How to Do Beginner's Beading

Bead your own beautiful jewelry to match your favorite outfits.

Beading is an enjoyable hobby that fills your time pleasantly while at the same time produces results that you can show off by wearing them. Making your own jewelry may save you money, but the primary reward comes from the fact that you made it yourself. Beginning this hobby is as easy as using a needle and thread. Start with a simple bracelet.

Things You'll Need

• Beads
• Color-coordinated silk thread with attached wire "needle"
• 2 spacer beads
• 2 clamp-on bead tips
• 1 bracelet clasp with attached jump rings
• Jewelry needle-nose pliers
• Cutters
• 12-inch square of felt or velvet
• Small "craft" tape measure
• Clear fingernail polish
• Lighter

Instructions

1. Measure your wrist and add 1/2 inch to the measurement for the length of a loose bracelet (add only 1/4 inch for a snug bracelet).

2. On your cloth lay out your beads end to end in the design that you want, placing the spacers, bead tips and clasp at the ends--until you've reached the desired length of the bracelet.

3. Twist a knot at the end of your silk thread. Melt the frayed end past the knot with a lighter flame and then coat the knot and end with clear fingernail polish to prevent further fraying and to keep the knot intact.

4. Pick up a bottom clamp-on bead tip with the twisted wire "needle" of the silk thread, so that the "hooked" side will face away from the thread and the clamp will surround the knot. Pinch the clamp closed.

5. Slip the connecting jump ring of a clasp onto the bead tip hook and pinch it closed with your needle-nose jewelry pliers.

6. Add a spacer bead and then your beads in the order that you've laid them in, ending with another spacer and clamp-on bead tip.

7. Hold the thread inside the bead tip with your needle-nose pliers, then double loop a knot in the silk and slide it down to the bead tip, making it as tight to the strung beads as possible.

8. Snip off the excess silk thread with your cutters, melt the end of the thread near the knot and then coat the entire end and knot with clear fingernail polish to seal.

9. Pinch shut the clamp on the bead tip to enclose the knot.

10. Slide the open jump ring from the unattached end of your clasp over the hook of the clamp-on bead tip and pinch the hook closed with the needle-nose pliers. Your bracelet is finished.

Tips & Warnings

• Flame the silk quickly--you don't want to burn the thread, just slightly melt it to prevent frays.

Resources

• Fire Mountain Gems: Beading Supplies