Chapter 1: Introduction to Jewelry Making and Beading
Are you interested in learning how to make jewelry and work with beads, but unsure where to begin? Let this book guide you through the basic skills and techniques you will need to create the most popular styles of jewelry and beadwork. In this chapter, you will learn about the essential tools, equipment, and supplies used for common tasks. Then you can set up your work area and start exploring this creative hobby.
Become a Jewelry Artisan
Beads and Beading Supplies
Wire and Wirework Supplies
Macramé Knotting and Braiding Supplies
Jewelry Findings
Become a Jewelry Artisan
Jewelry making and beading are very personal and rewarding crafts. With some basic supplies and a little creativity, you can adorn yourself, and the people in your life, with beautiful objects that communicate your inner feelings and your sense of style.
People have been crafting jewelry and beading for thousands of years. Throughout human history, jewelry and beads have symbolized social status, wealth, and spiritual beliefs. Some cultures even attribute magical powers to their jewelry and gemstones. Today, many people still view jewelry as more than mere decoration; they use it to symbolize love and commitment, religion, politics, life experiences, the birth of children, and important memories. Our choice of jewelry conveys important information about us. It helps us—and those around us—to understand who we are.
When you begin making your own jewelry and beaded artwork, you will use many of the same techniques that ancient crafters used thousands of years ago. Your designs will be special because you made them by hand to your own specifications. You will experience the satisfaction of making jewelry you really love (and that fits you), while avoiding the cheaply made, mass-produced jewelry that you see at so many retail stores.
You can also save money by making your own jewelry. Using the basic techniques covered in this book, you can affordably make jewelry that is very similar to expensive designer jewelry from department stores and boutiques. You will also find that gift-giving becomes far less challenging for the jewelry and beadwork lovers on your gift lists.
One of the most rewarding aspects of jewelry making and beading is that your creations can serve any purpose and match any style that you choose. If you love fashion, you can be your own personal fashion jewelry designer. If you’re interested in a particular culture, religion, spiritual path, or time in history, your designs can reflect what’s important to you. You can even reassemble your old jewelry into new, updated designs.
As you work through this book, allow yourself plenty of time to experiment and play with new techniques. You may master some skills quickly, but others will take practice. Be patient, and keep in mind that you will be able to complete projects faster over time. Enjoy each new accomplishment, and use your newfound talents to bring more creativity and enrichment into your life.
Beads and Beading Supplies
Beads are the most popular and widely available jewelry-making components. You can find them at craft stores, bead shops, and on the Internet. (See the Appendix for a list of bead resources.) Typically, beads are categorized by material, shape, and size.
Common Bead Materials
Glass Beads
Glass beads are available in just about any color and style you can imagine. Their quality is often linked to where and how they are made. For example, many glass beads currently made in China and India are less consistent in size and color than glass beads from Europe; however, they typically are less expensive than European beads.
Some of the most popular glass beads from Europe are made in the Czech Republic. These are often referred to as Czech glass beads. Some Czech glass beads are pressed, or manufactured in molds. You can find them in a lot of fun shapes like flowers, animals, and even fruit. Other Czech glass beads are fire polished. Fire polishing is a special process that gives glass extra shine and sparkle. But fire-polished glass beads are not quite as eye-catching as crystal beads. Crystal is glass that contains a small amount of lead. The lead makes the glass softer so that it can be cut into more precise shapes. It also changes the way light reflects within the glass, creating extreme shine. The highest-quality crystal beads are made in Austria and Czech Republic, but less expensive variations are also manufactured in China.
Seed beads are tiny glass beads that are commonly used to create woven beaded fabric. You can also use them to make thin, beaded strands. As with larger beads, seed beads vary in quality depending on how and where they were made. You will learn more about bead weaving and selecting quality seed beads in Chapter 5.
Although most glass beads are made by machine, some are individually handmade. Lampwork beads are an especially popular style of handmade glass beads. They are crafted by manually applying molten glass to metal rods.
Other beads are created by a combination of mechanical and handmade methods. For example, some manufactured glass beads are hand faceted, or cut to have multiple flat surface...