Beading can be a ton of fun. I find it to be a great hobby and a great gift idea for women. It can also save you money on jewelry if you can make your own! And with practice, you can definitely turn the hobby into a business, as lots of people sell their creations online.
To be prepared for beading, there’s various tools you will need. Some are basic, and some are optional.
There are a few tools you need if you are going to be beading jewelry. First, you need a regular pair of beading pliers. They are smaller than your usual household pliers. It is a great all around tool.
Second, you need a pair of crimping pliers. Crimping pliers are used to crimp (crush) certain beads at the end of your bracelets of necklace, to make sure the beads stay put and don’t slide off. The best you can get are from BeadSmith, they come with instructions on how to crimp.
You will also need a pair of small wire cutters to cut the different types of wire you use for stringing beads.
You should also pick up a good ruler or measuring tape as length is really important to fitting bracelets or necklaces or making sure dangle earrings are even.
There are a lot of storage containers you can find at craft stores. You don’t need to go all out unless you want to. They are just plastic with different compartments to separate your beads by size, color, or type. It is a definitely a help to keep things organized.
You will need wire to string your beads. There are many different types, but one I recommend is soft flex. It is durable and won’t kink like some other wire does. You can usually buy different spools of different lengths.
An optional tool that is pretty helpful is a beading board. You can plan out different patterns ahead of time and get an idea of what the necklace or bracelet will look like prior to beading. This is a really great way to figure out which beads work together.
When purchasing your actual beads, there’s a few things you want to make sure to pick up. First, you need to make sure you get some sort of closing mechanism. They can be anything from simple lobster clasps to ornate toggle clasps (the kind with the bar that you pull through the smaller circle). It really depends on how much you are will to spend. They will usually come with the jump rings that you need to hook them on to.
You also need to make sure you get crimp beads. They are beads made of softer materials, specifically for crimping and holding your creation together!
If you are going to be beading earrings, the pieces for them are called “findings”. You’ve got choices of post earrings, French hook or hoops. You can also find what are called chandelier parts, which are the centerpiece of making beautiful dangling earrings.
As for the beads themselves, it is entirely up to you! There’s so many kinds from glass to wood, pearl to metal.
All of these materials can be found online. There are several sites I would recommend
www.Eebeads.com is great for a beginner. You can buy beads in smaller amount (where as many sites have you buy them in larger bulk) so you get only what you want, for a cheaper price. They also throw tootsie rolls in with your order, which is a nice treat!
www.Firemoutaingems.com has reasonable prices and one of the largest selections of beads and tools. They also have a part of the site called encycloBEADia, which will give you all the info you need to know on various pieces and ideas.
Something else I would recommend is subscribing to a beading magazine. One of the best for beginners is Step By Step beads. They have a lot of beginner projects with easy to follow instructions. Or if you’d like to sign up for a free online beading magazine, visit www.beadingtimes.com. They are chock full of great tips.
Beading can be pretty intricate, but hopefully this has just touched on the very basics. Happy beading!
