Jewelry by Tina Bey, Houston, TX (2026)

07/15/2025

Root bear beads with pumpkin colored accents and focal Agate nugget and copper hexagonal bead. See 3riversbeads.com for more details.

02/22/2025

Tibetan inspired rolled metal earrings.

02/01/2025

January 31, 2025

Happy Accidents

On January 21, 2025, the Gulf Coast had an historic and deadly winter storm that plunged into freezing temperatures that stretched from Texas, Louisiana, and headed up to the east coastal states that included Florida and Georgia. Fortunately my husband and I survived it. On February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil will predict whether we will have more winter weather or an early spring. We shall see.

My prescription sunglasses slip off my face all the time. I decided to make an eyeglass lanyard. For some unknown reason, my lanyard is too long and I forgot to place one end of the eyeglass holder in the loop. I really liked it and decided I would make it a necklace. I started another one with similar beads and liked it so much, I continued on and made a second necklace. I decided to use different beads so that I would not repeat what is termed as “happy accidents” in the art world. This time, I finished the lanyard for my sunglasses.

Prior to making my new necklaces, I rediscovered earrings that match them perfectly. A lot of my pieces can be mixed or matched. I will add the new necklaces to my store (3riversbeads.com) as soon as I can. In the meantime, look at my website to find great mix and match pieces in my existing stock.

12/20/2024

December 20, 2024

Stringing and Bead Weaving

If you want to finish a beading project faster, then stringing is what you want to do. You have choices of materials to string the beads on a variety of cords or threads such as leather, h**p, fishing line (I use Fireline), beading or memory wire, silk thread for knotting between the beads, elastic or whatever you can add beads to. The cord must accommodate the hole size of the beads. Once completed, it is necessary to finish the end of the cords with knots or other ways using findings such as crimps that do not allow the beads to fall off and a clasp to fasten a necklace or bracelet. With earrings, you may use different types of thread, bead wire, head pins and ear wires.

Bead weaving is using a needle and thread. It has the same aspects as stringing with cords such as beading wire, knotting with silk string, or other cords, but primarily the main difference is using certain stitches for necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Once it is decided what stitch to use such as pe**te, herringbone, brick stitch, square stitch, right angle weave, netting, and many more, the shape or form of bead weaving can be flat, circular, cubes, and spiral. It is dependent on the stitch. The completed project uses the same type of findings used in stringing.

I would not say that either method is better than the other, but many who want to start with the basics choose stringing initially; at least I did. Whatever method you choose, you can excel in either one. I did not include loom weaving or bead embroidery which I may tackle in a future post.

Below are two necklaces. The pink ombré necklace is strung on bead wire with a sterling silver S-hook clasp. The other is a Cubic Right Angle (CRAW) stitch that is a bead woven piece which is one of my favorite stitches. I am adding these to my website: 3riversbeads.com and as always, you can follow me on Instagram @ tinabey3 and this post.

11/24/2024

November 24, 2024

The Fall in Color

One of my favorite seasons is the Fall of the year. I like the invigorating colder weather and the beautiful leaf colors: orange, yellow, sienna, russet, gold, ochre, and browns. These colors are more notable in Pittsburgh, PA than in Houston, but we’re getting there. I just saw the Steelers game this past Thursday night football on Amazon Prime network. They were playing the Browns and of course with their 2-8 record, I thought the Steelers would prevail, but then the snow flurries turned into a snowstorm that never let up. Yes, I’m disappointed; the Steelers should have won. A little snow should not have been a factor, but we’ll take care of the Browns this time when they come to the ‘burgh.

I have been inspired by the Fall colors and created some earrings with the aforementioned hues. I have some exotic beads such as pressed Czech beads that are washed with copper and inscribed with a design called, “Arabesque”. Another pair of earrings are coin shaped and are described as a white Opal with travertine and copper wash whose design is inspired from the “Star of Ishtar”. They both feature glass drops that are fashioned like a cluster of grapes. Tibetan inspired rolled gold plated, textured tubes are also available. I have recently added lamp work beads such as the wire wrapped “wedding bead” earrings below. Please follow my FB page, Jewelry by Tina Bey, and let me know if you like them by leaving me comments and of course they can be purchased on: 3riversbeads.com which is my website.

