Epiphany Gifts for Beaders

My family has always celebrated Epiphany, or the Twelfth Day of Christmas, and usually give each other a special gift to commemorate the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem to worship the Christ Child. I've been a beader for several years and usually buy what I need for my projects, but like thousands of other beaders, still love looking through catalogs, especially Fire Mountain Gems, at all the beads and findings I would love to have, but which aren't usually within my budget. These are my recommendations for special gifts for the beader for Epiphany.

Gifts for the beader should always be something very personal. Although another set of jeweler's tools or beading thread can be useful, my suggestions are items that the beader might not ordinarily purchase for their projects. I love working with Swarovski. These crystals are the finest, precision cut crystals in the world and are available in hundreds of colors, shapes, and styles. Any beader will appreciate a nice selection of these exquisite crystals, and will love creating designs combining Swarovski with freshwater pearls, silver or gold spacers, or for a very special gift, a necklace with a Swarovski cross pendant. Fire Polished Czech Beads are also a favorite for beaders. These beautiful beads are available with a vitrial or aurora borealis (ab) finish on one side of the bead, with an irridescent finish all over. Czech crystals with a pendant from Blue Moon Beads can make a beautifully crafted necklace. I've also used emerald green crystals for Celtic rosaries, with a Celtic cross, of course. Czech Cathedral Beads with gold or silver metallic detail on the top and bottom of each bead can be combined with other beads or with 14 carat gold or sterling silver spacers for an elegant necklace or earrings. Gemstone beads, chips, and pendants are popular items for beaded jewelry. Red or fancy jasper, quartz, snowflake obsidian, tigereye, turquoise, jade, and many other gems can be used in a variety of designs and can be used to create unique and unusual pieces. Gemstone pendants are available as crosses, animals, hearts, arrowheads, and other shapes. Turquoise and snowflake obsidian look great with silver, and jade and tigereye combined with gold can make an eye catching design.

Hill Tribes Silver is handmade by six different tribes in Thailand, each with its own distinct style. The people who live in the villages are highly skilled craftspeople and take pride in their beautiful workmanship. Intricate flower and leaf designs that they design are beautiful with jade or turquoise. Beads are available in strands for delicate necklace or bracelet designs. Since this silver is of such high quality, it is more expensive, but is a gift any beader will cherish to use in special projects. Fine quality sterling silver and gold findings are a good choice for the beader. A variety of small packages of findings of the highest quality gold or silver is something that the beader might not buy often. Another suggestion is to buy gold or silver bracelets with a selection of charms. Inexpensive bracelets can be found in most craft stores for the casual beader, but for a more personal gift, find charms in 14 carat gold or sterling silver that express the beader's interests. I did this one year as a gift for my daughter, who is a Eucharistic Minister, and used Christian symbols for the charms. It was an Easter gift, but would also be appropriate for Epiphany.

A number of craft stores now carry jewelry making kits to make unusual necklaces, earrings, or bracelets. They're available in a variety of styles and are affordable. Two or three kits could be elegantly wrapped together to give the beader several projects to work on, since some kits contain enough supplies to design several pieces. Some suppliers sell pendants with matching beads on a card which can be combined with additional beads and spacers to make unique necklaces. These are a good choice since they're inexpensive. I've purchased several of these in sodalite, hematite, and tigereye. If you want to surprise your favorite beader with an unusual and unique gift, fill a small drawstring pouch with a variety of beads, gemstones, and findings. Small gift pouches can be velvet, satin, or organza. Add a miniature gift card that you decorate to wish your favorite beader a Blessed Epiphany.