Learn How To Make Beaded Jewelry

It’s not all that difficult how to make bead jewelry and it can also be fun; a lot of people make jewelry to give as gifts to family and friends or to sell as a source of extra income. If you can develop some skill in jewelry making, then you can do the same – imagine being able to make your own personalized gifts or even start a small business making and selling jewelry in your spare time!

Beaded jewelry is extremely versatile; you can make nearly any kind of jewelry at all using beads. You can make earrings, bracelets and necklaces all with relative ease. If you take care in making these items, they can look just as good as commercially produced ones! Best of all, once you learn to make your own jewelry, you’ll never be at a loss as where to find the right piece of jewelry to match an outfit – you can simply make it yourself!

However, a lot of people rush into jewelry making and go purchase beads, but neglect to find out what else they will need. Before you go shopping for supplies, make a list of all of the materials and tools you’ll need so that you won’t miss out on picking up important supplies.

Before you get started, you’ll need to know what you’re looking for. When it comes to stringing beads, Tigertail is a good material to choose. It is very strong but it does tend to kink more easily than do some other materials. An alternative choice is soft-flex wire. You’ll probably also want to get some crimping beads. These help hold beads in place as you work – a crimping tool is also a good choice. While you could use a pair of pliers (which is cheaper), a crimping tool is well worth the extra expense since the results you’ll get are far better.

As far as beads are concerned, there are a lot of choices, so don’t think that you have to stick with ordinary styles of beads. There are shapes, sizes, colors and materials of bead which can make jewelry which is as unique as the person who will wear them.

It’s always a good idea to have a close look at your beads before you actually string them. Lay them out so you can see how they’ll look. A bead board is a good tool for this and if you don’t have a suitable place to lay out your beads, this is an item you should consider. Unless you’re pressed for time, lay out your beads and let them sit there for the day. If you still like the way t looks the next day, then go ahead and string your beads.

The only limit to the styles of jewelry you can make is your imagination. Of course, the style you choose to create will influence the length and the way that you string your beads; measuring carefully beforehand is key. It’s a good idea to get a measuring guide to help you as you get starting making jewelry. There’s nothing worse than making a piece of jewelry only to find out that it’s not the right length! You’ll usually have to remake the whole piece to fix these kinds of measuring mistakes.

Making beaded jewelry gives you the rewarding feeling of creating something by yourself. The jewelry you make will be cherished by the people you give it to – and you’ll love wearing your own designs too! Before you start, give some thought to taking some jewelry making classes or get some detailed instructions to make sure that you make jewelry which is made well as well as being beautiful.

How to Make Jewelry on Budget

In these tougher economic times, past times such as learning how to make jewelry can seem like an unlikely and unreasonable one due to the cost. However, do not fret because with a little smart and economical planning you can have plenty of jewelry making supplies and still not break the bank. There are plenty of inexpensive beads and tactics to take that will still allow you a wide range of creativity in your jewelry designs and you jewellery making will not be impacted.

Today I'm going to talk about just a few things that you can do with a small budget and create beautiful handcrafted jewelry.

Smaller Projects are Better

The first and probably most obvious suggestion is to simply design and create smaller jewelry designs. No, I'm not suggesting you create children's handmade jewelry; only that you scale down the types of projects you're doing. For example, you can create a beautiful pair of earrings that can compliment any outfit that you have in your closet.

The amount of supplies that you would need to create an ornate pair of earrings is significantly less than you would use for any bracelet or necklace piece you would create.

Mix up the Precious Metals

Any time the conversation of how to make jewelry that will stand out the most, inevitably the debate over which type of chain is better to create new jewelry designs with will begin. It should come as no surprise that silver and gold chains are the top two in the list of chains, however you should know that there is a myriad of other metal chains that are just as beautiful when complementing the handmade jewellery AND are significantly cheaper.

Some of the other types of metals that can be put to good use in your jewelry designs are:

1. Gunmetal - Gunmetal is a type of bronze, essentially a mix of copper and tin. It is a relatively inexpensive metal and can be perfect for some jewelry design.

2. Copper - Copper has been used for countless centuries as a staple of jewelry and decorative design. It is a unique metal since a lot of alloys are typically grayish or silver in color. What better way to add color to handcrafted jewelry?

3. Brass - Brass is yet another alloy that is a mix of copper and zinc. The unique properties of this metal vary depending on the ratio of zinc and copper, creating a fabulous metal for jewelry design.

4. Plated Gold - If you truly MUST have gold in your handcrafted jewelry, then perhaps a plated gold chain will help to ease the pain of an expensive gold chain. Plated gold is an item that is primarily a chain that is made from another metal typically copper or sometimes silver; but is then given a small deposit of gold on its exterior.

