Bezels!

Hello!
Jewellery part three from me today!
This week, I'm looking at bezels..... What's a bezel? These....

Basically, a bezel is an empty frame, ready made with a hole or two. A blank canvas, waiting for you to fill it with whatever you fancy! There are loads of different shapes and sizes in the shop (here) so its simply a case of choosing your favourite, and getting artistic.... I did this with mine....

(I found a circle bezel after I'd taken the group shot above!)
Bezels are small, so you have to think tiny when you decide what to put in them. If you are an 'inchie' fan, than you're way ahead of the game, those inchie skills can be transferred directly to an inch square bezel!
There are lots of different ways of filling these little spaces, starting with the very simple. For my connector bezel, I simply added a few drops of Glossy Accents to the bezel space, and poured in some red accent beads.....

The Glossy Accents dries hard and shiny, and is a very good sealer for all your bezels. As these are designed to be used as jewellery pieces, they need to be sealed to give them durability.
Stamping designs and images is a perfect way to fill a bezel. My rectangular bezel is very thin, so a whole image wasn't going to work very well. A random part of a tree image stamped onto whitewashed text paper gives a faintly Oriental look...

Again, this was sealed with Glossy Accents. Collaging onto the bezel is another option. Layers of stamping or background papers can be cut and positioned in the space available. I did this with my square bezel....

I would add that you need to check that whatever you are using as a colouring medium is compatible with whatever varnish/sealer you are going to use. Some react badly and bleed, so you need to make sure everything will be OK!
My final bezel was used in a more 3D way. Don't think that a bezel needs to just contain flat objects, they can also be used as a base upon which to create a more dimensional piece. I used a clay heart that I had crackled, and placed it onto an old book page...

I think this one is my favourite, a bit more substantial!
Once you've created your filled bezel, its a simple matter to turn it into wearable art by adding a chain. Don't be put off by the colour palette of the bezels either, remember you can colour the metal with Patinas, or you can even use paint to change the hue to something more suited to your design!
Next week is the last (for now!) in my jewellery series, I'm going to combine all the techniques I've shown you so far into one necklace set.. so check back!
Before I go..... the winner of the bracelet from my draw hasn't been in touch yet to claim her prize.. Elizabeth are you reading this?! I need your address!!!!
See you soon,
love Trish xxx