Beads for Beginners. Know Your Beading Options!

When you first walk into a bead store, prepare to be overwhelmed. Youll be overpowered by the sheer number of colors, shapes, and size. Its sure to leave you excited but a bit confused. Im here to help you with the confusion.

Lets do a general overview of the types of beads available to you:

Glass Beads

Often brilliantly colored and, oh so versatile, these beads are both beautiful and inexpensive, although certain handmade glass beads made by artisans can be quite expensive as they are truly one-of-kind. There are a variety of classifications of glass beads including lampwork (made on an open torch), pressed beads (made by pressing glass into a special mold), and millefiori beads which are characterized by rather intricate and detailed patterns often consisting of abstract flower designs. Also available are vintage glass beads that tend to have a unique character of their own due to their age. Figurative glass beads come in a variety of themes including animals, fruits, vegetables, and more. These beads tend to be easier to work with as their stringing holes tend to be uniform in size. Glass beads tend to be a good choice for the beginning stringer.

Semiprecious or Stone Beads

These beads are characterized by the fact that they are all found in nature and often have beautiful and intricate natural patterns with soft, dusty colors that give an earthy look and feel to a necklace. There are so many varieties of semiprecious stones available to you that youll never run out of ideas for using them. One disadvantage to these beads is that the holes for stringing may not be completely uniform in size making some of these beads difficult to string. This problem can be easily corrected with use of a bead reamer. These beads come in lots of unusual shapes and sizes and are favorites of many designers.

Crystal Beads

These beads are quite stunning due to their multifaceted nature The faceting causes them to shimmer and sparkle in direct light. Due to the tendency of these beads to sparkle, theyre perfect for evening jewelry and jewelry for special occasions. The most coveted of the crystal beads are the Swarvoski crystals which are more intricately faceted so they reflect more light. They come in a brilliant array of colors causing them to be quite versatile design elements. It works well to mix these with glass beads which adds a unique flavor to the design as well as reduces cost.

Metal Beads

The new beader has a variety of types of metal beads available to her. The least expensive are the brass, and silver and gold plated beads. Silver and gold plated beads are generally brass beads which have been plated with a layer of shiny gold or silver to give them sparkle. Brass beads tend to have a duller gold finish since they have no plating. Brass beads may darken slightly over time due to the lack of protective plating or they can be intentionally darkened with a special metal solution to give a vintage look.

Also available are sterling silver and gold filled beads which tend to be more expensive than the plated metal beads. Since 14K beads tend to be cost prohibitive at times, gold filled beads can serve as an excellent substitute. They have been fused with a rather thick layer of gold to prevent future tarnishing or color changes and are very unlikely to tarnish, You get the look of 14K gold without the price. Of course, sterling silver is always a popular choice although it may tarnish over time. The tarnish can be easily removed with silver cleaner.

Metal beads in general may be used as spacer beads between your other bead choices to give your pieces stability and added interest. Many of these beads have textured designs which makes them even more versatile and appealing.

Miscellaneous Beads

Included in this category are shell and bone beads which are derived from natural materials. They are sometimes dyed to give unusual colors but are also quite beautiful in their natural state. Youll be amazed at the wide choice of shapes and sizes that are available in these materials! Another interesting group of beads are the seaglass beads made from recycled glass collected from the oceans around the world. They are available in a variety of colors and tend to have a soft brushed look due to the smoothing effect that the ocean and sand have on them. Other natural beads include those made of wood and ceramic. Wooden beads are available in a variety  of wood types and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They tend to extremely versatile and are easy to work with. Ceramic beads come in a variety of brilliant as well as natural colors and finishes. The most beautiful ones are made with art glazes which give them a multifaceted depth that is quite appealing. The art glazes behave differently with each firing of the bead so no two pieces will be exactly alike.

In addition to beads, you can also use a variety of charms in your beaded creations. These are available in a variety of materials including metal, glass, and ceramic. Charms can be used to create a theme bracelet based on a hobby or interest. Add some letter beads to spell out a name and you have a customized piece of jewelry for a very low price!

I hope all of these possibilities have you eager to explore the possibilities of beading. Best of luck to you creating your next design!