Rena Klingenberg runs one of the most useful jewelry business-related sites around: thousands of tips on how to conduct a home jewelry business. Well worth checking out and signing up for her free newsletter too:

Home Jewelry Business Success Tips and Jewelry Business Success Newsletter.

Send comments or questions to Eni Oken at

In time for Halloween, a tutorial on how to make the cutest beaded witch, posted by Emily Hackbarth at Beadwork section of About.com:

A Tiny Witch Doll, by Emily Hackbarth .

Send comments or questions to Eni Oken at

Ancient jewelry is always an excellent source of inspiration and technique for current styles:

Ancient Gold coins and Jewelry

Greek Jewellery - Five Thousand Years of Tradition: Excellent and extensive exhibit online showing not only great samples of ancient jewelry, but also explanation of some of the techniques used to fabricate them.

Museum Store Company creates reproductions of ancient jewelry.

Send comments or questions to Eni Oken at

Gisela Von Eicken is a sculptor turned jewelry artist. Working with wire since 1962 in a most sculptural, freeform way, Gisela creates random, artistic pieces. An interview can be seen here:

Making the Profane Sacred

Send comments or questions to Eni Oken at

Rose Monteés are rhinestones set into prongs, which allow you to sew or thread them into clothing or jewelry. They are excellent to use with wire jewelry, since they can be easily threaded like beads.

A few years ago they were hard to find, only vintage ones could be detected once in a while. Recently, there are more places selling them, including new ones.

Included in this list are rhinestones called "sew-ons", which have essentially the same principle: they are set on tracks which can be threaded easily.

Tips on buying:

1) Check shape of the back of the stones carefully: some crystals are pointed-back and set on thicker tracks (occasionally referred to as chaton montee or sew-on rhinestones); some stones are flat-backs (rose-montee). Usually, the pointed-back ones are harder to find, a little chunkier but also more beautiful than the flat-backs.

2) Remember, most rose-montees or sew-on rhinestones come set in base metal tracks, no sterling silver. If you want use sterling silver tracks, then get some snap-tites and loose rhinestones.

Rose-montee and Sew-on Rhinestones suppliers:

B'SueBoutique: Interesting mix, different tracks

Jool Supplies.com: Another place with interesting shapes and tracks, including some rectangular ones.

Costume Jewelry Supplies Rose Montees page: a large selection of round rose montees in various sizes and colors

Costume Jewelry Supplies Glitz and Glamour page: strands of pronged rhinestones which can be taken apart and used individually as rose montees.

Tutu.com Rhinestones: has a good explanation of the differences between the two types of montees and different shapes available.

Gorgeous Navette & Marquise prong set Rhinestones

Rings and Things: Search for Crystal Mounted Rondelles: Beautiful quality Austrian Swarovskis. Be sure to get the ones with 4 holes.

Shipwreck Beads: 3.5mm to 5mm rose-montees.

Vintage Sew-on Rhinestones: Rose Montees

Empyrean Beads (they carry vintage rose montees)

Rhinestone Guy.com: beautiful quality crystals, scroll to the very bottom of the page.

MJ Trimming: various colors of rose-montees

www.rhinestonz.co.nz: Supplier in New Zealand

Maria George: supplier in Australia

Send comments or questions to Eni Oken at

Ruby's Jewelry Design created this great tutorial on how to make a gorgeous beaded bracelet.

Check it out here: Ruby's Jewelry Design & Beadwork

Send comments or questions to Eni Oken at