About tools

People ask me if it is difficult to make Jewelery. I tell them that making jewelry with leather cord is actually very easy and requires a minimum number of tools that most of us already have in our tool box.  If you are a casual jewelry maker all you need is just one pair of pliers.  On the other hand, if you are like me, getting blisters in your hands because of the number of crimps,  you can spoil yourself with more specialized tools

This is my favorite collection of tools:

• A pair of scissors. I use them to cut my leather cord. I like them because they make a clear cut.

• A small pair of pliers with a spring that returns it to the open position after every crimp. I like it because it feels good in my hand and it is always ready for the next crimp.

• A flat nosed pair of pliers, smooth without lines also with a spring. They are great for delicate crimp jobs because they don't leave any marks. 

 Join us next time to learn how to do a simple string necklace.


Note

 Please feel free to jump in with a comment, a question, add on or show us a new technique. We will be happy to hear from you.

New Products

925 Sterling Silver Evil Eye Charm with synthetic stone. White gold plated for a permanent shiny look.

People in the Mediterranean countries and many others around the world believe that some individuals have the "evil eye" and just by looking at some one, can voluntarily or involuntarily cause injury, harm, bad luck or even death.

To protect their children from the "evil eye" parents will pin or put on the children a bracelet or a necklace with an eye, usually blue.

Sterling Silver Classic Greek Jewelry

Double Axe

Christmas isn't far away and we just got some gorgeous sterling silver jewelry that are white gold plated for a permanent shiny look. Among them the famous Double Axe, the Disk of Phaistos the Double Bees and other classical Greek Jewelry.

Alexander the Great

Disk of Phaistos

Some of them already show on our website but we still have many to scan and upload so keep checking for new entries.

 Waynesville Sauerkraut Festival  9-10 October 2010

A great show as always, we had a steady flow of customers most of them a long time repeat customers. The weather was beautiful, a little too warm for us having to work in the sun but it brought tens of thousands of people to the show.
This is the last show of the year but our necklaces will be available through our web site www.leathercordonline.com or you can reach us at 937 342-0381

Oktoberfest - 2010 Minster OH

Even the rain and the cold didn't keep people away in Minster OH.
Business was good and we are looking forward to our next show in Waynesville OH, The Sauerkraut Festival.
Come visit us there! It's the last show we will be doing this year!

New Classic Pendants in stock

Some very popular pendants are back in stock. Check them:

Ying Yang
http://www.leathercordonline.com/product/P261

Peace sign::
http://www.leathercordonline.com/product/P2133

Alexander the Great coin-pendant:
http://www.leathercordonline.com/product/P4141

Leather Cord

We just got a new shipment of leather cord. The very popular Black Barbed wire leather cord is back in stock as well as some other cords that were out of stock

New supplies just arrived
A new shipment of supplies just arrived from Greece. Included are new items and items that were low in stock.

Did you know that:

Double Axe or Labrys was a popular religious or ceremonial symbol at  Knossos, the ancient city in the island of Crete. In our time the labrys is a feminist symbol of strength and self-sufficiency.


The Disk of Phaistos was excavated from the ruins of the palace at Phaistos, in Crete, Greece. Both sides are covered in hieroglyphs, which spiral to the middle of the disk- and though researchers have toiled to discover the meaning of these images, the message of the disk remains undeciphered to this day.

The Cycladic idols were found in tombs on the Cycladic Islands Greece, and are the relics of
a late Neolithic Culture that lived there (3000-2000 B.C.).

End Caps
End caps are available from 2 mm up to 5 or 6 mm internal diameter. They  are easy to use in your jewelry making projects and they look elegant.  End caps are available in sterling silver or silver plated. Silver plated are usually made of brass and then silver coated. Buy caps that have an internal diameter the same diameter as the cord that you are going to use. You may have to trim the corners of the end of your cord with a pair of scissors to round the edge and make it slide easier in the cap.

When I work with  round leather cords I apply a very small quantity of super glue around the tip of the cord and I twist it inside the cap to make sure that the glue goes everywhere. I use a clear super glue (Loctite) that dries very fast. Be careful though!  Wear glasses and watch your fingers.

For braided leather cords I prefer to apply the glue inside the cap, no more than one drop or you will have the glue overflow the cap when you insert the cord. Actually all you need is a very small quantity. I do this because, if you apply the glue directly on braided leather cord, it becomes soft and it is harder to insert it into the cap. Make sure before you glue that the length of your jewelry is correct because once the glue dries, just a few seconds, you will not be able to take it apart.

Please feel free to add to this post or ask any questions that you may have.

Jewelry Making Essentials

Now that we know all about leather cord, let's go ahead and make our first necklace. We are going to need:
1. A pair of pliers.

Any kind of pliers will do. However, if you are going to make a lot of jewelry, choose one that will feel good in the palm of your hand. I prefer a small flat-nosed pliers with a tension spring that will return the pliers to the open position.

2. A leather cord length of about 18" for a standard size, or whatever length you prefer. We are going to use 1.8 mm to 2 mm thick cord.

3. Two end coils, one clasp.
We are going to chose 2.2 mm coils with an end loop. 2.2 mm is the internal diameter of the coil, and our 1.8 mm or 2 mm cord will fit perfectly.


Optional:
Two plain coils-- these hold the beads in place so the clasp does not slide to the side.


Two round metal beads-- these put a buffer between the coils and your beads, and are a good design element.



These are the basic elements of your necklace; you can add a pendant, ceramic beads, or both!

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How to do it:
Place an end coil on one end of the cord, then use the pliers to squeeze tightly the very last loop of the coil. (see image)

Don't use a lot of pressure, or you may cut the cord. That's all there is to it, but it can take a little practice. If you "ruin" the end of the coil, you can trim that part off with wire snips and try again.
You can now string your beads and/or pendant and finish the other end.
[If you are using the optional plain coils to hold the beads in place, give these a light squeeze with the pliers, just on the outermost loop of the coil.]

About Leather Cord

Leather cord is mainly imported from India and Greece. Greece was the first to begin leather cord production, and Greek leather cord is well known for its quality. Indian manufacturers followed, and soon caught up in quality, but at a much more competitive price. Find a good reliable vendor and expect to pay 50% or less of the price of Greek cord, for the same or better quality. Why is the Greek leather cord so much more expensive? Because Greece is a member of the EEC, and prices have skyrocketed since the introduction of the Euro. The weak dollar doesn't help, either; at the time of this writing 1 Euro equals about $1.50 USD.

Leather cord comes in several shapes, sizes and colors. You can buy round, braided round (bolo), flat ribbon, and the scary looking "barbed-wire" leather cord! The size is in mm (millimeters) and you can buy it in 1mm to 6 mm thickness. The most popular size is 1.8 or 2 mm, and the most popular color is black.