Jewelry Beading Essentials

Are you ready to start beading but unsure of what you need to get started? We have compiled some beading essentials that we always have on hand.

Tools: Tools are the number one essentials of beadings. Without the necessary tools, you will not be able to complete most of your jewelry projects.

Chain/Flat Nose Pliers – Personally, I like to have two pairs of chain nose pliers on hand. Sometimes when opening jump rings with a stronger gauge or for daintier/smaller size jump rings, it is helpful to use two pliers.

Round Nose Pliers – This is another great essential tool if you are planning to do a lot of wire or headpin looping and/or wrapping.

Flush or Side Cutters – These are great for soft wire or headpin precise cuts. Make sure to use a softer gauge wire with these cutters, as thicker/stronger wire can damage these cutters. You may want to get a Memory Wire Cutter for thicker and heavier duty cuts.

Crimping Tool – This tool is best to have around for your flex wire and crimp tubes.

Memory Wire Cutter – This cutter is used for thicker and heavier cuts like bulky chain or thick gauge wire.

Or, to get you started, you can always get a starter plier kit/set, which will have most of the essentials tools listed above.

Stringing Materials are the backbone of your design. It holds and shapes your beads and findings together.

Elastic Cord – Great for starting out making stretchy bracelets. Elastic Cord is sturdy cord that comes in different colors and thickness.

Beading Wire – For a clean, finished, durable, and flexible jewelry design, use flex beading wire of many different colors and thickness. It is best to use with crimping tool and crimp tubes.

Beading Thread – This is similar to nylon thread used for knotting a pearl necklace or hemp cord for making the popular macramé bracelet.

Chain – Make chain into tassels, or use as an extender to a bracelet or necklace, or layer different chain finishes for a necklace complete of chain.

Findings: Findings are the extra bonus pieces to your jewelry that gives it that WOW factor. It individualizes the jewelry with different pops of color finishes, unique designs or shapes.

Ear Wire – Ear wire comes in different styles: french hook, lever back, post, thread and kidney. Choose your statement ear wire.

Headpins/Eyepins – It is always essential to have some standard headpins with flat bottoms and eyepins with a looped ends of all different lengths and finishes on hand. They can be quickly used for earrings or to make bead dangles. We do recommend getting a variety of headpin/eyepin with different gauges. The larger the gauge count (22 and higher), the thinner and flexible the wire will be. These are best to use for wrapped loops or lightweight bead dangles. For headpins/eyepins that has a lower gauge count (18-21), they are thicker and sturdier. These are best for making wire loops and pendant charms.

Clasps/Claw/Toggles – Add finishing touches to your necklace or bracelet with a unique clasp or toggle. TierraCast® has some decorative clasps and toggle findings.

Jump Rings – Jump rings comes in many sizes and used for attachment of charms, pendants, clasps, beads, and anything that needs dangling. You can also round up a large amount of them for a chain maille project. The gauge of the jump rings also does help to have many different sizes on hand. A larger gauge jump ring are great to use for simple, small charms, while smaller gauge jump rings are thicker and best to use for holding clasps and extender chain for a sturdy hold.

Bead Storage:

Neatly contain your beads and findings with bead storage. We love to have see-through containers so that you can visually see your products. With many bead storage options to choose from, you are sure to find one for your beading needs.

Now that you have your jewelry beading essentials, round up your favorite beads, spacers, bead caps, pendants, etc. and get to beading! There are endless possibilities and styles when it comes to beading. What will you make today?

5mm Flat Leather with Slider Charm Bracelets

We love, love, LOVE the simplicity of making 5mm flat leather bracelets. With two simple components of flat leather and a clasp, plus the help of adhesive, you have a simple bracelet in no time. Let’s amp that 5mm flat leather bracelets by adding slider charms and dangles. With over 300 slider charms to choose from on GoodyBeads.com website, you can customize your bracelet with unique charms or colors, make a fun seasonal theme, or choose some of your favorite charms and bling your bracelet.

We suggest that you start by compiling your slider charms and laying them out before stringing them on 5mm flat leather. This way you get an overall look at the colors and sequence, and at the same time, you can choose what color of 5mm flat leather you want to go with. Once you are satisfied, cut the flat leather to fit your wrist, slide on slider charms and glue on a clasp. Quite easy, eh?

We made three different bracelets to showcase how you can spruce up a 5mm flat leather bracelet.

Love Bug Wrap Around

We love how our selection of black, white and red slider charms pops out from the white flat leather. One added bonus is the Charm Holder Slider that allows you to add any charm or dangle. Here, we added a fun TierraCast® heart charm and red enamel ladybug.

