Sets or singles?

It doesn't have to!

I like the clinking sound a set of beads makes when strung together, plus I like how they feel in my hand. I also prefer to make sets because I get a real kick out of seeing the same combination of colors working together in different ways! I swear, I can look at certain sets (mine or someone else's) and get this overwhelming sense of happiness that is hard to describe. Corny, I know...

While I prefer making and handling sets, I will often purchase focals/singles, go figure. :)

I love making sets, because I like the variety, and it's nice to be able to play in the same colors all day long. With focals, I feel the need to change the colors after one or two. I still make focals every so often, but I love making sets with variety. It's just.....more fun for me. :) Can't really put it into words though, for some reason.

Aaaah, I've yet to experience that. But if anyone wants to enlighten me... =D

That's cool. I can see where your coming from.

That's interesting, I'd have expected you to buy mostly sets. I don't know why, I suppose it's why I asked!

Charlie.

I prefer doing singles but the market prefers sets. At first I really fought the sets in my mind but now it's easier to do them. I usually wear focals myself and that's what I tend to purchase.

I prefer to buy singles!...I like to make jewelery that is more delicate. I prefer to FONDLE sets, tho!!!

The Blessed Fiddy, Patroness Saint of the Disorganized LC in Sunny So Cal Personality Development Specialist (Full-Time Mom!)

As a variation on this, I will often make simple necklaces using manufactured beads. I'll get beads out in one color combination and a couple variations, and then make necklaces in variations on the theme. And also do this with sets occasionally.

When I have a set, like yours, Kandice, that has the variations in the lampwork, I like to keep them all collected in the same piece.

Tina

Sets or singles, eh?

I buy more sets than singles. And the sets I buy are usually between 3 and

11 beads. Sometimes buying a set is just a great way of getting a good price on singles. But also a set is the only way to get a truly lush set of beads for one piece. Or to get enough for necklace, earrings and bracelet. I like sets of 3, an focal and 2 accents. Five will get you that plus earrings.

I have gotten much more careful about focals. It's easy to get focals that are too large. I tend to like, and therefore tend to make, 16 to 18 inch necklaces, and a large focal would not feel very good to me as the wearer, and I think it looks clumsy.

I like to have a couple accent beads. In some cases those would just be spacers in a blended color. Single color spacers. I don't care as much about. Often, even if they are the base color of the focal, they don't give the same look of color without embellishment. And, frankly, I can usually get plain colors for $.50 to $1. (I do not always go for the least expensive spacers).

Just another opinion.

Tina

I prefer sets by far. I don't use focals. This is because I make bracelets a lot, and necklaces almost never. :-)

~~ Sooz

I totally get it! :-D

~~ Sooz

And it's more fun for a lot of us, too, darlin. ;-) ~~ Sooz

I like bracelets, so I make sets. :) I also make singles because large focals are fun and challenging, and you can do more with a larger canvas. I also wear chokers and find that a good focal can really bring a piece together.

I often find that a single bead, even a fairly complex one, doesn't feel "done" to me. It doesn't feel "done" until six more have joined it... I tend to view my ses almost as if they were a single creation. I guess in that sense, they are.

Of course, I don't give a flying fig what people do with them after they leave my hands... I know for sure that at least one of my designers splits them up and makes single pendants from them, and more power to her! I hope she's making a killing selling them that way.

-Kalera

Charlie wrote:

That's what I plan to do when I finally manage to buy a lurvely set! Focal necklace and matching earrings or something. My ideal set would be:

1 focal for necklace 1 long thin focal for bracelet 2 smaller beads for earrings.

I can dream!

Charlie.