Ombré is a French term that's used to describe a gradation of color, usually in textiles. It's recently been popularized by runway appearances in the fashion world and it's easy to apply the same idea to your own stylish jewelry. The effect can create a dramatic look or a subtler one, depending on the graduated strength of the colors.

To get started, plan the color gradient. Ombré typically uses colors from the same family, so choose beads in various shades of a color. Crystals work well for ombré weaving because they reflect the light in a way that creates a subtle transition from one shade to another, mimicking the effect of ombré on fabric.

The weaving technique starts with a row of basic ladder stitch in 6/0 seed beads. Add onto this row as illustrated, then begin adding crystals in place of seed beads. Watch the illustrated Bead Master instructions to see the project come to life!

Please note: Complete instructions for the Caribbean Blue Bracelet are available on the Bead Master™ DIY Collection 01 CD/DVD or in the Caribbean Blue Bracelet Bead Master Kit. Bead Master is a revolutionary computer-based teaching aid created with interactive flash technology makes it fun and easy to create difficult-looking stringing designs. The animated on-screen instructions feature play, pause, rewind and fast-forward controls to allow you to work at your own pace. PC requirements for CD: Windows 2000 (or later), minimum RAM of 64MB, 500MB of free space on hard drive. DVD requires a DVD player. Bead Master is an exclusive Beadalon product.

Links:
Bead Master™
http://www.beadalon.com/BeadMaster.asp

Memory Wire
http://www.beadalon.com/memory_wire.asp

Toho seed beads
http://www.beadalon.com/SeedBeads.asp

WildFire@ beading thread
http://www.beadalon.com/wildfire.asp

For more ideas and inspiration visit:  http://www.katiehacker.com/index.htm