10/10/2024

October 9, 2024

Lampwork Beads Continued…

Dear Followers, please forgive me for missing the September post; the month seemed to whiz by. I am still working with lampwork beads. I noticed in my August post, my auto-correct separated “lampwork”, but a jewelry supplier did not, so I am going with them.

I enjoy my stash of lampworked glass beads and contrasting them with seed beads and crystals. They are a lot of fun to work with. I believe that some of the larger cylindrical and large teardrop beads are too heavy to wear in the ears, so instead I made pieces as pendant/purse charms, zipper pulls, and keychains that suit them better. I had these lampwork beads for years and along the way collected smaller beads suitable for bracelets, earrings, and focals.

I have been an avid follower of Dale Chihuly, the extraordinary glass artist from Tacoma, Washington. His glass blowing techniques became an entrepreneurship with a staff of other glass blowers that produce massive chandeliers and statuesque installations in various locales in the U.S. and around the world. Chihuly studied in Venice at the Venini factory located on the island of Murano which I discussed in the last post. I saw the “Fiori di Como” in the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas which many conclude is a chandelier; but it is actually a “glass sculpture” located on the ceiling of the lobby. I also saw a Chihuly exhibit at the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh in 2007 and includes permanent installations. If you get a chance to see Chihuly live, please do so.

Working with the miniature representations of glass blown beads is my connection to glass art. I have needed some essential supplies using lampwork beads with large holes (2mm and above) such as “aligners” that help to decrease the hole to accommodate wire head pins and ”bails” that fit inside the top holes to accommodate pendant necklaces. My new lampwork listings will be available on 3riversbeads.com soon.

09/01/2024

August 31, 2024

Lamp Work Beads

Happy Labor Day to everyone!

I have always been attracted to paperweights that feature gorgeous designs of flowers, abstracts, and mandalas. I own one, but the last place I saw it was on the fireplace mantle as a piece of decoration (let’s face it; how many of us use paperweights for the purpose it was intended for?). I haven’t collected paperweights because I have no room for them, but I make practical use of lamp work beads. It is a collection that fits in my plastic, all purpose bead boxes. I like to think of them as “miniature paperweights”. I have a few vintage Murano beads (famous Italian glassmakers that produced glass making techniques in 1526) which are possibly authentic but in all, handmade beads can be valuable and expensive.

I visited the “Venetian Bead Shop” website and admired all of the listings of Murano glass beads. It gave me a primer on the different types of lamp work beads such as “Fiarato” also known as “Wedding cake beads” which are colorful beads with raised ribbons of glass on beads that—you guessed it, reminds one of piped icing on a cake and may also include flowers. I have Millefiori, aka “a thousand flower”beads that mimic Murano glass beads. Trust me, authentic Murano beads are premium pieces of art. From my research, I believe I may have a few vintage beads, but most of my lamp work bead collection are from repurposed jewelry or from jewelry suppliers. There are distinct differences in how lamp work beads are produced by bead artists. For example, “dichroic” lamp work beads is the fusion of metal foils introduced to the glass. I own a few pieces of “furnace” glass beads that are gathered from the furnace of molten glass that can be machine made or handmade by adding colors from glass canes and patterns such as stripes or spirals. I have some cylindrical and square beads that I bought from a bead store in the mid ‘80’s.

I have learned some technical details about lamp work beads and pay attention to the descriptions of the beads themselves. I love the product and all the work that is put into making them. Below are examples of lamp work beads, and the ones I made into earrings and pendant charms. Look for listings soon on my website 3riversbeads.com.

08/01/2024

July 31, 2024

What a month!

Beryl left a path of downed trees, wind damage, and wide spread electric outages. This hurricane was devastating in many ways. It was one of the earliest hurricanes. It was a category 4 hurricane (according to NASA) that affected numerous Caribbean islands. When it reached Houston, TX, it had weakened to a category 1 leaving a path of damaging winds and the loss of 22 lives.

My husband and I survived through 12 hours of having no electricity. It was mild compared to the millions of Houstonians who lost power for over a week or more. Properties that sustained severe damages were left in a lurch as the power companies were unable to provide electricity unless repairs were made first. Numerous traffic lights were out making driving a risky proposition. Our unfortunate decision to get food and gas the following day failed. I had flashes of Covid all over again seeing closed businesses, people standing in line at one grocery store and we were unable to get gas.

