20 Fun Beading Tips - Beaded Jewelry

Looking to make beading more fun and less stressful? Try one or more of these tips!

1. Worried about spilling beads? Set up a surface that has low tips so you can avoid spilling them on the floor.
2. Use 3 or 4 feet of thread to prevent tangles.

3. Compliment your beautiful beaded jewelry by using clasps.

4. Stay away from "super" glues. Use a good jeweler's glue, like Hypo Cement.

5. Prevent tarnishing by rubbing car wax on a piece of silver, then allow it to dry and wax it off with a soft cloth.

6. Want to always have something in your tool collection to snap sharp wire ends? Invest in a small metal nail
file.

7. When you thread a needle, put on some chapstick. After licking the thread, you'll automatically coat the end and keep the tiny thread fibers from separating.

8. Using white-out, mark the beads of every other round. The marks you make will help you remember your place. Also, the white fluid will chip off after drying, so you won't have to worry about anything permanent!

9. Peyote-stitch graphs and brick-stitch graphs are the exact same thing.

10. If you make a mistake while sewing seed beads, look away and break the beads by inserting a large needle into the hole. Pick somewhere nearby that spot and start a new spot, weaving where you would like a new bead to be. Hide the threads that are left showing.

11. Accidentally put seed beads in the wrong spot, or used mismatched color thread? User a permanent marker to hide your mistake!

12. When looking to buy silver, keep one thing in mind. If the price advertised SEEMS to good to be true, it usually is. Don't be fooled!

13. Don't want your beads to roll away from you? Use a washcloth or towel as a flat beading surface!

14. When you go bead shopping, ask the cashier or clerk in the store about what kind of beads you've bought. The more information they can give you, the better.

15. Working on some jewelry that requires a lot of stringing of seed beads? Buy a bead spinner and save yourself some time!

16. No matter how many estimations you might make for how many beads you may think you need for a project, always buy a little extra.

17. Pull on beading thread an inch at a time to stretch it out. But don't pull too hard!

18. Want to make sure your thread is strong? Treat it with beeswax!

19. Make sure a beading size chart and small measuring tape are on you at all times.

20. Of all the beading and sewing tools you could use, don't neglect your most important one -- your eyes! Make sure that when you're working with beads, you have as much light as possible.
 

 

Different Types of Stringing Material

By Gary A Capps 

There are various kinds of material needed in making jewelry, and choosing the right kind for you is very important. One of the most important materials is the string, whether it is for a necklace, bracelet, or anklet you want to make. Selecting the right stringing materials is a must. When choosing the right string for your jewelry, you have to consider the type of jewelry you want to create, the style and design you want to achieve, and the type and size of the beads you will use.

Some of the most common stringing materials for you to choose from are: 

• Bead Stringing Wire 
• Illusion Cord/Monofilament 



• Elastic Cord
• Nylon Thread 
• Silk Thread 
• Leather Cord 
• Memory Wire
  

Bead stringing wire, is one of the most popular stringing material in jewelry making. This wire is composed of stainless steel cables inside a nylon coating to prevent tarnishing. Soft Flex®, Accu-Flex®, and Beadalon® are the main brands of bead stringing wire. Before using wire you will need to learn how to crimp and other techniques as well as jewelry making tools and their proper usage and maintenance.

Before buying wire, you must consider the flexibility you will need for your design. The higher the number of strands, the more flexible the wire would be. For example, a 7 strand wire has some flexibility, a 19 strand wire is more flexible, and a 49 strand is the most flexible. If you're looking for very stiff wire, choose Tiger Tail wire. This kind of wire is not as flexible as other beading wire. Beading wire also varies in diameter. Wires having a diameter of 0.13 or 0.14 are for lightweight beads like seed beads and small pearls, while wires with a diameter of 0.16 or 0.18 are for bigger beads.

Elastic cord, a flexible, stretchable cord commonly use in making informal type of jewelry. In using an elastic cord, you don't have to worry about needing any findings to finish off a jewelry piece. The end of this cord can be knotted or fused together. One of the common brands of elastic cords available in the market is Stretch Magic™.

Nylon thread is the modern alternative to silk. Unlike silk, nylon doesn't fray nor stretch as much as natural silk. And nylon is more popular today compared to silk. Main brands of nylon treads are Griffin® and C-lon®. These brands are available in a wide range of colors, sizes, and spool lengths.

Silk, this is commonly use in traditional way of stringing beads. This type of string is perfect when stringing valuable pearls where you have to do knot in
between the pearls. Silk is easier to knot than any other thread because it is soft. However, silk frays and stretched when used over 3-5 years. The main brands of silk are Gudebrod® and Griffin®. If you want to string pearls sizes of string like Griffin® size 5 or 6, and Gudebrod® size E are highly recommended. Silk is no good for heavy beads.

