Visiting a bead shop is always interesting. If the owner designs and creates custom jewellery, it is fun to imagine all the lovely pieces she could make for you.
Many bead shops also sell supplies for you to make your own creations, and offer classes for beginners to learn the art of working with beads.
If you were to begin making your own jewellery, where would you start? Your first resource would probably be the shop owner herself.
Here are five tools she might recommend to get you started.
1) Wire or elastic, silk or string.
Whatever beads you buy will be have to be strung on something, and the bead shop staff are the best people to help you decide the best stringing material for you to use.
Wire works well for many bracelets, and comes in different levels of stiffness. Elastic holds bracelets that are easy to size for small wrists, and easy to slip on and off. Exploring the bead shop will help you choose the right project.
Bead necklaces are all strung on some sort of string, possibly with spacer beads, so you may not be aware of the type of string that is there. Silk thread, knotted between pearls or beads, makes a classic necklace style. If you're not good tying knots, though, silk thread may not be your best choice.
2) Snips or Pliers to bend and cut wire.
If you choose wire for your first beading project, you will need a pair of pliers, many of which can double as wire snips. Your bead shop probably has lots of choices in the pliers category - chain nose pliers, flat nose, round nose and more.
3) Finding the findings
Every bead shop is filled with things you probably use every day, and never thought of as part of a collection of things. Clasps, earring hooks, metal spacer beads, are all part of the category called findings.
You can't make your first jewellery creation without finding out which findings are best for you.
4) Seed bead looms or disks
If you decide you might like to do some bead weaving instead of stringing, then your bead shop might be able to supply you with a loom. Since bead weaving is more complicated than bead stringing, an instruction book or video could start you off on the right foot.
If your bead shop is small, they may not stock many tools or accessories, but can probably order them for you easily.
5) A large bead shop may have more tools and toys than you can decide on. If that is the case, a DIY bead kit might be the perfect choice. Kits have everything you need to make bracelets, necklaces, or ever beaded wire flowers.
Getting to know the people at your local shop can inspire you to learn more about beading, and give you an instant source of encouragement and information. They will probably also enjoy congratulating you when you wear your own first hand-made design.
Many bead shops also sell supplies for you to make your own creations, and offer classes for beginners to learn the art of working with beads.
If you were to begin making your own jewellery, where would you start? Your first resource would probably be the shop owner herself.
Here are five tools she might recommend to get you started.
1) Wire or elastic, silk or string.
Whatever beads you buy will be have to be strung on something, and the bead shop staff are the best people to help you decide the best stringing material for you to use.
Wire works well for many bracelets, and comes in different levels of stiffness. Elastic holds bracelets that are easy to size for small wrists, and easy to slip on and off. Exploring the bead shop will help you choose the right project.
Bead necklaces are all strung on some sort of string, possibly with spacer beads, so you may not be aware of the type of string that is there. Silk thread, knotted between pearls or beads, makes a classic necklace style. If you're not good tying knots, though, silk thread may not be your best choice.
2) Snips or Pliers to bend and cut wire.
If you choose wire for your first beading project, you will need a pair of pliers, many of which can double as wire snips. Your bead shop probably has lots of choices in the pliers category - chain nose pliers, flat nose, round nose and more.
3) Finding the findings
Every bead shop is filled with things you probably use every day, and never thought of as part of a collection of things. Clasps, earring hooks, metal spacer beads, are all part of the category called findings.
You can't make your first jewellery creation without finding out which findings are best for you.
4) Seed bead looms or disks
If you decide you might like to do some bead weaving instead of stringing, then your bead shop might be able to supply you with a loom. Since bead weaving is more complicated than bead stringing, an instruction book or video could start you off on the right foot.
If your bead shop is small, they may not stock many tools or accessories, but can probably order them for you easily.
5) A large bead shop may have more tools and toys than you can decide on. If that is the case, a DIY bead kit might be the perfect choice. Kits have everything you need to make bracelets, necklaces, or ever beaded wire flowers.
Getting to know the people at your local shop can inspire you to learn more about beading, and give you an instant source of encouragement and information. They will probably also enjoy congratulating you when you wear your own first hand-made design.
SHARE