My husband and I were fortunate enough to leave Houston after a week to attend our family reunion in Pittsburgh, PA. The Peoples-Pugh reunion relieved the stress of Beryl’s aftermath. It was a welcome change to see our family members.

When I returned home, things were improved. Another bright spot was watching the Olympics and witnessing the U.S. Men and Women’s Gymnastics teams.

I am working on some jewelry projects involving lampworked beads. I’ll show you more when I finish. I took a picture of one of many downed trees in our neighborhood.

06/30/2024

June 29, 2024

Traditions

Hi followers! I trust everyone is well and protecting themselves from the extreme heat.

I watched a movie last night, “East Side Sushi” (2014 film by Anthony Lucero; on Prime and MAX) about a young Mexican American woman named Juana, trying to survive in Oakland, California. She works numerous jobs to pay tuition for educating her 11 year old daughter Lidia. She and her elderly father sell fruit from a cart that proves to be too much of a risk. She quits her job at a gym where she is disrespected after finding employment at a Japanese restaurant. She is captivated by the food and learns on her own how to master making sushi. Although Juana receives specialized training and support from “Aki”, a Sushi Chef who works in front of the customers, realizes her abilities are on point, but is discouraged because the owner of the restaurant is traditional and Sushi Chefs are reserved for males only. Furthermore, she is not Japanese. Really? That is why I titled this post “Traditions”. Nothing is wrong about following tradition, but in context, when it comes to preparing food, should someone’s gender or cultural background come into question? Given all the challenges she is faced with, Juana's determination to become a Sushi Chef does not waver. I suggest you watch this gem of a movie.

So what does the movie have to do with jewelry? Specifically, gender. In the movie, does it matter to customers that only men should make sushi? On my website (3riversbeads.com) I have bracelets that I title “unis*x”, and although my earrings and necklaces are implied as “feminine”, I do not have a separate collection for men. Will jewelry designers move from hearts and flowers to leather and hardware or somewhere in between? Does the jewelry industry pander towards one s*x over the another? So where does “tradition” fit in as far as gender is concerned? An article in Bazaar Magazine (“Boy meets girl: The rise of genderless jewellery”, by Dani Maher, February 2023) that demonstrates that there should be no boundaries. One of my friend’s told me that if a person is confident, they will wear whatever they like, masculine or feminine, which is the prevailing train of thought in the current fashion industry. The point is, our view of the world has numerous paradoxes that are steeped in the traditional value of men versus women. If jewelry is distinguished by gender, does it rise to the occasion as offensive? If the answer is no, we may not see a dramatic change. It is a non-factor to many who pay less attention to gender and buy what suits their taste.

05/27/2024

May 26, 2024

The Arts & Craft Supply Swap

Hi followers! I celebrated a year in business in mid April. I took a break and did not write a post, but I am still as busy as ever @ 3riversbeads.com creating new collections and adding new pieces on my website. My new collections are: Classy Brass Earrings and Keychains/Purse Charms.

I have a lot of jewelry supplies that I don’t use because it might be the wrong size, color, or due to shoddy material. I once bought what I thought were silver metal beads at a local chain arts and crafts store, but they were actually ceramic and painted to look like metal when they broke. I learned to pay attention to the weight of metal beads and even smashed a few to make certain I wasn’t being ripped off. It is common for me not to get what I expected when ordering online (except for Jill Wiseman Designs Live Sales). I decided to look for opportunities in my area to swap supplies I wasn’t using with other jewelry makers. There were plenty of listings for online swaps, but I wanted to see and touch the items. Short of trying to get my local library arts and crafts group to set up a swap, I was lucky enough to see that another library a little further away was having an Arts and Crafts Supply Swap at the Fort Bend, University Library branch located in Sugar Land, Texas. They asked for new or gently used arts and crafts donations, but it was not required to participate because the supplies were free!

I donated some modestly priced gem duo beads that I didn’t use that much (I mostly use seed beads). I went to the meeting room and met two librarian employees who took my donations. They showed me where the bags were and I was directed to the tables with jewelry supplies, but there were plenty of other tables filled with all sorts of supplies: knitting needles, yarn, cloth squares for making quilts, fabric, paint, and wooden items just to name a few. I was really blown away by the variety of supplies.

I found a few jewelry supplies, some still in packages. I went to the sewing supply tables and went through a huge bag of buttons, picking out some beautiful and unique ones. I have used buttons in my beadwork as clasps.

