Beadalon Blog

One of my favorite finished looks in a piece of jewelry is when there are knots in between the beads. Knotting can be challenging, but luckily, there are lots of different tools to help achieve the goal of perfectly spaced knots between beads.  The first and most important question is - why is it important to knot between your beads? More secure - when your silk wears out - which it will over time - and the necklace breaks, you will only lose one bead at most Allows you to build in space between your beads to minimize friction of your beads rubbing against themselves Looks nice - shows off more of the beauty of the beads Stretches your bead budget further - knotting between beads, especially in a "tin cup" style can create a longer necklace using fewer beads Once you've decided to create a knotted design, there are a lot of tools that you can use to make your job easier: KNOT-A-BEAD If knotting is a challenge for you, the Knot A Bead might be the tool for you. It allows

There are essential products in every beaders toolbox and craft space, but here at Beadalon, we like to go above and beyond and offer products that make jewelry making even easier and more enjoyable. How many of these 10 "oddly essential" items do you have?   Bead Counters  - do you need to quickly count beads for a pattern or for making kits? The Bead Counters are the best tool for those jobs. There are 4 in the kit and work with beads 2-3mm, 4-5mm, 6-7mm and 8-10mm.  Bea d Slide Gauge – Patterns usually call for a certain size of beads, and while I often can "eyeball" the size of the beads, it's good to have an easy way to know what size beads you are working with. Quick Change Trays - When you are using the Spin N Bead , Spin N Bead Jr., and Spin N Bead Senior, Quick Change Trays are indispensable for quickly changing out colors of seed beads. I find them most helpful when I'm making French Beaded Flowers , but they are great if you make waist beads, or

The Conetastic Tool is a handle with storage in the base that holds different mandrels in place to make bead cones, necklace cones, bead caps and more. Currently, there are 4 sets of mandrels - the three that come with the tool, plus additional sets of 3  Inverted Mandrels , 3  Hourglass Mandrels , and 5  Bead Cap Mandrels .  There are so many different sizes and shapes of mandrels! To change mandrels, use the allen wrench that 's included with the base to loosen and tighten the mandrels into the tool. Inverted Mandrels Hourglass Mandrels Bead Caps Mandrels Some of my favorite things to make with the Conetasic Tool are cones and caps for finishing Kumihimo and tassel toppers. The inventor of the tool, Sandra Lupo, joined me on Facebook Live to teach a gorgeous earring design using the inverted mandrels to create a tassel topper for a tassel made out of chain. So fun! I love that Sandra also uses a bicone as the "go-to" for between the top of the cone and the loop. It mak

One of the best places to get started making jewelry is by making stretch cord bracelets. Beadalon has two fantastic types of stretch cord to choose from  - Elonga and Elasticity .  To get started, all you will need are 3 things: 1. Stretch Cord 2. Scissors 3. Beads. Easy enough! But you know I'm going to take it to the next level with all kinds of add ons!  First things first, what is the difference between Elonga and Elasticity, and which should you choose?  Elonga  is miniature, multi-fiber elastic ribbon that is very supple.  It has a built in warning - once it begins to wear it will start to split, which is easy to see and replace.  Elasticity is a  soft, single strand elastic, all purpose cord that is strong and stretchy.  Elonga is available in 3 diameters - .3mm (.012in), .7mm (.028in), 1.0mm (.039in) - in white, and in 12 colors.  Elasticity is available in 3 diameters - .5mm (.020in), .8mm (.032in), 1.0mm (.039in) - and 5 colors - Rose Gold, Satin Silver, Satin Gold, Bl

One of my favorite jewelry making techniques is making Chain Maille! Not only is it meditative, relaxing, and therapeutic, but it provides a great foundation for embellishing with beads to make beautiful jewelry.  Purple Chain Maille Earrings Instructions available in the Learning Center! Getting started with Chain Maille can definitely be daunting. There's a lot to learn at the outset - a new set of vocabulary, a new group of materials, new concepts to grasp, but the good news is that you really only need 2 tools to get started making chain maille. You'll need two pliers - chain nose, flat nose, bent chain nose pliers - any combination that works best for you. And one technique - opening and closing a jump ring. If you can open and close a jump ring, you can do chain maille! The Beadalon Snub Nose Chain Maille Pliers are perfect for making chain maille! The first thing to know is the "anatomy of a jump ring". There is an inner diameter (the distance between the ins

  Beadalon has added 3 new colors of French Wire - Rose Gold Color, Vintage Bronze Color, and Vintage Silver Color! When added to the .925 Sterling Silver, Silver Plated, and Gold Color already in our catalog, there are 6 total colors to choose from! Not only that, but we also have French Wire available 5 sizes - from Fine to XX-Heavy to best fit the stringing material that you'll be covering.  Beadalon French Wire ,  also known as 'Gimp' and 'Bullion' is used to cover and protect bead cord from friction and breakage at the clasp area. French Wire is especially helpful for fortifying  silk beading cord  and giving designs a professional finish. You can find full instructions for adding French Wire to a traditionally knotted pearl necklace here .  Of course, I can't just use French Wire for its original intention. I've been using it in all kinds of designs from memory wire (shown above) to bead stringing, to wire work. I love the way it adds extra shine and s