Draw Attention Using the Central Pieces

Another simple tip to creating budget friendly jewelry designs is to create your handmade jewellery with beautiful central pieces complementing them with the less dramatic beads or pieces such as seed beads in beaded jewelry. One really cool example that I can give is that of lampwork beads which are very beautiful and dominant beads.

Use the Expensive Jewelry Making Supplies, Only Less

Sometimes a jewelry design just needs to utilize pure silver or gold. In situations like this its dependant on your creativity to find a way to minimize how much needs to be used. As someone who likes solving problems and working on sudoku, I find it a fun challenge to try and make a piece work without having to use too much of the precious metals and to date have had great success at doing so.

Sead Beads - The Little Engine That Could in Beaded Jewelry

In learning how to make jewelry with beads, you will find out that the seed bead is a tremendously versatile jewelry making supply that is also very friendly on the budget conscious beader. In a project, you may choose to just use nothing but one color to minimize the extra beads in small amounts; or simply use different colors to add a depth and personality to a piece of beaded jewelry.

Jewellery making is a wonderful past time that can bring years of joy and visual pleasure in your life. Since almost no one can escape hard economic times it becomes important to begin integrating a bit of economic savvy in your jewelry design habits. Learning how to make jewelry on a budget can be done with great success and have jewelry pieces that are fabulous and beautiful as well and not break the bank.

How to Make Jewelry - Beading Supplies

Learning how to make jewelry is a great way for you to express yourself creatively. There are several different kinds of jewelry crafts and one of the more popular is beaded jewelry.

Bead and jewelry making supplies and tools can quickly add up to major purchases. In addition, you may find huge differences in both quality and function of these items. Beading is one of the most simple and affordable types of jewelry making to get into; plus it has the most versatility when it comes to color, style, and design.

We are back with another post to talk about the tools that you will need to create your homemade jewelry. In previous posts, you learned how to create your basic toolkit of beading tools as well as the best tools to have when you incorporate beading with wire.

So what is the next step now? You've got storage in place and your tools...Oh yea! You need some materials to create your jewelry pieces with.

The first thing you need to decide is what part of making jewelry are you going to start? Now this is not a simple question to be answered, there are so many different types of techniques in jewelry design. For example, there is bead stringing, bead weaving, wire wrapping or just a simple bracelet or necklace.

Bead Stringing –

Bead Stringing is exactly what it sounds like; simply putting beads on a string. I listed this first since it is the most basic techniques and most common for beaded jewelry. It does not require a large amount of skill or specialty tools.

Would definitely suggest you start with one of these types of projects first.

Create a bracelet or necklace using beads of your choice and learn to crimp using crimping pliers.

Bead Weaving –

There are basically two types of bead weaving, one that involves a loom and the other that is done off of a loom. It is the last type that we will be talking about.

All off-loom techniques can be accomplished using a single needle and thread, but some have two-needle variations. Bead weaving results in a flat piece of beading. These creations show pictures or icons, or are done in patterns.

As a technique for making handmade jewelry, stringing is definitely easier than say, bead weaving, but once you become skilled weaving is also a very rewarding technique.

Wire Wrapping –

Wire wrapping is one of the loveliest ways of converting that beautiful stone, shell, or other special small object into handcrafted jewelry. Learn to even design your own rings with precious metal wiring.

Wire wrapping enthusiasts can select from sterling silver, gold-filled or permanently colored solid copper wire.

Now onto the best items to have in your inventory


Ear Wires –

Ear wires are defined simply as pierced earring wire findings with an eye pin attached for connecting to an earring body. If you haven't guessed they are perfect for when your are creating new ear rings.

Crimp Tubes –

Crimp tubes are critical pieces in jewelry design when you are making a piece that is utilizing beading wire and you need to attach a clasp to the end of it.

Getting a handful of the basic ones is fine to start out with; however I'm sure as you've noticed with this hobby is there are many different varieties of all the materials in making jewelry.

Head Pins -

Head pins are one of the staples of many jewelry makers. While you can make your own, it's usually a good idea to have an assortment of these on hand.

They are used to make a variety of jewelry pieces like earrings, bracelets or necklaces. They come in various lengths and usually expressed in inches. These head pins and eye pins are two of the most basic and often-used jewelry findings.

For everything from simple dangles to elaborate constructions, you'll want these components!

Clasps -

Clasps are a very functional and required component used in jewellery making. Their primary function is to secure to ends of your jewelry, such as a bracelet or necklace.

