Let’s be honest: my handmade beaded rings are not for everyone. They aren’t polite, dainty little creations you can find a dime a dozen. They aren’t something you’ll pick up at your local New Age shop or the big-box stores.
No, my handmade beaded rings demand attention. They demand to be noticed, and it takes a very specific kind of woman (or man) to wear them with confidence. My rings are as gloriously unique and mixed up as you are! Be proud of it and own it!
What a strange way of saying that, right? Here is the reality: those rings are made from different types of materials—cabochons, glass beads, rice beads, felt, and either soft suede, faux leather, or some other type of fabric-based backing. They have resin, glass, gemstones, or even plastic focals that I use to create a story in beads and thread around them. They aren’t just one thing; they are a piece of enchantment that could come out of a storybook.
Even if I were to use the same types of materials, no two pieces will ever be the same. They are one-of-a-kind and just as mixed up (different materials, just like you have different trades) and as unique as you are. Similar, maybe, but never the same.
Living-out-loud and proud vibes!
I honestly can’t see an overly timid person wearing one of my handmade beaded ring creations—that is, unless they are on a journey of learning to become brave and visible. Now, for someone like that, they would be perfect. They double as enchanted armor, really. They give you something to talk about when you are someone who usually doesn’t know what to say.
I mean, seriously, look at them. They demand a story, and they will invoke a visceral reaction. I have relatively big fingers for a woman, and getting rings to fit right for me is a serious struggle. So, I create rings with women like myself in mind. The ones that aren’t the dainty little flowers of the spectrum, but robust women with hands that are thick, strong, and maybe even a bit overworked. Hands that deserve something so “vocal” that people will want to know:
Where did you get this from?
What made you buy this ring?
What’s the story here?
And you? Well, you can answer those questions.
My handmade beaded rings are wearable art.
When you go into a gallery or see a piece of art online, it is a journey into the deepest parts of you. As you stand before a piece of art, it isn’t about what the artisan felt or thought while creating the piece that gets your attention—not really, even though we are telling you a story with it.
No, it’s about what it makes YOU feel. What you see in it. How you react to it. Art is personal. Art is an expression of self. Art is a wordless declaration of existence, and my handmade beaded rings of the statement variety are just that. Little wearable pieces of art that are a wordless declaration of existence.
Slow-made with intention—those rings don’t work up fast.
Depending on the ring, it takes me anywhere between 9 and 16 hours to create one of those special pieces.
You may be surprised to know that I create the focal tops freestyle with no pattern. I have two flip-top boxes in which I keep my cabochons—sourced from different small-business vendors I found on Etsy or other small-business marketplaces, or at sales where I am repurposing them.
The design takes shape as I create. I pick out a focal bead or cabochon that calls to me. I decide on the general shape I want it to be and then begin to place it on the felt I use to bead embroider on. Sometimes it will be in the center, sometimes off-center. I am letting it dictate where it wants to sit.
The bead colors or color palette is next. What story am I telling today? Which bit of enchantment am I creating? Is this gothic, and a dark Queen or Goddess will wear this? Is it magical, and a woman who secretly has Fae blood will gracefully and with great purpose walk between her realm of mundane humanity and the magical realm? You get the idea. I become the craftswoman behind the veil—the one who looks into the hidden heart that only comes out in her dreams.
Then I create it for her, and when it is done, I put a little blessing on it. “Be her shield on difficult days. Bring her joy and strength always. May she feel beautiful and magical when gazing upon you,” are the words I whisper to it in its fledgling form as I create the band part of the handmade beaded ring, one tiny bead at a time.
No metal (or no metal touching the skin)!
I create my handmade beaded rings with skin sensitivity in mind as well. Both my daughters and I have varying degrees of metal allergies and sensitivities. Considering that most people create rings with wire or metal, it makes it hard for us to find something we can actually wear without having to suffer for it.
I am fully aware that there are plenty of people like that out there. I remember how frustrating that was for myself and my girls, and I decided that as I began to enter the world of handmade beaded statement rings, I wanted to serve people just like us.
So now, even if I put metal into it for stabilization, it will not touch your skin. Period. I put a double barrier between your delicate skin and the metal frame, if I use one at all. Most of the time, I can get away without it.
You may be surprised at how light they are!
Now, I know that when you look at the pictures, they seem like you would have to do weightlifting with your fingers just to wear them, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, they are substantial creations, but they are extremely light and can be worn for hours easily. I keep comfort in mind as well when I create something that is meant to be worn, not just thrown into a jewelry box somewhere pretending to be part of a dragon hoard. (Yes, I see you in the back! I know your little secret, you fire breather! 😊)
Step into the world of my enchantment!
I have two e-commerce locations through which I sell my handmade treasures, and I would like to invite you to check both of them out now.
You’ll find a lot more than “just” my handmade beaded rings there. My gift for creating is wide and varied. From crochet to beaded jewelry, to art, to wood-burned decor, and more—I open my treasure chest to you.
You can find my spirit and story-led handmade products (oh, how I loathe that word; it’s so clinical and soulless) at:
https://www.ebay.com/str/reginacreates
and
My new Boutique Store inside of Owl Hour Creative Studio: Regina Creates — Owl Hour Creative Studio
“See you” on the flipside!
Artisan Regina L.