Bead-It-Yourself: HOW TO START?!

Do you want to make jewelry, but have no idea where to start? Then you've come to the right place! In this blog, we'll tell you everything you need to know to make the most beautiful jewelry yourself.

To start, it's useful to have the basic necessities. We've listed the most important ones:
- A beading mat, to prevent beads from rolling off the table and all over the house.
- A bead board, on which you can lay out, design, and measure your jewelry.
- Needles, always useful if you plan on doing a lot of stringing.
- A storage box, to neatly store all your beads and supplies.

 

If you are a beginner, we recommend starting with Miyuki beaded bracelets. This is easy, yet you can make it more challenging for yourself with different techniques.

Miyuki rocailles come in 4 different sizes: 6/0, 8/0, 11/0, and 15/0. The number before the / indicates how many Miyuki rocailles can fit in an inch. This is why size 6/0 is larger than size 15/0. It's also great fun to combine the sizes.

Depending on the size of rocailles you choose, we usually recommend transparent elastic size 0.7 mm for bracelets. This passes easily through the beads and doesn't break easily. Do you really want to work with Miyuki rocailles size 15/0? Then it's better to use elastic in size 0.6 mm.

If you want to finish your bracelet beautifully, we recommend our 3 mm crimp beads. You string this crimp bead last onto the elastic. Pass both ends through and pull your bracelet tight. Flatten the crimp bead, and your bracelet is ready! For this, you can use a flat-nose plier.

 

If you want to make necklaces, that's a different story. To ensure your necklace hangs nicely round, you'll need beading wire. To be able to open and close your necklace, you can attach a clasp to one end and an extension chain to the other. You also attach these with crimp beads.

  

Now that you know everything about the basics, it's time to upgrade your jewelry! To make your jewelry stand out more, you can add all sorts of things. Beads and charms made of DQ metal, gemstones, shells, polymer, and so on. We often say, "The more you put in, the more fun it gets!"

We hope this blog has helped you get started and sparked your enthusiasm! If you still have any questions, you can always email or call us.

Love,