You can choose from sterling silver, copper, premium silver plated, and silver tone clasps and many others, even multistrand clasps.

Clasps are sometimes set with gemstones which can provide a beautiful blending with gemstone beads. They are the finishing touch that makes your bead work stand out and stay secure.

Jump Rings -

Jump rings are one of the most basic and often-used jewelry findings. From elementary applications like attaching a clasp or pendant, to complex functions like building intricate chainmaille, these are essential components! A jump ring is simply a loop of webbing around a steel ring with a snap hook on the end. They’re very simple and incredibly sturdy.

As I said, a jump ring is a simple wire loop. To open them, push one end forward and one end back.

Jump rings can also be joined together to form a simple chain. You can buy jump rings cheaply at any art or beading supply store; however once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that making them is easy and of course much less expensive.

To Wrap It All Up

These items will become a staple of any project that you endeavor to create and will always come in handy if you be sure to store these away in your project room. Homemade jewelry making is an extremely rewarding hobby, as long as you take the time to be properly prepared.

Creativity is encouraged and fun is also required when learning how to make jewelry!

How to Make Jewelry - Selecting Your Wire Tools

Adding to the last two posts on general beading tools and how to make jewelry, this post will focus specifically on tools that are useful when your beading projects are dealing with making jewelry with wire. As skill progresses a beader will eventually try new techniques and variations and that includes the incorporate of wire into jewelry pieces. Jewelry design that incorporates perfected wiring techniques are truly beautiful to behold and display to others.

These tools are ones that I specifically utilize in my wiring projects -- you may even see some tools that you recognize from the previous post on basic beading tools.

I will discuss in this post how they specifically relate to the wiring process since your first introduction was their basic use for all general jewellery making creations.

Awl

The awl is a handy tool to have for whenever a project requires holes to be made in metal wire or any other metal pieces in the project. An awl is basically a steel spike with its tip sharpened to a fine point. The awl is a simple tool with which holes can be punctured in a variety of materials, or existing holes can be enlarged.

It is a staple of a lot of crafts including beaded jewelry, which you're reading here, as well as leather working, shoe making and just sewing heavy materials such as canvas.

For beading purposes, its simply used for punching holes in metal materials or any other object that requires a precise hole placed into it.

Bench Block

Since you will be dealing with a very tough opponent, the metal and wiring, it is always good to have a bench block that will help protect your workspace as well as providing a solid space where you can pound out the metal objects and apply the force that is required to manipulate metal.

Think of the bench block to wiring jewelry as a cutting board is to a chef.

There are many different types and varieties of bench blocks but there is no need to go to extravagant to begin with. For example, jewelrysupply.com has a very basic block that I have used before with great success.

Round nose pliers

The round nose pliers have now made their second appearance! You will recall the the design of the round nose pliers are perfect for manipulating the shapes of the wire for handcrafted jewelry. They can be used to create loops or rings.

Purchasing a pair of these pliers will open up the opportunities of what you can create from wiring jewelry.

Flush cutters

The flush cutters are a tool that are specifically designed for jewelry wiring and have already been mentioned as an essential tool to have, but their use will not be fully realized until you begin wiring.

Probably the one point I'd like to make is consider having two different flush cutters, one for the smaller gauge wires and another for the heavier gauges. The reason for this recommendation is that using the same flush cutter with heavy and small gauges can damage the cutter and make its effectiveness in clean cutting on the smaller gauges very poor.

Ball-peen hammer

Ball-peen hammers are divided into two classes: hard-faced and soft-faced. The head of a hard-faced hammer is made of heat treated forged high-carbon steel or alloy steel.

They are used when there is the danger of damaging a striking surface. More specifically, the ball-peen is used to flatten out metal objects and for the creation of textured designs of the metal pieces for the jewelry designs.

Metal file

The metal file is a tool that will come into use whenever your other cutting tools have begun to lose their edge and create jagged cuts and you need to file the edge down to something smoother.

Chain nose pliers

In the last couple of posts I've mentioned how the chain nose pliers are a versatile tool for use in beading. This still holds true even when your beading projects begin to include wiring in them. The basic uses for them on are for closing various clasps you've added to your jewelry piece or closing loops.

Fortunately, a few of these tools are simply a repeat from the basic tool kit you would want to have as an amateur beader. On top of that the additional tools should not put too much of a financial hit to your budget as you're building your tools. 

Any one of these items can be purchased relatively affordable; there is no need to spend money on expensive tools when a more economical one is available, which is the key when learning how to make jewelry and still have money in the bank.

Wire jewelry always adds a sophisticated look to your work. 

