Watch as Wyatt White from Beadalon shows how easy it is to create customized adjustable rings using the Ring Jig Tool.
Who doesn’t love adjustable rings? Especially when you can make them yourself and add small beads or charms!
What you will first need are the following for this video tutorial:
Be creative by painting with Vintaj Patinas. Tory and special guest, Candie Cooper, will show you how easy it is to design and paint with Pearl Vintaj Patina (TL00286).
Vintaj Patinas are a water-base paint that is popular to use in painting jewelry components like metal charms and beads. You can even use them on leather, wood or other surfaces. They adhere well after a few seconds or minutes of drying time.
A few items to get before you Patina:
You aren’t limited to only metal charms. As an optional surface, you can check out Metal Blanks with various sizes and shapes and TierraCast Charms is also a fun alternative to textured surfaces for Patinas.
Learn how make our popular leather and memory wire bracelets in our video tutorial and watch as we teach you how to finish your memory wire bracelet with the nifty Memory Wire Finishing Pliers.
Here are items you need in order to make your leather and memory wire bracelet.
Round Leather
Round Leather is the star of your bracelet. We carry 5mm and 6mm round leather cord, which will need to have a hollow core or hole inside the leather. The hollow core helps the memory wire go through the leather. Make sure when selecting your leather cord to read the descriptions, as not all round leather cords have a hollow core or hole. All leather cord is sold in inches, so order according to the amount of inches you will need for your project.
Another type of cord you can use are Regaliz® Licorice Leather with Hole as seen in our Leather & Swarovski Trend. They are thicker in size with flatten sides.
You can also use Hollow Rubber Cord. These are 3mm in diameter and sold in foot increments. Make sure they say “hollow” in the description for memory wire.
Memory Wire
Memory Wire is the skeleton of your bracelet. Make sure the wire you are selecting is round as we also carry flat memory wire and that “Memory Wire” in the description and/or name.
End Caps
End caps will be used to cap the ends of your leather cord. They make your leather ends look cleaner and finished. When looking for end caps, you can find them in Findings: Clasps & End Caps, TierraCast Findings, or search “End Caps.” PLUS, read the descriptions to determine their inside diameter/opening. This will help to accommodate the round leather size you choose to order.
Beads
Lastly, add these beads to your bracelet: glass beads, Swarovski crystals, gemstones, wood and any type of beads that will slide easily through the memory wire. Don’t forget some accent beads like bead caps, metal beads and seed beads.
Some beads we would not recommend are large-hole beads like interchangeable large-holes or large-hole gemstones because their holes are large and may wiggle around on the memory wire. Some tubes will not work because their shape will not curve along with the memory wire. Pearl beads can be tricky because some will have holes to small for the memory wire.
Tools
The best tool to cut your memory wire is the Memory Wire Cutter (TL00206). This cutter is meant to cut through heavy-duty wire like memory wire or thicker gauge wires.
One of your best friends in making your bracelet is the Memory Wire Finishing Pliers (TLZ0207). It’s a sturdy round plier used to loop your wires. It has two mandrel sides to create a consistent 2mm or 4mm loop. This tool will make it easier for your hands to making a loop compared to your round-nose pliers.
Watch our facebook live spin-off video below to learn how to add leather cord and end caps to memory wire and how to loop with the Memory Wire Finishing Pliers.
Items used: WR00121, CH00924 (3″), TC01854, SW00171, SW00180, SW00182, A022201, A022205
You don’t have to only use leather cords. Here are some fun examples we used with leather and/or beads.
(Leather & Swarovski Wrap Bracelets, Cork Cord and Wood Beads, Round Leather and Wire Bracelets)
(Flamingo and Palm Tree Blog, Summer Wrap Bracelets, Memory Wire Leather Wrap Blog)
(Fall Gemstone Trend, Turquoise Czech Glass Beads)
(February Birthstone, March Birthstone, Naturally Coastal)
Artistic Wire shows how easy it is to assemble and make wire cones using the Contastic Inverted Mandrels in this video tutorial. Learn how to use this nifty tool today!
We are inspired to show you this video tutorial from Artistic Wire on how to make wire wrapped cones using the Contastic Cone Mandrel (Item# TL00209). Use to make bead caps, connectors, or as a holiday tree charm like in our previous blog post.
We would love to know what you think of the tool and how you use it in your jewelry making.
Elastic Cord Needle (TL00281) is quite an innovative tool to pre-string your beads and to easily slide them onto an elastic cord; ready to be tied off and be worn! Check out this informative video from Beadalon on how to use the Elastic Cord Needle.
What you will first need are the following for this video tutorial:
Images and video by Beadalon.
Brand New to GoodyBeads are the Ring Bending Pliers from ImpressArt®. Watch this instructional video from ImpressArt and learn how to create your very own DIY rings and bracelets with the Bracelet Bending Pliers and Ring Bending Pliers.
Custom-make rings by using these new Ring Bending Pliers (TL00282) from ImpressArt. Along with the pliers, all you need to make custom rings are Ring Blank and some metal stamps.
Ring Blanks you can get are the following:
Make sure to get a pair of Nylon Bracelet Bending Pliers (Z005839) to custom-make stamped bracelets. Here are some examples of bracelet blanks and what you can make with them:
Other Bracelet Blanks:
Video and images by ImpressArt.
