that is made out of non-traditional materials which is why I really like the whole concept of bicycle jewelry: making beautiful jewelry out of old and new bicycle parts! Bicycle jewelry is popular not only with the biking crowd, but also with people who enjoy wearing something a little different and funky. The really cool part about making jewelry from bicycle parts is that a good design can serve as a really great piece of jewelry while still being completely recognized as something that belongs on a bike!

A common bicycle chain can be used to make all sorts of bicycle-themed jewelry!

If you haven’t looked at a bike in a while then you might be a little surprised that there is anything worth making jewelry out of, but on close inspection a bicycle is really completely made up of hundreds of very small parts, many of them shiny and metal very unique looking when considered on their own. The skills needed to make jewelry out of bicycle parts vary depending on what you’re making, but some of your beaded jewelry skills such as working with wire and metal and attaching clasps are all very useful. For more advanced bicycle part jewelry you could find yourself welding pieces together, cutting and shaping metal and even applying different metal polishes and finishes.

There are several basic bicycle parts that many pieces of jewelry can be made from:

Bicycle Chain Jewelry: This is clearly the most obvious part of a bike which can be used to make jewelry. There are lots of bike chain bracelets, chain necklaces, chain keychains and all sorts of jewelry pieces made from new and used bicycle chains. There are even bicycle chain bracelets made out of sterling silver. If you’re going to go the used chain route you may need to soak the chain in a degreaser or use some other method to make sure it is clean and safe to wear.

Bicycle Gear and Cog Pendants and Necklaces: The next most obvious part of a bicycle to be used in jewelry would have to be the gears and cogs and little round items that can be found all over most modern bicycles. Some gears are too large to be used or worn comfortable, but some are just the right size for running a chain through them or attaching to a chain.

Bike Spokes, Valves, Bolts and Other Pieces for Earrings: Some bicycle gears, washers, bolts and even valves all have a unique and modern design element to them that can really make a piece of jewelry stand out. I’ve learned that pretty much any single hardware piece can somehow be attached to an earring hook for an easy and funky way of spicing up your wardrobe.

The challenge of using bicycle parts not intended for jewelry is a big part of the fun. The wide appeal and recognition of bicycle parts means that any jewelry you make could sell well if you had the right crowd. Bicycle jewelry can appeal to young children and older people who remember their first bike and much of the jewelry I’ve seen that is made out of bicycle parts could be considered just as masculine as it is feminine.

If any of you have made your own bicycle jewelry please let me know and give us a link so we can check out what you did!

As you undoubtedly know October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and a lot of products, including handcrafted bead jewelry, are promoted to raise money for breast cancer research. Each October I try to find and present some of those beaders and jewelry companies that are offering unique or outstanding items that may be of interest to anyone who has an interest in jewelry, beading and fighting breast cancer. A couple years ago I presented a list of breast cancer awareness beading links and last year I found a story about children who were helping to fight breast cancer with their beading company.

This year I want to continue the tradition by highlighting a few more jewelry and beading companies who are doing their part to help fight the tragedy of breast cancer.

The Good Bead - Here’s beaded jewelry company that is designed to not only create quality jewelry at an affordable price, but also to serve the community with its actions and products. They have several different lines of products, but their Pink Ribbon Jewelry is focused exclusively on breast cancer awareness. They have a beautiful lampwork bead that contains a pink ribbon and that bead is worked into a number of different pieces. They also have a line of jewelry to raise awareness of ovarian cancer (Teal Ribbon Jewelry) and thye have a survivors line of jewelry as well. You can find their products in different retail locations or online at one specific store.

She Beads - All Pink Ribbon - I don’t write much about clay beads, but She Beads is a store that specializes in “hand rolled clay bead jewelry” of many different shapes, designs and styles. Their clay beads are not only made of pink clay (or painted pink) but also have pink ribbons painted on them. Like The Good Bead, they have a number of different beaded necklaces, beaded bracelets and even accessories. She Beads also has several other awareness color lines, but their All Pink Ribbon patterned jewelry is obviously the one that supports breast cancer awareness.

Crafts’N'Scraps - A smaller company run by the industrious artist Dana Bates, this crafting and jewelry sites has an amazing five pages of breast cancer awareness jewelry and accessories. Like the other sites in our list, she has lines for other causes as well. They offer a mix of everything, from awareness lanyards to survivor bracelets to crystal accessories to charm and stretch bracelets. Whatever your personal style or preference for jewelry, Crafts’N'Scraps probably offers it.

Brighton’s Power of Pink Campaign - I’ve written about Brighton’s charity beading projects in the past, and their Power of Pink campaign is just another example of them being a good corporate citizen. For the past several years Brighton has offered a new Power of Pink beaded bracelet each year around this time. What a lot of people don’t know is that their stores also host a lot of Power of Pink events that are open to the public. You can page through their events calendar to find an event at a Brighton store near you. If you’re a Brighton fan than you may also want to read about the Power of Pink campaign and past Brighten beaded jewelry designs.

Even if you don’t buy or sell any pink beaded jewelry in support of breast cancer research this year, please consider making a donation to one of the many breast cancer research and prevention foundations that exist.