Bead Board
If you are a beginner, all of the beading accessories out there can be intimidating. Bead boards are a great tool for the beginning jewelry maker and it is definitely something you will need to plan out your bead necklaces and bead bracelets. A bead board is used for quick and easy jewelry beading.?A full size bead board has three channels for designing necklaces up to 46" and three straight channels for making bracelets and anklets up to 9".?A large bead board has 10 storage bins for organizing beading supplies such as beads, findings and stringing materials. A small bead board comes with three channels for designing necklaces up to 34" and has six storage bins for beading supplies. Don't worry about starting small and building up your bead supply.
Baby Spoon Bead Scoop
My favorite scoop for beads is a baby spoon. You can usually find these for pennies at a thrift store or garage sale. The long handle makes it easy to scoop beads out of a baggie and their tapered end makes putting beads back in those tubes a breeze!
Lighting
Good lighting is essential! At the very least, you should have a desk lamp or clip-on light at your workspace. If you can afford it, the best light is an OTT Light. It provides bright, full-spectrum lighting that allows you to see the true colors of your beads. It¡¯s also the best light for preventing eyestrain.
Crimp Tubes and Crimp Beads
If you're having trouble with crimp tubes breaking or not closing, you should look at your tools, findings and your techniques. Crimping pliers should be used instead of regular pliers. If you're already using crimping pliers, they could be damaged, so check the surfaces that come in contact with the crimp. Be sure your crimp bead or crimp tube is just big enough for the wire to go through twice. Using too large a crimp bead can cause problems. The first time you squeeze the crimp, put the crimp into the depression closest to the handle that has a "V". Don't squeeze too hard, just enough to meet the other side. Next, place the crimp into the outer depression and squeeze gently. This should fold the two parts over onto themselves. If you still have problems with breakage, you may want to get a better quality crimp bead. Sometimes paying a little more can make the job so much easier.
Beading Tools
Invest in good jewelry findings and supplies before starting to make your own jewelry. A good set of tools, including pliers and a wide range of threads and wires will give you the breadth of material you need to be as creative as you want! You do need to maintain your tools and materials if you want them to last. Remember that tools for beads should only be used for jewelry making and beading. When you use your tools for other things you risk damaging them or getting materials on them which can transfer onto your jewelry project later. Consider wrapping your pliers¡¯ tips in masking tape when working with wire. You can avoid scratching both the wire (especially important when working with enameled or plated wire) and the tool itself. You can¡¯t create a masterpiece without the right materials!
Bead Weaving and Bead Looms
Are you interested in bead weaving? You will definitely need a beading loom. When you visit an online bead store, check out the variety beading looms. A good bead store offers plastic, metal and wooden looms. If you are looking to explore bead weaving as a hobby, plastic looms are inexpensive. Metal looms seem to be the mid-range option. They are longer lasting and hold the threads in springs while the thread is wound on wooden rolls. More expensive wooden looms last longer and are usually larger than metal ones.
Preventing Nicks on Metal Findings
To prevent nicks or dents on metal findings or jewelry wire (such as sterling), there are a number of options.
If you do a LOT of wire work, there are special pliers with nylon inserts called Nylon Jaw Pliers.
If you need temporary protection (for just one project or attachment) get some of the "blue tape" that painters use to protect trim when painting. A couple layers of the tape will protect your metal items, yet still be thin enough to not affect the operation of the tool very much. When you are done, just pull the tape off - the "blue tape" does not leave any adhesive residue.
You can also make your own version of the padded jaw pliers. Buy an extra set of inexpensive pliers. Glue pieces of ultra suede or any soft rubbery material (old dishwashing gloves?) to the inside of the nose.
Beading Pliers
One of the essential tools in jewelry making is a good set of beading pliers. There are several kinds and each has its strength in making your bead jewelry. Round-nosed pliers are terrific for bending wire. You'll also need these pliers to form loops to attach ear fittings for earrings and clasps for necklaces and bracelets. Flat-nosed pliers are useful, too, for holding jump rings when you need to bend them. Wire cutters (sometimes called "side cutters") are handy for snipping wire or beading cable. If you plan on using stranded beading cable, Crimping Pliers are an important tool to have. The best way to determine what you need is to decide what kind of necklace or jewelry you want to make and then build your tool collection accordingly.
Toe Nail Scissors
Yes, toe nail scissors are great for beadwork! They are available just about everywhere. I like them for cutting thread as their curved cutting end allows me to cut the thread very close to the beadwork.
Stringing Beads
Besides jewelry supplies such as leather and wires, you can string your beads on soft stringing products such as hi-tech braided beading thread, clear elastic cord and clear monofilament cord. Hi-tech braided bead thread is much stronger than silk-based threads, more resistant to fraying and doesn't need to be stretched before using. It is pre-waxed and stronger than silk with a break rating of 20 pounds. You can also string beads on different thicknesses of laces and ribbons. Ribbons look good sewn onto brooch findings and earrings.
Jewelry Cords
Many popular jewelry styles feature using beads with large holes, strung on a variety of interesting cording material, such as leather, cotton and hemp. Specifically you will find waxed cotton cords, Greek Leather and "Rattail" satin cords (jet black and very shiny). Leather will give your necklace a more earthy feel. Waxed cotton cord can be in lieu of leather or hemp. Rattail satin cord frays a bit when cut, so most bead jewelry making books suggest dipping the cut end in fabric glue. The cord is about 1.5mm thick and is sold in custom cut pieces by the yard or by the full spool. Think about the style of jewelry you want to design or get some of each kind of cord to experiment!
Opening Split Rings
If you are going to do a lot of split rings, I suggest a special tool called a split ring pliers. This kind of pliers has a tip that will hold the ring open slightly so that you can slip your clasp (or charm, or whatever part) onto the ring.
Split rings are particularly sensitive to being opened too far. Open the ring just enough to slip it over your jewelry parts. If the ring still becomes distorted, you are using too small of a ring for the application.
Embroidery Scissors
Get the most expensive ones you can afford and have them sharpened often. A clean cut through your thread with a pair of very sharp embroidery scissors will prevent fraying and make threading your needle much easier.