Pearls

Undoubtedly the most important element of my work. The beads I use are glass, Japanese and mainly from the Miyuki brand, some from the Toho brand (also Japanese). The particularity of the Miyuki is that their range of “Delica” pearls is perfectly calibrated for a smooth and regular finish. I recommend them if you want to get into bead weaving

All their varieties of beads come in an impressive number of colors and textures! Frosted, matte or transparent, metallic, galvanized, with a glaze or crystal finish, all these pearls allow a mixture of textures that give depth and vibrancy to the jewel. Nothing to do with coarse plastic beads made in China.

Still in the pearls, I also use faceted glass beads from Bohemia (part of the Czech Republic), an emblematic place for the manufacture of crystal.

The crystal

Speaking of crystal, this is a material that I also use a lot. Previously, I favored Swarovski elements, which unfortunately are no longer made. From now on, I get crystal from the Préciosa brand, of the same quality and the same calibers as the Swarovski brand.

Pure, limpid, with perfect transparency and a brilliance that creates rainbows, crystal is undeniably one of my favorites. I use it in cabochons of different sizes and shapes, set, and often in drops, sometimes cubic or heart beads…

Thread

The threads that I use for hand embroidery in a “needle painting” style are in DMC stranded cotton. They allow a large choice of tones and are of good quality. The thread used for Lunéville crochet embroidery (also called “Haute Couture” embroidery) is called “glove thread”. It is a cotton thread, slightly glazed which, as its name suggests, was formerly used for making gloves. Finally, for some of my hand-embroidered jewellery, I use extremely strong nylon thread, also from the Miyuki brand.

Chains and finishes

The chains I choose are either silver, gold plated, or gold filled. These metals are a guarantee of durability and protect you from allergies. Sleeper earrings and ear hooks are also either silver or gilded with fine gold. Brooch pins are made of steel or gilded with fine gold. For the smallest finishes, such as certain rings and rods, when I can’t find elements gilded with fine gold or silver, I get pieces without nickel and other allergenic metals. You can wear Mythik Mystique jewelry safely

The suede

To cover the back of my jewelry, I use suede with a soft and comfortable feel. I avoid leather out of respect for the animal cause. I am still considering a more eco-friendly option.

The tools

To work, I use various pliers, to bend or to cut, needles or hooks to embroider, but above all it is my hands that do the most. Stitched many times during the creation of each piece, we can say that there is love and the will to do well in all these jewels! The last essential tool for my work are my eyes! For the most precise details and clean finishes, it takes a hawk’s eye. ^^

From now on, you know a little more about the composition of my creations. In each description of my products, I play on the transparency of the origin of my raw materials. I invite you to ask me questions about this in case you want information that is not indicated

To create quality jewelry, you need quality products and materials. This is what allows these creations to last over time. In addition, with each order, you receive a little notice to take care of your piece and keep it impeccably!

If you are curious, here is a little article to enlighten you on the subject

Luneville, what is it?

Lunéville is a town in Lorraine. Long known for its lace and earthenware, it is mainly for its embroidery technique that this place is now known.

This technique is also called crochet embroidery, Haute Couture embroidery or beadwork.

Since when ?

Around 1800, during a visit to Lorraine, Joséphine de Beauharnais, wife of Napoleon, fell in admiration for the lace of the region. Thanks to the future Empress, the fashion for lace and embroidery is revived. At the time, embroidery was done with needles, then machines appeared and the mechanization of embroidery became tough competition for small workshops. Manual embroidery must diversify. Around 1865, beaded and sequined embroidery was created, identical to what is still done today. The development of this technique progresses until the Roaring Twenties then the crisis of 29 and the second world war undermine this Art. But thanks to the Parisian fashion houses, Lunéville embroidery was reborn after 1945, where it gained worldwide fame.

The technique

The embroidery of Lunéville is practiced on a fabric well stretched on an embroidery frame. Both hands work: one hand is placed above the loom and holds the hook (de Lunéville) and the other hand is below the loom and brings the beads or sequins strung on a thread towards the surface of the fabric. With the hook, the embroiderer (or the embroiderer, if there is one) creates a chain by trapping the beads and sequins in the loops.

The particularity of this technique is that we embroider on the back of the work, blind, without seeing the pattern take shape. In India, there is a somewhat similar technique, which also requires a hook, but where the work is done on the front of the loom. Very good embroiderers (mostly men) especially if it is gold embroidery. However, this technique is less precise when it comes to applying sequins.

Depending on the complexity of the patterns and the number of elements to be installed, the realization takes more or less time. A few square centimeters of embroidery can take several hours. Some designer dresses require hundreds of hours and many embroiderers just to make the embroidery! This explains their very high cost.

This technique is used in Haute Couture because it is faster than a needle to add elements such as pearls and sequins. The best embroiderers are able to embroider on all kinds of fabrics and even on leather!

This know-how requires dexterity, meticulousness and patience! And good eyes! Regularity and precision are essential for an impeccable result.

Supplies

Lunéville embroidery requires a certain material. The amount of the budget can quickly go up!

To begin with, the first essential element for embroidery is the embroidery frame. It consists of four long pieces of wood, placed on trestles, which will allow the fabric to be embroidered to be stretched to the maximum in order to facilitate the comings and goings of the hooks in the fabric and obtain an impeccable design.

For embroidery, the Lunéville crochet hook is also essential. It is thanks to him that we catch the thread and form the loops that will hold the pearls.

