"Guy" jewelry?
 

I have a customer who wants a necklace for an 18 year old male. She described him as liking to wear "surfer dude" type stuff, like macrame necklaces. I'm 23 but I'm really out of touch with what guys like. I know this is a very vague inquiry, but any suggestions? I mostly do lampwork but I have access to some fusing stuff too.

I was thinking of maybe making a hemp necklace with a cool focal bead. I'm not very good with macrame though. I would do something pretty simple on the macrame end. I think ideally I would like something that is a bit less time consuming for me though (I think she's looking for a $15 or so item).

Amy I would just put something onto some leather strip. You can tie it so you can slide it back and forth and make it bigger or smaller etc. Unless you are a pro at doing sculptures and can whip up a surfer I would go with something more organicy. My son is 17 and decided he wanted a big tiger bead bracelet (except you cant call it a bracelet for a bloke can you lol). I told him you would never wear it and he was adament he wanted it. As yet I've never seen it on him. I have another male friend who wears just 1 focal on a leather stip its hard to do lampworking for males.

what sort of leather? i have some leather that i use for necklaces a lot, but i don't know how to tie it like you described (i usually finish them off in a way that is more "girly", with a necklace clasp etc.

My son loves to wear hemp chokers with a few beads in them. It's a simple square knot pattern and he'd even started making his own before he left for the Air Force this summer. I did a quick search to see if anyone had examples to maybe give you some ideas. Here's a site that shows pendants on leather honchos as well as hemp necklaces with beads in them: http://www.amigaz.com/category/12men...FQdTHgod8THx9A

http://www.amigaz.com/category/01ami...ather_sliders/ that same site look at this page, shows knotting for leather, plain knot over opp. side of cord, reverse do again. they work great, i use them all the time for myself. i just bought rolls of leather and hemp cord and tie them myself.
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Boro implosions are very "surfer dude" and look great on hemp. ;)

My son loves his necklace and gets lots of compliments. (photo in sig) He really liked the focal, so I chose 2 coordinating beads and bought a macrame book. I used braiding cord.

I've noticed male customers tend to buy pendants that are more teardrop or diamond shaped. I don't sell many round pendants to males. Maybe it's because the longer, thinner pendants are a subconscious "male" symbol or something.

Shanette - your son is so cute, I'd be tempted to make some money with that little guy doing comercials or something, what a face. Love the necklace idea.
Men's jewelry is so hard. I made a cool bracelet for this guy who requested it, with small boro beads that were dark. I used black leather cord and using a double strand I put a bead on one strand, tied a knot, then put a bead on the other strand, tied a knot, alternating until I got my length. I finished with silver crimp on clasp hook. Looked great. In a week he brought it back to me saying that it "broke" He had apparently bent the hook back and forth until the metal stressed and broke. So I remade it with a lobster style clasp, it still looked manly, but told him he would need help to put it on. I also told him he was on his own if he broke it again. In all the years of making jewelry, this is the only time I had something "break". I use heavy duty crimps and soft touch wire & never have a problem. I think I may look into hemp, a.... the cord that is, for making some guy jewelry, but what do you use for a clasp?

for a bracelet I often put a single bead at the end of a help or beaded (with small beads) cord and then make a loop the other end (I use a crochet hoot). This works like a button and button hole if you know what I mean?

If only I had boro (and knew how to use it)!

bones and shells are another boy thing, also teeth, shark teeth maybe

Rubber cords.

Can you (or someone else) explain to me in a bit more detail how to do this kind of knot? Or point me to a tutorial? I tend to be knot-challenged, I am always so paranoid they won't hold.

I'm not sure if this is helpful, but I just found this while trying to find some kind of a pattern for you: http://www.enchantedglyph.com/slipknot.htm

Still searching for more..

Maybe this is it? http://www.athensbeadsandthings.com/...ble-knots.html

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm going to try those knots out when I get home today.