Handmade jewelry is continuing to growing in popularity. If you choose the right combination, you can walk away with spectacular looking pieces at relatively inexpensive prices. The issue becomes knowing if you are buying good quality handmade gemstone jewelry or not. The best way to know that is to understand how it’s made so you can understand what to look for when shopping.

1. Gemstones: Nobody is going to take your ear and put it under a microscope to check out if your gemstones are real or not, but do keep in mind that there are “real” gemstones that are very bad quality. That means that you can buy gemstone earrings that look very bad. Don’t be fooled by the word gemstone. Take a look at the quality.

2. Silver. Beware on the word silver. Unfortunately, many times we’ve seen people using the word silver to describe color not the actual type of metal. So it’s possible that you think you are buying silver, but are buying a silver colored metal. It’s important to carefully read product descriptions.

3. If you recall, one of the steps to making your handmade gemstone jewelry was to file off the ends of your wire. If you are shopping in a store, you should run your fingers along the edges of the wire and make sure it’s well filed so that it’s not sharp and doesn’t catch on any of your clothes.

4. Take a look at the loops on the bottom of the earring wire. Make sure they are closed well. If not, chances are that your earrings will come apart. You would be amazed at what little force or movement it takes for the head pin to come off of the earring wire.

5. Check the head pin. The head pin holds the gemstones onto the wire with a little flat part on the end. If the “head” part of the head pin is thin or worn, then you run the chance of having the gemstones slide off. You should run your finger nail against the flat part of the head pin. If you see that it bends or cracks off then do not purchase them. If they are already weak or brittle, then you can only imagine what will happen.

In the late 19th century a design reform and social movement “The Arts and Crafts movement” was coined. These activities are called crafts because originally many of them were professions under the guild system. The Industrial Revolution and the increasing mechanisation of production processes gradually reduced or eliminated many of the roles professional craftspeople played, and today ‘crafts’ are most commonly seen as a form of hobby or art. They look hard but they are actually an easy craft project to make.

Some crafts have been practised for centuries, while others are modern inventions, or popularisations of crafts which were originally practised in a very small geographic area. These activities are called crafts because originally many of them were professions under the guild system. Most crafts require a combination of skill, speed, and patience, but they can also be learnt on a more basic level by virtually anyone.

Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework. Needlework is a term applied to two classes of handcraft involving fabrics. Embroidery was being done long before its name was derived, by way of medieval French from the Anglo-Saxon word for “edge. The first, embroidery, is the embellishment of a fabric by designs worked in thread with a needle. Some embroidery techniques produce a basically flat surface; others produce designs in relief.

Antique crochet has enormous character which is displayed in various forms and styles and so antique patterns are sought after by those looking to recreate classic items from a past era. Fortunately there were a lot of books, magazines and patterns published between 1850 and 1950 that have preserved the diversity of crochet creations that represent the peak period of this craft.

Tapestry art was even thought to have covered the walls of the Parthenon. Tapestry crochet is relatively easy and inexpensive; a perfect vehicle to the introduction of fiber art. Tapestry crochet is the art of crocheting with different colored strands of yarn while carrying the yarn, produces woven-like results. Fine Art Great works of art are sometimes reproduced as wall tapestries. These beautiful tapestries have a distinct and extraordinary quality.

Have you ever wondered what Tatting was? Tatting is a form of lace making made up of knots, which are done over a carrier thread. Tatting is a type of knotted lace. Tatting is made up of knotted rings and chains. Two shuttles are used in tatting when the little rings are not to be connected together at the bottom by a thread, when you want to hide the passage of the thread to another group of knots and when threads of several colours are used. Today antique tatting shuttles are highly collectible, as are old patterns and bits of lace.