Collecting Your Beads - For the Beginning Jewelry Maker

Before you actually start to make any jewelry, it is important to have a good selection of beads on hand.  The jewelry piece you make should have a variety of beads that appeal to you and that are appropriate for the piece you are making.

You can find beads from a variety of sources.  There are specific magazines and catalogs that sell all the types of beads you may ever want -- and believe me there are some truly beautiful beads out there.  But getting beads just from these sources can be expensive, and it can cost you a lot of money if you get carried away.

There are other places to get beads (which are really nice too).  You can find beads at craft or art stores.  More and more art stores are carrying beads due to the popularity of jewelry making for beginners.  But this too may have a hefty price tag if you are not careful.

Try going to lower-end or bargain stores for find beads.  Walmart has now added a jewelry making/ bead section to our local store.  Try the one in your own area to see if they have come in line with this too.  Also, dollar or discount stores often sells beads in their crafting areas.  Or, you can get nice beads by buying cheap necklaces and then take them apart to re-purpose the beads.

Other places where you can look for great beads are at yard sales or flea markets.  Here you will probably find a variety of old-school necklaces that may not be in such good shape, but you can use the beads to make new jewelry pieces.  Often you will find vintage beads that are absolutely lovely...and at a bargain price.

You can also make your own beads to make your new jewelry pieces.  There are many ways to make beads, from paper beads to clay beads, or if you are really into it, you can make your own unique glass beads (using a microwave glass bonder) or your own designer silver beads (using silver-clay and a kiln).  You can find out how to make many different types of beads from instructions on the internet.

It is good to have a variety of beads on hand to spur your imagination for making new jewelry pieces.  Jewelry making is a very imaginative and creative process and when you have a lot of beads on hand, your imagination can really soar!

So got to it!  Get set and get your own collection of beads together.  Successful jewelry making for beginners starts with having a collection of great beads!

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