Wyatt White, from Beadalon, demonstrates how easy it is to make an expandable bangle using the Artistic Wire 3D Jig! Check out this video and learn to customize one for yourself!
Looking to add a new tool and beading technique? BeadSmith introduces the Endless Loom by Deb Moffet-Hall. Learn what this purposeful tool can do and help with your bead-stitching skills.
The Endless Loom (TL00275) comes with components to customize your loom and colorful illustrated instructions on how to assemble your loom. It has sizing rods to customize the bracelet let you desire, end bars, tension rods and elastic bands. Watch the video to learn how to assemble the Endless Loom and what kinds of bracelets you can create!
Learn a new beading technique with Kumihimo. These instructional videos from BeadSmith gives an introduction to Kumihimo, how to braid fibers and how to incorporate seed beads. Get your Kumihimo supplies and learn how to braid one today!
Kumihimo Introduction by BeadSmith
Kumihimo Braiding with Beads by BeadSmith
Check out our previous GoodyBeads Kumihimo trends for inspiration.
And thumb through kumihimo books for different braiding techniques.
Now that you’ve learned about the Basics of Soft Flex beading wire, take a look at informational videos on how to use it. Get inspired and create!
Plan your design out, string beads onto your beading wire and crimp to finish off a clean bracelet.
See different innovative ways to use beading wire.
Learn about Soft Flex beading wire and how to choose the right one for your project with these informational videos from Soft Flex Company.
Here is an informational video on the basics of the kinds of beading wire that Soft Flex Company produces.
Learn to determine the correct diameter of beading wire to best suit your next beading project.
Once you’ve determined your beading wire diameter, learn about the different types of beading wire, what they are made of and how each can be used. Plus, learn how to read the information that is provided on the label of Soft Flex beading wire.
Using the BeadSmith® Spin and String, Bead Stringing Tool you can create this seed bead necklace and bracelet in no time! Also, learn how to create twists with your strung seed beads.
Check out our BeadSmith Spin and String blog post on how to use the stringing tool, accompanied with a video tutorial.
Coastal Cove Necklace
We created a mix of side 8/0 seed beads to make this necklace just in time for a dreamy, coastal vacation!
Instead of using the bead spinner needle, we utilized the needle that comes with the Griffin bead cord. Please refer to Silk Bead Cord blog post on how to straighten silk cord and learn about clamshell bead tips.
Product used: SB00114, SB00093, SB00106, SB00010, CH00729, Z001016, A006581(2), Z008717, A001528, Z006500.
Seed Bead Twist Tutorial
Seed Bead Twist Silk Cord Bracelet
You can see here we used the same tutorial above and created this bracelet with size 11/0 Miyuki seed beads and gold chain and findings. Find tutorial here.
Add to your jewelry tools with the BeadSmith Spin & String, Bead Stringing Tool. Stringing on seed beads will get easier with this essential tool. Watch an information tutorial video on how to set up and use the bead stringing tool below.
Video Tutorial
Jewelry Example
Here are some examples of how we used the Bead Stringing Tool to make a twist bracelet from our Silk Cord blog post.
Having the right tools and adhesive for leather projects will make it easier to create stylish accessories. We will show you the basic tools for cutting leather and the types of adhesive to use when adding clasp ends to leather.
When cutting leather, you want a precise and straight cut. This will help with adding clasps and keeping your measurements accurate.
Flat and small round leather (i.e. 1mm, 2mm, or 3mm) needs a pair of scissors. Before making your cut, measure your piece of leather and mark with a pencil lightly.
Licorice and round leather are thicker and need a heavy-duty cutter. Below, we have a two cutter tools you can use to cut thicker side leather.
The Little Cut (TL0053) has a sharp angle blade that cuts leather by squeezing the handles together.
The Licorice Leather Cutter (A015862) has narrow handles, but cuts a perfect edge on your leather.
Pinch the handles to open the cutter. Slide the leather under the cutter, lining it up with the middle groove. Bring your blade down to wedge the leather in place. Grasp the cutter towards the front and squeeze down.
NOTE: Make sure to always have your angle blade facing down.
We have two adhesive options to use when adding clasp ends.
Super New Glue
We like to use super new glue (A015821) for its quick drying and superior holding quality.
Precut your leather. Put 1-2 drops of super new glue inside your clasp ends and swirl the glue inside to cover the edges and corners. Insert your leather and let it dry lying down on a flat surface. Dry time should take a few seconds to a minute or two.
E-6000
E-6000 (A011455) is used on heavy-duty beading and crafting projects. While it has a slower drying time, E6000 is a good filler especially when filling excess space or gaps around your leather when inserted into the clasp.
Precut your leather. Scoop up some E-6000 with a toothpick. Swab the inside of your clasp end. Repeat if necessary. You want to apply enough to coat the inside of the clasp. Insert leather ends and let it dry for 12-24 hours lying on a flat surface. Wipe excess glue cleanly if it flows out after leather is inserted.
Extra Note: You can use rubber bands to keep licorice leather in a round shape as the glue dries. And always use E6000 in a well ventilated area.
Important Notes:
