Standard beaded Jewelry Lengths and Beads Per Inch

Beaded jewelry designers, especially those who wish to sell their jewelry in a story or online, must make the jewelry to length standards. These jewelry lengths are similar to those found in professionally designed costume and fine jewelry.

Standard beaded jewelry lengths include the clasp. Of course, they can vary depending on the size of the person you are designing for, the particular style of jewelry, and your preferences.

Necklaces, for example, can be made in any length to suit the wearer or designer. For marketing and description purposes, however, the correct length standard titles should be used.

Standard length of a beaded jewelry bracelet is seven inches. Anklets are usually ten inches long. Choker style necklaces are designed to lay just above the collar bone and should be fourteen to sixteen inches long, depending on the wearer. Since neck sizes are so variable, designing beaded jewelry chokers to be adjustable is a great idea. There are also dog collar style choker, which should ring the neck snugly at the narrowest spot. Making this style of choker adjustable or elastic is practically necessary.

Beaded jewelry necklaces come in various lengths. Of course, you can design your jewelry in any length. However, standards give particular names to lengths of necklaces. Princess necklaces are eighteen inches. Matinee style are twenty to twenty-four inches. Opera lengths go up to thirty-two inches. Anything longer than that and still closed in a loop are considered rope length necklaces. Lariat necklaces should be forty-eight inches or longer and the ends are left open. They are designed to be worn looped around the neck with the tassel ends hanging down.

Besides knowing what length to make your beaded jewelry project, it can be helpful to know how many beads you will need to complete it. Seed beads come in various sizes. Size sixteen seed beads are tiny; twenty-eight can fit in one inch of beaded jewelry. Size five seed beads can only fit seven to eight per inch.

Other beads, both round and faceted, are measured in millimeters. It takes thirteen 2mm beads to fill an inch. Two 12mm beads fill an inch. You can easily figure out how many round beads are required for a particular beaded jewelry project.

Knowing how many beads you need to complete a project is just as important as knowing how long your jewelry project should be to meet standards.

Learn more about this author, Melanie Marten.