Seafoam Waves Bracelet

Summer may be over, but we will always have sunny days on our minds; the smell of salty water, the cool, brisk breeze of the wind, and the warm sensation of sand between your toes. In memory of summer, we made this Seafoam Waves Bracelet with a combination of turquoise, green and topaz colors. We also added a Charm Slider Holder and created a stone dangle, making a simple loop with a headpin and gemstone, for extra embellishment.

Kim Bracelet

For this bracelet, we doubled up a 5mm flat leather bracelet to have the width of 10mm. With that, we were able to use 10mm letter sliders to customize a name, while still adding two slider charms.

Love Bug Wrap Around

(14) CH00044 – 5mm White Flat Leather
(1) A020079 – Small Magnetic Clasp
(1) A015821 – Super New Glue
(2) Z002276 – Mini Charm Holder Slider
(1) A016890 – White Enamel Heart
(1) A017016 – Red Enamel Nautical Oval
(1) A017044 – Tempest Red Stone Oval
(1) A017043 – Tempest Jet Stone Oval
(1) A017060 – Athena Red Stone Pointed
(1) A017253 – Jet Sienna
(1) A017285 – Jet Stones Lavish Square
(1) A017855 – Light Siam Round Pave
(1) TC01634 – Black Jubilee Heart Charm
(1) A007695 – Red Enamel Ladybug
(2) A002413 – 4mm Jump Ring

Seafoam Waves Bracelet

(7) CH00423 – 5mm Turquoise Flat Cork Cord
(1) A020079 – Small Magnetic Clasp
(1) A015821 – Super New Glue
(1) Z002276 – Mini Charm Holder Slider
(1) A016928 – Aqua and Smoke Topaz Stones Lillian
(1) A017013 – Fish Slider
(1) A017025 – Peridot Stone Curly Flower
(1) A017069 – Delight Aqua Stone Square
(1) A017235 – Sand Dollar Slider
(1) A017275 – Smoked Topaz Stone Regal
(1) A017862 – Aquamarine Round Pave
(1) A017264 – Jade Gemstone Billiard
(1) A019691 – 1 Inch Headpin with Ball
(1) A020977 – 6mm Round Reconstituted Larimar Gemstone

Kim Bracelet

(14) CH00254 – 5mm Violet Arizona Flat Leather
(1) A015688 – Antique Silver Magnetic Clasp
(1) A015821 – Super New Glue
(1) A016981 – Clear Stone Sweet Blossom
(1) A017266 – Cream Pearl Decorous
(1) A020126 – Letter K Slider
(1) A020124 – Letter I Slider
(1) A020128 – Letter M Slider

Easy Elastic Bracelet Tutorial

Remember when you were young and made stretchy elastic bracelets with a store-bought DIY kit of colorful beads and letters? Fast forward 10-20 years and let’s take that idea up a notch with a grown-up mentality of elastic bracelets. We love the concept of elastic bracelets because they are easy to make, inexpensive, and if you aren’t crimping the elastic, there are no tools needed.

Elastic Bracelets are simple to create, comfortable to wear and convenient: just slip them on and off! Elastic bracelets are the perfect jewelry piece for people with arthritis or those who have difficulty hooking on clasps with one hand. Layering different elastic bracelets is very on trend and bohemian looking.

We have two easy tutorials on how to finish your very own elastic bracelet.

Our first tutorial is how to tie the elastic cord of your bracelet using a surgeon’s knot.

Step 1: Gather your elastic, beads, spacers, and adhesive.

Step 2: measure your wrist size. An average size is 7″. You may add an inch if you’d like the fit of the bracelet to be a bit looser.

Step 3: Measure the elastic cord to your desired size, add about 4″-5″ and cut. Grab the cord at both ends and give it a tug, to loosen the elastic.

Step 4: String on the beads to the preferred length.

Step 5A: Make a cross knot and secure it by tying a square surgeon’s knot.

Step 5B: Illustrated look at the surgeon’s knot.

Step 6: Complete the bracelet by gluing the knot to reinforce its strength, then cut the excess cord, leaving about ¼”.

Our second tutorial is how to crimp your elastic ends to clasps, connectors, jump rings, toggle clasp, etc. Follow the same bead sequence as above or try your own sequence without tying the ends. For this tutorial, you will need a pair of Crimping Pliers, crimp beads/tubes, and your choice of clasp.

Step 2: First, measure your wrist size. An average size is 7″. You may add an inch if you’d like the fit of the bracelet to be a bit looser.

