Friday, March 20, 2009

When You Make Beaded Jewelry, You Make Beauty

By Janet Denning

Making beaded jewelry is not only fun to do; it can be a personally and even financially rewarding activity! When you learn to make jewelry, you can give your work to friends as gifts and even sell them for some extra money - and it's always great to make a hobby that you enjoy become a profitable one!

You can make just about any sort of jewelry you want from beads. You can create beaded earrings, necklaces, bracelets and more easily. In fact, once you get the hang of making your own beaded jewelry, you'll be able to craft pieces which are of the same quality as those you can buy in shops! One of the best things about making beaded jewelry is that you can make your own jewelry to wear; you'll never have to puzzle over what will go with that outfit you want to wear, since you can make the perfect piece yourself!

One thing a lot of people do when they're getting started in making their own jewelry is to run out to the craft store and in their excitement to pick up beads, forget other important supplies. The best way to steer clear of this is to make yourself a shopping list which includes all of the supplies you'll need. This way, you'll get exactly what you need and avoid buying things which you don't.

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.

Keep in mind that beads come in every conceivable size, color, style and material, so don't keep yourself limited to just regular old beads! You can choose from a wide variety of beads to make each and every piece you create an original.

Before you actually string your beads, it's a good idea to lay them out and have a closer look at them to make sure that you're happy with how they look together. A bead board can be helpful here, since this will let you lay out your beads and see how they'll look strung together. One good general rule is to wait until the next day after laying out your beads before you start stringing - if they look as good to you in the morning as the night before, you'll know that the piece will be one you can be proud of.

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.

When you make your own beaded jewelry, you have the opportunity to create a thing of beauty - and you'll get the satisfaction of a job well done. This jewelry will be loved by whoever you give it to; and you'll like having these pieces for yourself too. However, you might want to get some detailed directions or take some classes before you start to make sure that you can create high quality beaded jewelry. - 15252

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