Blank Canvas Arts and Crafts

Bead Pick

If you make jewelry to sell, then necklaces are usually your bread and butter. They sell well and customers expect them to be expensive, maximizing your profit. Necklaces are easy to make too, especially if you base them around a pendant or focal bead.

With a pendant, the stones are set on a bezel using a pinch bail. This looks very clean and professional and you won’t have to worry about wires breaking or coming loose. You can also string a pendant onto a chain or a piece of wire just like a bead. What could be easier? However, these very-simple necklaces’ usually sell cheap.

Color

If the pendant you chose has multiple colors, try to incorporate most of these into the rest of the necklace. Use beads of these colors, along with similar colored thread. This allows appreciation of the whole necklace design, rather than focusing on one color.

Harmony

Use beads that are similar in quality to the stones in the pendant. If the stones in the pendant are gemstones with beautiful facets, use quality faceted beads. If the pendant has tumbled stones with lots of inclusions, you should use baroque beads that won’t take the limelight away from the focal pendant.

Spacer Beads

Add different sizes and shapes of metal beads and findings for professionalism and to enhance the focal bead, but without drawing too much attention to themselves. Spacers are also useful to add-design and to economize on the beads used – saving you money.

Focal bead

Large beads, like frame beads, can also be used as the focal point of your necklace instead of a pendant. Use different sizes and color beads in your necklace for effect, variation ads style. Finally, choose the catch to match, attached with jump rings. A dainty necklace uses a tiny clasp, whereas a heavy necklace needs a larger, stronger catch.

This article comes from the new book How to Make a Killing Selling Bead Jewelry available at http://www.easytofollowbooks.com/book100salespage.htm

By Nigel Hay Mckay

To see or purchase his pendant beads click: http://www.mrbead.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=pendant

Other than Ebay any ideas on cheap jewellery making equipment?

I’ve decided to take up jewellery making as a hobby and was wondering if anyone knows of any cheap places to pick up beads etc. I’ve bought quite a bit from ebay but they’re not always that well priced. Any ideas?

Walmart carries an inexpensive line of beads, and I watch the sales at Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, and Joann’s and can pick up stuff at half price or more during sales.
Consider looking online, some places charge less the more you buy. And buying in bulk can be cheaper. There are literally hundreds of bead companies online, and even some carnival/party supply places carry them. Buy a beading magazine, and check the ads in it, and some of the designs tell you where to get the supplies.
There are lots of independent bead stores out there, and they do have sales, but beware of their pricing. It is generally higher.
My friends watch yard sales, a friend cashed in when she found a lady who was no longer interested in beading, and sold out her entire stash of findings and beads.
I also watch places like Walmart for cheap ready made jewelry, for the possibility of restringing it to suit my designs.
And watch places like Tuesday Mornings and Big Lots, who do not usually carry many beads, but will have a sale on a buy out lot.
Our community has independent glass art places, that teach you make your own beads.

‘One Bead’ Ring tutorial

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