Delicate filligree components

To all the people who knows my design style or who follows my design endeavors this might look very strange at first glance but I keep versatility as a necessary skill to  visit different areas and possibilities.

The latest issue of Bead Style magazine ot only features one of my designs on its cover but also showcase a very different side of work on their "Designs We Love" gallery page.

Take a glance of the picture below and check that out.

Side by side on the same page, designers Madelin Pratama from Jakarta, Indonesia and Lori Anderson from Easton, Md are equally featured with not less fabulous creations as well. I liked the way the three designs are presented together and the discovered theme that ties all of us together - mother nature, flora and fauna.

Fauna and flora interpreted on 3 different designs featured on Bead Style magazine May 2012.
Delicate and demure are not a common theme on my designs but it comes up once a year...lol

"Nymph of forest" necklace - designed by me for and with all components provided by John Bead - 

jump rings used to link all filigree components together. Gilder's paste used to unified

the metal color, indicolite Swarovski round crystal beads held in place by royal blue silk thread,

little antique connectors filled with 2 part epoxy ( two portions of green and yellow mixed apart and them mixed together to create a lime green shade) and half of toggle working as center link  - a second toggle of similar design was used twice to finish the necklace.

Design by Fernando Dasilva for John Bead Corporation

Photo by FD.

Copyright © 2011

Excerpt of page 14 from Bead Style Magazine May 2012.

All rights reserved. 

Rose- gold glamour!

Hello, everybody!

Continuing bringing some of the latest oldest news from my world here is another great moment from 2011.

Last year I worked for the first time with Garlan Chain Company, that's a American chain manufacturer based right on the border of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, The company has been in the business for  years and has an incredible line of chain styles made in brass, stainless and aluminum and they provide many options of plating.

Garlan used few of my pieces on an advertise posted on Bead Design Studio magazine and on the Tucson Mineral Show Guide(Jan/Feb 2012). 

I was really impressed with the styling and the quality of the photo and it was flattering see my work connected with one of the top American chain manufacturer.

I have been pointed rose-gold as the strongest new color when it comes to metal components, and among with gunmetal or "black rhodium" arrived in the jewelry making market to stay.

On the necklace: rose-gold plated chain and tassels, an assortment of crystal pendants and beads from the Swarovski Elements collection and chocolate baroque fresh water pearls. Bracelet with brick style chain and tassels, Swarovski Elements crystal copper mini-xilion pendants and slide bar clasp from John Bead. Earrings with soe gold tassel and Murano glass tear drop bead. All Copyrigh t© 2011 by Fernando Dasilva.

  

Center piece on the necklace above was created using Apoxie 2 part epoxy sculpt filled onto the copper bezel (both products by Metal Complex™ via John Bead Corp.), Swarovski Elements chatons and 3 different styles of sections of chains made by Garlan Chain® Company. Tassels and main chain are also by Garlan off site by a metal link component by Tierra Cast® - atouch of gold to break the monocromatic sequence of the rope.

Designs by Fernando Dasilva for Garlan Chain

Copyright © 2011.

Trend: fish Leather

I have been watching a significant usage of new types of leather by several designers on the collections of some high end jewelry brands for the last 4 years.  The first items that caught my attention were bracelets made with stingray skin during one of the editions of JCK SHow in Vegas. High price range was the first indication that such material would came already stamped "luxury" goods.

After that, products made with snake leather became a must have among many accessories collections and the python snake leather became the symbol of this trend.

Last year at the Bead and Button Show, I was introduced by a new type of leather and this time the natual source was an animal that I was very familiar with - fish leather. I would never thought that something like that could be transformed onto an eco-friendly product. The main source for this kind of leather is tilapia and the company Nature Beads is the one that brought this leather into the American jewelry making market. The product comes in a wide range of colors and its texture adds an incredible look to anything is applied to.

During the last CHA - Winter Show, Katie Hacker invited myself and few other fellow designers to be part of a panel called "Beading Trends 2012 " where a group of designers presented their individual picks as the latest trends on jewelry making. Each one of us created inspirational pieces to represent those trends.  

The picture below features my inspirational piece that spotlights fish leather as focal element juxtaposed with faux-suede, chain, vegetable ivory pendants and crystal flat backs.

Picture below shows some other colors fish leather can be found and as you can see Swarovski Elements were applied to it using different techniques. The leather absorbs glue easily but many of them changes the color and texture of the leather so you have to investigate wich glue works best for your design. 

Have fun!
At this point you can only buy fish leather through Nature Beads.

Fernando does Bead Design Studio Mag

The new year started with lots of traveling and great news...undoubthely the  biggest surprise of this beginning was to be featured on "Bead Design Studio Magazine (former Bead Unique) for the first time through the hands and eyes of the incredibly talented and crystallized from head to toe fellow designer and Create Your Style ambassador Laura Timmons. Laura writes a monthly fashion column for the magazine and she picked me to be the "Designer shout out" of the month. Special thanks to Laura Timmons and the editor Pamela Hawkins for such honour.

I was flattered by Laura words and having an entire page dedicated to my creations was fantastic.

Laura choose 3 designs to illustrate my work and it was very well represented...check them out below.

This is the cover of the February 2012 issue. 

On the top right, a multi-strand necklace commissioned by John Bead® for a special sell event at

Jewel School™/JTV spotlighting Czech glass beads. Lots of antique silver and gun metal chain, faux-pearls and those incredibly fabulous peacock Labrador beads.

In the middle, a design created for the Create Your Style™ Show in Tucson - 2011 - workshop given by this design. The foundation the bracelet is a laser-cut suede with velcro bracelet.  I created a section using 49 Strands by Beadalon silver-plated stringing wire and embellished with an assortment of crystal components by Swarovski Elements™.

On the bottom of the page, an organic shaped necklace featuring copper Artistic Wire® mesh by Beadalon™ and Swarovski Elements™.

2012 promises a lot!

Back to business

I am shocked that I have been away from my blog for so many days, months, suns and moons.

It does not mean that I don't love to blog anymore...it means that I had had lots on my plate and lots going on during these days of absence.

There was a bit of reluctance about blogging and I did not want to do something because  I had to because this is not what blogging is about.

However I am sure some of you had followed my design endeavors through my Facebook page.

I am back and will do my best to make this more regular so you don't forget about me blogging.

I will have to do past and present more than once on the upcoming posts...you will feel like you are on a Woody Allen flick... thank you for stick around!

Truly yours,

Fernando.

Fashionably Beading in Manhattan

The picture above is of my station set up for a meet and greet the designers event at Elvee and Rosenberg show-room in Manhattan, New York, last Thursday. I was there to prote my book "Modern Expressions" and to inspire their clientele through several designs made with some of their fabulous collection of acrylic and vintage Swarovski Elements. 

Of course, products form Beadalon® and Metal Complex™ were also used to add a professional finishing to all designs. I personally liked all the pieces made with acrylic focal components and hand painted with Gilder's paste a product that I have became familiar through the Metal Complex™ brand. I love the fact that it can be used with wood and metal components as well.

The owner of Elvee & Rosenberg prepared  a fabulous spread with fine cheeses and fresh fruits that were to die for...wines and refreshments were also served to the pleasure of all of us.

This blogger with fellow Create Your Style™ ambassador sandy Lupo and the owner of Elvee & Rosenberg, Debbie Cantor. 

I just realized that my outfit actually matches with the cover of my book...I am in such of light blues, turquoise and browns mood. That polo is a light aquamarine by CK®.