What's in a Name?

No, I haven't seen "Gnomeo and Juliet". But from Shakespear's original "Romeo and Juliet" Juliet wonders "Romeo, Romeo, why for are thou Romeo?...." I always thought she was asking if he was somewhere down below her high balcony. Actually she was only asking why did he have to belong to the one family her family had "issues" with. Ah, the Montagues and the Capulets. She finally decided that a "Rose by any other name would smell as sweet".
So, currently having done a name search for my small jewelry business, I have found that getting an appropriate name is very hard. It was hard work given the thousands and thousands of internet business out there. So let's take a look at some of the names of Starving Artists Team members to illustrate both "conservative" and "unusual" (nothing wrong with unusual, I wish I had been able to think of some of these).

Bead Origami Has an oriental flavor with the "origami", the Japanese art of folding paper.


Angie's Jewelry Designs Fairly straight forward, Angie makes jewelry.



Cat's Wire She works with wire and really really loves cats!



Shiny Adornments I'd adorn myself with any shiny thing in this shop!


You know who makes Marie Cristine Handcrafted Jewelry.



Here's a lovely imagery: Twining Vine Designs. This pendant could twine around me any day.


And, finally: JewelryArtbyDawn.


As you can see, choosing a business name is an art by itself. Each shop name is as unique as the jewelry in it.

Quote Me - Lao-tzu

To see things in the seed, that is genius.

~Lao-tzu

I've always been in awe of seed beaders.

The fact that they have the patience to work with those teeny-tiny beads... and come up with an object of absolute beauty...

Truly genius!

Bead Embroidered Brooch by Elegance and Sparkles

We all have a bit of genius in us though.

A seed is planted.

Germinates (usually in the middle of the night!).

And a design springs forth from the fertile valleys of our brains.

The Fab Four Beaded Cuff by Beads Beading Beaded

What plants the seed for you?

How do you keep your 'soil' healthy?

And what do you do to nurture your seed?

Handcrafted Beaded Earrings by Bead Origami

Featuring artisan handmade jewellery from the SATeam - Starving Artist Team on Etsy.

To see more beautiful pieces from the team, visit our profile here

Or visit the team shop here

A Salute to the Sensational Seedies

Truth is I am not qualified to provide any information about seed beading, but I so admire the talents and creativity of this special breed of Jewelry Artists that I decided to learn a little bit about the techniques and supplies used in the creation of some of the most incredible pieces of jewelry art that I have ever laid eyes on.

Seed beads are those “itty bitty beads” ranging in size from less than a millimeter to several millimeters. The sizes are expressed as the number of beads that fit into a standard unit, 15/0 (fifteen/aught), 11/0, 8/0, etc. which means the higher the number, the smaller the bead. They are the most commonly used beads in jewelry and the decoration of garments. Primarily made of glass and produced in the Czech Republic or Japan modern seed beads are available in a several shapes such as Bugle, Charlotte, Cylinder, Delica, and a much broader assortment of colors and finishes from opaque to transparent. Some beads are lined either with a metallic material or different color, while others are treated with a coating to produce a lustrous surface, providing more visual interest and variety.

The techniques of seed beading are as diverse as the varieties of beads available to execute them. Peyote, Brick, Right Angle Weave RAW, Ndebele, Herringbone, are the foundation of bead weaving with variations to create tubes, ruffles and sculptural dimension. Supplement these basics with Netting, Daisy Chain, Picot, Crochet, Embroidery, Bead Lace, Bead Looming, Beaded Beads and the possibilities are staggering.

I am always astounded by the magnificent creations the “Sensational Seedies” of the SATeam exhibit and awestruck by the talents and creativity of this group. I can only imagine the amount of time that goes into the designing, bead selection, preparation and fabrication of even what may seem to be the simplest of seed bead creations…my mind is boggled by what it takes to produce a more complex, prize worthy work of art.


Kudos to our gifted seedies.

The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current Etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com