Beads for Wire Jewelry Making

Perhaps you have seen some wire jewelry that you liked and you decided you try your hand at making some. If you have your tools and supplies, the next step is to decide on what kind of beads you would like to purchase and use. You can buy all the beads that catch your eye or just specialize in one type of bead. Either way, there are a great deal of styles, textures, consistencies, and colors to choose from. This article will hopefully help you decide what kind of beads you would like to work with.

Inexpensive beads are easy to find but it does not necessarily mean you must narrow your selection. With companies like Michaels, Ben Franklin, and Wal-mart, it is very easy to find beautiful inexpensive beads to fit any budget. Once you find the beads you want to work with, at the right price, everything usually falls together from there.

The most inexpensive option is usually plastic beads. When I say plastic beads you might think of the pony-beads that you played with in pre-school, but plastic beads are not that limited anymore. There are many different shapes, sizes, forms, and colors for plastic beads now and it is much easier to find some that appeal to you. Check at your local craft store for some pplastic beads that fit your budget and work well with your project. Do not give up if you do not find exactly what you want at one store. Improvise and make adjustments, your project will turn out the better for it.

For a little better quality and even more options, you can look into using glass beads. A wonderful company with incredible deals would be Fire Mountain Gems. This company specializes in jewelry supplies, tools, and beads. It is almost impossible not to find something you like. This store has a free catalogue or you can check out their website at FireMountainGems.com. If you would like to investigate a couple other stores to compare prices, a simple Google search for "glass beads" will pull up lots of stores with varying beads. Have fun with your search and enjoy the beads you find. If you are making wire earrings, I would suggest you be careful with the glass beads that you choose, you do not want the beads to be too heavy or they will be uncomfortable to wear.

Usually the most expensive option is precious stone and gem beads. These beads range from crystal to tiger eye and so much more. My favorite to use from this class of beads would be crystal beads. They come in every shape, size, cut, and color, and really help pull a piece together. The precious stones and gems tend to be a bit more expensive than glass beads and plastic beads but good deals can also be found on these at FireMountainGems.com. They have a wonderful selection and great customer service.

Once you have your project and your beads to go with it, you are ready to go! Have fun with the beads that you choose and let them cheer you on to complete your projects. For ideas on what tools to get and what supplies you might need, please take a look at my other articles. Good luck with your bead shopping!