How to Make Jewelry - Essential Tools Pt 2

Ok we're back with part two of the how to make jewelry essentials toolkit list. In the last post, the bulk of the tools were various specialty pliers that any self-respecting beader should have with them. Since the bulk of the beading tools were listed in the other post, today’s post will be a little light reading. Following is a list of the last few tools that one should have:

Flush cutter

Now you may be asking yourself what is a flush cutter and why would I ever need one because you already have 11 different types of pliers that you went out and bought from the last post. A "flush cut", as you may or may not be aware, is one where the wire, after cut, is not left burred.

You need a good flush cut for making proper jump rings, or for making any kind of chain from rings for your jewelry designs. The flush cutter is commonly V-shaped on one side and flat on one the other. Once again it all comes down to how professional you want the piece to be.

Wire cutter

While you may ultimately have specialty cutters for specific wiring types such as metal, it is never a bad idea to have some plain old wire cutters for your handmade jewellery projects. You can use them for the more pliable beading wire –basically none of the metal wiring.

Ultimate Craft Scissors

In the last post I mentioned how the chain nose pliers are the most versatile of pliers; well the next versatile tool in the bunch would be some sturdy utility scissors. These can be used for a myriad of tasks related to your beading projects. You can use the utility scissors for things like cutting plastic, elastic items or even beading thread.

Beading Needles

Beading needles may be pointed or ballpoint and straight or curved and are perfect for beaded jewelry designs. The size of the beads and the thread will help determine the needle size, which, as with tapestry needles, is lower when the needle is thicker and higher when it is thinner. They are longer than standard sewing needles, enabling you to string multiple seed beads and other beads.

Twisted wire needles come five to a packet. Beading needles are very thin, flexible needles most often used for seed bead work. The advantage to using this type (rather than regular sewing needles) is that their eyes are the same width as the rest of the needle, so there's no added metal width to get in the way as you pass through seed and other small-holed beads. Beading needles are long, thin and flexible.

Now to find a tool box for your beading tools!! At this point, you have setup your room to be organized with all of your beading materials and you have now added to the storage an effective arsenal of beading tools with which to create beautifully designed jewellery for yourself to enjoy or sell making the learning process on how to make jewelry fun.

Starting a new hobby can be intimidating so if you're still not ready to start, you can still save money with your jewelry purchases.

How to Make Jewelry - Supplies Storage

Learn How to Make Jewelry - Organizing Jewelry Making Supplies First

So you have decided that you want to learn how to make wire jewelry as a hobby. This may be just to fuel your creative juices that you have inside or perhaps you want to make a little extra money by selling some of your handmade jewellery on the side. While beading is a very rewarding hobby you want to make sure that you have all the proper tools in place before you begin or frustration will definitely sink in.

Where to Start

Your first thought when you are learning how to make jewelry by beading might be, how could I run out of storage space? Beads take up so little space so it shouldn't take up so much space to make beaded jewelry. Surprisingly, though, the storage bins of tools, thread, string and beads can add up quickly. Before you know it, you can no longer get into your project room. Another significant downside to an unorganized project space is that will begin to take you sometimes two and three times longer than it should to design new bracelets or necklaces because you will spend your time hunting down your beads than actually stringing them together.

Now don’t jump ahead and buy a bunch of new bins from Michael’s or some other crafts store. That is something that is later on in your organizational strategy which will make your journey of learning how to make jewelry much more rewarding and stress free.

The first priority is putting together a game plan for sorting your beads. When you start out you may only have one type of bead and one type of string – the sorting will be easy at this point – however once you find your comfort level with one set of materials, there will be a significant increase in the assortment of beads and other materials.

As I said, the first step in keeping an organized beading space is to begin sorting. Now, I’m not going to tell you exactly how to sort because it will be your choices of projects that dictate what sorting method will be most effective for you.

This could be a simple sorting of the types of beads – an example being by seed beads, glass, Milagros, gemstone, etc. Then again, you may want to sort by the sizes of the beads, their type or bead color. The key is to make sure that you start with a strategy and don’t veer from it because your workspace will soon turn into an area that looks like a tornado hit your room!

Once you have decided how things will be sorted, the next task at hand will be to choose how to store them. You have options here too, but the most basic concerns for beaders are typically whether to choose storage bins that you can see into – an thus aware of what stock you have, or just some solid colored bins. The beader can choose a bin with many small drawers or ones with just a few.

And you thought that learning how to make jewelry; specifically beading was simply a string and clasp job and you’re done! In all seriousness, beading is an enjoyable hobby and can continue for many years as such; as long as you properly organize your jewelry making supplies from the get go.