Beadalon Blog

Earrings are a mainstay in nearly every woman’s wardrobe and they make great last-minute gifts. As we get closer to the holiday gift-giving season, give yourself a creative kick-start with this fun challenge: Grab a box/bag/strand/package of beads and a handful of head pins, eye pins and ear wires, along with chain nose pliers, round nose pliers and wire cutters. Make as many different earrings as possible while "watching" TV or a movie. It's a great exercise in creativity but it's just mindless enough to do while in front of the tube. Look for ideas and inspiration in the Design Workshop . Some of my favorite quick earrings are: Flower Drops Earrings by Suzie Kwon Girly Pearls Earrings by Margot Potter Falling Heart Earrings by Fernando Dasilva Mix up your designs by trying different ear wires on for size. In addition to the ever-popular leverback style, there are “modern” ear wires that have a sleek, minimalist look; trendy, oversized kidney ear wires that

The Beadalon Design Workshop is full of ideas to inspire your next beading design. This fabulous Cascading Willlow Necklace by Design Team Member Margot Potter uses black Beadalon 19 for maximum impact. It’s right in line trends for fall with a combination of jet crystals and freshwater pearls and the layered look translates easily from day to night. Materials • 60 6x9mm Jet Swarovski™ teardrops • 63 6mm white freshwater oval pearls • 33 3mm Jet AB Swarovski™ rounds • 1 small silver plated toggle clasp • 16 JFC2B black crimp beads • 2 4”, 6”, 7” and 8” strands JW15B 19 strand .018 black beading wire • 2 20” JW15B strands black beading wire 202E-005 • Designer Ergo Cutter JTCRIMP3 • Designer Mighty Crimper Instructions Create the core necklace first. Attach two 20” strands black wire to the bar end of a toggle clasp using a crimp bead. Keep wires uncrossed inside of bead before crimping. Clip off excess wire with cutter tool. Begin

I was in Cincinnati last month to shoot the step-by-step photos for my new book Bead Chic . I think you’re going to enjoy this title. It showcases many wonderful Beadalon products and some really gorgeous beads and findings. I invited an array of well-known industry designers to contribute variation projects, so there’s going to be a lot of eye candy and inspiration. These shoots typically last a week with full eight-hour days of photographing the individual steps that go into creating the jewelry pieces. My job is to figure out how to break down the steps so that we can shoot them without having to reconstruct the entire design in real time. I create instructions, which I send to the editor before the shoot in electronic files. My editor takes copious notes as we work so we can be sure that the instructions reflect the photos and it’s clear to the reader how to recreate the pieces in the book. The photographer shoots the steps and goes back in digitally to make sure that the sh

Does it seem like you're always running out of your favorite style of Beadalon wire? That's why we offer all of our 7-, 19- and 49-strand wires in 1000 foot spools. Our most popular colors, bright, black and bronze, are available in 5000 foot spools. That's a lot of wire! These large sizes are especially convenient for designers, teachers and other jewelry makers who want to save money by buying in bulk or who just appreciate the convenience of keeping their favorite wire on-hand. Beadalon Design Team member Katie Hacker says, "Since .018" bright Beadalon 49 is my old standby, I keep a 1000-ft spool right on my desk." Because we manufacture Beadalon wire here in our Pennsylvania factory, we’re rarely out of stock. That means if you need a lot of wire fast, you can order through one of our many fabulous distributors with a really quick lead time for shipping. In fact, in no time at all, we could spool up enough 5000 foot spools of wire to circle the globe

With the rapid approach of autumn, it’s time to think about fall fashions. The current economic climate makes it tough to fill the closet with a whole new wardrobe, but a crafty gal can easily update her old fashions with new jewelry. Beadalon has some great new products you can use to make stylish designs that will bring you right up to date. First up is the gorgeous new 49 strand Beadalon Champagne wire .This color is so stunning it’s sure to capture attention. The bracelet in the photo uses a four wire woven technique I created with a children’s Cat’s Cradle game in mind. The combination of crystal and earthy porcelain beads works nicely for the darker color palette of fall. Two sprigs of exposed wire and bead fringes give this design optimal movement. The new 7-strand SilverGold wire is right on trend with the re-emergence of two tone looks on the runways. You can pair this with either silver or gold or combine a variety of metallic elements to beautiful effect. I used a

Bent chain nose pliers? Split ring pliers? Jump ring maker? Sometimes it seems that there is a never-ending array of tool choices out there. And, once you’ve decided what you need, there are even more levels of quality and different prices to chose from. How does a beader decide which tools are best? Most beaders agree that the most essential tools are: chain nose pliers (similar to needle nose, but with small, smooth jaws), round nose pliers, wire cutters and a crimping tool. Each of these tools comes in different styles, from the most basic, economical versions to enhanced, higher quality tools. I always maintain that the style of tool a beader prefers is a personal decision. Rarely do two beaders agree on which type is their favorite. Some people have smaller hands and like a smaller tool, while some people think a pretty handle is the most important factor. Some people (like me!) can’t get enough tools and love having choices, choices, choices! Remember, your tools are there to

Summer is almost gone and the bright citrus and tropical colors will be gone from our lives until the next season. We have an icy season coming on our direction and for many people this image is depressing. But you don’t need to dive into a gray, black and dark brown palette during all of the coming months. Nowadays, fashion is a state of mind and highlights individual personality. Be optimistic because it seems like fuchsia, dark indigo, rich purples, dramatic reds and yellow will pair with the traditional winter colors and everything can be happy and alive. Trust me! Here are some ideas for sprucing up your jewelry wardrobe: For an updated pearl necklace, add faceted geometric shapes of crystal beads strung on vivid colors of silk cord . If you are not into knotting or don’t want to spend the time, satin silver or satin gold Bead Bumpers will do the trick. Cocktails rings are a must and Beadalon is right on with the addition of the new line of stainless steel wire .

We’re glad to be a sponsor for BeadFest Philadelphia that recently took place in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Attendance at the three-day show proved that beading is still going strong, and beaders were out in droves to learn about the newest Beadalon products. We were busy the whole show demonstrating beading techniques and previewing our new products. The new wire colors like champagne , white and SilverGold , and the new half round and square stainless steel wires were a huge hit. Most of our demonstrations focused on using the stainless steel wire to wire-wrap CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements and gemstone cabochons to show how many different ways you can use these fun, new wires. In fact, one of the show highlights was a taping for the popular public television series Beads, Baubles & Jewels . Product Manager Wyatt White demonstrated new techniques for wire wrapping cabochons. Keep an eye on your local listings for show airings, or click here to search for Beads,