Leather cords, this kind of cord along with simulated suede are very popular when creating a rustic look and this cord is commonly use to string heavier pendants because it has more strength and high durability. Suede could be tied in knot and worn with a pendant. In suede necklace, you can use coil or leather crimps in finishing off. Simulated suede is more popular compared to leather cord because it is softer and it's compatible to more consistent dye colors.

Memory wire, this is a coil that has very strong tempered stainless steel wire. If you want to make quick and easy necklaces and bracelets, this is definitely what you
will be using. This can stay on your neck or wrist without a clasp. In finishing off a memory wire, just make a loop at the end of the wire or you can glue a capping bead at the end of the wire. Don't use side cutters in cutting memory wire; just use hardware store wire cutters. Just remember to protect your eyes when cutting this wire.

Now, if you are still looking for other alternative stringing materials you can use in your jewelry making, here are some other stringing materials: satin cord, hemp thread, ribbon, black rubber cord, waxed linen, and rattail. As with most things, all your supplies can be found online at various online stores. One of the most popular is eBay where you can find all you stringing materials, clasps as well as anything else you need. Most jewelry uses some sort of beads so use eBay to find cheap beads.

Being organized is important to the success of your business and if you are looking for help getting more organized then our beaded [http://www.beading-software.com/]jewelry software is guaranteed to help. We have a [http://www.beading-software.com/blog/free-stuff/jewelry-pricing-calculator-software/]free jewelry pricing calculator and a free jewelry book that will help you improve your jewelry business.

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Using Swarovski Crystal Beads For Making Beaded Jewelery

Swarovski crystal beads add a new dimension of sparkle to any jewelery making project. Fun, simple to use and producing spectacular results for very little cost, these delicate glass crystals are specifically designed to shimmer and catch the light, transforming a simple design into something that dazzles with chic elegance. A simple multi-stranded necklace can be one of the easiest ways to transform an ordinary outfit into something spectacular, and you don't need any specialist equipment to do it - just a few, simple basic tools.

Swarovski crystal beads have been a staple in jewelery making for over 100 years and are still as popular today as they were in Edwardian times. They're ideal for brightening up a tired piece of jewelery by simply restringing an existing necklace and interspersing Swarovski crystals throughout the pattern. All you will need to do
this is your original necklace, a new length of beading thread, a beading needle, a sharp pair of scissors and a new clasp and jump rings to complete the project. You will also need a pair of flat nosed jeweler's pliers to put the clasp and links onto the ends of the necklace and of course, a selection of Swarovski crystals. Using a little care (and a tray to catch any beads that fall from the original necklace, otherwise you could spend an inordinate amount of time on your hands and knees looking for that lost bead!), un-string the original piece with care. Decide how you want to re-create the necklace, incorporating the Swarovski crystals into the design and choosing crystals that correspond in color with your original beads. Swarovski crystal beads come in a rainbow of different colors, so there should be a colour to match any necklace.

Thread your beading needle with the new beading thread and tie a knot about four to six inches in and place an 'anchor bead' at the end of the new thread. This will prevent your beads slipping off the end as you place thread them onto the new necklace. At this point you can let your imagination take over. How you restring the necklace is entirely up to you, depending on the effect you wish to create. If you want to create a shorter, multi-stranded necklace out of a single strand of beads, remember to divide up your beads evenly before beginning. If you're not sure, try
laying the design out first on a flat surface before committing the beads to your new thread. Once you have completed your first strand, remembering to intersperse your Swarovski crystals where appropriate, finish with a second anchor bead and tie off the thread.

Depending on how many beads you have available and what kind of effect you wish to create, repeat the process. Try making each strand a slightly different length from the first for a layered look to really capture the beauty of each individual bead.
Once you have your re-threaded strands of beads, draw the ends of the thread through a crimp bead and make a multi-stranded loop, drawing the tail ends back through the crimp bead. Close the crimp bead to form a sealed end and trim any loose threads off with the scissors. Repeat the process with the other ends. This will give you a single, multi-stranded necklace. Attach your jump ring to one loop and the corresponding catch to the other and instantly you have a beautiful necklace recycled from an old piece of jewelery and transformed by the simple inclusion of sparkling, iridescent Swarovski crystals.


Adam Hunter - E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of jewellery making supplies from over 10,000 products including all types of [http://www.cooksongold.com/Swarovski-Crystal-Beads/]Swarovski crystal beads. Other items include - jewellery tools, precious metal clay, gemstones and gold and silver sheet - gold, platinum and palladium plus technical information for jewellers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students.
For interviews, quotes, images or comments contact:
Adam Hunter
E-commerce Marketing Manager
Tel(DDI): +44 (0) 121 212 6491
E-mail: [mailto:adam.hunter@cooksongold.com]adam.hunter@cooksongold.com
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