Making Beaded Jewelry - How To:
Making beaded jewelry is easier than you think!
To make beaded jewelry, you will need:
Tigertail beading wire (or any kind of jewelry making wire
Crimp beads
Crimping tool
Jump rings (soldered and unsoldered)
A clasp
Pliers
Jump ring tool (not necessary but really nice to have to close those rings neatly!)
And, of course, Beads!
Design Layout
The first step in making beaded jewelry is to layout your design. Whether you are making a necklace or bracelet the same principals apply, simply lay out the beads in the order that you want them to appear on the necklace.
It is very helpful to have a bead board so that you can see where to place each bead so that the piece is symmetrical and also, to make sure you are getting the desired length.
String the Beads
Once your design is done, measure off a piece of tiger tail that is about 10” longer than the final length of the piece.
Put tape on one end of the tigertail so the beads won’t slip off. Starting at the end of your design, string each bead in order.
Crimp The Ends
The hardest part about making beaded jewelry is crimping the ends to secure the beads! This step might take a bit of practice to get a good crimp, so don’t feel bad if it looks awful or doesn’t hold to begin with – remember practice makes perfect!
Keep the tape on one end of your necklace (or bracelet) and work with the “open” end. Remove the last bead and string these pieces in order - a crimp bead, replace the last bead again, and another crimp bead and finally, your soldered jump ring.
Pass the tiger tail back through the beads you have just strung and the first 2 or 3 beads of the necklace. This should create a loop that holds the jump ring. Now take your crimping tool and crush the crimp bead. You can use the rounded places of the tool to try to get a finished look, but don’t keep crushing the crimp bead especially if it is sterling silver as you will weaken the metal.
Remove the tape from the other end and repeat.
Add the Clasp
The final step to making beaded jewelry is attaching the clasp. Simply take a non soldered jump ring and open it either with pliers or the jump ring tool. Put one part of the clasp and one end of the necklace (or bracelet) onto the ring and close.
Repeat for the other end of the clasp and other side of the piece and you’ve got a great wearable piece of art that you made yourself!
Check Out our handmade beaded jewelry
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