Step 5: Use a Crimping Tool. There are 2 hole crimpers. Inner hole will have a U-shape that will turn the crimp tube into a U-Shape, while the other will fold the crimp tube. First, crimp to make the U-shape.

Step 6: Then, turning the crimping tool, use the other hole crimp to fold the crimp tube, as if you are folding a book close.

Step 7: Repeat for other end of clasp. Cut off excess cord and done!

A tip when using elastic cord: loosen the elasticity by giving it a tug/stretch before starting your project. This will help in two ways. First, if you start with a piece of elastic cord, sometimes you will find it stiff. Stretching it will help make the cord more manageable to use. And secondly, because over time you will constantly stretch the elastic when slipping them on and off, it will eventually loosen the elastic. Loosening it before starting your project can avoid a looser and larger fit in the future.

Another tip when knotting or crimping your elastic, is to have a large hole bead next to it. You can conceal the knot or crimp inside the bead for a clean and professional looking finish. Or you can use crimp covers to cover the crimp or knot as if it was another bead in your elastic bracelet design.

Here are some inspirational, simple elastic bracelets that we have made using our tutorial above.

Onyx Stone Bracelet

Elastic bracelets can be as simple as this Onyx Stone Bracelet. What makes this bracelet more grown up is the quality beads used for your projects. These Dakota Stone Sardonyx Gemstone Beads have a smooth, round shape with natural white lines. They are also cool to the touch so you know they are high-quality gemstones.

Wrap-Around Golden Ruby Bracelet

You will find that elastic cords are thin yet sturdy enough for seed beads. Here, we used some size 8 seed Japanese Miyuki seed beads that have a hole size large enough for a .7mm elastic cord. Making a fun sequential design with faceted Chinese crystals, brass-plated Bali beads, Miyuki seed beads, and Czech O beads, we strung on a 28” long strand to wrap around four times a 7” wrist. You can always add more or less beads to accommodate your own wrist size.

Elastic Watch

For this piece, we used crimp tubes/beads to connect the elastic ends to the watch face and toggle clasp. This is a fun combination of using a watch face and making it into an elastic bracelet.

Wood Tassel Bracelet

From our Tassel blog post, comes this pair of Wood Tassel Bracelet that were made with elastic cord. Wood beads were strung in a random sequence and an added tassel for extra embellishment. We adore these two bracelets because they are lightweight and trendy with tassel addition.

Birdy Bracelet

Blue Sky Tiger Eye Stretch Bracelet

Blue Jasper Bracelet — Designed by Tory Vezina

Onyx Stone Bracelet

(1) A021634 – Clear 0.8mm Elasticity
(1) SDZ10RD-8 – Dakota Stones 10mm Round Sardonyx Gemstone Beads

Wrap-Around Golden Ruby Bracelet

(1) A002290 – .7mm Stretch Magic Elastic Cord
(49) A016781 – Light Siam Chinese Crystal Glass
(7) A004246 – Silver Brass Plated Bali Style
(84) SB02042 – Czech O Beads
(140+) SB00066 – Size 8/0 Black Miyuki Seed Bead

Elastic Watch

(1) Watch Face
(1) A021634 – Clear 0.8mm Elasticity
(1) A003579 – 17mm Bali Style Round Toggle
(6) PYR10RLLH-8 – 10mm Pyrite Gemstone Rondelle Large Hole Beads from Dakota Stones
(8) A014364 – 7mm Butter Pecan Czech Glass Bead
(6) Z002570 – 6mm Silver Disc Beads
(6) A021125 – 11mm Silver Plated Bali Swirl Bead
(4) A004830 – 2mm Crimp Tubes
Tool: FTTL0003 – Crimping Pliers

Wood Tassel Bracelet

(1) Z002653 – Red Tassel
(1) Z003429 – Brown Tassel
(3) NBWB0003 – 16mm Wood Bead
(8) Rondelle Nut Bead
(26) Z004978 – Red, Black, and Brown Round Wood Bead
(14) Z004009 – 6mm Wood Bead
(4) 10mm Dot Design Wood Bead
A021637 – Elastic Cord
A007224 – GS Hypo Cement

Blue Sky Tiger Eye Stretch Bracelet

(1) A021635 – 1mm Elasticity Cord
(7) TGE8RDLH-F-8 – 8mm Tiger Eye Gemstone Faceted Round Large Hole Beads
(14) BCL8RD-8 – 8mm Round Blue Crazy Lace Agate Gemstone Beads
(2) TC00340 – 8mm Antique Silver Legend Spacer
(6) TC00032 – 5mm Silver Kenyan Heishi Spacers
A007224 – GS Hypo Cement

TierraCast Cord Ends

TierraCast Cord Ends have proven to be easy to use, with so much possibility for variation in materials and styles! The projects included here were designed by Tracy Gonzales, TierraCast’s Jewelry Designer and Product Educator. All designs were inspired by the current tassel trend and Goody Beads’ fabulous selection of fun fibers and threads.

