The Beaded Face

Are you drawn to images of the face like I am? It’s a natural instinct we all have. The face is the most expressive part of us, and its where most of our communication comes from. So its only natural that we seek out faces and are drawn to their expressions. I love jewelry that incorporates the face, whether it be human or not.

Here’s looking at you

There are many, many faces out there on beads, pendants, charms and more, and I’m happy to say they’re not all cameos. The cameo has evolved, too, over time. There will always be the traditional cameo, carved from shell, but there are some surprisingly fun cameos out there that definitely fall under the non-traditional category. We’ve got some bright and colorful versions of these in our cabs section. Made from a lightweight plastic, these cameos can be used as a cabochon or drilled to be pendants.

Speaking of non-traditional…

and faces… I’m a big fan of Egyptian Revival stuff from the 1920’s. The rage back then was anything Egyptian due to the excitement of the big discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb. The beads and cabs made to resemble this trend were colorful and had a flair of kitsch to them. Over the years The Beadin’ Path has had good luck finding odd components and I’ve tried to add at least one of each piece to my collection. If you go to the homepage you can do an Egyptian Revival search and see what comes up. There’s stuff lurking there as we speak! Oh, and if you wish to learn more about this cool subject, check out a previous post called Glass Beads and Cabs: Egyptian Revival.

What an expression

With this being the age of resin, you can capture any face inside a pendant and protect it for millennia. And its not hard, either. I had a small locket that I wanted to permanently put a picture into without it getting damaged, so I used diamond glaze to attach the picture to the locket, sealed it with diamond glaze again, and poured just enough resin in it to cover it. The locket closes perfectly and the picture will never change or fall out. I’ve seen so many pictures in resin pendants, such as Victorian era women, famous paintings of woman such as Mona Lisa, and then countless photos of famous faces like Marilyn or Frieda. We love faces that are recognizable, even if they’re not people we know directly.

A happy accident

I stumbled upon a beaded face by Dawn Chastain while searching the web for seed bead necklaces. I was intrigued because so many of the cabs were unusual and in fun colors. And I’m a seed bead nut, so I love how they’re bezeled with seeds (especially the multi-colored ones!). Cabs aren’t so hard to work with. I use a double sided sticky tape to secure my cab to the ultra suede, then I seed bead around them. Then just put the ultra suede against another piece of ultra suede and whip stitch around to hide the threads behind the cab, and you’re done. Ok, maybe it isn't’ THAT simple, but if you're curious, then watch the class schedule for Deb’s cab class. She tosses it in every once in a while, and it will open up a whole new world of beading to you.

Once in a blue moon

The moon face is a total winner! You know the ones I mean… wide round face, peaceful expression… and usually a cab or pendant. I love the serene vibes emitting from that face. Cherubic cheeks, eyes at half mast. Who can resist that? The moon is a fantastically used image in jewelry and has been for generations.

The sculpted face

I love doing my own sculpted faces from clay and embellishing them with beads and more. So I went on the web to find others that were similar, and I found this cool, steampunk version of a sweet doll face by Kristie Lou Brigham. Wild! I love the steampunk genre, and this is really different.

Are you using the face anywhere in your beading? I’d love to hear about it… drop me an e-mail!

“I finally finished the beaded face I was working on. I have to say this was a fun project, except that I always felt it was looking at me! I kept involuntarily looking at its eyes, and I couldn’t stop! Hilarious!”   ~in an e-mail I received from Betsy Billaine, beader and instructor

Resources:

Www.beadartoriginals.blogspot.com

Dawn Chastain

Li Telles Designs

Lillybud Designs

Nix Creations

Redux Jewelry

Kristie Lou Brigham

The Beadin’ Path