Jewelry Making - Help with Great Beading Ideas
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Meier]Jeffrey Meier
Do you love arts and crafts but have expended your talents with sewing and knitting projects? Why not try something new? Many people are finding that jewelry making can be very a creative and fulfilling hobby, with opportunities to even make money if so desired. Many people spend tons of money buying beaded bracelets, necklaces, earrings and other "junk jewelry" without knowing they can do it on their own. If you are interested in getting started on your own beading projects, keep reading to get information on great jewelry making websites and how to find the beading supplies you need.
What is Beading?
Beading is one of the latest crazes in the art of jewelry making. Why you ask? Because it gives people the opportunity to make fun jewelry in a very quick and easy way. The art of beading can be represented in a variety of fashions, from simple designs to very intricate beaded necklaces, but in this article we will focus on the very simple idea of stringing a necklace or bracelet with beads, then knotting it to wear without having to purchase anything but the supplies, which will last you a long time.
I know you're probably thinking, "It's not easy to know where to get started without help." So I would advise that you don't do what I did, which was diving in headfirst. I started out by going to an expensive bead store, that was essentially very helpful, but initially tried sell me every expensive and unnecessary item they could. I had to gather my bearings and go home to do research. After I came back, I was able to ask the right questions, find the beads and supplies that I needed at my level of jewelry making expertise, which was novice, and then start from scratch. Take my advice, if you are just beginning, it is not necessary for you to go out and buy the most expensive beads and supplies, because in the beginning, you will probably be wasting a lot of your wire or cord just making mistakes (which is allowed). After you develop your skill and style then you can go back and buy the more quality items. You will save a lot of time and money this way. To help you out, I've provided a few websites for jewelry making and supplies that should make things easier for you.
Great Jewelry Making Websites
Beadiefriends.com has tons of instructions to help you get started on your beading journey. You can learn to square stitch, peyote stitch, create beaded chain necklaces (my favorite), and even a beaded watch. Also, they teach you how to make earrings, charm pins, stretch bracelets, bead embroidery and even how to sell your crafts to others. If you'd prefer not to make your own designs and patterns for beading, they not only give you sample patterns to work from, but they also teach you how to read those patterns to easily create the bead designs you desire.
Beadage.net is another beginner-friendly website filled with great information on the art of beading. This site gives great instructions on how to create your own beaded jewelry, and also provides great patterns as templates for your designs. You can learn to make earrings, wire jewelry, hemp jewelry, and much more. In addition, they provide a beading supply guide and gemstone guide that will help you do your research before venturing out to buy items that you don't need (like I did). Also, they have a beading glossary to help you sort out the definitions of the different beading terms, which is helpful because you need to know the difference between resin, turquoise and glass beads if you're going to get serious about beading. Also, they have a bead shop that sells the items that you need at a reasonable price and they also offer tools to get you started - this is a great one-stop-shop for a beginner just getting started.
Where to Find Beading Supplies
A top website to find what you're looking for in beading supplies is firemountaingems.com. This site caters to every aspect of beading and provides all of the beading supplies you'll need for your jewelry making experience. They offer various varieties beads, including glass, metal, acrylic, shell, crystal, turquoise and wood beads. In addition, they have tons of supplies, including chains, clasps, faceted gems, earring findings, charms, and pendants. And if you need tools you'll find everything from loop-closing and gem-setting pliers, to charts, design software, sort trays, adhesives, cord knotters, needles and cleaners. They even offer books and videos on the art of beading - so they pretty much make everything available to you.
Also, one of the best places to find wholesale beads in large quantities for your jewelry making is on EBay. I know EBay can be a difficult place to trust because you don't know who you're buying your items from. But really, it's not much different than buying from any other website. You have to do your research on the seller and check their reviews, which are luckily right on the page. If they have a user rating of 99% and 10,000 people have reviewed them, then you're probably be dealing with the right seller. And since you have the ability to bid on the beads, you might find a great deal. Often times, people sell large amounts of beads in lots, which means you might find individual beads or beads still on the necklaces, which will allow you to de-string and re-string them on your own beading cord or wire.
Whether you're just getting started on your first jewelry making projects, or are looking for information on how to further along an already-started hobby, it doesn't hurt to learn from the great information that is out there for you. I hope that I've been able to help you get started and the next time we meet, maybe I'll be at a store picking out your latest designs and smiling at how your jewelry making hobby flourished into a career.
Jeffrey Meier of Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.Jam727.com offers information articles on a wide variety of subjects including Jewlery Making at http://www.jam727.com/jewelrymaking/jewelry_making_information.htm
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