Tassel and Chain Earrings

The Tassel & Chain earrings are a simple technique. We made the tassel ends and then used an additional piece of thread to attach a few short strands of chain at the top. After applying some E6000 adhesive inside a 6mm cord end, we tucked the tassel and chain inside. Added a jump ring and ear wire at the top, and Voila!

Seed Bead Loop Earrings

The Seed Bead Loop earrings involved stringing up several bead strands in varying lengths and making them into loops and secured with crimp tubes. We then layered 3 beaded loops with loops of fine, metallic-finish embellishment fibers. We secured both ends together at the top with E6000 adhesive and finished them up with jump rings and ear wires.

Multi-Strand Fiber Bracelet

The Multi-Strand Fiber bracelet uses cord ends that have a hole at the top, instead of a loop, so the finishing technique is wire wrapping instead of gluing. Start by threading four strands of Czech beads and TierraCast spacers with beading wire. Crimp each end to hold beads in place and cut leaving an excess of 1/4-1/2 inch. Take different fiber strands and cut them at equal lengths of the beaded wires. Next, make a slip knot with the strand ends, tying close enough to the crimp ends. Glue with Hypo Cement to secure the knot.

After it has dried, cut about 5 inches of Artistic wire and loop it under and in between the knot halfway. You should have two 2.5 inches of wire ends that you will feed through the cord end. Here, you can add more hypo cement in the cord end to secure the thread ends. Make a wire wrap loop with the Artistic Wire and repeat to the other bracelet end. Add a jump ring and clasp and you are done!

Our friends at TierraCast have an informative YouTube video on how to use Cord Ends. Check it out to guide you in the fun projects shown above and for more inspirational techniques.

Tassel and Chain Earrings

(2) TC01831 – 10mm Tin Oxide Cord End
(1) TC01903 – Silver Filled Hoop Wire Earrings
(2) A002814 – 10mm Jump Rings
(1) CH00094 – 2.2mm Blue Enamel Chain
(1) A011455 – E-6000
(1) A010412 – Precious Metal Embellishment Cord

Seed Bead Loop Earrings

(1) 11/0 Miyuki Delicas
(1) A014109 – Gold Plated Ear Wire
(1) TC01839 – Gold Taj Cord End
(1) A016245 – Gold Metallic Thread
(1) FTBW0001 – Fine 0.014 Inch Beading Wire
(6) TC01896 – 2mm Crimp Tube
(1) A011455 – E-6000
(2) Z011514 – 5mm Gold Jump Ring

Multi-strand Fiber Bracelet

(1) TC01017 – Copper Leaf Clasp
(2) TC01858 – Copper Cord Ends
(52) TC00552 – 4mm Copper Heishi Spacer
(60) TC00020 – 3mm Copper Faceted Spacer
(78) Z017489 – 3mm Amber Czech Bead
(46) A003332 – 3mm Opaque Rose Gold Topaz Czech
(1) A010405 – Sedona Sunset Embellishment
(8) TC00002 – 2mm Crimp Tube
(2) TC00001 – 6mm Oval Copper Jump Ring
(1) AW00052 – 24 Gauge Natural Artistic Wire
(1) FTBW0001 – Fine 0.014 Inch Beading Wire
(1) A007224 – Hypo Cement

Easy DIY Threader Earrings

Threader Earrings are a chic, modern jewelry that’s dainty and subtle, yet offers a simple to sophisticated look. These threader earrings are easy to make and wear. At one end you have a jump ring, where it is best to add a charm or wire-looped dangle of beads or crystals. Simple enough.

Below we have some simple and easy threader earrings that we’ve made. What will you add to your threader earring?

Golden Star Earrings

Get ready to rock out to your favorite head-banging song with these pair of star charm earrings. We used 4mm gold-plated jump rings to attach these cut-out gold-plated stars to the threader earrings. Let’s get jamming!

Golden Gear Earrings

For your secret love of steampunk fashion and jewelry, gear charms offers a modern, Victorian, and mechanical edge. Also attached with 4mm gold-plated jump rings to the threader earrings, these earrings bring an awareness to all types of fashion jewelry we are yet to explore.

Sparkly Ball Earrings