Then, various and varied threads are used. The most commonly used for stringing beads and sequins is gloving thread. It is a cotton thread, slightly glazed, which helps to lay the selected supplies in the chain stitch. Then, any thread whose texture, shine or color can inspire the embroiderer can be used. There are several sizes of hooks which adapt to the size of the yarn chosen

Finally come the pearls, sequins, sequins, cups, crystal shards, ribbons, feathers, in short, the elements to be placed, which are commonly called “supplies”. The possibilities are limitless. As proof, a few years ago, Chanel created clothes embroidered with concrete beads… Anything is possible!

Given the range of colors, materials, sizes and shapes of all these elements, the extent of imagination and creativity are the only limits to what is possible to create. This still promises beautiful unique pieces in perspective in the shop!

I am open to custom orders according to your desires. Do not hesitate to contact me via the site if you have any questions!

See you soon !
Audrey Wollbrett

On the jewelry market, all materials can be used. A little creativity and you can even use electrical cables and old forks. However, gold has always had a prominent place through the ages and continents (the oldest gold pearl dating back more than 6000 years: https://www.beauxarts.com/expos/des-chercheurs- would- discovered-the-oldest-golden-object-in-the-world/ ).

Today, gold is used in many forms. But do you know the difference between pure gold, gold plated, Gold filled and gilded with fine gold? If you are a lover of gold jewelry, you probably know this. If not, let me enlighten you on the subject!

PURE GOLD

Real gold jewelry is the most expensive and the purest. The value of real gold comes from its brilliant color and its resistance. It is also very popular because it keeps its shine and does not tarnish over time because it is non-oxidizable. But you should know that pure gold is not always the best solution when you want to buy gold accessories. One of the particularities of real gold is that it is very flexible and malleable. It is therefore not recommended for jewelry that is worn every day. Indeed, it is fragile and scratches are inevitable if no rhodium plating is applied.

Pure gold is hallmarked and indicates the number of carats (from 10 to 24k). If you bite into gold, the softer it is, the purer it is. You may remember the old movies where hackers biting into a room to verify its authenticity? Well, it was the “soft” pieces that assured them the quality of their loot.

With regard to the carat, it is a unit of measurement of purity. A carat representing 0.2g, the weight of a carob seed, which is the origin of the word. 9, 14, 18 or 24K. If in an alloy of 24 grams there are 24 grams of gold, then it is a 24K jewel, that is to say pure gold. If there are 18 grams of gold there, then it is an 18K gold jewel, and so on. However, it must be differentiated from the carat of jewelers, which measures the weight of precious stones.

For information, in France, only jewelry with a minimum of 18 carats of gold can be qualified as “gold jewelry”. And if you were wondering, to obtain pink gold, you simply add a little copper to the alloy, as for white gold, a little more zinc, silver or nickel and that’s it. is played. Also, gold is not magnetic. It’s a good way to recognize a real gold jewel!

THE GOLD-PLATED

To obtain a real gold-plated jewel, a minimum thickness of 3 microns of gold must be deposited on a more common metal, generally a brass, a copper or zinc alloy, or even silver. A micron is one thousandth of a millimetre. There is no maximum limit to this thickness of gold but there is therefore a minimum threshold below which a jewel cannot be qualified as “plated”. The gold plating is made by electrolysis, the jewel is immersed in an electrolytic bath of gold, this process is called electroplating.

The hallmark of the gold plate is square and often bears the initials of the manufacturer as well as sometimes the number 18, or 14, or 10, 20, this corresponds to the carats of gold used. It is advisable to remove your jewelery before going to the swimming pool, playing sports or before doing household chores and store it carefully in a dry place and in separate pockets so that you can enjoy its shine for a long time. Indeed, the longevity of your jewel can vary according to particular factors such as the acidity of your skin, the use of abrasive or alcoholic products such as hairspray or perfumes.

Gold-plated jewelry is therefore a good option for anyone who loves gold but needs to watch their budget. The disadvantage of gold plating is that the gold layer tarnishes and loses its luster over time. Indeed, the molecules of the base metal are slowly transferred to the fine layer of gold and can alter it.

GOLD FILLED

Gold-filled is a thicker form of gilding than gold-plated: it contains 50 to 100 times more gold! Indeed, for a jewel to be qualified as Gold-filled, the weight of gold in the final jewel must be equivalent to 1/20th of its weight. Made with 14K gold, Gold-filled jewelry is therefore extremely resistant and can last a lifetime if taken care of. They are of course a little more expensive to buy than gold-plated, but the lifespan of the jewel is worth the investment.

Gold filled is created by mechanically pressing a layer of gold onto another metal. Although Gold filled is not sold as real gold it has the same properties and the same appearance. It does not tarnish, peel or change color. People allergic to certain metals can wear this jewelry without fear of a reaction. Although the layer of gold varies between different manufacturers, it is much thicker than that of gold-plated jewelry. Gold-filled accessories can be worn every day without fear of them fading or losing their color for 30 years.

GOLDEN WITH FINE GOLD

Obtained by the same process as for gold plating, that is to say by electrolysis, jewelry gilded with fine gold differs from the previous ones by the layer of gold applied. It is almost 10 times thinner (between 0.3 and 1 micron, often called “flash”). It is therefore necessary to be vigilant and particularly careful by avoiding friction as much as possible to preserve the shine of these jewels.

I hope you now see more clearly among these different options! Maybe it will help you choose your jewelry better. See you soon for a new article!