I told a family member to take his grandchildren to the next swap so that they could get arts and crafts supplies to occupy them during the summer. Of course I also told him to make sure they read. I also noticed the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land was located a few blocks away from the library.

03/30/2024

3/29/24

Why I Love Brass

I have always been attracted to brass metal jewelry because it has a rich, vintage look. I gravitate to the rustic, boho pieces of jewelry paired with interesting organic elements such as gemstones, fetishes, natural materials, wood, bone, charms, geometric shapes, spiritual, tribal, and earthy or planetary motifs such as trees, flowers, sun, moons, or stars. The list goes on. I like the way brass accentuates my skin tone. Of course I have gold and silver jewelry pieces, but to me, brass is connected to an unconventional, free-spirited look.

Brass is made with copper and zinc and depending on the proportion of the two metals, it can have shades of brightness that can mimic antique gold. Brass is affordable and is resistant to tarnish. If the copper content is high, it is possible that it may develop a green patina to its finish, which is desirable if you are seeking an antique look, but don’t worry! My pieces are finished with a coating.

Raw brass, copper, and bronze naturally corrode. It takes years to get the green patina otherwise known as “verdigris”. The Statue of Liberty is a famous example. Artists can intentionally assist in corroding the aforementioned metals by introducing vinegar or other substances. Brass is easily cleaned with warm soap and water or with commercial cleaners.

I have recently made earrings with repurposed brass elements. The textures are contemporary and I have added accents such as semi precious gemstones and paper rolled beads.

Let me know if you like the example below. I am adding the new collection to my website: 3 Rivers beads.

02/28/2024

February 27, 2024

The Power of Pearls, Part III

Sustainability of Pearls

There is a freshwater pearl farm in the U.S. The Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Farm in Camden, Tennessee. It is a working farm that includes tourist guides and a shop. The farm harvests the Washboard mussel species in a cage that suspends from bamboo rods floating in Birdsong Creek near the Kentucky River. The harvests can range from 3-5 years or more. The farm also exports the emptied shells to Japanese pearl farms to use the inner iridescent secretion inside the shells used to create cultured pearls. The meat of the mussel is thrown back in the water as fish food (see You Tube video, “North America’s Only Pearl Farm”, by Courtnay DeHoff, March 19,2013).

Just as recycling programs work to gather shells discarded by restaurants that are collected, cured (drying out process), and return shells back into the water to encourage continued growth and reefs for mollusks, pearl farmers have a responsibility to honor their production of pearls with sustainable practices. There are jewelry companies that have sustainable practices when it comes to purchasing pearls from responsible pearl farmers. The actor, activist, and author, Kerry Washington for example, teamed up with Aurate New York with her “The Birth of Mother” collection. Aurate is a jewelry company that recycles gold (vermeil), uses non-conflict diamonds, and purchase pearls from pearl farmers that are utilizing ethical harvesting.

As a pescatarian, I enjoy eating shellfish, though I don’t eat raw oysters. I want to see that mollusks survive the seeding procedure in pearl farms and that they remain plentiful with the cooperation with specific guidelines (see Sustainable Pearls (website), “Researching and Fostering responsible pearl farming-Sustainable Pearls”). I also want you to know that bi-valve mollusks are responsible for cleaning water from succumbing to pollution which is so important for the ecosystem. There are oyster restoration projects in many states such as “The Billion Oyster Project” in New York, Orange County Coastkeeper in California, and the Maine Oyster Trail (see National Geographic (website), Travel/Planet Possible, July 26,2021, by Anna Florentino).

I think about my mother wearing faux or imitation pearls. They are commonly made from glass, resin, alabaster, pearl powders from crushed shell, and fish scales that mimic the lustrous, iridescent pearls. I learned that former First Lady, Barbara Bush admitted wearing faux pearls (see Kari Pearls (website), “How Pearls are Made: Faux, Fake, Imitation, Simulated or Man-made”). Marine life is still a resource, even for man-made pearls. Consumers can help by purchasing pearls and other gems from ethical companies who embrace sustainability.

After learning about pearl farming, I prefer using imitation pearls. What will I do with my freshwater pearls? I’m still not sure.

*This is the end of my series about pearls. Please send me your comments; I’d love to know what you think.

It is me wearing my favorite mother of pearl button shirt.

Jewelry by Tina Bey

07/15/2025

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