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December birthstone: Turquoise necklace

Turquoise is so colorful and eye-catching, it can be a pick-me-up any time of the year. This necklace came from my attempts to use up a lot of little stones that I didn’t have enough of to do anything with. I strung various blue-green beads, staggering the sections, for a free-spirited look. By Christianne Camera

PRICE: $1.99

January: Garnet bracelet

‘Tis the season to string garnet! The gemstone is the color of sugarplums and cranberries — deliciously stringable. For this bracelet, I paired ruby-red rondelles with pinky-plum nuggets. The glass pearls bring out the best in each hue, upholding my new adage: “Peace on Earth, good will toward garnet.” By Kelsey Lawler

PRICE: $1.99

Look for even more neat tips in every issue of Bead Style!

These graduated circles of color-blocked seed beads remind me of a Masai collar, but the statement is quieter and easier for casual everyday wear. I chose subtle contrasting colors — peach and seafoam — but you can choose bolder contrasts, or even analogous colors, for a completely different look.

We're "Downton Abbey"-obsessed at my house. When Lady Mary said "I do" to Matthew Crawley, it felt like a perfect pairing of two of my favorite things — weddings and Mary's wardrobe. With this fictional fashion icon in mind, I created an Edwardian-inspired necklace composed of the classics: pearls and crystals. See more bridal jewelry in the May 2013 issue of Bead Style.

I have never been to Paris, but it's a dream of mine to go there and spend my days browsing through flea markets and patisseries. The bracelet was inspired by this dream — and by all of the French-themed Nunn Design findings. I wanted to combine these components with some from my own collection, including a jaunty vintage rooster — when else would he get his time to shine?